Sichos In English

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• Foreword

• An analysis of the difference of opinion among our Sages whether a person is judged every day

• The importance of giving spiritual charity

• Details concerning donations given for the publication of a text of the Previous Rebbe's talks; the importance of studying Chassidus in the present age as the spiritual counterpart to immersion for the sake of ritual purity

• An interpretation of the blessings contained within the tenaim (engagement contract): "A man who finds a wife finds goodness and evokes favor from G-d who is good."

• The need to widen the circulation of the texts printed by Kehot, in particular within schools; the positive influence evoked when Parshas Shemini is read eight times

• The preliminary draft for the Publisher's Foreword to Kuntreis Bikkur Chicago; the importance of not dismissing chassidic concepts because one lacks the proper introductory concepts to understand them; the need to seek guidance from people experienced in such study

• The significance of the 26th of Nissan, the yahrzeit of Yehoshua bin Nun

• The importance of spreading the circulation of Kehot texts in schools; the challenge of education in the present day

• A scholarly explanation of the chassidic story regarding the interpretation of the mishnah: "Akavya ben Mahalalel says:.." as: "The heel from a person who prays and praises G-d says..."

• A wedding is a reflection of the universal marriage, [the bond] between G-d and the Jewish people

• The responsiveness of American Jews to the Kehot publications; that "America is not different"

• An explanation of our Sages' statement: "The world from which we depart is like a wedding feast"

• The importance of unity between body and soul, thought, feeling, and deed, and the expression of these concepts in the mitzvah of tefillin; self-sacrifice for the observance of this mitzvah

• A discussion of the apparent contradiction between the statements in Chassidus which explain the necessity for a small measure of pride and the halachic ruling that one should not have even a trace of pride

• A continuation of the above discussion

• A resolution of an apparent contradiction between a teaching of R. Yaakov of Lisa which states that it is impossible for teshuvah to wipe away sin entirely to the extent that a person can become a medium for the Divine presence to rest upon and ch. 46 of Tanya which states that any person who studies the Torah and performs mitzvos becomes a medium for the Divine presence, without differentiating between a tzaddik and a baal teshuvah; an explanation of the statement in Tanya (ch. 12) that a benoni is one who has "never transgressed."

• The spiritual significance of the offering of the seven lambs together with the two loaves of bread on Shavuos; the unity of body and soul in our Divine service

• A request for permission to print material in Kovetz Lubavitch

• A continuation of the discussion begun in Letter No. 159 concerning the Jews' self-sacrifice for the mitzvah of tefillin

• Greetings and an offer of spiritual assistance to a Rabbi who arrived as a refugee from war-torn Europe

• The Rebbe's response to a philosophical thesis that the world is in a stage of flux, with each entity seeking to grow and develop until it reaches a more complete state of fulfillment

• Rosh HaShanah blessings to yeshivah students

• The Rebbe's response to condolence wishes that he was offered; four dimensions of death and the association of them with the four organizations which the Previous Rebbe appointed the Rebbe to head

• The significance of the mitzvah of sukkah and why it follows Yom Kippur

• Obtaining Chanukah menorahs for distribution; the significance of the oil used for the Chanukah miracle being sealed with the seal of the High Priest; the importance of giving financial support to "the High Priest" of the present generation

• Yud-Tes Kislev blessings

• The personal growth experienced while enduring the Holocaust

• An explanation of the 120 forms of the name Elokim mentioned in certain Kabbalistic texts; an explanation of the 288 sparks that fell in the shattering of the worlds of Tohu

• The Rebbe's acknowledgment of condolence wishes

• Details concerning the circulation of Kehot texts; an explanation of the mishnah recited in connection with the passing of a loved one: "[When] a needle is placed on the steps [leading to a mikveh] in a cave…" from a mystic perspective

• A response to an inquiry concerning the Previous Rebbe's health

• The positive connotations of haste, particularly in the present era

• With regard to a suggestion to print the Previous Rebbe's maamarim; the significance of studying Mishnayos by heart

• With regard to a suggestion to print the Previous Rebbe's maamarim

• Response to several points including instructions with regard to tzitzis

• Activities on behalf of Jewish soldiers in the American armed forces; the need to sacrifice one's own ritual purity for the purification of others

• Why the Torah mentions the Exodus in the Ten Commandments rather than the creation; the parallel in our Divine service, that changing an existing character trait is more difficult than adopting a new one

• An explanation of the statement: "The Ein Sof which we mentioned is not alluded to in the Torah"

• Several points regarding the circulation and preparation of Kehot texts; an explanation of the mishnah recited in connection with the passing of a loved one: "When the waters of a mikveh are shallow…" from a mystic perspective

• Insights and instructions with regard to the commemoration of his father's yahrzeit

• An explanation of the statement: "When a teaching is recited in the name of a sage, he dwells in two worlds simultaneously; while his soul is in the Heavenly Academy, his lips rustle in the grave"; the connection of that statement with the publication of a sage's teachings; why this statement is associated with King David, Rabbi Yochanan, and Rav Sheshes

• The encouragement of others, particularly kohanim, to take active roles in outreach efforts

• A scholarly dissertation with regard to why we remove tefillin after the recitation of Uva L'Tziyon Goel on Rosh Chodesh

• An explanation of the ruling that if one speaks between putting on the arm tefillin and the head tefillin, one must recite a blessing over the head tefillin in light of the Kabbalistic tradition that the reason a blessing is not recited over the head tefillin is that the light drawn down cannot be drawn down on man's initiative

• Efforts to circulate letters from the Previous Rebbe to Jewish soldiers serving in the British army and to Jews in Europe

• Rosh HaShanah blessings; Rosh HaShanah as "the head of the year"

• A clarification of the value of eighteen Polish gulden, the sum the Alter Rebbe suggests donating to charity to redeem a day of fasting undertaken for teshuvah

• A lengthy treatise concerning the concept of Resurrection, discussing many issues in detail

• An explanation of the verse: "And his concubine... bore... Maachah"; does the name Maachah refer to a male or a female?

• A letter of appreciation for a donation towards printing; the great merit of printing sacred texts

• The importance of establishing institutes of Torah education for girls

• The importance of improving a child's educational environment

• The importance of printing the teachings of the previous Rebbeim, thus giving them the opportunity to "live in two worlds simultaneously"

• A scholarly explanation of the concept that repeating the teaching of a sage enables "the lips of the tzaddik [to] rustle in the grave while his soul abides in the heavenly academy"

• Expanding the circulation of Kehot texts; an explanation of the teaching "Yosef hid three treasure stores," making oneself a medium for the influence of the Yosef of our generation

• Details concerning the circulation and publication of Kehot texts; a description of the many texts whose publication the Rebbe supervised; an explanation of the teaching "Yosef hid three treasure stores," making oneself a medium for the influence of the Yosef of our generation

• An answer to the questions: "Will there be eating and drinking in the era of Mashiach?"; "In the era of the Redemption, will the body be resurrected unblemished or with blemishes?"; "At the time of the Resurrection, in which body will the souls that have had several incarnations arise?"; and "How to observe Shabbos in places where the daylight continues for longer than 24 hours?"

• Appreciation for a donation toward the publication of Kehot texts

• The solicitation of a donation toward the publication of the Rebbe Rashab's talks; why the first laws in Parshas Mishpatim deal with the concept of a Hebrew servant

• Blessings for students who had escaped the Holocaust

• Instructions not to print any of the Previous Rebbe's works or any other works of Chassidus without the expressed permission of the Previous Rebbe; other directives with regard to the publication and circulation of chassidic texts; an explanation why the inner altar is described in Parshas Tetzaveh and not together with the other vessels of the altar [in Parshas Terumah]

• Questions and points of clarification with regard to the text HaRav (a biography of the Alter Rebbe)

• Encouragement to a Lubavitcher chassid living in South Africa; Haman's casting of lots

• Encouragement to the pioneer of the Lubavitch community of Australia; the significance of mishloach manos and matanos laevyonim

• A request for assistance for the Rebbe's mother

• The distribution of Kehot texts in Eretz Yisrael

• An explanation why, when citing our Sages' statement: "Be of humble spirit before all men," the Alter Rebbe uses the wording kol ha'adom, including a hei

• An explanation of the statement in Tanya that the word ve'ad is equivalent to echad when the letters are exchanged

• An explanation of the concept that a multitude of minor transgressions can create a spiritual blemish equivalent to that produced by the transgression of a more severe prohibition

• The need to pay one's debts to Kehot; how the lack of financial resources is a serious factor in inhibiting the spread of Chassidus

• Appreciation for a donation to publish Kehot texts; the need to reach out to all four sons of the Pesach narrative, even the wicked and those who do not know how to ask

• Encouragement for support of the Previous Rebbe's efforts to provide spiritual relief to the survivors of the Holocaust; the letters of the name Havayah printed in connection with the Great Hallel

• The difficult financial situation Lubavitch was facing; request for assistance for the Rebbe's mother

• Instructions regarding the printing of texts of Chassidus in Shanghai; the spiritual counterparts of the halachic differences between inheritance and acquisition by lot

• A request for material concerning the Rebbe Rashab

• A request for assistance for the Rebbe's mother; a request for assistance in collecting chassidic works in Eretz Yisrael

• Directives to students in Jerusalem with regard to printing the works of the Previous Rebbe and other texts of Chassidus; an explanation why the Ten Commandments refers to G-d as the One who took the Jews out of Egypt instead of referring to Him as the Creator; the need for a bond with the Moshe of the generation

• Directives regarding the publication of texts of Chassidus in Shanghai; an explanation of Rashi's commentary to the phrase "Aharon did so"

• Appreciation for material sent concerning the Rebbe Rashab and a request for more of such material; clarification regarding the halachic points mentioned in HaYom Yom

• Instructions regarding donors to Kehot and details regarding Kehot publications; an explanation of Rashi's commentary to the phrase "Aharon did so"

• Appreciation for a donation that allowed the publication of Kuntreis Etz HaChayim; the importance of positive speech and how printing sacred texts contributes toward that purpose