Living Torah Archives

In his work, Iggeres Hateshuvah, the Alter Rebbe explains that there are two levels of repentance. While the first brings about a change in the person’s conduct, it is the second, higher level, which revolutionizes his entire inner world.

The Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, compared chassidic teachings to pearls and coal. Pearls, he explained, are found in the depths of the sea, while coal is found deep in the earth.

The Talmud states that when two people lift a load together, they have significantly more than twice the strength of one. This is most certainly the case when the efforts of many are combined. When we all work together, our true abilities are much greater than we can ever imagine.

During the festival of Sukkos, the Torah commands us to take a citron, a date palm frond, a myrtle branch, and a willow twig and bring them all together. The Midrash adds that each of these represents a different kind of Jew.

The Previous Rebbe gives a parable for what it means to be a Chabad chasid.

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.