Chassidish Stories and Great Rabbis
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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Today, the 20th of Cheshvan, marks the fifth yahrzeit (anniversary of passing) of the former Chief Rabbi of the UK, Rabbi and one of the most prominent thinkers in the Jewish world and beyond, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. He passed away at the age of 72. Come and learn from his teachings
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The Lugubrious Bed
The Chozeh of Lublin senses that the bed which has been prepared for him by the carpenter is not a rejuvenating bed but a bed of lugubriousness and anxiety. From such a bed it is impossible to rise invigorated with a thirst for renewed creativity. -
Descending from the Hilltop
R' Yissachar Ber's descent from the hilltop in our story bears deep Chassidic significance. When, in the wilderness, the Children of Israel committed the Sin of the Golden Calf, God turned to Moses, saying, “Go down, for your people have sinned.” -
The Charm of Jerusalem
The problem lies in a person's outlook, how a person relates to things. When the land of Israel appeals to those who gaze upon her, when Jerusalem finds pleasure in the eyes of its residents, no difficulty in the world will dampen this affection. -
The Horse Vs. The Sabbath
The physical world does not run counter to the spiritual. Its purpose is to assist the spiritual world. The problem begins when people portray these two spheres as negating one another. When this happens a war erupts and the spiritual world stands to be harmed. -
A Tailor’s Task
The art of tailoring is to create a satisfactory whole out of an assortment of parts. Breaking a proud heart is the essential stage on the road to attaining personal perfection, on the road to creating a garment fitting for man to adorn himself in. -
The Service that Blazes
People have a tendency to assume that a person who possesses a fiery spirit infuses his divine service with his own personal heat. Yet, in truth, each of us is called upon to extract spiritual strength from our service of God. -
The Twilight of Rabbi Kook
Not only was he versed, sharp, and innovative in the arenas of Talmud and Halakha, he was at home in all areas of Jewish thought – Bible, Midrash, philosophy, and mysticism. On top of all this he was unmatched in piety and righteousness. -
Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk: The Pioneering Rebbe
It would appear that his thirst for closeness to God, and his great longing for the Holy Land - the land wherein the Divine Presence rests - shook his inner being so strongly that no worldly enjoyment could compare to living in the land of Israel. -
A Love that does not Corrupt
Rabbi Kook's love for the Jewish people was not the product of mere human compassion. Rabbi Kook's love for the Jewish people was the result of penetrating and divine insight into this people's true essence. -
Rabbi Akiva's Trademark
In trying times the spirit of Rabbi Akiva illuminates the path of the Jewish People.
