Op-Ed: Bayis Molei Seforim

Much is being said about the state of book buying and learning. But if we are going to discuss seforim, we should really look back to Hei Teves—the victory of the seforim. Put simply, the message the Rebbe conveyed at that time was that we should do more:

“In recent years great and wonderful things in the area of spreading Yiddishkeit have been accomplished … If so, the question is raised, why was it necessary that in this era and in this area there should be a problem?”

Two Kings Book Series Released

Revolutionary Educational Tool Launched. It took three thousand years! But, the truth is out! And now you can read it to your children, as well! And it’s spreading fast! The powerful king is not so unstoppable. And the seemingly incapable man is actually a king! We are speaking about the two kings each of us has inside. The Bad King, is our selfish impulsive side, the yetzer hara. The Good King is our rationale, good side, the yetzer tov. But we all know that. Right?

It’s not so simple. It took the author four years developing this latest book series for it to finally reach press. Two Kings is here and available now! Two Kings is being presented as a worldwide educational revolution evolving. It is being launched by Israel Book Shop a world s leading Jewish publisher based in Lakewood, N.J. And authored by Rabbi Fishel Jacobs (www.RabbiJacobs.com) a well-known Chabad rabbi and halachic author.

Op-Ed: Mumbai’s Far-Reaching Impact

Jewish tradition tells us the first 30 days of mourning are the most intense. This week we mark end of this period since the terrorist attack against the Chabad Center in Mumbai. It’s been a watershed event for world Jewry and Chabad. It will have a long lasting effect in diverse ways.

It has sparked an existential dialogue within Chabad. “Why have we become a target for the unfathomable.” A few days after the attack, a group of Jewish security experts told me, “You guys are on the frontlines, it was only a matter of time.” That’s the practical perspective you would expect from security gurus. At a farbrengen held last week for California shluchim that question was at the core of the evening. Rabbi Ezra Schochet, rosh yeshiva, dissected the issue. The intellectual inquiry did not bring him, or us, solace. At the end he said, “We have a question, a question without any answer.”

FOR MILLENNIA Jews have grappled with the same questions, seeking to pierce the mystery of divine providence. Shluchim were promised special blessings. Years ago a Chabad supporter suggested to the Rebbe in a private audience that he give more kudos to his shluchim. While the Rebbe showed appreciation, it was done in his classic understated style. Hassidim felt it an honor to serve the Rebbe’s higher purposes. After hearing the question, the Rebbe’s face took an austere look. He told the man, “They all have children.”