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You don’t often see a book launch feel like a collective exhale.

This recording is from the Montreal launch of The Forgiveness Experiment, featuring the author Rabbi Yisroel Bernath in conversation with Ilana Zackon.

Ilana Zackon, an award-winning actor, writer, and filmmaker. Together, they dive into the heart of the book: why forgiveness matters, how it changes us, and what it means to live with open hearts even in a fractured world. Expect laughter, honesty, vulnerability, and plenty of inspiration.

Held in the days leading up to Yom Kippur, this wasn’t just a discussion about forgiveness, it was an exploration of freedom. Together, Rabbi Bernath and Ilana unpack the heart of The Forgiveness Experiment:

Why forgiveness isn’t about excusing harm. Why it’s not spiritual bypassing. And why, sometimes, forgiveness is the bravest form of self-respect.

What unfolds is honest, funny, vulnerable, and deeply human. Stories are shared. Assumptions are challenged. And the room slowly softens.

This conversation and the book weaves together Jewish wisdom, lived experience, and psychological insight, offering a grounded, compassionate approach to letting go of pain without losing your truth.

If you’ve ever wondered: Why is forgiveness so hard? Is it possible to forgive without minimizing what happened? What if forgiveness is something I do for myself, not for them?

This conversation is for you.

Since that night, The Forgiveness Experiment has become a #1 bestseller on Amazon, and Rabbi Bernath has traveled across North America sharing its message.

Recorded live at the Montreal Book Launch at Rohr Chabad NDG on September 28, 2025

Filmed and recorded by Yehuda Chiche

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

It's also available on Amazon just about everywhere else, UK, Australia, Europe...

The audiobook is on the way and will be released next week.

If you’d like to take this work a step further check out www.forgivenessbook.org

If this conversation resonates, consider subscribing, sharing, or leaving a review. Your voice helps this message travel further.

#Forgi

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

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One of the first things we did together as a people wasn’t march, organize, or strategize. We sang. Standing at the edge of the sea, fresh from fear, not yet healed, still unsure where we were going the Jewish people lifted their voices in song. But the Torah leaves us with a mystery: how did three million people sing one song together? Was it led by Moses? Echoed by the people? Or did each person discover the song within themselves?

In this class, Rabbi Bernath explores an ancient debate that turns out to be a timeless conversation about leadership, growth, and personal responsibility. Is a leader meant to be followed, echoed, or outgrown? And what does it mean to stop repeating someone else’s song and finally sing your own?

Key Points

The Song at the Sea as the birth moment of the Jewish voice.

Three models of leadership hidden in one ancient song

The difference between submission, discipleship, and empowerment.

Why real transformation doesn’t come from echoing, but from ownership.

What it means to be given a match, not a melody.

Takeaways

True leadership doesn’t create followers, it awakens leaders.

Unity isn’t sameness; it’s shared purpose with individual voice.

You don’t need permission to sing what’s already inside you.

The most enduring influence is what continues after the leader steps back.

Your voice matters, not later, not someday, but now.

#Jewish #Judaism #Bible #Torah #chabad #Rebbe #YudShevat #SongAtTheSea #Leadership #FindingYourVoice #ShiratHayam #personalgrowth #JewishWisdom #ParshatBeshalach #Beshalach#InnerFreedom #EmpoweredLiving #SingYourSong #RabbiBernath

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

Send us a text

In Parshat Bo, G-d tells Moses something unexpected: “Come to Pharaoh.” Not go… but come.

In this episode Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores a profound teaching from the Zohar and Chassidic thought: when we face a “Pharaoh” in our lives… fear, resistance, heartbreak, failure, or a person who seems to block our freedom… we are never sent alone. G-d says: Come with Me.

Even more startling, G-d adds: “Because I hardened his heart.” The resistance itself is Divine. Not to stop redemption, but to reveal it.

Through Torah, Kabbalah, psychology, and powerful stories (including the donkey in the pit and a letter from the Rebbe), this class reframes life’s hardships as portals, not barriers. What feels like opposition is often the very force meant to uncover our deepest strength, courage, and soul-power.

This is a class about fear, faith, resilience and discovering that the path forward is often a winding one, but it always leads upward.

Key Takeaways

You never face adversity alone. “Come to Pharaoh” means G-d walks with you into your hardest moments.

Resistance is not random. Some of the strongest opposition in life is part of the redemption process itself.

Pharaoh is not in control. What looks overwhelming is often a tool, not a tyrant.

Obstacles are portals. Life’s blockages are invitations to excavate hidden strength.

Growth is uncomfortable by design. Muscle only grows by tearing and so does the soul.

The dirt can bury you or elevate you. Shake it off. Step up. Rise.

Your hardest challenges may reveal your greatest light. You discover who you truly are not when life is easy, but when it demands more of you.

#Judaism #chabad #Kabbalah #ParshatBo #Torah #TorahPortion #TorahLessons#ComeToPharaoh #NotAlone #FaithOverFear #KabbalahForLife #SpiritualResilience #PortalsNotBarriers #InnerFreedom #DivinePlan #SoulStrength #JewishWisdom #TheZigZagPath #Redemption #chassidus #RabbiBernath #lubavitch #Rebbe

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi