Rebbetzin Chana, “Do you know that tonight is Yud Aleph Nissan?”

“All of the Chassidim were in total awe of the tremendous respect the Rebbe had toward his mother during his visit in Paris” The Rebbe would visit his Mother twice a day during his Visit to Paris in 1947. Rabbi Nachum Yakobovitch, a longtime Lubavitcher Chassid now living in Jerusalem, relates a tender scene that took place in the French capital after the Rebbe was finally reunited with his mother. It’s an excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe “The Rebbe Inspiring a Generation” to see more on the book visit: www.inspiringageneration.com

“It was 11 Nissan. Unknown to us, this was the Rebbe’s birthday.

We were sitting in the home of Rabbi Zalman Schneerson when the Rebbe’s mother Rebbetzin Chana walked in and asked us, ”Do you know that tonight is 11 Nissan?”

The Weekly Sedra – Tazria – Life Is A Mess

Der baal agalah shmaised, dee ferd briken-zich, un-dervaile fort-men (Yiddish). – Reb Mendel Futerfass.

Life is queer with its twists and turns; as everyone sometimes learns, Many a failure turns about; when you might have won had you stuck it out.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Tazria

The Rebbe says:

1. In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion the Torah says, “When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male…”

2. The Rebbe now quotes the “Or Hachaim” (a commentary on the Torah written by Rabbi Chaim Ben-Attar, 1696-1743):

The “Or Hachaim” asks, why does the Torah use the wording, “And gives birth to a male (V’Yalda Zachor)”, which connotes a surety regarding the birth of the male, which is different from its’ choice of wording a few verses later regarding a female, when it says, “If she gives birth to a female”?

Dear Rebbe, do you really feel my pain?

The following is a fascinating encounter between a young Lubavitch girl from crown heights who was going through a very hard time in her personal life, and the Rebbe’s involvement in helping her through the hard time’s she was experiencing. It’s an excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe “The Rebbe Inspiring a Generation” to see more on the book visit www.inspiringageneration.com

The Rebbe’s care for every Jew, compassion for everyone’s troubles, and sympathy for another’s concern’s were legendary. At times, people who experienced the Rebbe’s consideration simply did not believe that he could really be so concerned with their petty matters.

The Weekly Sedra – Shemini – The Elusive Pursuit of Spirituality

As a means of vanquishing his evil inclination, Reb Dovid of Lelov would frequently fast from Shabbos to Shabbos (throughout the daytime hours). During one such fast, while travelling, he found himself overcome by an incredible bout of thirst.

This victory left him exhilarated and brimming with joy. It felt good to be able to exert so much self-control and resist his bodily dictates; powerful as they may have been. Yet his sense of delight was short-lived. He quickly became suspect of these flattering thoughts.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Shemini

The Rebbe says:

1. The basic outline of this week’s Torah portion is as follows:

The Torah first tells us about the eighth day of the inauguration of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle).

The Torah then continues and recounts how the two eldest sons of Aharon Hakohen (Aaron the High Priest) – Nadav and Avihu – died while bringing a “foreign fire” into the Mishkan.

Towards the end of the portion the Torah tells us the laws of forbidden animals and what constitutes a Kosher animal.

Mrs. Schneerson. Are you related to the famous Rebbe in Brooklyn?

Although she avoided the public limelight, the Rebbetzin shared her husband’s dedication to his work. Sometimes, when she least expected it, the Rebbe’s work had a way of entering her private life, as shown here in the following encounter. Indeed, the Rebbetzin not only shared the Rebbe’s passion for outreach, but his special power, the Following is an excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe www.inspiringageneration.com

“The Rebbetzin waited in line as usual at the Manhattan library she frequently visited. When she got to the front desk, she presented her library card, along with the book to check out.

The librarian, blasé with routine, took the card and placed it under the check-out scanner.

More Than A Purim Shpiel

Back in the mid -1970’s, Chairman Leonoid Brezhnev addressed a large audience of Communist Party faithful, gathered at the great stadium in Moscow.

A great hush overtook the crowd. Then from nowhere a voice boomed: “Of course we shall need an airplane! How else will we get to Kiev when there are potatoes for sale?”

The Rebbe was always so tired and busy

“She also confided in us her anxiousness and worries over her son’s health, since the Rebbe was always so tired and busy” The following is a conversation that the Rebbe’s mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson had with Rebbetzin Sima Ralbag from Yerushalayim in the early 1960’s. It’s an excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe “The Rebbe Inspiring a Generation” to see more information on the book see www.inspiringageneration.com

Rebbetzin Ralbag Relates:

“In 1960, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Rebbe’s leadership, I traveled to New York. Upon my arrival Rabbi Chodakov, the Rebbe’s secretary, asked me to address the annual Chabad Women’s (N’shei Chabad) convention, which coincided with my visit.

The Weekly Sedra – Vayikra – Self-Sacrifice, 
It Doesn’t Really Kill

On a freezing winter night as Napoleon layed under his warm covers, he was overcome by a sudden bout of thirst. Considering that in order to satisfy his craving he would have to leave his cozy conditions and go outside to fetch some water, he contemplated ignoring his nagging discomfort, but was quickly overcome by a powerful sense of shame.

“Napoleon! You have become all but lazy,” he said to himself. “There is evidently no difference between you and the common yokel.” With that, he tore himself out of bed and proceeded out the door to fetch himself some water.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Vayikra

The Rebbe says:

1. This week’s Torah portion begins a new Chumash (book) in the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) named Vayikra (Leviticus). Chumash Vayikra mainly deals with the sacrifices that the Jewish people brought to Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple) and it details the work of the Kohanim (the priests).

2. The Torah is everlasting and its lessons are eternal beacons of light which guide the life of every single Jew throughout every generation.

If this rule is generally true with the whole Torah, it is especially true with the lessons that we can learn from the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple) because every single Jew is a “miniature Beis Hamikdash”. As we have pointed out many times, when Hashem promised to rest in the Tabernacle He said, “Make for Me a Temple and I will rest in them” , and our Sages explain that Hashem said, “in them”, in the plural sense, to tell us that every single Jew is just like His Temple in that if they act according to His will He will rest in them.

Rebbe, I Would like to Donate Money for a ‘big cause’

“I would like to donate money for a ‘big cause’ – something tremendous, awesome. What does the Rebbe suggest?” the following is an excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe “The Rebbe Inspiring a Generation” to see more on the book see: InspiringAGeneration.com.

The following is an encounter that took place shortly before the Passover holiday, when a philanthropist approached the Rebbe, wanting to make a generous donation to a Chabad institution. Apparently, concerning the definition of a “generous donation,” the Rebbe had different ideas. From this we learn that the “little things” done quietly, behind the scenes, can often prove to be in the Rebbe’s eyes a far greater cause.

The philanthropist waited impatiently outside the Rebbe’s office. Ignoring the swirl of black-coated bodies of students and secretaries around him, he instead concentrated on himself—not without satisfaction, he felt, considering his reasons for coming. No doubt the Rebbe would be impressed as well.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Pekudei

The Rebbe says:

Part one:

1. This week’s Torah portion, as well as last week’s Torah portion (Parshas Vayakhel), discusses at length exactly how all the elements of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) were made.

2. The Rebbe now questions this:

Three and four Torah portions earlier, in Parshas Terumah and Tetzaveh, the Torah told us exactly how Hashem (G-d) told Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) to make the Mishkan. Now, in this week’s and last week’s Torah portions, the Torah tells us exactly how the Mishkan was actually made by the Yidin (the Jewish people).

IDF commander: “But why my child..the Rebbe just cried”

In connection to the massacre that took place in Yerushalayim today, in which the lives of a number of Yeshiva Students were taken from this world. The following is a very moving and uplifting “Yechidus” that took place with an IDF commander and the Rebbe, regarding the Death of two Israeli Soldiers following the Yom Kippur war in 1973. it’s an Excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe to see more information about the book click: www.inspiringageneration.com

“Battle weary and depressed by the constant fighting, the officer expressed his wish that there be no more combat with enemies. Being realistic, however, and acknowledging that it was highly plausible that there would more conflict, he asked the Rebbe’s opinion on whether there would be another war, or whether perhaps the Arabs had been so discouraged, during the Yom Kippur War, that they would never muster the confidence to fight again.

The Weekly Sedra – Pekudei – Mission Accomplished

In the year 1910, the czarist government convened a “rabbinical conference” – the aim of which was to enforce change concerning Jewish religious life. Prior to the meeting, participants were privately shown a list of 102 Jewish communities where pogroms were “likely” to “occur,” should the conference fail to produce the desired results.

“True,” the Rebbe proceeded to declare: “We live under the dominion of the Russian regime. Their jurisdiction however, is restricted to material matters. It is not within the capacity of any power on earth to decree over matters of our faith.”

A Sicha for the month of Adar

The Rebbe says:

1. The Mishnah states, “When the Hebrew month of Av begins we hold back our joy”.

The Talmud supplements the Mishnah’s statement with, “Just as when the month of Av begins we restrain our joy, so too when the month of Adar begins we increase our joy”.

2. The Rebbe now analyzes this Talmudic statement:

The Talmud’s words, “Just as when the month of Av begins we restrain our joy, so too when the month of Adar begins we increase our joy”, implies that the leading principal is the Mishnah’s clearly stated law that “during the month of Av we curtail our joy”, while the law “when the month of Adar begins we increase our joy” is only secondary.