Living Torah Archives

Professor David Weiss was issued a special passport by the Soviet Union that allowed him to reach Jews that others couldn’t. At one point, the Rebbe asked him to come for a meeting to discuss the state of Jewish affairs in the USSR. in this interview, he recalls some of the points that were addressed at that meeting. (1965)

When a chassid asked the Rebbe Rashab, “What is a chassid?” the Rebbe Rashab answered him, “A chassid is a lamplighter.” He has an obligation to ignite the spark in his fellow Jew’s G-dly soul.

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, gives a parable for what it means to be a Chabad Chasid: A miner digs deep into the ground for coal, which provides warmth and light.