CTTP BarberTalk

Held at Gunpoint @ 15: Rabbi Yisroel Bernath on Forgiveness, Mashiach & Why "God Is Not Your Savior"

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:00:00 -0400

Rabbi Yisroel Bernath was held at gunpoint at 15 by an antisemite. He spent 5 years in a hidden depression. Then he wrote a book on forgiving the unforgivable.

In Episode 13 of CTTP BarberTalk, Isaac Miracles and Dani The Barber sit down with Rabbi Yisroel Bernath — Montreal's "Love Rabbi," Chabad shaliach in NDG, matchmaker behind 200+ marriages, certified wine sommelier, and author of THE FORGIVENESS EXPERIMENT.

What started as a conversation about kosher fades and Mordecai's barber turned into the most honest two hours we've recorded.

We get into:

— The Karpman Drama Triangle and why most of us are stuck in it

— Why Rabbi Bernath says the Jewish people need to stop playing victim

— Held at gunpoint in Chicago at 15: "Hitler should have finished you off" — The 5-year depression nobody knew about

— Why "God is not your savior" is a Jewish idea, not a heretical one

— Christians believe in saviors. Jews believe in redemption.

— Loud and proud post-October 7

— and what to do with the haters

— The Forgiveness Experiment: the method he used on himself

— 18 years cowboying out of the Chabad box in NDG

— Mashiach is the work of your own hands This one's heavy. It's also necessary.

▼ CHAPTERS (timestamps to verify on upload)

0:00 Cold open — kosher fades, Mordecai's barber, why men talk in chairs

8:00 Rabbi Bernath, becoming religious, and the haircut trauma

18:00 The Drama Triangle: victim, perpetrator, hero

33:00 "We've spent billions on Holocaust museums. Has it worked?" 45:00 Loud and proud — Hanukkah after the Bondi attack

55:00 NDG: cowboying out of the Chabad box

1:10:00 The Love Rabbi: 200 marriages, the CBC documentary, kosher wine

1:25:00 Bridging worlds — Isaac's music journey

1:40:00 The 5 years of hidden depression

1:55:00 Held at gunpoint at 15: the Chicago hate crime

2:05:00 The Forgiveness Experiment — witnessing, the letter you'll never send

2:15:00 "God is not your savior" — what it actually means

▼ RABBI YISROEL BERNATH

Book → forgivenessbook.org

Instagram → instagram.com/montrealrabbi

TikTok → tiktok.com/@theloverabbi

LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/ybernath

Facebook → facebook.com/TheLoveRabbi

Podcast → open.spotify.com/show/3IEYGOMEFrVomWMJwBjifI

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#CTTPBarberTalk #RabbiYisroelBernath #LoveRabbi #ForgivenessExperiment #Chabad #JewishPodcast #Montreal #Mashiach #Antisemitism #JewishIdentity #DramaTriangle #ForgivenessJourney

“If I Stop… They Die” – The Untold Story of Esther Levy | CTTP BarberTalk

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:50:00 -0400

“If I stop… they die.” That’s not a metaphor. That’s reality. In this powerful episode of CTTP BarberTalk, we sit down with Esther Levy — founder of **Les Anges d’Esther**, a Montreal-based nonprofit organization helping the most vulnerable members of the community. Her mission: 👉 Fight food insecurity 👉 Support struggling families 👉 Care for seniors with no one left Les Anges d’Esther provides: – Fresh, high-quality food packages – Grocery vouchers for families in need – Shabbat meals prepared with dignity – Large-scale holiday campaigns (including Passover/Pesach distributions) Her focus: – Seniors without family – Low-income households – Single parents And behind all of this… There is no big system. No corporation. Just Esther — running it like a family operation, supported by her community, answering calls at 2AM, delivering food in extreme conditions, and refusing to treat people like numbers. This is not just charity. This is **chesed in its purest form**. ⚠️ This episode will challenge how you think about: – Money – Success – Giving – Purpose ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Montreal crisis & perspective 04:30 The roots of chesed 10:00 Why most people don’t give 12:00 The reality of helping the poor 17:00 “I cry every night” 20:00 Divorce, pain & purpose 24:00 Feeding families from leftovers 30:00 Why nobody wants to do this work 35:00 Breaking point 38:00 How to start giving 45:00 The truth about tzedakah 50:00 Overwhelmed by causes 56:00 Final message 💙 SUPPORT / FOLLOW LES ANGES D’ESTHER: 📘 Facebook: / association-les-anges-d-esther-10005348317... 📸 Instagram: / les_anges_d_esther_association 🎯 Donate (Official Campaign): https://perfectdeed.com/landing-perfe... 📲 Follow CTTP BarberTalk: YouTube: / @cttpbarbertalk Instagram: / cttp.barbertalk TikTok: / cttpbarbertalk #BarberTalk #RealTalk #Charity #Chesed #Faith #Podcast #CTTPBarberTalk

I Grew Up With Nothing. Now I Run 15 Brokers at 31.” | Faith, Fear & Making It in Montreal

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0400

At 31 years old, Samuel Benizri leads a 15-person commercial real estate team in Montreal. But he didn’t grow up with money. He shared a bedroom. He couldn’t run hot water and electricity at the same time. He was raised by a single mother.

In this episode of CTTP BarberTalk, Sam opens up about:

• Growing up without a father

• Being raised by a single mother who sacrificed everything

• Why growing up broke can be your biggest advantage

• The fear that drives him every single day

• Building and managing a 15-person team before 32

• Staying humble while leveling up

• Faith, emunah, and speaking to Hashem daily

• Why success is YOU vs YOU

This conversation goes beyond money. It’s about discipline. It’s about identity. It’s about knowing your place and becoming the man you’re meant to be.