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Rabbi Yehuda {Leonard} Blank MS, BC
Vice President of Professional Development and External Affairs
Chair of the Chaplaincy Commission
Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim
917-446-2126 rablenblank@gmail.com
<>October 15, 2026, 4, Cheshvan 5787<>
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It is less than two weeks since the memories of October 7th Nova Music festival tragedies continue to linger on in the hearts and minds of men and women throughout the world. We have all types of memorials including yartzeits, yizkor, and the memorials one has in his or her heart remembering a loved one, a relative or a close friend. There are many who have a cherished pet remembered for its companionship. But life also goes on. We look back at our heritage and learn from the many trials and tribulations of our nation. We look at our own mesorah and the hardships, the good times and the positive accomplishments one has made. Hopefully, we learn from any mistakes, pursue improvements with renewed strength and have hope for a successful future with meaningful endeavors and joy in one’s life.
As a rabbi and more so as a chaplain, October 7th brings back many memories of those I have ministered to and the challenges they often have had to endure. There were times especially as a chaplain when I too would cry with a person who also was crying regarding a very difficult personal situation regarding him or herself or about a loved one. There are many heartbreaking scenarios dealing with loss of a loved one, prenatal loss, loss of one’s limb, a devastating diagnosis and prognosis, loss of a job, an impending divorce, chronic pain and the last months or weeks of one’s life. I have had individuals who shared with me their suicidal ideations, victims of robbery, and firsthand witnesses loved ones who were murdered during a robbery, loved ones whose took their own lives and other heart wrenching situations. Chaplains and also rabbonim try to bring comfort and help renew a person’s spirits with a feeling of hope going forward and in finding joy in their lives.
From: Torah Wellsprings, Collected thoughts from Rabbi Elimelech Biderman Shlita. Bereishis Tishrei 5787/October 9, 2026, page 8. “We say Kiddush Levanah that the Jewish nation will one day be renewed just like the moon. This expresses the very essence of a Yid: his ability to begin again. Rashi writes that Bereishis refers to the Jewish nation, who are called Reishis. They are called Reishis because that is their nature-to always start anew.”
(ibid)“In Adon olam, we say Beli reishis beli sachlis. One can explain that if a person doesn’t begin again, if he never makes a fresh start, then there is no sachlis, no purpose to his avodah. Renewal is the foundation of growth.”
(ibid)“The Shinover Rav zt”l teaches that we read Bereishis immediately after the Yomim Noraim to show that we now stand at a new beginning. It is a fresh year; the aveiros have been atoned for. We can begin our avodas H as though it were the very first time.”
(ibid)“The first letter of the Torah is the letter beis, which is closed on three sides and open only toward the front. This hints that a person should always look forward, not remain stuck in the past. Our focus should be on moving ahead, beginning anew, and building what comes next.”
(ibid)“Why did H ask Kayin why he was sad? His korban was not accepted-isn’t that a reason to be sad? The explanation is that a person should not remain focused on the past. He did something wrong; his korban was rejected, but now it is time to look forward to the future and consider what he can do going forward.”
From: The Yated Ne’eman 7 Tishrei 5787/September 18, 2026. Vol 38. No. 34-35 The following two are from pages 66 and 68. Hours of Love & Inspiration, by Rabbi Binyomin Pruzansky. Light in the Tunnels. “Sasha Trufanov was held hostage in the tunnels of Gaza for a staggering 498 days. In that absolute darkness, facing the terrifying unknown, he realized that there was only one thing he could do: “Let me talk to H.”
That conversation lit a fire within him. He felt the light of H, and he realized that that was something no captor could ever take away. They could take his freedom, his family, and his sunlight, but they could never take away the feeling that H was with him. That was when he started to pray for the first time. It became his source of light. That is the knowledge that allows a Jew to overcome the impossible.”
(ibid) Boruch Gozer Umekayeim: The power to endure. We see this same power of perspective in a famous story about the Skulener Rebbe, Rav Eliezer Zusia Portugal. The rebbe was imprisoned in a brutal Romanian jail for teaching Torah and caring for Jewish orphans. It was a place designed to break a person’s spirit. He had nothing-they had taken his tallis, his tefillin, and even his yarmulka. For a Jew like the rebbe, to stand with an uncovered head was unbearable.
The rebbe took his sleeve and pulled it over his head to create a makeshift covering, and in his cold, lonely cell, he began to daven with every fiber of his soul.
He reached the words of Boruch She’amar: Boruch gozer umekayeim-Blessed is He who decrees and fulfills.” Suddenly, he stopped. He looked at the stone walls around him and the bars on the windows. He thought to himself: Why am I thanking H for making decrees? If this prison is a decree, why is this considered a praise?
But then he realized the profound truth behind those words. Boruch gozer-H may decree a challenge, a trial, or a difficult period in our lives. But umekayeim, to stand strong and to persevere through that very decree. He doesn’t just send the trial; He sends the strength to overcome it.
With that realization, the rebbe’s heart filled with joy that the prison guards could never touch. He understood that even in the midst of a gezeirah, H was right there, sustaining him.”
We are mispallel to Hakadosh Boruch Hu to be able to inspire those who we minister to and to help find the strength, perseverance and the abilities of dealing with any challenges in their lives. We pray to help them find joy and positive meanings in their lives. We hope to imbue them with the forte not to be stuck in the past with negativity, but to look forward with much goodness and kindness in their lives. Most of all to find a loving relationship with H.
Sincerely, Rabbi Yehuda Blank