יום שבת, ט׳ אלול תשפ״וSaturday, August 22, 2026
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Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman is director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization. He can be reached at Lubavitchyouth@gmail.com.
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The family fled on the last train out, embarking on a long trip to Central Asia. German airplanes strafed the train, and they survived only by miracles, said Rabbi Schwei in recalling the fright all his life.
He never sat in the Rebbe’s presence – he always stood – almost without movement, listening intently to the Rebbe’s every word and watching him for the slightest indication that he might need something.
None of us, of course, can be so presumptuous as to compare ourselves with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
It follows that particularly in Iyar, Hashem supernaturally heals, removing sickness as if it never existed.
Great is charity, for it brings closer the Geulah.
Considering how morally depraved Egypt was, for the Jews to leave this country, rise up to true freedom, and then receive G-d’s holy Torah just seven weeks later required a tremendous “leap” on their part.
A true Jewish leader, however, must be aware of and interested in the lives and problems of individuals and communities.
Local secret police in Rostov hounded the Rebbe and even arrested him once. They closed his yeshiva and in 1924 forced him to leave his home in Rostov.
To counteract increasing secularization, he campaigned to create an association of Torah-observant Jews throughout Eastern and Central Europe, which later crystallized into Agudath Israel.
He also encouraged rabbinic leaders and those who wrote English well to disseminate knowledge of taharas mishpacha and other practical mitzvos.
A primary lesson of Purim, then, is to relive the vital awareness that Hashem is protecting His people in exile, “scattered among the nations.”
Whatever the case may be: Why would the goblets have been upside down?
Often he strove to aid Jews materially even before working to elevate them spiritually because an improved material life allows one’s spiritual life to thrive.
Many don’t realize that standards of Orthodox Jewry here before 1940 were incomparably lower than today.
The Rebbe Rayatz treated everyone with the utmost respect, even doing material favors for many non-observant Jews.
Less than five years earlier, World War II had ended, which consumed a third of world Jewry, including most Torah-observant Jews. Almost all great Torah centers were destroyed.
From the Rebbe’s absolute devotion to his father-in-law, chassidim have learned what the measure of their own devotion – what chassidim call hiskashrus – to their Rebbe should be.
We don’t seek out faults in people to tell them off, but we should always look for ways to help set people on the right path while we ourselves serve as shining personal examples.
Yaakov’s service of G-d, at his high spiritual level, required him to be buried with his father Yitzchak and grandfather Avraham in Me’aras HaMachpeilah, a place of openly revealed holiness.
Yosef, on the other hand, was involved in worldly affairs. He was on such a high spiritual level that this involvement didn’t disturb his service of G-d.
In order to prove that the oil was undefiled, wouldn’t it have been sufficient if its seal remained unbroken, even without the kohen gadol’s personal seal?
Even according to the Rambam, if an exceptionally pious and G-d-fearing man sees that his generation is degenerate in a certain matter, he may sanctify G-d’s name and sacrifice himself even to avoid a minor mitzvah so that people learn from his example.
Halacha mandates that the anniversary of a miracle be celebrated, not only by its subject, but by his descendants and disciples in later generations.
Immediately upon becoming Rebbe, he embarked upon the most ambitious chassidic publication program until recent times.
Speaking to his chassidim actually improved his health, much to his doctors amazement!
Throughout our history, great leaders have given their disciples and others special tasks to spiritually elevate the world.
After the tailor left, Rebbetzin Rivka told off her son for embarrassing the tailor. Realizing what he had done, young Sholom Ber burst into tears.
When others see that serving Hashem is rewarded with material abundance, G-d’s name is sanctified. It is a kiddush Hashem.
Noach is considered responsible for the Flood because he felt no personal responsibility for his generation.
The universe was created for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of the Jewish people – i.e., in order that we Jews study and observe the Torah.
To cross the infinite gulf separating us – as finite created beings – from the infinite Creator, we need to nullify our sense of self-importance.
Since the lulav’s special quality is expressed in the taste of its fruit (the date), why aren’t we required to take the fruit itself instead of its leaves?
Hashem’s love for us is like the love of parents for their young child; it’s an essential love not dependent upon the child’s conduct.
The “head” – the great Torah leaders – are dependent upon all lower “limbs” of our people for their spiritual completeness.
The path of Chabad, on the other hand, while maintaining the close Rebbe-chassid relationship, emphasizes personal labor in serving Hashem.
These three verses point to Elul as a time for reinforcing the “three pillars upon which the world stands: Torah, service [of Hashem through prayer], and kind deeds” (Avos 1:3).
Our Divine soul’s life-force, which enlivens our body, is intended to be utilized solely for fulfilling G-d’s will.
Before our matriarch Rivkah gave birth to Yaakov and Eisav, a Heavenly message told her they represented two opposing nations, “and one nation will struggle to overcome the other nation” (Bereishis 28:23).
As urgent as this call was at the beginning of the 20th century, it is even more urgent in this era when Jewish communities are more exposed than ever to the influences of the secular world.
In the modern era, many nations introduced compulsory education and in the process tried compelling Jews to change their curricula.
The astronauts, too, had to follow every detail of their instructions, utterly negating their own desires.
The Jewish people’s affairs are connected with, and depend on, the Torah in its entirety...
Moshiach, when he comes, will reveal the deeper reasons for every detail of Torah observance – why it is necessary to perform particular mitzvos in specific ways and what each detail accomplishes in the spiritual realm.
During the Three Weeks, the Rebbe recommended learning more Torah, giving more tzedakah, and increasing activities of ahavas Yisrael.
The Rebbe Rayatz, however, refused to leave. He considered it his duty to uphold Torah study and observance even under such trying conditions.
Most of Rashi’s comments derive from the Talmud or Midrash. But he almost always changes the wording or quotes specifically one of several versions.
Chassidus explains that the spies weren’t afraid they couldn’t defeat the Canaanites. They didn’t wish to enter the Land because they knew they would be forced to become involved in the material world as a result.
When encouraging Jews to fulfill mitzvos they didn’t grow up observing, we take into account the difficulties they may experience.
The Torah was given to us, not to rise above the world to the realm of souls divested from physicality, but to make the physical world itself holy.
Jewish children, particularly before the age of bar mitzvah, are effected for life when they immerse themselves in Torah study.
World War I had sown chaos throughout the centuries-old Jewish communities of Eastern Europe.
August 21, 2026 
