Dear Friends, 
Most of us carry a few sentences about ourselves: “I am not good at that.” “I could never do what they do.” “That is simply not who I am.” Sometimes another person gave us that label years ago. Sometimes we repeated it to ourselves until it began to feel like the truth. Moses once had a sentence like that. When G-d first called him at the burning bush, Moses answered:
“I am not a man of words.”
Moses saw his difficulty with speech as a serious limitation. How could he stand before Pharaoh, address a nation, and lead the Jewish people with his voice?
Yet decades later, the final book of the Torah, Devarim, which we begin reading this week, opens with:
“These are the words that Moses spoke.”
The man who once said, “I am not a man of words,” reached the final chapter of his life with words that would guide the Jewish people for generations.
What changed?
Moses stopped measuring the mission only by what he believed he could accomplish on his own. He understood that this was G-d’s calling. He trusted that G-d would guide him, and he stepped forward. Through years of serving, leading, teaching, and caring for the Jewish people, he found a voice filled with truth, responsibility, and purpose.
He did not become someone else. He became more fully the person G-d knew he could be.
I think about this when I look at Chabad of Naples today. When Ettie and I came to Naples 23 years ago, we could never have imagined all that would grow here. Had you shown us then the families, the friendships, the sanctuary filled with life, the laughter of hundreds of children in our preschool, Hebrew school, and summer camp, and the endless moments of kindness that have become the heartbeat of the Chabad Naples family, we would have been amazed, deeply grateful, and smiling from ear to ear.
It is a humbling reminder that when we take the next step, connect ourselves to a mission, and trust G-d with what comes next, the future can become far greater than anything we could have envisioned.
Words do more than communicate what we think. They shape what we believe is possible, both for ourselves and for others. Moses once used words to describe his own limitation, but that sentence did not become the final definition of his life. We must be careful not to make our words the final definition of another person’s life either.
Moses also understood the responsibility of speaking to others. In his final message to the Jewish people, he needed to remind them of their mistakes so they could grow. Rashi, the classic Torah commentator, explains that Moses referred to their failures indirectly, protecting their dignity even while offering correction.
Truth should guide a person, not crush them.
We grew up hearing, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But we know that is not true. A broken bone can be set and helped to heal. A sentence that breaks a heart can remain with a person for decades.
Words can trap someone inside a definition. They can also help a person see something greater: “I believe in you.” “There is more inside you than you realize.”
The Torah begins with G-d creating the world through speech, and its final book is called Devarim, “Words.” Words create worlds. They shape confidence, relationships, families, and communities.
This week we approach Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of both Holy Temples. The tragic history of this date began in the desert, when the spies returned from the Land of Israel with a report that filled the people with fear and despair.
That report filled a nation with fear. Our words can build courage, trust, and connection.
Before we speak, we can pause and ask: Will these words make someone feel smaller or help them grow? Can I be honest while protecting their dignity? Can my voice bring courage rather than shame? We should ask the same questions about the way we speak to ourselves.
This Shabbat, let us choose words that build. More than ever, the world needs them. Let us use our voices to encourage our children, strengthen our families, lift our friends, and bring our community closer together.
May our homes, our sanctuary, and our community always be places where every person hears words of kindness, dignity, and faith, words that help them recognize the gifts and possibilities G-d has placed within them.
That’s the community we’re building together at Chabad of Naples. We look forward to seeing you in shul this Shabbat.
With love and blessings,
Rabbi Fishel and Ettie Zaklos