Rabbi Mendy's Blog - Chabad Chai

Why Do I Feel Disconnected From My Own Truth?

Friday, February 27, 2026 - 3:37 PM

There are moments when I stop and ask myself an uncomfortable question: Why do I feel disconnected? Why does it sometimes feel like I’m not living in concert with my own truth? I know what I believe. I know what matters to me. And yet, there are times when my life doesn’t fully reflect that knowledge. It can feel like I’m living a version of myself that’s slightly misaligned, doing the right things, but not always from the deepest place.

This week’s Torah portions, Tetzava and Parshas Amalek, speak directly to this inner struggle. Amalek isn’t just an enemy from our past; it represents a force that creates disconnection. Amalek separates the head from the heart, knowledge from feeling, belief from action. When Amalek is at work, our Judaism becomes intellectual and distant, something we understand and even defend, but don’t always live. We stay cerebral, and our faith never fully reaches our emotions or shapes our behavior.

That’s why Parshas Tetzava places such emphasis on the oil for the Menorah. The Torah tells us that the Jewish people brought the pure oil specifically to Moshe, even though Aaron would light the Menorah. Oil represents faith at its deepest level, pure, potent, and essential. Moshe, the leader of the Jewish people, didn’t kindle the flame himself, but he was the one who received the oil and revealed its true nature.

Moshe taught that what we “know” about G-d is not merely intellectual knowledge. It doesn’t begin in the mind; it begins in the soul. Faith is not something we acquire from the outside; it is the essence of who we are. Moshe reminded the Jewish people of that inner truth, allowing what they already knew to emerge from within. And when knowledge is recognized as soul-deep, it can flow naturally into our emotions and express itself through our actions. Moshe then brought that oil to Aaron, who transformed inner faith into visible light through the Menorah.

This is our call to action. Don’t allow your faith to remain abstract or confined to your thoughts. Bring it into how you live, speak, choose, and connect. Let what you know to be true shape your inner world and shine outward. When our faith becomes real and lived, we weaken Amalek and illuminate not only our own lives but the entire world around us.

Why would G-d Trust Imperfect People Like Us?

Friday, February 6, 2026 - 2:42 PM

Human beings are fragile. We get tired, distracted, discouraged. We fall short of our own ideals more often than we'd like to admit. If that's the case, why even try to rise above our nature? Why demand holiness from people who struggle just to be consistent? And if elevation of the world is such a sacred task, wouldn't it make more sense to assign it to a select few, spiritual elites, Rabbi, or community leaders, rather than to an entire nation of imperfect people like us?

The answer lies in this week's Torah portion, Parshat Yitro. The Jewish people are about to receive the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai, G-d does something radical. He does not appoint a priestly class to represent the people. Instead, He turns to the people themselves and declares: "You shall be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Every man, woman, and child is included. Holiness is not outsourced. The responsibility to elevate the world is placed squarely on the shoulders of an entire nation.

This is the Torah's bold statement about human potential. A priest is not someone who escapes the physical world, but someone who transforms it. By charging every Jew with this role, G-d is telling us that sanctity is not meant for rare moments or rare individuals. It is intended to infuse everyday life; how we eat, sleep, work, travel, relate to others, and connect with the world. Our weaknesses are not a flaw in the plan; they are the intended areas where holiness is achieved.

Yitro's presence underscores this truth. An outsider who recognizes truth and steps toward it, he reminds us that greatness is not about pedigree or perfection. Even Moshe Rabbeinu listens, learns, and adjusts. A nation of priests does not mean a nation without struggle; it means a nation willing to grow, take responsibility, and bring structure and meaning to a complicated world.

This week, Sinai calls us again. Don't assume holiness belongs to someone else, more learned, more righteous, more "qualified." It belongs to you. In a small act of integrity, a quiet moment of kindness, a mitzvah done with intention, you fulfill your priestly mission. We were not chosen because we are perfect. We were all chosen because the world needs elevating, and G-d trusts us and has empowered us all to do it. Now, let's repay that trust and start living priestly.