Living Torah Archives

Abraham broke his natural tendencies to follow G-d. We can (and must!) do the same.

As Jews, we’re painfully familiar with the term “self sacrifice”. Throughout the course of our history, so many Jews have chosen to give up their lives for Judaism to endure. But serving G-d with self sacrifice need not be limited to such dire circumstances. Each of us are face regularly with tests of character and attitude, and it’s up to us to rise to the challenge and overcome it. So next time you need to choose between helping yourself or those around you, have some self sacrifice and serve the greater good.

In Sefer Hasichos 5702, the Previous Rebbe relates some of the struggle that Chassidim endured in the Soviet Union. Warned against practicing Judaism under threat of danger to their lives, the Previous Rebbe gathered his closest Chassidim and made a pact. They swore not to be deterred from their mission, in spreading and promoting a life of Torah.

The Rebbe instructs Cantor Tzvi Tsatskis to sing a lively Russian song at a farbrengen.

One of the virtues of youth is that they have not yet become inured to the limitations and “realities” of daily life. This, coupled with their enthusiasm and energy, allows them to stand behind the truth without compromise.

In a public letter written after his liberation from Soviet imprisonment in 1927, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson wrote that the release was not his alone, but a redemption for every Jew, even one for whom the title “Jew” may seem irrelevant.

Song lyrics: “My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You; (as one) in a desolate and dry land without water, so (I thirst) to see You in the Sanctuary, to behold Your might and glory.” (Psalm 63)

The Rebbe asks Cantor Tzvi Tzatzkes to sing the Russian version of “Who knows One.”

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, published a letter stating a clear directive how to utilize the events of the 12th and 13th of Tammuz: To unify all Jews — “those who hold Torah dear, those who safeguard the commandments, even those who consider themselves ‘Jewish’ in name only.”

The Rebbe distributes L’chaim in honor of recently opened institutions.

This lively Niggun was one of several composed in honor of the Rebbe’s seventieth birthday.