The connection between t’shuva and the advent of Moshiach is in the sense that the whole point of Moshiach is to bring about innovation, resulting in an entirely new existence. * Inspiration for t’shuva in the month of Elul.
The Torah alludes to a tzaddik whose mortality can be traced solely to the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, inheriting, as it were, the venom of “the bite of the snake.” * One has free volition to be entirely righteous, like Chanoch or Eliyahu, or Rabbeinu HaKodesh.
A Chassid “creates an atmosphere” and when we’re talking about the great Chassidim, their influence is that much greater. * The following are highlights from an entire chapter on the enormous influence of R’ Shmuel Levitin a”h on the lives of Chassidim in New York, about the limud z’chus with which he would defend the T’mimim and Chassidim in yechidus to the Rebbe, about his optimistic approach to life despite the personal suffering he endured, and the great love he had for the bachurim.
When we come to this Big City, the temptations are many. So G-d gave us a great Torah and many precepts. ‘We are kept busy buying the best merchandise — the Torah and Mitzvos. Not only will our life be a full one, a happy one, and a worthy one, but the Torah that we learn and the precepts that we do make us worthy, pure and holy.
“Moses received the Torah from Sinai and handed it over to Joshua, Joshua to the elders and the elders to the prophets.” The Rebbe asks, why does it refer to them as prophets? What role does prophecy play in the transmission of the Torah? Doesn’t the Torah forbid a person from using prophecy to decide matters of Torah?
How a native of Birobidzhan became the shliach in this unusual Jewish State.
With the new school year around the corner, we spoke with R’ Yisroel David, a guidance counselor in the Chabad elementary school in the Krayot. We asked a lot of questions and were happy to hear answers from someone with plenty of chinuch experience. To his credit, he did not avoid a single question, not even the tough ones.
Prayer itself generates a heightened sense of awareness, which affects our daily conduct, and our ability to be self-disciplined and remain true to our ideals. That’s why the ideal time for prayer is first thing in the morning.
When the shliach in Dagestan, R’ Ovadia Isakov, returned home after sh’chita late at night, an assailant lay in wait and shot him. The Chabad community around the world was shocked by the news and said T’hillim for the critically injured shliach. * The shliach was airlifted to Eretz Yisroel and boruch Hashem, he is doing much better.
August 9, 2013