Mishpatim
Dear Friend,
When the Israelites camped at the foot of Mount Sinai, they displayed an unprecedented level of unity. They were likened to “one man with one heart,” we read in last week’s Torah portion. Think about it—more than two million individuals, each with their own unique thoughts, feelings, wishes, dreams, desires and personalities. But the giving of the Torah lifted them above their differences, and they came together as a single entity.
This week, more than 3,000 women will unite in New York for the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries. Like our ancestors at Mount Sinai, these women are united. Each has dedicated her life to spreading Jewish awareness wherever Jews live. To build an organized Jewish presence where there isn’t one, to strengthen those previously established, or simply to reach out to Jewish locals and travelers in practically every nook and cranny across the globe.
This weekend, these women will spend time with their colleagues, gain insight and tools to help them in their goal, and simply connect with each other. The highlight of the weekend is undoubtedly the grand banquet. Connect to them by joining virtually here.
Miriam Szokovski,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
We instinctively categorize our world by species, element, gender, and countless other criteria. But how real are these distinctions?
My dark, curly hair was a constant reminder of my minority status. I never saw this as a negative aspect to my identity. On the contrary, I relished my membership in a global club of Jewish people all over the world . . .
“In the human being,” explained Rabbi Schneur Zalman, “there are ‘rich’ organs, such as the mind and heart, and ‘poor’ organs, like the stomach. I refuse to remain in a city where they torture the poor!”
Many laws are introduced to the fledgling nation. Among the 53 laws presented are the laws of servants, and the observance of the seasonal festivals and the kosher laws. Moses ascends to heaven for 40 days and nights to receive the Torah.
Begin appreciating the qualities of introversion and the power of quiet contemplation.
There are so many distractions throughout the week, and I’m having a hard time focusing. Remind me again, what am I doing? What are our goals? Where am I going?
Celebrating the life of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory
Let’s take a story, a really strange one. One that can’t mean what it says, but nevertheless is screaming that it must. Let’s apply what we’ve learned, and see how this one works out.
I am a person who tries very hard to keep her word and be punctual. But I am constantly aggravated, frustrated and inconvenienced by people who don’t keep appointments, show up on time, pay on time or keep their promises.
This is something that parents have struggled with for thousands of years, so don’t feel it’s something unique to you or your children.
Is “visual trespass,” peeking into another’s property, considered damaging and a form of trespass, which must be enjoined by law to protect privacy?
“We must summon your litigant,” said the rabbi. “He is present,” said the man. “My case is with G-d.”
A half-hour after the birth, the baby died. When it happened a second time, they were shocked. But when it happened a third time, they began to panic.
After days of calls and research, a group of Chabad emissaries In Connecticut was able to identify a 72-year nursing home resident who died alone, and provide him with a proper Jewish burial alongside his mother.
Chicago's East Rogers Park is experiencing a resurgence of Jewish life, thanks to the many young people who are moving in, and the efforts of one young couple, Rabbi Yoel and Rivky Wolf, to make them feel right at home.
Born to survivors who had emigrated from Budapest following the Holocaust, Rabbi Baruch Oberlander never imagined that he would one day return to Budapest to recreate that which his parents were sure was lost forever.
The Jewish community of Grodno, Belarus—destroyed by the Nazis, suppressed by the Soviets, yet still alive today—has been dealt another setback with a fire at the nearly 500-year-old Great Choral Synagogue. And once again they are sure they will rebuild from the ashes.
They had deplaned just hours before, yet the first item on the agenda for the delegation accompanying Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada on his first official visit to the Middle East was charity and the efforts of Colel Chabad.
On Tu B'Shevat nearly 2,300 students and staff of the central Associated Beth Rivkah Schools gathered to mark a century since the 1914 passing of the school’s namesake, Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneersohn.
As a parent and a child, as siblings who remain bonded, as two young people in love, as in any marriage that stays alive—so we are with the One Above.
One chases, the other runs away. One runs away, the other chases in longing pursuit. One initiates, the other responds. The other initiates, the one responds.
It is a d...
