Likkutei Sichot

Introduction The Alter Rebbe taughtKovetz Michtovim [printed in] Tehillim, Ohel Yosef Yitzchak, p. 193; Hayom Yom, entry 25 Elul. The teaching was conveyed in the name of his mentor, the Maggid of Mezritch. that, in contrast to other months which are bles...

The Sidra of Vayelech is usually read on the Shabbat after Rosh Hashanah. And the Rebbe establishes the connection between its content and its place in the calendar. The Sidra describes how Moses, having finished putting the Torah into writing, handed it ...

Nitzavim is the Sidra invariably read before Rosh Hashanah, and it begins with Moses’ address to the Jewish people, “You are standing today, all of you, before the L-rd your G-d….” This invocation is both general and specific. It mentions the individual c...

In the beginning of the Torah portion Vayeilech, Moshe tells the Jewish people that it is time to hand over the reigns of leadership to Yehoshua, for “Today I am 120 years old and I can no longer go out and come.”Devarim 31:2. RashiIbid. explains that thi...

The TargumTargum Onkelos ; similarly in Targum Yonasan. renders the phrase in the portion of Nitzavim “G-d will circumcise your heart,”Devarim 30:6. to mean “the foolishness of your heart.” The Targum does so to forestall the following question: “Circumci...

The Torah portion of Nitzavim is always read on the Shabbos before Rosh HaShanah.See Likkutei Torah, Devarim, p. 44a. The reason for this is that every Shabbos is related to and encompasses the days of the coming week. Thus the phrase “You stand ‘today…’ ...

In the Torah portion of Vayeilech, we learn that “at the conclusion of the Sabbatical year, at the beginning of the new seven-year cycle,” during the festival of Sukkos, the king read certain sections of the book of Devarim before all the Jewish people, w...

The Torah portion of Nitzavim begins by relating how Moshe assembled the Jewish people on the day of his demiseRashi , beginning of the Torah portion. , and had them “brought into the covenant of G-d … so that He establish (hakim) you today as His nation....

Unlike other combined Torah portions, Nitzavim and Vayeilech are essentially one.See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XIX, p. 298, and sources cited there. Thus R. Sadya Gaon writesIn his prayer book, section of Kerias HaTorah. that “when necessary, there is one Tor...

The Torah portion Nitzavim is always read prior to Rosh HaShanahRambam, Hilchos Tefilah 13:2; Tur and Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 428.. When the portion Vayeilech is separated from Nitzavim and is read separately, it will be read on the Shabbos before Yo...