Living Torah Archives

A talk in honor of the 32nd yahrzeit of the Rebbe’s brother, Reb Yisrael Aryeh Leib. In Jewish law, if someone has both a Jewish and secular name, the Jewish name comes first in legal documents. Similarly, if parents wish to give their child a Hebrew name together with its Yiddish equivalent, the Hebrew name customarily comes first.

Chasidim sing a nigun with words from Psalm 133: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together.”

Torah juxtaposes the laws of the Festivals with the laws of charity to teach a lesson: Don’t think that when a Festival ends, the obligation to bring joy to the needy ends with it. Charity is a constant Mitzvah, and it must always be done with renewed enthusiasm.