Between the years of 1967 and 1976, the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—rolled out 10 mitzvah campaigns. Called mivtzoim (campaigns) in Hebrew, these 10 mitzvahs formed the platform upon which the Rebbe’s far-reaching program to revitalize Jewish life and observance throughout the world was built.

Forty years after the launch of campaigns for family purity and keeping kosher in 1975, Rabbi Mendel Kaplan of Chabad Flamingo in Thornhill, Ontario, in Canada, is giving a series of 10 Jewish.tv video lectures in which he examines the 10 mitzvah campaigns and their profound effects on Jewish life.

“Extensive research and personable delivery are the hallmark of Rabbi Kaplan’s lectures, and this is no exception,” says Rabbi Mendel Kaminker, an editor at Chabad.org. “In each segment, students are taken for a behind-the-scenes exploration of another one of the mitzvahs, probing its unique significance and why it was selected for prominence.”

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The topics of the 10 mitzvah campaigns are:

1. Light Shabbat Candles
Women and girls (age 3 and up) are encouraged to light candles every Friday afternoon, 18 minutes before sunset, in honor of the Shabbat and before Festivals.

2. Tefillin
Men (age 13 and up) are encouraged to wear tefillin every morning, excluding Shabbat and Festivals. Tefillin are black leather boxes containing small parchment scrolls of selected portions from the Torah, in which the fundamentals of the Jewish faith are inscribed.

3. Message on a Doorpost (Mezuzah)
Every Jewish home should have a mezuzah on its doorposts. A mezuzah contains the Shema prayer, and is a sign that the home is sanctified for G‑d and enjoys His protection.

4. Torah
Study a portion of Torah daily. Even a few lines contain the infinite wisdom and will of G‑d.

5. Tzedakah
Give charity daily. When you give to the needy, you are serving as G‑d's emissary to provide for His creations. The home is a classroom and keeping a “pushkah” (charity box) visibly there—and contributing a coin to it every day—will teach you and your children the noble value of giving regularly.

6. A Home Filled With Holy Books
Furnish your home with as many holy books as possible. At the very least, get a hold of a Chumash (Bible), Psalms and a prayerbook (siddur).

7. Kashrut
Eating is one of the basics of life. Shouldn’t it be done with intelligence? For a healthy and sound soul, eat only kosher foods. For when you eat differently, your Judaism is not just metaphysical, but part and parcel of your very being.

8. Love Your Fellow
“Love your fellow as yourself,” said the great Jewish sage Rabbi Akiva. This is a basic principle in the Torah. Reaching out to your fellow Jew with patience, love, concern and unity is among the greatest mitzvahs a Jewish individual can do.

9. Education
Every Jewish boy and girl should receive a Jewish education. Teach your children everything you know about your faith and provide them with a quality Jewish education. That way, you will be ensuring Jewish integrity, Jewish identity and a Jewish future.

10. Observe Family Purity
Observance of Jewish marital laws allows you to make the most of your marriage, bringing you and your spouse to new, undiscovered depths of intimacy and sacredness in your relationship.

The lectures are being released on a weekly basis. A growing collection of classes can already be viewed here. Click here to subscribe for a notification by email before each segment airs.