Living Torah Archives

There are many similarities between Maimonides and the Alter Rebbe, the Founder of Chabad Chasidism. They both issued decisions on Jewish law that guide all later generations.

During a Farbrengen marking the passing of the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Chasidim sing a Chabad classic, Aimosay.

The Talmud teaches that there are three partners in the creation of a child; the father, the mother, and G-d Himself. And while G-d entrusts the parents with the ability to make a very special contribution, He never removes Himself from the equation.

There are many similarities between Maimonides and the Alter Rebbe, the Founder of Chabad chasidism. They both issued decisions on Jewish law that guide all later generations.

The Alter Rebbe assures us in Tanya that the efforts of those who follow in his ways, inspiring their fellow Jews to return to G-d, will have an “eternal” effect.

A Talmudic passage about marriage helps us gain a deeper understanding of the journey of teshuva, repentance.

Chasidim sing a nigun composed by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe.

Torah’s first commandment is: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and conquer it.” This is not just a physical command, but a spiritual one: When it comes to building a family, one must conquer all the concerns that stem from the ‘earth’ — from worldly, materialistic considerations...

The Midrash asks: “Torah and the Jewish people both preceded creation. But which of the two came first?” The Midrash concludes that in G-d’s Divine plan, the Jewish People came first...

Sung by Chassidim as they traveled to the town of Lubavitch to visit the Mittler Rebbe, the words allude to their hopeful yearnings: When they reach the Rebbe, they will drink from “the well of Torah and Chassidism,” and lack nothing.

There are two spiritual paths for the Jewish soul: the Torah scholar, who is completely engrossed in, and surrounded, by Judaism, or the supporter of Torah, “the businessman,” who is in constant contact with the influences of the world.

There are many similarities between Maimonides and the Alter Rebbe, the Founder of Chabad Chassidism. They both faced extreme opposition to their teachings, yet the opposition fell away. Eventually, their detractors became ardent disciples.