Mishpatim
The Key to Living Jewishly is Coming to WhatsApp!
There is so much to know as a Jew—what, why, where, when, how? Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, is our indispensable companion, our guide to Jewish life. But where does one start learning the Code of Jewish Law?
Rabbi Avraham Zajac has been giving classes on Shulchan Aruch Harav on Chabad.org for several years now. Starting Sunday, we’ll be sending out another 5-minute class every weekday via WhatsApp.
This project is dedicated in memory of our dear partner,Rabbi Yonah (ben R’ Meir) Avtzon, director of SIE (Sichos in English), who passed away this month at age 61. One of Rabbi Avtzon’s most recent (and ambitious) accomplishments was publishing Shulchan Aruch Harav with an English translation and commentary. Indeed, together with the video class, you will receive the text in Hebrew and English, courtesy of our dear friends at SIE.
Here’s how to join: WhatsApp message the word HALACHA to +1-570-543-2125, save our number to your contacts, and get ready to learn!
May the Torah studied through this project bring merit to the soul of this special individual for whom this translation was a labor of love.
The Torah asks, why should you not hate the stranger? Because you once stood where he stands now. You know the heart of the stranger because you were once a stranger in the land of Egypt.
What can we learn from the law of the goring ox?
I was going to a funeral. My wife was headed to a sibling’s wedding. On the very same flight!
Does the possibility of serious brain injury (CTE) mean that playing in the NFL isn’t kosher?
The halachic issues that arise when a Jew sells non-kosher items have been explored for centuries.
Maaser, giving one tenth part of something given to charity, appears often in the Torah. But how does tithing work, and what is its history?
The Prohibition Against Coveting Another’s Possessions: While it may seem intuitive not to covet what is not yours, the intricacies of this prohibition may surprise you. What is the actual biblical prohibition?
Cruelty towards animals is strictly forbidden by the Torah. For two distinct reasons: one intrinsic to the life of the animal itself; the other extrinsic, yet no less important ... indeed, perhaps even more important.
Devora Caytak heads the Jewish Youth Library in Ottawa, Canada. In 1978, after making her way back to Judaism, she was a seminary student at Machon Chana in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. Feeling alone, she and her friends decided to write a letter to the Rebbe’s wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. The Rebbetzin’s surprising response is a lesson that Devorah has implemented in her own life until this day.
The portion of Mishpatim contains many mitzvahs and details related to civil law. The first law, which is about the Jewish servant, conveys a profound teaching in attaining true freedom.
As neighborhoods and needs change, Congregation Anshei Lubavitch continues to serve
Creeping through the brush to investigate, they discovered, to their surprise, a lone candle in a clearing, burning atop a small headstone.
The sages say that all is in the hands of heaven except for the awe of heaven.
Which puts all the power in your hands.
Because if there is no awe of heaven, heaven is bankrupt. It owns nothing—not you, not your world, not anything at all.
That being so, the greatest power you have is your ability to surrender the delus...
