Lubavitcher Rebbe; translated by Yosef Loebenstein

The spiritual equivalent of the splitting of the sea, the final act in the exodus from Egypt, is that service which uncovers the G‑dliness in nature and which leads the world closer to Torah. When the Jewish people left Egypt and slavery, they were pursue...

The ultimate goal of the exodus from Egypt, when Jews became a nation, was the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. The three names given to the festival which celebrates the exodus — Chag HaMatzos, Z’man Cheiruseinu and Chag HaPesach — correspond to the thr...

The Yartzeit of the Tzemach Tzedek is an opportune time for all Jews to study his teachings and to emulate his deeds, thereby effecting salvations “in the midst of the earth.” The thirteenth day of Nissan marks the Yartzeit of the Tzemach Tzedek, fifth Re...

A Jew’s service to G‑d must always be performed in a completely new manner, totally eclipsing past achievements. Such service is possible when a Jew “leaps” out of his egocentric existence and, surrendering himself to G‑d, rises above the constraints of h...

The parah adumah is the example par excellence of a mitzvah which is beyond all human comprehension and which is fulfilled out of pure acceptance of G‑d’s will. All mitzvos, even those which are understood rationally, must be fulfilled in the same way as ...

The Megillah is not only an historical record of the miracle of Purim, but demonstrates truths relevant to all ages. Although they had representatives in the highest echelons of government, the Jews caused Haman’s evil decree to be rescinded only by first...

The commandment to remember what Amalek, the symbol of evil in the world, did to the Jewish people, is in force at all times. Amalek represents the refusal to allow G‑dliness to penetrate into the world, the doubts and uncertainties which prevent a Jew fr...

The various aspects of the half-shekel contribution given in the times of the Beis HaMikdosh relate to the past, present, and future, and touch on the relationship between Jew and G‑d, between Jew and Jew, and between a Jew and himself. The mishnah states...

The fifteenth of Shevat, Rosh HaShanah for trees, teaches that to avoid spiritual death a Jew must always remain attached to his source, Torah and Judaism, and continuously grow in his service to G‑d. Such service should not be performed coldly, from forc...

Although earlier generations saw the dissemination of Chassidus, through which the redemption will come, the Previous Rebbe, whose Yartzeit is on the tenth day of Shevat, introduced new dimensions. The doctrines of Chassidus would now not be restricted to...