The 10th of Shevat
By Rabbi Dovid Markel Sixty-five years ago today, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson assumed the mantle of Chabad leadership, becoming the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe’s opening speech was a chasidic discourse based on...
Category: INSPIRATION
Sage Advice
By Leibel Estrin Many years ago, two elderly widowers were speaking. “I don’t understand something,” one of the old men began. “Both of us loved and lost our wives. But I am inconsolable...
Tefilla Tips
By Rabbi David Sterne Last week, we analyzed the Hebrew etymology of the word, tefila (“prayer”) and concluded that it is from a word meaning “struggle, or wrestle,” as Rashi says. Proper tefila...
Running Away From Evil
By Rabbi Dovid Markel The mishna in the tractate of Pesachim[1] states: “What is the difference between the Passover as celebrated (by the Israelites while) in Egypt, and that observed by later generations?...
Now That’s Humility
By Leibel Estrin Rabbi Yosef Rosen (1858-1936) was known for his diligence in Torah study. Even as a young boy, he spent his time pouring over religious texts. It wasn’t long before the teachers...
With Simple Faith
The chossid Reb Zalman Gurary once had an audience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe to request a blessing for the success of an upcoming surgery. When he told the Rebbe what he was his seeking,...
A Portrait
The chossid, Reb Velvel Villenker would often say: A misnaged is akin to a portrait that never changes. His state today is like it was yesterday and his tomorrow will be like today. A...
The Ladder of Prayer
By Rabbi Dovid Markel When Yaakov left the Land of Israel to travel to Charan, he first stopped on Mt. Moriya. As he slept there, the verse (Bereishis, 28:12) states, “And he dreamed,...
The Value of a Mitzvah
By Leibel Estrin Once upon a time, two souls met each other at a crossroads. One was going to Heaven, the other was going to a body on Earth. “Tell me,” the Neshoma on his...
In Pursuit
Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz once saw his students worried. Upon asking them the reason, they responded: “We are worried because our evil inclination is in pursuit of us.” The Rebbe responded: “I see that...
