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Letter & Spirit: A Catastrophic Quarrel

In this week’s edition of Letter & Spirit, we present a letter of the Rebbe in which he explains how one small quarrel – the misunderstanding between Kamtza and Bar-Kamtza – could bring about the destruction of the Holy Temple and Jerusalem, as explained in the Talmud. The letter was written through the Rebbe’s trusted secretary Rabbi Nissan Mindel, and was made available by his son-in-law Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro.

Op-Ed: Power Dressing

I can get you to look my way. I can cause you to feel uncomfortable. I can compel you to feel you want to stare but you know it is rude to stare. It makes you feel awkward. I dress this way because I am a woman and women should not be oppressed – we are free to express ourselves through our way of dressing and you are committing a faux pas if you object. I can impress you with my clothes. Once you are impressed by me, I have power over you. I am a power dresser. I make my own choices. No one tells me how to dress.

by Aliza Bas Menachem

Developers Wish They Could Build More in Crown Heights

Crown Heights is one of the fastest — if not the fastest — gentrifying neighborhoods in New York City, and the building of condos and rentals there can be a very profitable endeavor. However, due to various zoning ordinances that predate the surging demand for housing, developers are frustrated by empty warehouses in areas zoned for commercial use that cannot be converted to residential units, as well as many other building restrictions.

Y.G. Marks Rosh Yeshiva’s 40th Year with New Sefer

In honor of 4 Menachem Av, which marks the 40th year (5734-74) since the arrival of the Rosh Yeshivah of the Rabbinical College of Australia & New Zealand (Y.G. – Melbourne), Rabbi Binyomin Cohen, The students of the Yeshivah published a Sefer of Chidushei Torah (Vol. 20), consistent with the Rebbe’s directive that the Yeshivah Gedolah be a centre of Torah learning for Melbourne, and all of Australia.