Naftoli Hertz Pewzner

Hiskashrus In the personal life of a chassid, being connected to the Rebbe is more than affiliation or alliance. Hiskashrus, as this connection is called, is an encompassing ideal which influences the full scope of one’s psyche and deeds.See Toras Menache...

The Nurturing Shepherd Our Sages describe Moshe Rabbeinu as a ro’eh ne’eman, a faithful shepherd.See for example Mechilta on Shemos 14:31; Eichah Rabbah, Pesichta, sec. 24; Esther Rabbah, 7:13. The Aramaic version of the term, ra’aya mehemna, also alludin...

The Foundational Tzaddik Tzaddikim are righteous individuals whose souls have a heightened awareness of G-dliness and who live completely G-d-focused lives. Natural tendencies and negative impulses are either vanquished or harnessed for holiness,See Tanya...

The Transmitter The idea that people must rely upon a Jewish leader to foster their Divine awareness and connection may seem surprising. We are all G-d’s people, so why is an external influence ­needed to awaken our soul’s intrinsic bond with G-d? Wh...

The Structure of Chassidus From the start of Chassidus, the movement was always structured upon the relationship of a Rebbe and his chassidim. On a basic level, the Rebbe is the teacher, guide, and leader of the chassidim, and the chassidim are the studen...

Upbeat Living According to Chassidus, one’s attitude and disposition are an integral element of successful Divine service. The verse states: “Ivdu es Hashem besimchah,” “serve G-d with joy.”Tehillim 100:2. This is understood not only as an encouragement t...

Learning Chassidus A defining feature of Chassidus Chabad is the intellectual presentation of its teachings. As discussed previously, this is designed to allow for proper integration and appreciation of the truths of G-dliness conveyed by Chassidus.See ab...

The Significance of Love The Zohar teaches that “leis pulchana kepulchana ­derachimusa,” loosely translated to mean, “the primary element of Divine worship is the love of G-d.”Zohar II, 55b, III, 267a, as cited in Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar, 42c. Signi...

The Way to Gain Control Now that we have outlined the objective of Divine service, let us discuss some of the strategies to apply it in practicality. Rather than pursuing attainment, we know to focus on our individual life choices. Serving G-d means to fi...

The Beinoni The Alter Rebbe’s revolutionary path in navigating the struggle of the two souls is reflected in Tanya’s descriptive subtitle. Called Sefer Shel Beinonim, the book of intermediates, the Alter Rebbe informs the student that this book is not int...