Yom Tov
Rosh Hashanah 13 Shiurim
Rosh Hashanah
Presents two classic meshalim on the meaning of the shofar. In the first, a king's only son, having forgotten his father's language after years away, is recognized and welcomed home by his cry alone. In the second, a king reunites with the man who once saved his life by reenacting the moment they met, paralleling how the shofar recalls Matan Torah and awakens Hashem's rachmanus for the Yidden who accepted the Torah with naaseh before nishma.
Rosh Hashanah
Explores the Chassidic question behind the halachah suspending shofar on a Shabbos Rosh Hashanah, and finds in it a teaching about two levels of submission to Hashem. Rosh Hashanah and Shabbos each express their own form of bittul, crowning Hashem as King and feeling His sole reality; together they produce a bittul so complete that it requires no action, unlike the effort of blowing shofar the rest of the year. Closes with Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev's argument for why such a day can only bring a good inscription.
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the day of קבלת עול מלכות שמים, yet the tefillot are full of requests for health, wealth, and ruchniyus — seemingly at odds with the bitul the day demands. The difference lies in why you want what you're asking for: wanting things for yourself is ego, but wanting them because they're the only way to serve Hashem is bitul itself. The Baal Shem Tov's reading of רעבים גם צמאים נפשם בהם תתעטף, on what the nefesh is really after even in ordinary hunger and thirst, shows how this dynamic runs beneath the most basic physical desires.
Why the Shofar Doesn't 'Make' Hashem King
A Rosh Hashanah class on the interdependence of the shofar blasts and their accompanying blessings, using the Berditchever's parable of a king in the forest to explain the shofar's real function.
Are We Meant to Fight the Yetzer Hara, or Use It?
A short piece contrasting the physical and spiritual dimensions of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and how both the good and evil inclination can be harnessed in Divine service.
Why Rosh Chodesh Is the Torah's First Mitzvah
Explores Rashi's view that Kiddush HaChodesh was the Torah's opening command, the idea that the new month represents renewal in creation, and the witness-based calculation behind declaring Rosh Chodesh.
Why Does Tu B'Shvat Count as a Rosh Hashanah?
Explores the four 'new years' in the Jewish calendar and why Tu B'Shvat is one of them, tying the agricultural cycle of Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos to the soul's own growth through bitul.
Why Does Tu B'Shvat Count as a Rosh Hashanah?
Explores the four 'new years' in the Jewish calendar, why a tree's growth reflects a higher bitul than grain, and the king's obligation to remain humble like Shmuel HaNavi taught.
Why We Say Shehecheyanu on Rosh Hashanah -- But Not Always
Covers the halachos of shehecheyanu for new fruits and clothing, the Omer-counting bracha debate, and what happens when Tisha B'Av or another fast lands on Shabbos.
Is the Mitzvah of Shofar Blowing It, or Hearing It?
A detailed sugya on Rabbeinu Tam's view that the core mitzvah is blowing the shofar (not hearing it), and the halachic implications for who can serve as an agent.
Crowning the King: The High Holidays (Lesson 1)
Opens a three-part High Holidays series exploring the shofar as a symbol of judgment, repentance and coronation, tracing the theme back to Adam's first proclamation of G-d's kingship on Rosh Hashanah.
Day of Judgment: The High Holidays (Lesson 2)
Continues the High Holidays series with the imagery of the Heavenly court, the Baal Shem Tov's description of the Divine trial, and how acts of kindness and suffering can tip the scales of judgment.
Doing Teshuvah: The High Holidays (Lesson 3)
Closes the High Holidays series with the three components of true teshuva, how it can transform the past, and the Ten Days of Teshuva as an especially opportune time for change.
Yom Kippur 21 Shiurim
Yom Kippur
Based on a Tosafos in Menachos, the word 'achas' describing Yom Kippur points to the level of yechida, the fifth and innermost level of the neshama, which is why the day is marked by five tefillos rather than the usual three or four. Though the revelation peaks at Ne'ilah, the halachic language describing the whole day as 'obligated in five tefillos' shows that this level colors all of Yom Kippur, not only its closing moments. Ne'ilah's name is reread accordingly, not just the closing of the gates before day's end, but the Eibershter closing the gates to everyone except the Yidden, a moment of 'Yisrael u'malka bilchudohi' where the essence of a Yid meets the essence of Hashem directly.
Yom Kippur
The halacha that the Kohen Gadol needs a wife for his Yom Kippur avodah is derived from 'v'chiper ba'ado uv'ad beiso,' atonement for himself and his 'house,' which Chazal read as his wife — but the Torah's choice of the word 'beiso' rather than a plain 'ishto' is itself the question. The answer draws on Rabbi Yosi's stated practice of always calling his wife 'my house' rather than 'my wife,' reflecting a level of seeing the Godly purpose, building a Jewish home fit for the Shechinah, in everything physical he encountered. The Kohen Gadol's marriage requirement, then, isn't a technical qualification but a marker of that same capacity to perceive the ruchniyusdike mission inside anything gashmi.
Yom Kippur
A close look at the din that the Kohen Gadol needed a wife on Yom Kippur despite being kept separate from her for the week beforehand, built around the Gemara's drasha that ביתו in the pasuk means his household, not merely his wife. The highest kedushah of the avodah was never meant to stay disconnected from the world — it was meant to come home, starting with one's own house and radiating outward, a lesson every Yid carries into the year as a personal Kohen Gadol.
Why the Kohen Gadol Could Eat on Yom Kippur Eve
Covers the halacha allowing the Kohen Gadol food and drink before Yom Kippur, the red thread signaling atonement, and the flag system announcing the scapegoat's fate.
Where Did the Kohen Gadol Read the Torah on Yom Kippur?
Covers the debate over the Kohen Gadol's seating in the azarah, Ezra's blessing formula, and the Alter Rebbe's teaching on how a tzaddik can transform the yetzer hara.
Where Did the Kohen Gadol Read the Torah on Yom Kippur?
Covers the debate over the Kohen Gadol's seating in the azarah, Ezra's blessing formula, and the story of the yetzer hara captured in a lead barrel.
Why Were They Called the 'Great' Assembly?
Explores the meaning behind the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah's title, the Kohen Gadol's eight blessings on Yom Kippur, and the Rebbe's campaign on 'Who Is a Jew.'
Why Were They Called the 'Great' Assembly?
Explores the meaning behind the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah's title, the Kohen Gadol's eight blessings on Yom Kippur, and a story of a miraculously dropped crutch.
Why Suffering on Yom Kippur Must Come From Within
A short piece on three categories of leadership and the Gemara's definition of affliction (inui) on Yom Kippur -- whether sitting in extreme heat or cold counts.
Measuring the Manna -- and What 'Tirosh' Really Means
A sugya on how the manna's quantity was measured, whether 'tirosh' in Tanach refers to wine, and the halacha against smearing oneself for comfort on Yom Kippur.
Measuring the Manna -- and What 'Tirosh' Really Means
A sugya on how the manna's quantity was measured, the three types of wine discussed by the Gemara, and the halacha against smearing oneself for comfort on Yom Kippur.
Why the Kohen Gadol Threw a Feast After Yom Kippur
Explores the celebratory meal after the Kohen Gadol safely completed the Yom Kippur service, the Rambam's view on its communal nature, and why he had to be married beforehand.
Why Some Sages Fasted Even on Shabbos
Covers the halachic weight of fasting on Shabbos, weekly rotations of Kohanim in the Temple, and the recommended foods to eat before Yom Kippur.
What the Kohen Gadol Did the Night Before Yom Kippur
Covers a beraisa on demons in public spaces, the halacha of returning a found object based on the finder's identity, and the Kohen Gadol's preparations before Yom Kippur.
What the Kohen Gadol Did the Night Before Yom Kippur
Covers a beraisa on demons in public spaces, why Kohanim were required to 'empty their homes,' and identifying Yehoshua ben Gamla's era of Temple leadership.
Why the Kohen Gadol Personally Checked Every Sacrifice
Covers the Kohen Gadol's inspection of Yom Kippur offerings, five foods that cause tumah, and the ancient herb used as an eye remedy.
Why the Kohen Gadol Personally Checked Every Sacrifice
Covers the Kohen Gadol's inspection of Yom Kippur offerings, five foods that cause tumah, and the surprising halachic question of a marriage meant to last only one day.
Why Hasn't Mashiach Come Yet?
Explores why the Satan has no power on Yom Kippur, the source of funding for the Temple's incense, and the structure of the 19-year leap-year cycle.
Why Hasn't Mashiach Come Yet?
A short piece on why the Satan has no power on Yom Kippur, and the halachic basis for the solar/lunar calendar cycle.
The Lottery of the Two Yom Kippur Goats
A short piece on the Temple service of casting lots between the two Yom Kippur goats, and the material of the lottery box.
The Lottery of the Two Yom Kippur Goats
A short piece introducing the Yom Kippur goat lottery and the wooden box used to hold the lots.
Sukkot 13 Shiurim
Vort for sukkos
Explains the Frierdiker Rebbe's chassidishe ushpizin, the Baal Shem Tov, Mezritcher Maggid, and the first five Chabad Rebbeim, as guests who visit precisely because Sukkos is when a Yid openly lives as a guest in this world, dwelling in a temporary structure. Reads that self-perception, as a guest sent here on a mission, as the very thing that draws down the strength these great visitors bring for the year ahead.
Sukkos
Works out why the Torah names simcha three times by Sukkos and not at all by Pesach, then asks why that extra joy attaches to Sukkos rather than to Shavuos, the actual zman matan Toraseinu. Answers that the joy of Sukkos flows from the luchos sheniyos given on Yom Kippur, richer than the first luchos and preceded by accepting Hashem's kingship on Rosh Hashanah, layered on top of the plain joy of walking out of Yom Kippur forgiven.
Sukkos
Raises the Bach's question of why a zecher was established only for the clouds of glory and not for the mann or the well, both also miracles of the desert. Answers that necessities Hashem was, kaviyachol, obligated to provide don't reveal special love the way an unrequired comfort does, and that the clouds' road-clearing falls into that same category, so it's the shade alone that became the mitzvah's lasting reminder of how much Hashem loves the Yidden.
Sukkos
Explores why the Gemara calls the mitzvah of sukkah a מצוה קלה, moving past the simple explanation of low cost to the Rebbe's deeper reading: the sukkah, as the first special mitzvah after Yom Kippur, teaches that all gashmiyus is a dirat arai while the neshamah's service of Hashem is the ikar. Contrasts the sukkah with mitzvos like matzah and shofar, showing that its uniqueness lies not in doing anything different but in doing everything as usual while carrying a new awareness of what truly matters.
Sukkos
Unpacks why Sukkos alone among the three regalim is called zman simchaseinu, drawing on a medrash that likens Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos to the growing, cutting, and gathering of a crop. Shows how this progression parallels Klal Yisrael's own journey after yetzias Mitzrayim — from the emunah of Pesach, to receiving the Torah on Shavuos, to actually living out Torah u'mitzvos by Sukkos — and how that same three-stage growth in joy repeats every year.
Sukkos
Asks why the Yom Tov is called Chag HaSukkos rather than being named for the daled minim, given that both are central mitzvos of the week. Explains that unlike the daled minim, a one-time daily act, the sukkah becomes the person's actual dwelling place for the week — and since, per the Gemara, having a home is part of a person's very being, the sukkah becomes part of who he is even while he is out and not physically sitting in it.
Sukkos
Retells the Mishnah's account of the towering menoros of Simchas Beis HaShoeiva, where young kohanim scaled steep ladders carrying heavy jugs of oil to light flames that illuminated every courtyard in Yerushalayim. Shows that the chassidim's singing of shirah only came after witnessing this feat, teaching that the deepest praise of Hashem comes from seeing the next generation rise to greatness — which itself depends on the chinuch invested in them. Touches too on the Yerushalmi's teaching that Simchas Beis HaShoeiva was also a source of ruach hakodesh, as it was for Yonah HaNavi.
Sukkos
Describes the Mishnah's account of the great simcha of Simchas Beis HaShoeiva — the towering menoros, the young kohanim scaling steep ladders with heavy jugs of oil, and light so strong it reached every courtyard of Yerushalayim. Draws out the order of events in the Mishnah: it was only after witnessing the kohanim's feat that the chassidim broke into song, teaching that the truest praise of Hashem comes from seeing a well-raised next generation carry forward the light — a result, ultimately, of the chinuch invested in them. Closes with the Yerushalmi's note that the occasion was also a source of ruach hakodesh, as it was for Yonah HaNavi.
How to Judge Others Favorably, Even When It's Hard
Continues the theme of elevating physical experience into spiritual growth through the mitzvah of sukkah, applying the principle of judging others favorably through Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's example.
Why Every Physical Act Can Become Holy
Continues the theme of elevating the everyday into the sacred during Sukkos, through the lens of the Alter Rebbe's own path of learning from the Maggid, and the practical meaning of loving your neighbor.
Why Moshe Himself Feared Being Doubted
Continues the account of Miriam and Aharon's tzaraas, Moshe's own concern that the people wouldn't believe him, and a hint to the Sukkos water libation in the text.
The Hidden Meaning of a Closed Hebrew Letter
A short mystical class on the remez for the water libation hidden in a closed letter mem, and the layered authority of Torah, Kabbalah, and the Sofrim.
How to Observe Sukkot: Laws and Customs of the Holiday
Covers the halachos of the daled minim and the sukkah, the symbolism of unity and the body in the four species, and the Kabbalistic idea of the sukkah as a makif surrounding the entire person.
Hoshana Rabba 2 Shiurim
Hoshana Rabba
Sources from Yerushalmi through the Rishonim identify Hoshana Rabbah, not only Yom Kippur, as a day of sealing the year's gzar din, tied especially to the judgment on water and the closing of the aravah and nisuch hamayim. Because the day carries this weight, the minhagim matter: staying up after chatzos to say the entire Tehillim plus Chumash Devarim and passages of Zohar, coming to daven and say all the hoshanos, and eating a full Yom Tov seudah rather than treating the day as ordinary. Skipping the seudah in particular reads as a lack of confidence that a gutte kvitel is coming.
Hoshana Rabba
While Yom Kippur is popularly known as the day of the final seal, the Zohar places the true gmar chasima — the 'gutte kvitlach' — on Hoshana Rabbah instead, which is why an all-night Tehillim and a full seudas Yom Tov are kept with the same seriousness as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. A further point is built on the name itself: 'gadol' or 'rabbah' can only be an absolute description, not a relative one, when it refers to something infinite, so Hoshana Rabbah, the day of many hoshanos, is really the day capable of drawing down boundless yeshuos, culminating in the ultimate yeshuah of the geulah.
Shemini Atzeret 2 Shiurim
Shemini Atzeres
The Midrash's mashal of a king asking his closest friend to stay one more day after a long celebration raises an obvious question: what does one extra day actually change if the parting comes anyway? The answer locates the real cause of distance from Hashem in division among Yidden themselves, and shows that Sukkos's achdus, built through a mitzvah where the daled minim remain four distinct species, is still a unity of details. Shemini Atzeres's single korban and the dancing with a sealed Torah on Simchas Torah forge a more essential, borderless achdus, one strong enough to carry through the whole year and draw down all the brachos.
Shemini Atzeres
Chumash's praise of Eretz Yisrael for drinking rainwater rather than being irrigated automatically like Mitzrayim points to something beyond simple seasonal timing: rain forces a person to look up and daven, while a self-sustaining river lets him forget where his sustenance comes from. Bentching geshem on Shemini Atzeres, right as the yamim tovim end and the ordinary year of gashmiyus begins, supplies the koach to carry that awareness — that 'Hashem hanosein lecha koach' — through the months not filled with yom tov. The dancing with the Torah on Simchas Torah, connecting to the etzem of the Torah rather than to learning itself, is what generates that koach.
Simchat Torah 4 Shiurim
Simchas Torah
Presents a teitch quoted from the Frierdiker Rebbe that hakafah, besides meaning to circle the bimah, also means to take merchandise on credit. Traces the idea to a story of the Rebbe Rashab, who, before taking the first Sefer Torah of hakafot in tof-reish-mem-ches, questioned a guest about what a middleman does in business — and drew out the lesson that hakafot mark the point in the year when, after 'purchasing' the merchandise of Elul through Shemini Atzeres, a Yid is ready to take on new credit.
Simchas Torah
Tells over the story of a simple Yid who danced with unusual strength at hakafot, and who, when asked whether his enthusiasm reflected great learning, answered that he was celebrating because his fellow Yidden were learning Torah — just as one dances at a brother's wedding. Draws out that this is precisely the point: Simchas Torah celebrates every Yid's connection to the etzem of Torah, beyond and prior to actual learning, which is why we dance with the sefer Torah rather than open it to learn.
Why Joy Requires Eating and Drinking
Continues the Chol HaMoed/Yom Tov simcha theme -- a bas kol announcing forgiveness, Shlomo HaMelech's prayer opening the Temple's gates, and the bittersweet goodbyes on Simchas Torah.
Why We're Careful Not to Count Things Out Loud
Simchas Torah-adjacent folklore on ayin hara -- stories of generosity, Yiddish expressions used to ward off the evil eye, and old superstitions around animals and month names.
Yud Tes Kislev 6 Shiurim
Parshas Vayishlach - Yud Tes Kislev
Preparing to face Esav, Yaakov davens, arms himself for battle, and sends a gift, three responses that the Torah repeatedly ties to 'that same night,' showing that the natural, gashmiyusdike preparations were not a shift away from his tefillah but a direct continuation of the same bitul and reliance on Hashem. That idea, that even the most mundane, physical actions are an expression of connection to Hashem, done because Hashem wills it that way, is precisely what Chassidus came to stress with the teaching of bechol derachecha da'eihu, making it fitting for Yud Tes Kislev, the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus and a hachanah for the revelation of Mashiach.
Why Stories Come Before Chassidus on Yud Tes Kislev
The Rebbe's teaching on why maasiyos are told before chassidishe chiddushim on Yud Tes Kislev, including the story of the Shach being younger than the Taz.
Inside the Rebbe's Yud Shevat Maamar: Ba'ati L'Gani
A deep chassidus class on the Yud Shevat hemshech maamar 'Ba'ati L'Gani,' its structure across twenty letters, the battle between the animal and divine soul, and going beyond halacha in avodah.
Inside the Rebbe's Yud Shevat Maamar: Ba'ati L'Gani
A deep chassidus class on the Yud Shevat hemshech maamar 'Ba'ati L'Gani,' the Tzemach Tzedek's teaching on the staff that split the sea, and why splitting the sea is called harder than creation.
Inside the Rebbe's Yud Shevat Maamar: Ba'ati L'Gani
A deep chassidus class on the Yud Shevat hemshech maamar 'Ba'ati L'Gani,' its structure across twenty letters, the Rebbe's editing history, and why splitting the sea is called harder than creation.
Sicha, 19 Kislev 5726 — Why Jerusalem Has Two Spiritual Levels
A maamar-style class on Yerushalayim's dual nature, the connection between maaser sheni and the holy city, and a Mishnah case of a dispute between upper and lower apartment owners.
Chanukah 11 Shiurim
Parshas Vayeishev - Chanukah
The Midrash's comment that the pit had no water, hinting that the shevatim were lacking in Torah, raises an obvious problem: the shevatim surely knew Torah well and had a halachic basis for what they did to Yosef. The resolution lies in what water represents, not knowledge of Torah, but the bitul, the flowing downward toward humility, that has to accompany real Torah study. That same idea connects to Chanukah, when the Greeks tried to strip Torah of its kedusha and turn it into pure intellect, and the Chashmonaim's victory restored learning Torah as Hashem's Torah, with proper bitul.
Parshas Mikeitz - Chanukah
Yosef's choice of the name Elokim — associated with Hashem's presence within the hidden workings of nature — rather than Havayah, which represents Hashem beyond nature, reflects Pharaoh's total disconnect from anything higher than teva, later confirmed when Pharaoh tells Moshe lo yadati es Havayah. The contrast extends to why Eretz Yisrael's dependence on rain outranks Mitzrayim's automatic Nile flooding, and ties directly into Chanukah, whose miracles beyond nature reveal the same koach of Havayah that will fully emerge with Mashiach.
Parshas Mikeitz - Chanukah
Rashi's detail that Yosef packed grain with sand from its place of origin becomes a model for preserving Torah itself: sand represents the bitul expressed in nefashi ke'afar lakol tihyeh, and real humility has to extend into one's relationship with Torah, not just elsewhere. The Gemara's mashal of the kav chomatin — a dash of preservative equated with yiras Shamayim — and the Yevanim's actual goal of erasing the Torah's kedushah rather than the Torah itself, connects the lesson directly to what Chanukah celebrates.
Why the Menorah's Branches Are Straight, Not Round
A talk on the Rebbe's insistence that a Chanukah menorah be made with straight branches rather than the common rounded design, tracing the dispute to how the Rambam and Rashi describe the Temple Menorah, and challenging the accuracy of the menorah depicted on the Arch of Titus.
The Menorah, the Arch of Titus, and the Chabad Custom
A talk continuing the discussion of the Temple Menorah's true shape, the materials and cost of a kosher Chanukah menorah, why Chabad doesn't place the menorah in a window, and why the Roman Arch of Titus can't be trusted as an accurate depiction.
Chanukah's Hidden Connection to Mesirus Nefesh
Why the Rishonim disagree over whether there's a seudah on Chanukah, drawing a parallel between Yosef's self-sacrifice and the Chanukah miracle, with a personal story about traveling to honor a chassan.
Candle-Lighting Customs and the Western Lamp Miracle
Covers the halachos of Chanukah candle-lighting, the miracle of the Temple's western lamp, and the merit tied to careful candle-lighting illustrated by the story of a great scholar's birth.
Why You Can't Use the Chanukah Candles' Light for Work
A short halacha piece on the theme of salvation in Chanukah candle-lighting, and why their light may only be looked at, not used for practical purposes.
Why You Can't Use the Chanukah Candles' Light for Work
A short halacha piece on the sanctity of all eight days of Chanukah, and the purpose of the candles: to see, give thanks, and praise Hashem.
A Child's Wonder at Snow -- and at Chanukah
A warm, personal piece built around a child's curious questions about snow and mittens, woven into Rosh Chodesh Kislev and daily gratitude.
The Essence of Chanukah
Explores the miracle of Chanukah as a spiritual victory over the Greeks' attempt to erase Torah, the three categories of mitzvos, and the Chassidic idea that the Chanukah lights allude to the coming of Mashiach.
Shabbat Zachor 1 Shiur
Shabbos Zachor
When Shaul spares Agag and the choicest of Amalek's flocks to use as korbanos, Shmuel HaNavi rebukes him sharply, even though, Chazal tell us, Shaul had a sophisticated, spiritually compelling rationale for what he did. The deeper problem is that any reasoning, however lofty, cannot substitute for kabbalas ol malchus shamayim, the willingness to obey beyond understanding that has to come first, the way Klal Yisrael said na'aseh before nishma at Har Sinai. That single lapse is what allowed Haman, a descendant of Agag, to be born, a lesson that returns every Purim, since destroying the Amalek within always begins with kabbalas ol.
Purim 7 Shiurim
Purim
Two sharp questions on the din of לבסומי בפוריא: what's gained by blurring the difference between Mordechai and Haman, and how could a Yid possibly forget it while drinking specifically to celebrate that difference? The resolution ties Purim to Yom Kippur through the five levels of the neshamah, the fifth being the עצם הנשמה that's connected to Hashem beneath all understanding — and reads Esther's ובכן אבוא אל המלך as the fifth ובכן, revealing Purim as the deepest, not the lightest, day of connection.
Purim
Why the halachah of ad lo yada isn't about forgetting a fact everyone already understands intellectually, but about reaching a connection to kedushah that comes from the עצם הנשמה rather than the mind. Drawing on the Tikkunei Zohar's comparison of Purim to Yom Kippur and the five names of the neshamah, and on Esther's own ובכן אבוא אל המלך אשר לא כדת, the shiur reframes Purim as the day when the essential, unconditional bond between a Yid and the Oibershter comes to the surface.
Sins Done for the Right Reason, and Mitzvos Done for the Wrong One
Compares Tamar and Zimri's very different outcomes despite similar sins, explores the idea of a great transgression done lishmah versus a mitzvah done without proper intent, tracing this to Purim's and Megillas Rus's origins.
Why Mordechai Rejoiced Even Facing Haman's Decree
A Midrashic reading of Mordechai's encounter with schoolchildren during the Purim crisis, and the three verses expressing complete faith despite danger.
Why a King Is Compared to the Heart, Not the Brain
A chassidic class on Megillas Esther's mention of a king, comparing the Melech to the heart and the Nasi to the mind, and how Moshe Rabbeinu uniquely embodied both.
How Do You Actually 'Erase the Memory' of Amalek?
A close Rashi reading on the mitzvah to blot out Amalek's memory, whether it's a mental or physical act, and the custom of making kugel as a symbolic victory over Amalek.
Amalek's War Is Never Really Over
A short piece on the eternal, ongoing nature of the battle against Amalek, and a Torah scholar's obligation to let go of revenge and grudges.
Shabbat HaGadol 1 Shiur
Shabbos HaGadol
The nes of Shabbos Hagadol, the Bechorei Mitzrayim waging war on their own nation to force Pharaoh's hand, looks at first like a natural act of self-preservation with no real gain for the Yidden. The deeper point is that it's the one moment in Yetzias Mitzrayim where kelipah didn't just get eliminated but actively turned itself toward kedushah, an it'hapcha chashucha l'nehora that even surpasses the transformation seen at Purim. That pattern is the root of what Mashiach's coming will complete on a permanent scale, and a template for every person's own daily יציאת מצרים against the yetzer hara.
Pesach 35 Shiurim
The Obligation to Destroy Chametz Before Pesach: Part 1
A Pesach sugya on the requirement to both nullify and physically destroy chametz, the dispute over burning chametz on Yom Tov itself, and how the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch phrases the halacha.
The Obligation to Destroy Chametz Before Pesach: Part 2
Explores whether the chametz prohibition can apply to something not yet in existence, using the analogy of an egg laid on Yom Tov.
Chassidic Explanations of the Haggadah
A chassidic reading of the Haggadah built around the recurring number four -- the four sons, four questions, and four cups mapped to the Four Worlds in Kabbalah -- before turning to why the Seder opens with Ha Lachma Anya, what connects the invitation to the poor with the promise of next year in Yerushalayim, and the chacham's obligation to draw the rasha back in.
Pesach
The Haggadah describes Yaakov's descent to Mitzrayim as 'anuss al pi hadibur,' forced by Hashem's own command — a phrase that seems self-contradictory, since the avot, as the merkavah, wanted only what Hashem wanted. The resolution turns on the difference between a shlichus and a home: even when a descent is exactly what Hashem wants, a Yid must never feel at home in a lower place, or he risks being pulled in by it. The same duality applies to golus generally — sent by Hashem and embraced with simcha, yet never comfortable — which is precisely what makes it possible to bring kedusha into the golus rather than be swallowed by it.
Pesach
Hashem's words to Moshe at the burning bush link leaving Mitzrayim to arriving at Har Sinai, describing not a simple sequence of events but a single unfolding process. Mitzrayim represents limitation in general, and the shiur traces rising levels of transcending limits — a plant's growth, an animal's movement, a human's intellect — showing that even Torah and mitzvos performed through one's own reasoning remain, in a sense, still bound by the self. Real Yetzias Mitzrayim is reached only through kabbalas ol and becoming meshubad to Hashem, which is what began at Matan Torah.
Pesach
The Chacham's question isn't about which mitzvos exist — he already knows them — but why any mitzvos come with reasons at all, when everything should ideally be kept purely because Hashem commanded it, like a chok. The answer is that Hashem wants kabbalas ol to penetrate even the intellect, so that understanding itself becomes an expression of bittul rather than a substitute for it, echoing na'aseh before nishma. The halacha that the taste of the korban Pesach must linger through the night captures this — the taam, both taste and reason, of mesirus nefesh is meant to carry through the whole year, not just the moment of the mitzvah.
Walking Through the Rebbe's Pesach Seder, Step by Step
A detailed, practical walk-through of minhagei Chabad for the Pesach Seder -- from bedikas chametz and building the ke'arah through Yachatz, Maggid, the Four Cups, and Hallel -- drawing on firsthand recollections of exactly how the Rebbe conducted each step (the fold of the cloth, the size of the maror, breaking the afikoman into five pieces). Closes with practical questions on wine versus grape juice and Yom Tov observance for visitors to Eretz Yisrael.
Can a Mouse Carry Chametz Into Your Clean House?
A Pesach sugya on the halachic status of chametz possibly moved by a mouse or air current, comparing regular doubt to a compounded safek sfeika, with applications to tumah in a private versus public domain.
Can You Still Sell Your Chametz an Hour Before Pesach?
A Pesach sugya on the Beis Shammai-Beis Hillel dispute over selling chametz close to the deadline, and the Tur's ruling that chametz may be sold right up until Pesach begins.
Who Must Check for Chametz When Renting an Apartment?
A Pesach sugya on the three-way machloket between Rashi, Tosafos, and the Ran over who bears responsibility for bedikas chametz in a rental, and the requirement of a halachic nullification afterward.
Why Nullifying Chametz Requires Both Thought and Action
Continues the sugya on a landlord's chametz obligations, explaining why bitul (nullification) needs genuine intent alongside a physical act, illustrated by the metaphor of the world as an airplane.
Does Nullifying Chametz in Your Mind Really Work?
A detailed Pesach sugya on whether chametz nullification is a form of hefker (ownerless-making) or simple mental distraction, and why you can't forbid something that isn't yours just by thinking about it.
Can You Ask Someone Else to Transgress for You?
A short sugya on the prohibition of appointing an agent to commit a sin, and the halachic deadline for bedikah and bitul of chametz.
Must Chametz Be Destroyed by Fire, or Any Method Will Do?
A Pesach sugya on Rabbi Yishmael's and Rabbi Akiva's dueling proofs for the deadline and method of biur chametz, and how their broader philosophies of Torah shape the dispute.
What Counts as 'Owning' Your Rental for Chametz Purposes?
Continues the sugya on checking for chametz in a rental, the Alter Rebbe's stringent view requiring immediate bedikah, and whether a key alone transfers ownership of the chametz within.
Does Handing Over a Hotel Room Key Count as a Sale?
Explores chametz ownership questions in rentals and hotels, the Tosafos-Rashi machloket on whether a key constitutes a full kinyan, and the Rogatchover's ten-fold analysis of types of acquisition.
Can You Nullify Chametz After It's Already Forbidden?
A detailed sugya on the proper timing of bitul chametz, whether a rabbinic ruling can affect a Torah-level prohibition, and the Tanya's view on the weight of rabbinic law.
Does a Few Crumbs of Chametz Really Count?
A Pesach sugya on the status of an halachically insignificant amount (half-measure) of chametz, including the Shaagas Aryeh's position and the Alter Rebbe's ruling on stray crumbs.
Does the Korban Pesach Override Shabbos for Everyone?
Explores whether a voluntary Korban Pesach carries the same severe consequences (karet) as the obligatory one, and how it compares to other mitzvos performed on their own schedule like tzitzis and mezuzah.
A Full Walkthrough of the Pesach Seder Plate
Covers practical Seder preparation -- selling chametz, the timing of bedikas chametz, arranging the Seder plate's zeroa, egg, and charoses, and choices for maror and the Seder cup.
Why Some Communities Skip Piyutim After the Fourth Cup
A short practical note on the Seder custom of omitting piyutim after the fourth cup, with a preview of an upcoming series on Yoreh Deah.
A Full Walkthrough of the Pesach Seder, Step by Step
Covers the practical details of each Seder step -- urchatz, karpas, maggid, korech, and the afikoman -- closing with the story of Yaakov moving the stone from the well.
Why Chametz Is Stricter Than Any Other Forbidden Food
Covers why chametz never becomes nullified in a mixture (no batel b'shishim), practical methods of kashering a kitchen for Pesach (hagalah versus libun), and dealing with modern self-cleaning ovens.
Everything You Need to Know About Chametz Before Pesach
A comprehensive pre-Pesach halacha class covering bitul and physical destruction of chametz, selling chametz to a non-Jew, bedikas chametz, kitniyos, and a long list of Lubavitcher Pesach minhagim (milk, matzah, garlic, gebrokts).
Why Four Cups of Wine -- and Three Matzos -- at the Seder
Explores the symbolism of the four cups (tied to four expressions of redemption) and three matzos at the Seder, and the halachic rules for tasting matzah and maror.
Why We Check for Chametz by Candlelight at Night
Explores delivering difficult news gently, the halachic reasoning for searching for chametz specifically at night, and why Mashiach is called 'Menachem' (comforter).
Why Pesach Sheni Still Matters Today
Explores who qualified for the 'second Pesach' make-up offering, the two spiritual levels it represents, and the Rebbe's directive making Pesach Sheni's message relevant to every Jew today.
What Does 'Bari' Really Mean in a Claim?
A short sugya on loan repayment and a woman's rights, terumah and chametz handling on Pesach, and the halachic weight of a confident ('bari') claim versus a hesitant one.
Could 12 Million People Really Bring the Korban Pesach?
Explores the famous debate over the Temple door's locking mechanism, the controversy around Akavya ben Mahalalel's cherem, and the staggering population numbers behind the Korban Pesach count.
Why a Bride Felt Embarrassed Eating the Korban Pesach
A mix of halacha and hashkafa -- proper table etiquette, the Alter Rebbe's spirit-bottle mishap, and the difference between the levels of eirusin and nisuin in marriage.
Why You Shouldn't Go Out in Pairs at Night
Covers the superstition against even numbers (zugos) when leaving the house, the Rambam's rejection of demons, and the practice of drinking four cups at the Seder.
Why Charoses Has Ginger and Cinnamon In It
A lighter piece identifying rabbis by their multiple names, old food-related folk advice, and the reasons behind the Seder's charoses recipe.
How Much Hallel Do We Say Before the Second Cup?
Covers why we retell the Exodus story to our children, differences across Haggadah texts, and the symbolism of the egg on the Seder plate.
Mechiras Chometz According to the Alter Rebbe
A shiur for Yeshiva Gedolah of Miami on the sale of chometz: how it developed beyond the Gemara's bedikah and bittul, concerns that it looks like a ruse, the role of the contract, deposit and arev kablan, selling through the Rav as agent, the per-person prutah question, and modern tax issues.
Leaving Home Before Pesach: Hayotzei Mibeiso Lifnei HaPesach
A shiur for Yeshiva Gedolah of Miami on Pesachim 6a — whether someone leaving home within 30 days of Pesach must search for and destroy chometz. Covers the dispute of Abaye and Rava, the Shulchan Aruch's ruling, Tosafos and the Minchas Chinuch, the Rebbe's approach to the exemption from Korban Pesach for someone far away, and whether the chometz obligation begins before Pesach.
Shevii Shel Pesach 2 Shiurim
Shevii Shel Pesach
The difference between ים and יבשה — between what's hidden and what's plainly visible — becomes, in Chassidus, a picture of how Hashem's presence is concealed within the world we see, yet was openly revealed when the sea split. That revelation is what the Yidden meant when they sang זה אלי ואנוהו, pointing to a truth normally hidden. Every year on Shevii Shel Pesach that same openness returns in potential, which is why the day, together with Acharon Shel Pesach and its seudas Mashiach, is bound up with the ultimate, permanent revelation still to come.
Shevii Shel Pesach
The Targum's translation of ובני ישראל יוצאים ביד רמה as נפקין בריש גלי turns out to spell, letter by letter, the names of several founders of Chassidus and Kabbalah — the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the Arizal, and, per the Rebbe, the Frierdiker Rebbe as well. That hint ties the exodus from Mitzrayim to the Zohar's promise that spreading פנימיות התורה is what brings the geulah, echoing the Baal Shem Tov's account of Mashiach's own answer about when he will come. A closing point explains why the hint sits specifically in the Aramaic word rather than in לשון הקודש: Aramaic represents the world itself, and it's precisely the world that the geulah has to penetrate.
Acharon Shel Pesach 2 Shiurim
Acharon Shel Pesach
Examines the Rebbe's question on the tefillah recited before Krias HaTorah, where we ask that the pasuk describing Mashiach's ruach — chochmah, binah, eitzah, gevurah, daas, and yiras Hashem — be fulfilled upon us, even though the pasuk was written about Mashiach alone. Resolves it through the Me'or Einayim's teaching that every Yid carries a nitzotz of Mashiach, the same principle the Alter Rebbe uses in Tanya to explain how Moshe Rabbeinu's 'small thing' of yiras Hashem applies to every Jew at his own level. Closes by connecting this tefillah especially to Acharon Shel Pesach, the day of Mashiach's haftarah and the Baal Shem Tov's Seudas Mashiach.
Acharon Shel Pesach
Explores the tefillah before Krias HaTorah where we ask that the pasuk describing Mashiach's ruach be fulfilled upon us, and the boldness of the Alter Rebbe in including a line some considered inappropriate to say. Resolves the difficulty with the Me'or Einayim's idea that every Yid holds a nitzotz of Mashiach, paralleling the Alter Rebbe's explanation in Tanya of how a nitzotz of Moshe Rabbeinu lets every Jew fulfill, at his own level, what is 'a small thing' for Moshe. Ties this especially to Acharon Shel Pesach, the day of Mashiach's gilui and the Baal Shem Tov's Seudas Mashiach.
Acharonim Shel Pesach 2 Shiurim
Acharonim Shel Pesach
Traces the connection between geulas Mitzrayim and the geulah ha'asida, from the pasuk k'yemei tzeischa mei'eretz Mitzrayim arenu niflaos to the Gemara's teaching that b'Nissan nig'alu u'v'Nissan asidin l'higael, showing that yetzias Mitzrayim opened the tzinor for the future redemption. Points to remazim for Mashiach embedded in the kriah of Shevi'i Shel Pesach's shirah and its closing words, and in the choice of David HaMelech's shirah as its haftarah. Shows that the connection sharpens further on Acharon Shel Pesach itself, whose haftarah speaks openly about Mashiach and kibbutz galuyos rather than only hinting at it, which is why the Baal Shem Tov instituted Seudas Mashiach specifically on that day.
Acharonim Shel Pesach
Shows how geulas Mitzrayim, per the pasuk k'yemei tzeischa mei'eretz Mitzrayim arenu niflaos and the Gemara's b'Nissan nig'alu u'v'Nissan asidin l'higael, functions as the opening of the tzinor for the future geulah of Mashiach. Traces remazim for Mashiach through the shirah read on Shevi'i Shel Pesach and its haftarah of David HaMelech, then shows how Acharon Shel Pesach's haftarah speaks about Mashiach's coming, the wolf dwelling with the lamb, and kibbutz galuyos in open, explicit terms — explaining why the Baal Shem Tov instituted an extra Seudas Mashiach specifically on that day.
Lag BaOmer 1 Shiur
Parshas Emor - Lag BaOmer
An exploration of two puzzles: how taking children away from Talmud Torah could ever be justified, even for an hour, and what a bow and arrow has to do with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The answer runs through עת לעשות לה' הפרו תורתך, the missing rainbow in Rashbi's generation, the Zohar's link between a bright rainbow and צפי לרגלי דמשיחא, and the keshet as a symbol of the tefillah and bitul that pnimiyus haTorah demands — ending with why children specifically are called the future Mashiach.
Shavuot 19 Shiurim
Shavuos
Before Matan Torah, Hashem tells the Yidden that they will become 'v'heyisem li segula' — a beloved treasure, like the gems a king hides away rather than displays. The question is why compare the Yidden to treasures no one sees and that bring the king no outward benefit, rather than to a crown jewel that adds to his visible honor. The answer is that a king's private treasures give him pleasure simply because they exist, with no outside purpose attached, and so too a Yid's essential bond with Hashem, sealed at Matan Torah through a neshama that is a cheilek Elokah mimaal mamash, is loved for its own sake, independent of the mitzvos he goes on to perform.
Shavuos
Two seemingly opposite explanations exist in Chazal for the singular phrasing at Matan Torah: that Hashem spoke to each individual personally, and that He addressed the nation as a single unified group. The two are reconciled by showing that a Yid's connection to Hashem runs on both tracks at once, through Klal Yisrael and through his own particular neshama. That duality plays out concretely in the mitzvos: keeping mitzvos is uniform across the klal, since everyone wears the same tefillin, while learning Torah is necessarily individual, since each person learns on his own level.
Shavuos
Rashi's explanation of 'v'heyisem li segula' — a beloved treasure like the gems and precious stones a king hoards in secret — raises the question of why Hashem wouldn't rather compare the Yidden to a crown jewel, which brings visible honor. The answer distinguishes a king's outward glory, which serves a purpose beyond himself, from his hidden treasures, whose mere existence gives him pleasure with no further end in view. That same essential love, chosen at Matan Torah and rooted in a neshama that is a cheilek Elokah mimaal mamash, means a Yid is beloved to Hashem simply for existing, apart from whatever mitzvos he goes on to perform.
Shavuos
Ibn Ezra's question is straightforward: if Hashem is introducing Himself, wouldn't creation of the universe be the grander credential? The answer is that 'Anochi Hashem Elokecha' isn't merely an introduction but a statement of purpose — Matan Torah exists to lift the old boundary, likened in the Midrash to a king's decree keeping two countries apart, that had kept Godliness and physicality from mixing. 'Mitzrayim,' read as related to metzarim and gevulim, limitations and borders, points to a koach given at Har Sinai to bring Elokus into the physical world, a process that will reach completion with the coming of Mashiach.
Shavuos
The Gemara in Pesachim rules that on every other Yom Tov there's a machlokes about whether the day must be split between Hashem and oneself, but on Shavuos everyone agrees the day must include 'lachem,' physical enjoyment, because it's the day the Torah was given. That's puzzling on its face: a spiritual gift would seem to call for a spiritual celebration, unlike Pesach or Sukkos where physical salvation calls for physical joy. The resolution lies in what actually changed at Matan Torah — beforehand, an object used for a mitzvah, like a mashal of perfume that evaporates, could not itself become kadosh, but after Matan Torah kedusha can be absorbed permanently into gashmiyus, so eating physical food in celebration demonstrates the very chiddush the day commemorates, a preparation for the world's ultimate elevation with Mashiach.
Shavuos
A Likkutei Sichos (chelek 18) study of the Gemara where the angels protest Moshe receiving the Torah, basing their claim on the halacha of dina d'bar metzra (a neighbor's right of first refusal). After showing that none of the five classic answers in the mefarshim actually match Moshe's recorded reply, the sicha resolves it through the Rebbe's signature concept of dirah b'tachtonim -- Hashem's desire for a home specifically in the lowest world -- and the unique human power to create something new.
Three Leaders, One Shavuos, and What Each One Left Us
A Likkutei Sichos-based Shavuos shiur exploring why Moshe Rabbeinu, Dovid Hamelech, and the Baal Shem Tov are all connected to the same day, each the 'first' in his own category of malchus. The sicha traces how each one implanted a different dimension of 'mamlechet kohanim' into every Jew -- living above nature, feeling Hashem's hand while working within nature, and remaining a melech even in the deepest darkness of golus -- mapped onto three historical eras and three daily modes of avodah (Torah, tefillah, mitzvos).
Did Klal Yisrael Know Exactly When Matan Torah Would Happen?
A Shavuos-themed class on the deeper meaning of 'sha'alah' (to ask) at Krias Yam Suf, whether the Jews counted down the 49 days to Sinai, and the balance between chassidus and halacha in daily decisions.
What Really Changed at Matan Torah?
A Shavuos class on why the holiday's date shifts yet is fixed to the 6th of Sivan, the idea that physical objects gained holiness at Matan Torah, and why we stay up all night learning.
Why the Torah Was Given on Earth, Not in Heaven
A Shavuos talk on Moshe's ascent to receive the Torah and his response to the angels' objection, explaining why the Torah had to be given specifically in this world, and why Shavuos is marked with festive eating rather than only spiritual celebration.
Why Was Moshe So Busy Right Before Matan Torah?
A class on the days leading up to the giving of the Torah, the Rabbi Yosi-Rabbanan dating debate, and Moshe's construction of an altar in preparation for Shavuos.
Why Moshe's Korban Needed Special Kavanah
Continues the pre-Matan Torah narrative -- the Ramban on intentionality in offerings, and Moshe translating the Torah into seventy languages.
Why the Torah Was Given Specifically on Shabbos
Explores whether Matan Torah fell on Shabbos, the halachos of a bris on the third day when it coincides with Shabbos, and why couples separated before receiving the Torah.
Why the Torah Was Written in Seventy Languages
Explores Moshe writing the Torah in seventy languages at Matan Torah, Torah described as medicine or poison depending on the person, and the death of Aharon's sons in proximity to Hashem.
Why the Torah Predates Creation by Two Thousand Years
Aggada on the first of the Ten Commandments, the souls of Israel being flung back at Sinai, and Hashem reassuring Moshe before he faced the angels' objection.
The Angel of Death's Secret
Continues the aggada around Matan Torah -- the prohibition on taking Hashem's name in vain, and a secret imparted by the Angel of Death.
The Satan's Search for the Torah -- and Moshe's Humility
Aggada describing the Satan searching all of creation for the Torah before it was given, Moshe's humble admission of not knowing, and the four layers of the Torah's letters (letters, vowels, cantillation, and crowns).
Why the Torah Had to Be Given in Seventy Languages
A dense class on the Rambam's and Ramban's views of why the Torah anticipated a future diaspora needing seventy languages, and the special status of pnimiyus haTorah translated into other tongues.
Likkutei Sichos 23 — Why Food Specifically Fulfills Oneg Shabbos
Explores why physical kindness requires real physical enjoyment, why Shabbos pleasure centers on food rather than purely spiritual joy, and why Shavuos uniquely forbids fasting even for a disturbing dream.
Gimmel Tammuz 7 Shiurim
Parshas Korach - Gimmel Tammuz
Traces the Seder Olam's point that Korach's machlokes broke out only after the story of the meraglim, even though Aharon and Elitzafan ben Uziel had been appointed months earlier. Reads the meraglim's error — preferring to stay wrapped in ruchniyus in the midbar rather than bring Hashem into the gashmius of Eretz Yisroel — as the very idea Korach twisted into his own claim that if maaseh is what matters, every Yid is equal. Answers him with the mashal of a diamond that still needs to shine: maaseh is the ikar, but it still needs the light of proper kavanah, exactly what a Moshe Rabbeinu or a Rebbe brings out.
Parshas Korach - Gimmel Tammuz
Picks up the same question the Seder Olam raises: Korach had reason to complain the moment Aharon became Kohen Gadol, so why did he wait until after the meraglim to act? Shows how the meraglim's mistake — assuming ruchniyus in the midbar outranked the avodah of bringing Hashem into gashmius in Eretz Yisroel — handed Korach a twisted logic: if maaseh is truly the ikar, then no one, not even Moshe, is greater than anyone else. Answers with the mashal of an uncovered diamond, tying the need for kavanah alongside maaseh to the role of the Rebbe and to Gimmel Tammuz.
Parshas Korach - Gimmel Tammuz
Reads Korach's claim that all Yidden are holy — so why treat anyone as greater — through Chazal's example of a house so full of sefarim it supposedly has no need for a mezuzah. Shows that Korach wasn't arguing against having a leader or a teacher, which everyone agrees is necessary, but against the very idea of a Rebbe whose function is to instill ahavas Hashem and yiras Hashem, not just teach Torah. Answers that even a talmid chacham full of Torah still needs that mezuzah, tying the lesson to Gimmel Tammuz and the Rebbe's role of instilling ein od milvado.
Parshas Korach - Gimmel Tammuz
Follows Korach's raaya that a bayis maleh sefarim requires no mezuzah as a stand-in for his real claim: that a Yid who learns plenty of Torah has no need for a Rebbe's guidance. Distinguishes that from arguing against leadership itself, which Korach never disputed, and instead locates his actual target as the Rebbe's function of instilling ahavas Hashem and yiras Hashem into a Yid's Torah and mitzvos. Ties the answer — that even a house full of sefarim still needs its mezuzah — to Gimmel Tammuz and the Rebbe's ongoing work of instilling ein od milvado.
Parshas Korach - Gimmel Tammuz
Opens with Rashi's sharp question — were Korach's 250 men fools to bring the ketores when Moshe had warned them plainly that only one would survive — and answers that they sinned with their own nefesh, essentially choosing to risk death. Finds a limud zechus in that choice by comparing it to the roughly 300 Kohanim Gedolim of the second Beis Hamikdash who kept entering the Kodesh HaKodashim on Yom Kippur despite knowing the danger, driven by the sheer desire to be close to Hashem. Reads the same desire behind Korach's men's willingness to die, and frames it as a model, in the spirit of Gimmel Tammuz, for always finding the good in every Yid.
Gimmel Tammuz
Examines Rashi's midrash on Moshe's request that Korach's portion of the communal korban go unaccepted, and the Rebbe's question about why Moshe introduces it with 'I know.' The answer: even within the tzibbur, every Yid retains an individual identity that a true leader continues to see and relate to, a lesson applied to Gimmel Tammuz and the twofold hiskashrus a chossid has to the Rebbe, both as part of the klal and as an individual.
The Rebbe: His Love, His Leadership, His Legacy
A Gimmel Tammuz 5780 program marking the Rebbe's 26th yahrzeit. Rabbi Schapiro speaks about the Rebbe's place in Chabad history, his response to the post-Holocaust era, Sunday dollars, the Rebbe's care for every individual, and building a worldwide network of shluchim; followed by Rabbi Yossi Denburg on the Rebbe's love, leadership, and legacy.
Three Weeks 2 Shiurim
Shabbos Nachamu
The doubled נחמו of the haftorah answers to the two churbanot, but the deeper question is why two separate comforts are needed when the third Beit Hamikdash will resolve both losses at once. The answer distinguishes the first Temple's higher level of Shechinah, a kedushah that came מלמעלה למטה and was built by tzadikim, from the second Temple's greater staying power, built מלמטה למעלה by baalei teshuvah and so more absorbed into the world despite a lower revelation. The third Beit Hamikdash is described as combining both maalos, a Shechinah as high as the first and a permanence beyond the second, which is the full double comfort נחמו נחמו is promising.
The Chassidic Approach to the Three Weeks and Tisha B'Av
Explains the Chassidic view that Tisha B'Av's destruction is itself a form of redemption, comparing it to a seed that must rot before it can grow, and connects it to the ultimate revelation of the Third Beis Hamikdash.
Farbrengens 1 Shiur
Farbrengen: Gimmel Tammuz & Siyum HaRambam (5781)
A Gimmel Tammuz farbrengen combined with a Siyum HaRambam: the Rambam's closing chapters on Mashiach and a world filled with knowledge of G-d, knowing versus believing, the Rebbe's care for every individual, and personal stories — Hurricane Andrew, underground shlichus in Soviet Russia, and the Rebbe's influence that sustained Yiddishkeit there.