The Rebbe would send patients to me. But I would also send patients to the Rebbe. I saw the psychological impact he had on people. Whether he specifically studied psychology—I don’t know. But he clearly had knowledge in human psychology. Perhaps he got it all from the Torah, the ultimate source.

–Dr. A.J. Twerski

The Rebbe deeply believed in G‑d and the wisdom He conveyed to humanity on Mount Sinai. His innovative thinking was anchored in thousands of years of Jewish thought passed on from generation to generation. The teachings of the Talmudic sages and the spirit of the Chasidic masters were the ground on which he rooted his timely guidance. It was from this fertile soil that he drew his steadfast faith in the individual, the resilient divine soul, and the unique, indispensable role each one of us has.

A primary goal of the endnotes is to highlight the times the Rebbe revealed the roots for his advice in the Torah—to give you some background on that Biblical, Talmudic, Kabbalistic, or Chasidic source, and to allow you to follow the fascinating evolution from an age-old quotation to the Rebbe’s modern-day application.

Another goal of the endnotes is to enable you to further explore a given counseling point throughout the wide corpus of the Rebbe’s letters. While in the chapters themselves the overriding consideration was clarity and concision, in the endnotes the goal was the opposite: to provide an array of examples for a given idea so you can journey beyond the scope of this book independently.

The final goal is to include the themes, letters, and stories that didn’t make it into the book, but are nevertheless integral to the subject at hand.

In summary, while the guiding principle in composing the chapters was “when in doubt—take out,” in the endnotes that principle was flipped. Thus, some notes have a research bent with many references in succession, while others include poignant lessons and stories. Some notes trace how the Rebbe derived his outlook from an esoteric discussion in the Talmud or Kabbalah, while others address our everyday human experience.

I hope this gives you some orientation for the windy section ahead. Browse as you wish; enjoy as you like. Safe travels.