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A small hole in the body makes for a big hole in the soul -- Chassidic master Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezeritch (?-1772)

From the Rambam's Sefer Hamitzvot

The Mishneh Torah was the Rambam's (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon) magnum opus, a work spanning hundreds of chapters and describing all of the laws mentioned in the Torah. To this day it is the only work that details all of Jewish observance, including those laws which are only applicable when the Holy Temple is in […]

The Mishneh Torah was the Rambam's (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon) magnum opus, a work spanning hundreds of chapters and describing all of the laws mentioned in the Torah. To this day it is the only work that details all of Jewish observance, including those laws which are only applicable when the Holy Temple is in […]

Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and […]

Today's Lesson: Ishut - Chapter Eight, Ishut - Chapter Nine, Ishut - Chapter Ten

Today's Lesson: Negative Commandment 355

Today's Lesson: Gezelah va'Avedah - Chapter Three

Hayom Yom, an expression which translates as 'Day by Day,' is a collection of concise thoughts, often relevant to the season or portion of study when it appears, which gives the reader food to sustain the soul each day of the year.

Today's Lessons: Likutei Amarim, Chapter 47

Today's Tehillim: Chapters 69-71

Today's Psalms: Chapters 69-71

Parshat Emor, 1st Portion (Vayikra (Leviticus) 21:1-21:15) with Rashi

Five approaches to this unique mitzvah.

He’s in the heavens, and He’s here on earth. He’s in the ethereal world of the philosopher, and He’s in the pragmatic world of the trucker speeding down Interstate 86. He’s in the putrid world of the worker digging out the city sewers down the street, and He’s in the aroma of the garlic our […]

If dignity and beauty are important to you, you most definitely want to go with the chevra kadisha.

How the Jewish community came together to save countless Jews from slavery and abuse over hundreds of years.

For decades, thousands of pages written by the youngest brother of the Lubavitcher Rebbe languished—unread and forgotten.

It's on Friday!

How many of these do you know?

The island of Djerba is home to one of the few remaining Jewish communities in the Muslim world.

Ari Sachar shares his journey as a rocket scientist and proud Jew, revealing the hidden miracles in both life and faith.

Master teacher Rabbi Yossi Paltiel shares how he was shaped by his father's orphanhood, losing his own four-year-old child, navigating grief with his wife, and finding strength in Chasidic teachings.

A wide-ranging conversation with Bronya Shaffer that includes witnessing the Rebbe's reunion with his mother, the Rebbe's involvement in her marriage, speaking about taboo topics, being sent to Russia with a female companion, and finding strength in the tragic death of her husband.

Natan Sharansky is a celebrated hero who challenged the Soviet empire. Learn how his Jewish identity and faith kept him courageous under the harshest of conditions.

Creator of Project Purpose shares practical tips and philosophical signposts for your personal journey toward self-actualization and purposeful living based on the teachings of the Rebbe.

Moshe Reuven's incredible spiritual journey included an NDE, topping the charts as a musician, business success, becoming a rabbi, and much more.

Blind from birth, Richard Bernstein is a justice on the Supreme Court of Michigan, a marathon runner, disabilities advocate, and a Jew on a mission to make the world a better place.

To battle evil, we first must understand its source, and then tread carefully so we are not sucked into the vortex of hate.

Integrative psychotherapist shares how she overcame a lonely childhood, poor self-image, an eating disorder, and failed marriage through learning about herself and her soul through the lens of Chassidus and psychotherapy.

Having known the Rebbe and Rebbetzin from her childhood, Esther Sternberg had a unique view of the regal woman so few ever met.

How Nissim Black overcame a troubled past of drugs, violence and crime to seek spirituality and use music to spread goodness and faith.

She needed to overcome her trauma to mother her own children. A trained psychotherapist, Dr. Robyn Koslowitz now helps others do the same.

Speaking from personal experience, dietician Miriam Shurpin tells of the dangers of poor body image and the "diet culture," and how she learned to embrace her body through Chassidic teachings.

This amazing convert shares how Chassidic philosophy took her to a place she never even imagined existed.

A soul-searching conversation—plus tips!—from the woman who showed the world the beauty of the Jewish dating world.

8th Day music star Shmuel Marcus is actually a full-time Chabad rabbi in a distant community. Here's how he stays inspired and makes it all work.

A woman born without a uterus shares her inspiring journey of faith, love, and medical innovation, culminating in the miraculous birth of her daughter.

The oys and joys of moving to Rostov, Russia, and serving a Jewish community that has reawakened after 70 years of Communist repression.

Modern English translation of the full text of the Parshah.

A parable by the Chassidic sage Rabbi Yechezkel Panet illuminates the geography of the Jewish calendar

An historic controversy arose between the Rabbis and sectarians as to the meaning of the command: "And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Shabbat." Although the Rabbis proved their case, why did the Torah use a word so open to misinterpretation?

The Talmud relates the following conversation between "a heretic" and the sage Rabbi Avahu: "Your G-d is a Kohen," said the heretic. "So in what did He immerse Himself after He buried Moses?" Replied Rabbi Avahu: "He immersed in fire." An examination of the meaning of this exchange leads us to a discussion of G-d's […]

Explore the Parshah together with a hundred generations of scholars and mystics, from Moses to today. Includes a detailed summary and overview, and dozens of selected excerpts from the Midrash, Talmud, the Commentaries and the Chassidic Masters.

A modern English translation of the full text of the Parshah with the classic commentary by Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105), universally regarded as the most basic tool for understanding the meaning of the text for schoolchild and scholar alike.

If G-d “gave” us the Torah at Sinai, what room is there for human creativity? If our tradition is perfect, how can there be so many differing opinions in the Talmud? Why does the Torah have an oral counterpart? Learn the Rebbe’s approach here.

The splitting of the sea was more than a utilitarian measure to save the Israelites. Why did G-d choose this method?

[Rabbon Gamliel's] son, Shimon, would say: All my life I have been raised among the wise, and I have found nothing better for the body than silence... Ethics of the Fathers, 1:17 The Talmud goes even further, with the amazing statement: ``What is man's task in the world? To make himself as silent as the […]

There are four types of people: One who says, "What is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine," is a boor. One who says, "What is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours" this is a median characteristic; others say that this is the character of a Sodomite. One who says, […]

Assume a Master for yourself Ethics of the Fathers, 1:6 "And they believed in G‑d and in Moses His servant" (Exodus 14:31). What was the nature of Israel's relationship to Moses? Moses, after all, is a human being. And yet, the Torah uses the very same word to connote Israel's belief in him and in […]

All Israel has a share in the World to Come, as it is stated: “And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever. They are the shoot of My planting, the work of My hands, in which I take pride.” -Talmud, Sanhedrin 90a (introductory reading to Ethics of the Fathers) Moses received […]

Yehudah the son of Teima would say: Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, fleeting as a deer and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven. He would also say: The brazen to purgatory; the bashful to paradise. Ethics of the Fathers, 5:20 Use the shamelessness of […]

Nitai the Arbelite would say: Distance yourself from a bad neighbor, and do not cleave to a wicked person. Ethics of the Fathers, 1:7 On the surface, Nitai the Arbelite appears to be conveying a simple, if redundant, message: Stay away from bad people. In truth, however, a much deeper lesson is implicit in his […]

May it be Your will, L‑rd our G‑d and G‑d of our fathers, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days.... Ethics of the Fathers, 5:20 The Mishnah is a purely halachic, or legal, work, consisting of sixty-three tractates of legal material, arranged by topic in six "orders." Its concise, almost cryptic style […]

Whoever possesses the following three characteristics is of the disciples of Abraham our Father; and whoever possesses the opposite three characteristics is of the disciples of the wicked Bilaam.... Ethics of the Fathers, 5:19 Bilaam's identity as the evil counterpart to Abraham is a reoccurring theme in the Torah. On the verse, "And Bilaam rose […]

Rabbi Elazar of Bartosah would say: Give Him what is His, for you, and whatever is yours, are His. As King David says: "For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You." Ethics of The Fathers, 3:7 The gist of Rabbi Elazar's message is clear, and encapsulates the Jewish […]

There is no free individual, except for he who occupies himself with the Torah. Ethics of the Fathers, 6:2 Why the roundabout, "negative" wording of the mishnah? Why not simply say "True freedom is attained through Torah"? Man is a finite being, and everything he possesses and is capable of achieving is likewise finite in […]

Vows are the safety fence for abstinence Ethics of the Fathers, 3:13 Somewhere between the good deed and the moral wrong is the permissible indulgence. How is one to approach these (seemingly) neutral pleasures? The Torah's view on the matter appears to be mixed. On the one hand, the Talmud interprets the injunction "Be holy" […]

Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in said: One who profanes the kodoshim (sacred things), who degrades the Festivals, who humiliates his friend in public, who abrogates the covenant of our father Abraham, or who interprets the Torah contrary to its true intent--although he may possess Torah knowledge and good deeds, he has no share in the World […]

Which is a dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven? The dispute of Korach and all his company Ethics of the Fathers, 5:17 Korach, Moses' mutinous cousin, earned the dubious distinction of father and prototype of all quarrelers and divisors. His very name became synonymous with disharmony and conflict. The Talmud goes so […]

Any dispute that is for the sake of Heaven is destined to endure; and that which is not for the sake of Heaven is not destined to endure. Which is a dispute that is for the sake of Heaven? The dispute(s) between Hillel and Shammai.... . Ethics of the Fathers, 5:17 Why would we want […]

A love that is dependent on something when the thing ceases, the love Also ceases. But a love that is not dependent on anything never ceases. Which is a love that is dependent on something? The love of Amnon for Tamar. And one that is not dependent on anything? The love of David and Jonathan. […]

All that G‑d created in His world, He did not create but for His glory. Ethics of the Fathers, 6:11 "I was created to serve my Creator." With these words, the Talmud sums up the purpose of life. But there is also another version of this talmudic passage, which reads. "I was not created, but […]

Eli Rubin. Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism. Stanford University Press, 2025. 446pp. $70. Writing a book review is reminiscent of high school, an enduring trauma to which I have no desire to return. Instead, I’ll just write a perspective I’ve gained by reading Eli Rubin’s latest book. Rubin […]

You may have noticed that, recently, as in just over the past five hundred years or so, most of us started thinking funny. We like to imagine the human mind has evolved and expanded. We discovered entire continents. We discovered the microbes living upon us, split the atom, and planted a flag on the moon. […]

Introduction You did a mitzvah. You embraced G‑d and He embraced you. There is no moment beyond the moment of a mitzvah, not even in the highest heaven. But have you changed? Or was it a moment that came and passed, leaving you more connected with your Creator in some subliminal way, but internally, consciously, […]

The previous chapter mentioned the words of Elijah the Prophet, “No thought can grasp You….” Tikunei Zohar, 17a. Let’s take this idea of grasping the divine further and clarify it well. How Your Mind Grasps an Idea Let’s say your mind has formed a concept of an idea and gotten it straight. This means two […]

וּלְתוֹסֶפֶת בֵּיאוּר, בַּאֵר הֵיטֵב לְשׁוֹן "תְּפִיסָא" שֶׁאָמַר אֵלִיָּהוּ: "לֵית מַחֲשָׁבָה תְּפִיסָא בָךְ כוּ'". הִנֵּה, כָּל שֵׂכֶל כְּשֶׁמַּשְׂכִּיל וּמַשִּׂיג בְּשִׂכְלוֹ אֵיזֶה מוּשְׂכָּל, הֲרֵי הַשֵּׂכֶל תּוֹפֵס אֶת הַמּוּשְׂכָּל וּמַקִּיפוֹ בְּשִׂכְלוֹ, וְהַמּוּשְׂכָּל נִתְפָּס וּמוּקָּף וּמְלוּבָּשׁ בְּתוֹךְ הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁהִשִּׂיגוֹ וְהִשְׂכִּילוֹ. וְגַם הַשֵּׂכֶל מְלוּבָּשׁ בַּמּוּשְׂכָּל בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמַּשִּׂיגוֹ וְתוֹפְסוֹ בְּשִׂכְלוֹ. דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל: כְּשֶׁאָדָם מֵבִין וּמַשִּׂיג אֵיזוֹ הֲלָכָה בְּמִשְׁנָה אוֹ בִּגְמָרָא לַאֲשׁוּרָהּ […]

וְעוֹד יֵשׁ לְכָל נֶפֶשׁ אֱלֹהִית שְׁלֹשָׁה לְבוּשִׁים, שֶׁהֵם מַחֲשָׁבָה דִּבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁל תַּרְיַ"ג מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה; שֶׁכְּשֶׁהָאָדָם מְקַיֵּים בְּמַעֲשֶׂה כָּל מִצְוֹת מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת, וּבְדִבּוּר הוּא עוֹסֵק בְּפֵירוּשׁ כָּל תַּרְיַ"ג מִצְוֹת וְהִלְכוֹתֵיהֶן, וּבְמַחֲשָׁבָה הוּא מַשִּׂיג כָּל מַה שֶּׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לְהַשִּׂיג בִּפְשַׁט־רֶמֶז־דְּרוּשׁ־סוֹד הַתּוֹרָה – הֲרֵי כְּלָלוּת תַּרְיַ"ג אֵבְרֵי נַפְשׁוֹ מְלוּבָּשִׁים בְּתַרְיַ"ג מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה. וּבִפְרָטוּת, בְּחִינוֹת חָכְמָה־בִּינָה־דַּעַת שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ, מְלוּבָּשׁוֹת בְּהַשָּׂגַת […]

Introduction We’ve just learned that your second soul is a part of G‑d, a divine being. She embodies an entire structure, all the ten sefirot, with three intellectual powers and the many emotions born through their dynamics. You could call these the essential body and internal operating system of the soul. Torah Ohr, Vayera, 13b; […]

Soul Clothing In addition to her ten faculties, every divine soul has three clothes: the powers of verbal thought, speech, and action by which she engages in the 613 mitzvahs of the Torah. This means that: When you fulfill all the mitzvahs that require action, And you engage your speech in Torah study, which is […]