Shelach
A Daring Antarctic Rescue
Absolute darkness, icy winds, and temperatures of -75°F (-60°C)… this is what a courageous Canadian air crew had to contend with on a daring medical rescue mission to the South Pole last week.
Antarctica is a lonely place in the winter. Only a handful of scientists, researchers and maintenance staff stick around to keep things running, and they are largely on their own. At the research station where the rescue took place, the sun set in March and won’t rise again until September. Storms and hurricane-force winds are commonplace, and temperatures can fluctuate wildly without warning, dipping well below -100°F (-84°C). This was only the third winter rescue ever attempted at the South Pole.
The evacuation was completed successfully, and the two sick workers have been transferred to a medical facility where they can receive the care they need to make a full recovery.
Sometimes, G‑d orchestrates things just so. This week we read about the spies’ negative report after visiting the Promised Land. They did not believe the Israelites would be able to conquer and settle it.
What they forgot to take into account was that G‑d had instructed Israel to enter the Land. And with G‑d’s help anything is possible.
Miraculous victories over strong, well-armed nations; a winter landing on the South Pole; or even world peace—our job is to try. The rest is up to Him.
Miriam Szokovski,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
I have an anger problem. And I never knew it until I became a parent. Because the only people I take my anger out on are my own kids.
The custom of burying our loved ones specifically in Israel is as old as the Jewish nation itself.
Who decided which texts belonged to the biblical canon and which texts did not belong? The Oral Torah during the early, pre-mishnaic periods.
The chupah ceremony at the Jewish wedding contains profound mystical meaning and valuable lessons for a lasting marriage.
I’ll leave you room to err, says G‑d, because you will rebuild—grander, stronger and more beautiful edifices.
Virtually all the commentators ask the same question: How is it possible that the spies had a complete loss of faith after experiencing all the miracles of the Exodus firsthand?
We often get stuck with the familiar, afraid to make necessary changes outside our comfort zone.
A condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship.
It was devastating to watch as the cruelty of the mental illness began to steal his independence and the identity that he had established for himself. What was it that G‑d expected from me as we became engulfed by the darkness that seemed to control our lives?
I stood there with my face covered, tiny tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.
Glancing at the guest house, he saw a mysterious light in one of the windows, an ethereal glow the likes of which he had never seen.
In what sounds like a page ripped out of novel, several dozen Muslim activists, a group of Jewish teens and a rabbi joined forces on Sunday in a number of Moroccan cities to supply 1,500 underprivileged Muslim families with break-fast staples.
The people initiated the name change, recognizing Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson as a local hero.
With the help of a rabbi revitalizing a historic Jewish area, Samuel Lyons sees a milestone.
G‑d doesn’t need you to report on the dirt in His world.
He sent you here to search out the jewels hidden in the mud, clean them and polish them until they shine.
And when you bring them to Him, the angels make a crown of them for Him, saying, “Look what Your children have made for You out of the mud!”
