Unpack layers of Biblical and rabbinic text to understand the inner mechanics of this sometimes-overlooked but super-important holiday.

The Talmud is the Divine Intelligence

Study the daily lesson of Sefer HaMitzvos for day 305 with Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, where he teaches the mitzvah in-depth with added insight and detail.

When we realize the importance of our individual roles, we are empowered to tackle and transform our personal wildnerness.

Experience the miraculous exodus of the Jewish people out of the mighty Egyptian empire—in a unique, fun-filled (and educational) style!

A brief history of the Six-Day War and the Rebbe’s call for all Jewish men, particularly soldiers in the IDF, to don tefillin as a special merit for added security.

Itche and Jono ride through the desert on goats. Why? Watch the video and find out . . .

Sarah and Avi, with help from Mitzvah Bird, return a little lost challah to his home.

The Mitzvah ATM is about to dispense the Torah in honor of the holiday of Shavuot. One snag, though: It wants trustworthy guarantors...

Learn the basics of which foods are kosher, how to shop for kosher foods and keep a kosher kitchen, and why this mitzvah is so important.

Topics include: How the census of the Jewish people teaches us about the power of speech, the commandment for the Levites to guard the Holy Temple, why Torah was given in a barren desert.

Experience the story of Chanukah as it comes alive in this real life presentation. This production from the Jewish Children’s Museum was performed live on Chanukah in 2006.

Ari Goldman, then a reporter for The New York Times, recalls several encounters that he shared with the Rebbe, as well as an unexpected telephone call shortly after one particular visit. (Late 1980s)

A virtuous heroine. A wicked villain. It’s the ancient, true story of Queen Esther, brought vividly to life in a delightfully educational way.

Take an exciting trip back in time to the court of King Ahasuerus and his beautiful Jewish wife Queen Esther as you watch the dramatic story of the Jewish victory over Persian persecution.

The obvious coefficient of Jewish identity is peoplehood. And yet the Jewish people cannot be defined without reference to the family.

Feel the rhythm…hear the beat….and let your spirit get you jumping on your feet! Get ready to sing, dance and exercise together with Mendy and his friends in this exhilarating animated workout video for the whole family.

Learn how to turn a roll of duct tape into a beautiful rose for the holiday of Shavuot.

Join a group of girls as they learn to bake Challah for Shabbat.

The most important things in life we cannot see with the naked eye.

Rabbi Shlomo and Devorah Elkan, the co-directors of Chabad at Oberlin, one of the most progressive campus colleges, speak about their lives, what inspires them, and the challenges of today's youth.

Being Jewish is fun in so many ways. Why do you like being Jewish?

Feel the rhythm…hear the beat….and let your spirit get you jumping on your feet! Get ready to sing, dance and exercise together with Mendy and his friends in this exhilarating animated workout video for the whole family.

Learn more about Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world and the eternal capital of the Jewish people

When we realize the importance of our individual roles, we are empowered to tackle and transform our personal wildnerness.

Itche and Jono ride through the desert on goats. Why? Watch the video and find out . . .

The obvious coefficient of Jewish identity is peoplehood. And yet the Jewish people cannot be defined without reference to the family.

Most of us like to express our individuality. And yet, when given autonomy, many of us feel a need to belong. How can we reconcile both these needs?

Topics include: How the census of the Jewish people teaches us about the power of speech, the commandment for the Levites to guard the Holy Temple, why Torah was given in a barren desert.

How to tackle times of emotional or spiritual desolation.

In this portion, Moses takes a census of the Jewish people without directly counting any of them. Why do we not count each other directly and what are the practical applications for this mitzvah today?

You may already know that the giving of the Torah -- which we celebrate on the holiday of Shavuot -- took place at Sinai. But what is Sinai? The Torah speaks of a wilderness called Sinai as well as a mountain by the same name. What is the difference between the desert and the mountain? And how does that shape our understanding of what happened there years ago?

In the census of the Jewish people, Moses counted all men eligible for military conscription, that is all who were twenty years of age and older. Why then did a separate census of the Tribe of Levi include even babies from 30 days and up?

Learn the profound connections between the weekly parsha and its related Haftorah.

Unlike the beginnings of other religions, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai was experience by an entire people.

The name of the fourth book of thhe Torah is Bamidbar, which means ‘desert’. Why such a peculiar name?

After the general census of the Jewish people, Moses takes a separate census of the tribe of Levi, including the family of Aaron the high priest. In the verse (Numbers 3:39) “All the countings of the Levites that Moses and Aaron counted,” the word “ve-Aharon” (and Aaron) has five dots above it. One explanation of these dots is that they tell us that Aaron himself was not counted in the census of the rest of his tribe. What makes Aaron unique?

Study some of the highlights of the weekly Torah portion with insights from various commentaries.

In the desert, G-d tells the Jewish people to camp around the Mishkan sanctuary – not too close, but not too far. This carries an important lesson about how a Jew should live his or her life.

Rashi identifies two key roles that the tribe of Levi played in the Sanctuary. The Rebbe extracts an empowering life-lesson for us from this teaching. Learning Likutei Sichos vol. 13, Bamidbar (sicha 2)

G-d commands Moses and Aaron to conduct a census of the Jewish people. But if G-d is all-knowing – including the exact population of the Jewish people – what then is the point in counting them?

The Torah was given to the Jewish people in the Sinai desert. Why did G‑d choose such a desolate place to reveal this most precious gift?

Unpack layers of Biblical and rabbinic text to understand the inner mechanics of this sometimes-overlooked but super-important holiday.

Each holiday has its special mitzvah that is unique to the respective festival (like shofar on Rosh Hashana, matzah on Passover etc.). Yet, it seems we don’t find in the Torah any particular mitzvah for Shavuot?!

Shavuot, when we received the Torah at Sinai, is the culmination of the Exodus on Passover. Yet, on Passover we stay clear of the smallest amount of chometz, but on Shavuot two loaves of leavened bread were offered in the Holy Temple.

The giving of the Torah reconciles the dichotomy in everything and reveals the unifying essence in both the spiritual and the material.

If one had a disturbingly ominous dream, Halachah allows one to fast even on a Sabbath or Festival – notwithstanding the obligation to feast on these days – since the person is distressed over his dream, he would derive 'pleasure' from fasting and not from eating. The one exception to the rule is Shavuot—the Festival of the Giving of the Torah. On Shavuot one must eat! This appears strange, given that all the other festivals celebrate a physical, bodily salvation, whereas Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah—a profoundly spiritual event?! The answer explores the nature of pleasure and the essence of Shavuot. (Likutei Sichos vol. 23 pp. 27)

In the Talmud, there is a dispute between the sages as to what date the Torah was given at Sinai. According to one opinion, Moses added an extra day of preparation before the giving of the Torah. How could Moses depart from G-d's timeline?

Ask any child what we celebrate on Shavuot, and the obvious answer is the giving of the Torah at Sinai; yet the Torah makes no mention of it. How do we make sense of this glaring omission?

An overview of some the unique customs associated with the holiday of Shavuot, along with their practical reasons and spiritual explanations.

A short overview of the customs and meaning of the holiday of Shavuot, celebrating the giving of the Torah.

The Mitzvah ATM is about to dispense the Torah in honor of the holiday of Shavuot. One snag, though: It wants trustworthy guarantors...

Understanding the nature of differing opinions in Torah, and how the Halachic ruling does not favor one view and reject the other, but rather unites them both.

In explaining why the sacrifices that a Jew was obligated to offer in the Temple in honor of Shavuos were not offered on the holyday itself but during the weekdays which follow, this class offers insight into the nature of G-d’s choice of the Children of Israel.

Though not the majority opinion, there is an important school of thought that perceives the five days following Shavuot as an organic continuation of the holiday – a curious prolongation of hallowed time not found anywhere else in our Jewish calendar. The source for this unique convention seems rooted in the Talmud, yet its logic seems less than ironclad. The Rebbe provides a fresh and deeply insightful perspective on the essence of Shavuot itself that ultimately sheds illumination and clarity about the unusual expansion of the holiday’s broadened circumference.

Associating dairy-delicacies with the annual celebratory observance of Matan Torah (giving of the Torah) seems as natural as blintzes and sour cream; yet the origins of this near ubiquitous custom appear artificial and even contradictory to the mandated holiday meat menu. Mixing medieval manuscripts with contemporary clarification, a sweet and fruitful medley of delightful insight, rhyme and reason emerges. See how a desire to flavor Shavuot with a taste of times bygone set “Milky Way” customs into orbit and how to best balance this curious minhag with the Halacha!

Rabbi Yosef, the Talmud relates, would celebrate Shavuot, the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, with a unique banquet. The puzzling statement he said in connection with the feast is the subject of this class. Probing the layers of the Sage’s words reveals startling new depth to our appreciation of G-d’s most precious gift. (Based on Likutei Sichos volume 16)

Many reasons are suggested to explain why we eat dairy foods on Shavuot. Of all the classic reasons offered, the one that appears to be the simplest is strangely absent. This class will explain why, and in so do doing will address the great mission of the Jewish people that began at Sinai. (Based in part on Likutei Sichos vol. 8, Naso 3)

Discover the 6 steps of spiritual preparation the Jewish People observed at Mt. Siani, over a six-day period prior to the Giving of the Torah, and how you can take these spiritual steps today, as our ancestors did more than 3,300 years ago.

How do you explain and make the Ten Commandments relevant to children? Watch how Rabbi Manis Friedman explains them in a fresh way so that even a puppet could understand.

A pre-Shavuot webinar on the real reason we stay up late, forgotten liturgical compositions, the right way to eat dairy and other Shavuot customs.

Explore the earliest sources for why we stay up all night on Shavuot to learn Torah, and discover the real reason for this seemingly misunderstood custom.

Shavuos celebrates the Giving of the Torah at Sinai. Jews in every generation gather to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments, for on this day they receive renewed strength in their mission to brighten G-d’s world.

Study the daily lesson of Sefer HaMitzvos for day 52 with Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, where he teaches the mitzvah in-depth with added insight and detail.

Study some of the highlights of the weekly Torah portion with insights from various commentaries.

Why Ezekiel’s vision of the “divine chariot” is the chosen haftorah reading on Shavuos, when it would appear that other scriptural passages that refer directly to the giving of the Torah would make a more appropriate choice, inasmuch as Ezekiel makes no such reference at all! (Based on Likkutei Sichos, vol. 33, p. 18.)

Study some of the highlights of the weekly Torah portion with insights from various commentaries.

Rabbi Shlomo and Devorah Elkan, the co-directors of Chabad at Oberlin, one of the most progressive campus colleges, speak about their lives, what inspires them, and the challenges of today's youth.

In distress King David song-fully calls out to G-d for rescue, but why is the Psalmist singing when he is in danger?

Are you looking for life, liberty and happiness? Learn secret teachings of our Sages about little known, dangerous, mortality-inducing things to avoid, and the things that require a special plea-for-mercy from G-d! (Talmud tractate Berachot 55a)

Exploring the weekly reading from the Prophets, where we uncover the mystical characteristic of the Kohen by exploring Cain and Abel according to Kabbalah.

This song and hymn praises the virtues of the great Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the holy Zohar. This song is widely sung on Lag BaOmer when we celebrate his life and passing.

The law of the new grain teaches that spiritual growth starts with speaking your body's language and progresses to stimulating your soul.

Learn the source of anger, and the secret to avoid getting angry.

How many of these important Passover facts do you know?

Judaism divides life into two time zones, "body time” when we're meant to work within the world, and "soul time" when we're meant to transcend the world.

Ch. 2, Mishnah 4-5: Hillel would say: Do not separate yourself from the community. Do not believe in yourself until the day you die. Do not judge your fellow until you have stood in his place. Do not say something that is not readily understood in the bel

A beautiful story about an embarrassed woman in the supermarket teaches us how to love one another.

Our choices, for positive or negative, impact the whole world.

A magnificent forum on tractate Yoma, which teaches about the unique status of the Kohen Gadol and a powerful insight into being Jewish.

A spiritual exploration of the three preconditions for a food item to become ritually impure. The inner dimension of these Temple laws highlights how there is a part of us that is always whole and pure, where nothing – no trauma, no circumstances – can da

A spoken word poem: Dear daughter, it is time to free yourself.

Exuberant prayer can be misguided and we learn this from Rashi's insight into the anatomy of the ear.

A powerful story on a mother’s devotion to doing a bris for her son and the takeaway for parenting and educating children in our times.

Nechama Laber shares how the untimely death of her father brought her to reach out to create a place of love for others and helped her raise her child with special needs.

A spoken word poem on the need for a mentor.

This short video presents the journey of how Mr. Jack Hananya obtained a lifesaving organ donation from Rabbi Zalman Sandhaus. Let's make the world a brighter place with acts of goodness and kindness. A project of Kidney Assist; video production: Yuvla Me

Before they left Egypt, G-d got the Jews to break the laws of Torah to circumcise themselves at night. It was a momentous introduction to a completely supernatural Exodus.