Brilliance and Reflection

This Shabbos, 3 Tammuz (June 23), marks eighteen years since the Rebbe’s histalkus. We present here an inspiring article written specially for the Avner Institute by an individual who merited a special relationship with the Rebbe — Benzion Rader, who is the author of Challenge, an inside account of Chabad of Great Britain and the Holy Land, which was published in the early 1970s under the Rebbe’s guidance.

The Rebbe and the Red Houses of Katamon

One of the oldest and poorest neighborhoods in Yerushalayim, Katamon fell victim to a rampant epidemic of abortions toward the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. Those who resided in the overly crowded red houses on Rechov Bar Yochai were particularly affected, with many left feeling helpless and without any other options.

The Rebbe’s Impact: Eskimo Girl Discovers Shabbos

At a memorial session at the Israeli Knesset honoring the Lubavitcher Rebbe shortly after his death, Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau recalled a conversation he had once had with him in which Rabbi Lau spoke of his active involvement in kiruv rechokim, bringing back to Judaism lost Jews who had strayed far away. “The Rebbe immediately corrected me: ‘We cannot label anyone as being ‘far.” Who are we to determine who is far and who is near? They are all close to Hashem.”

Rebbetzin Chana’s Memoirs: Becoming a Citizen

In this 35th installment of the series, Rebbetzin Chana remarks how her loneliness in New York is only interrupted by her son, the Rebbe’s daily visits.

Torah for the Masses

The author of a popular new series of English translations of classical Torah works tells the story of his own journey back to Yiddishkeit. His life is now devoted to helping make that process easier and more accessible for others.

Rebbetzin Chana’s Memoirs: My Son Visits Every Day

In this 34th installment of the series, Rebbetzin Chana describes the tremendous respect her son, the Rebbe, shows toward her, and what his daily visits mean to her.

Seeing G-dliness: A Collection of Chassidic Tales

The following article is an editorial transcript of stories from the alumni Farbrengen with Rabbi Yaakov Goldberg, which celebrated Hadar Hatorah Yeshivah’s historic milestone – its 50th anniversary – on Shabbos Parshas Naso, 5772.

Rebbetzin Chana’s Memoirs: The Rebbe’s Youth

In this 33rd installment of the series, Rebbetzin Chana recalls a few episodes from her son, the Rebbe’s youth.

New Volume Opens Door to Rebbe’s Rashi Sichos

Scholars for generations have tried to decipher the seemingly simplistic words of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, the 12th-century commentator known as Rashi whose glosses on the Five Books of Moses have become standard fare for any student of the Torah. But a new English volume attempts to reveal some of the principles behind the commentary, drawing on several talks delivered by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, whose elucidations of Rashi’s writings have been called by modern-day scholars as “revolutionary.”

Rebbetzin Chana’s Memoirs: Efforts to Limit Influence

In this 32nd installment of the series, Rebbetzin Chana describes how opponents of her husband Reb Levik unsuccessfully tried to diminish his position as Rov of Yekatrinoslav.

Weekly Photo: From Days Gone By

Crownheights.info and Lubavitch Archives present this vintage photograph of three Chassidim engaged in a lively discussion. Can you identify those in the picture, when and where it was taken?

Answer to last week’s photo in the extended article

Guide: Laws and Customs of Shavuot

Ahead of the upcoming Yom Tov of Shavuot the Beis Din of Crown Heights released a six page guide which holds the answer to many questions and instruction as to many customs related to the holiday.

My Teacher Who cared

In the Second Book of Samuel, after the deaths of Saul andJonathan, King David cries out, “They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions”—“מִנְּשָׁרִים קַלּוּ,מֵאֲרָיוֹת גָּבֵרוּ”. Rabbi Yeshaya Schtroks, beloved father, husband, community builder, remarkable teacher, was swift like the eagle, strong like the lion, and now he has passed away at the young age of 55.

Rebbetzin Chana’s Memoirs: The False Witness

In this 31st installment of the series, Rebbetzin Chana describes how a man, acting at the behest of the elder non-Hasidic rov of Yekatrinoslav, disguised himself as a stranger in town in order to falsely testify against Reb Levik’s dismissal of an incompetent shochet.

Our Heroes: Reb Schneur Zalman Vilenkin

Rabbi Schneur Zalman Vilenkin was born in Podobronka, Russia in 1878 * He merited to be the Rebbe’s Melamed in Yekatrinoslav, for which the Rebbe showed much gratitude and honor * He passed away on the 23rd of Iyar, 1963 in New York.