Showing results by narrator "Shlomo Zacks" in All Categories

This first installment of Historical Sketches, focuses on the organizational skills of the Chabad-Lubavitch leaders, describing their far-reaching efforts on behalf of the social and communal well-being of their brethren, beginning with the founder of the movement, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe.

This biography uncovers the roots of the dedication and sacrifice that nurture the current Lubavitch movement. Rich with details, it provides perspective, inspiration, courage, and insight into the towering personality of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, Rabbi of Yekatrinoslav, Ukraine, father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.

Samarkand tells the story of the Chassidic underground that operated in the Soviet Union, upholding Judaism during the rule of Communist terror. Gripping narrative sweeps the listener to distant lands and paints a picture of mysterious figures in Samarkand's alleys, secret Torah study under the constant threat of arrest by the KGB, and the long and hard-fought victory in inspiring Jewish renaissance throughout the Soviet Union.

The translation of the Tanya into English was a watershed event in Chasidic history, impacting the world spiritually and physically. As the world evolves and new innovations appear, the time has come to reconstruct and upgrade the learning experience offered by Lessons in Tanya, Volume 3. For the last three years, Kehot Publication Society has worked on revising and redesigning the entire five-volume set. Showcasing the new version in the life-giving publication, Chayenu, the aesthetically beautiful new edition has received rave reviews from fans around the world.

Few luminaries in Jewish history, particularly in modern times, have made as lasting and profound a contribution to our spiritual heritage as Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812). His works embrace the entire spectrum of Jewish thought - mysticism, philosophy, psychology, ethics, and law - and represent an expression of unparalleled creative genius.

Have you ever wondered what happens after life? Do souls live forever? What does the future hold? What is our task in the here and now? These are only a few of the subjects discussed in Afterlife: A Jewish View. The main text, written by Jonathan Morgenstern and based on the teachings of Rabbi Sholom Kamenetsky, is a clear and inspirational description of the Jewish view on ideas such as life after death, the soul, and the future of the planet.

The History of Yud-Tes Kislev. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad- Lubavitch Chasidism, was arrested, persecuted, and imprisoned in the year 1798 for his selfless efforts to strengthen the Jewish people and to disseminate Chasidic teachings. Rabbi Schneur Zalman's arrest imperiled not only his own life, but also the future of Chasidism.This book explores this noteworthy turning point in the Chasidic movement, and its importance as a milestone in Jewish History.

In 1783, an important disputation took place in Minsk between leading Mitnagdic geonim and R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi. The debate centered around R. Schneur Zalman's philosophy, which was based on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov - teachings that the Mitnagdim vehemently opposed. Penned by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, The Debate in Minsk presents the background and story of this landmark event.

Israel Defense Force Brigadier General Gal Hirsch has taken part in all of Israel's military confrontations since 1982, leaving a unique signature on a wide scope of strategic thinking owing to his deep understanding of operational art and military planning. In 2009, Hirschs autobiographical book in Hebrew, War Story, Love Story, was published and instantly appeared on the Israeli best seller list where it stayed for many months. The description of his own personal journey offers deep, open-minded, and critical insights.

In 1843, when Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, third Lubavitcher Rebbe, was called upon to join the government's Rabbinical Commission in Czarist Russia, the Rebbe showed unswerving determination in opposing any changes to Jewish practice and custom proposed by the Haskalah Movement. Penned by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek and the Haskalah Movement presents the background and story of this critical period in Russian Jewish history.

From his early childhood onward, R. Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch heard a prodigious number of narratives chronicling early Chasidic and family history from his grandmother Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneersohn (1834 - 1914), wife of R. Shmuel Schneersohn, fourth Lubavitcher Rebbe (1834 - 1882). He recorded many of these in his diary and eventually shared them with the Chasidic community.

The Mystery of Shabbos is a profound meditation on the meaning of Shabbos and demonstrates the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual possibilities available and given to us with the gift of Shabbos. Studying and contemplating this inspired text on the depths of Shabbos will unveil a redemptive light in your experience of the Seventh Day - and by extension, every day of your life.

Thou Shalt Innovate profiles wondrous Israeli innovations that are collectively changing the lives of billions of people around the world, and explores why Israeli innovators of all faiths feel compelled to make the world better. This is the story of how Israelis are helping to feed the hungry, cure the sick, protect the defenseless, and make the desert bloom. Israel is playing a disproportionate role in helping solve some of the world's biggest challenges by tapping into the nation's soul: the spirit of tikkun olam - the Jewish concept of repairing the world.

The translation of the Tanya into English was a watershed event in Chasidic history, impacting the world spiritually and physically. For the last three years, Kehot Publication Society has worked on revising and redesigning the entire five-volume set of Lessons in Tanya. Showcasing the new version in the life-giving publication Chayenu, the new edition has received rave reviews from around the world.

Though renowned for his superb Torah scholarship, the Tzemach Tzedek`s first and foremost role was that of a leader serving during a particularly trying time in our history. This fascinating collection of stories and anecdotes, now available in English, vividly depicts the Rebbe`s tremendous impact on all facets of Jewish religious life, and the particular attention given to the most humble and downtrodden.

This book traces the history of the arrest and subsequent release from prison for "counter-revolutionary activity" of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn in 5687 (1927). The Rebbe staunchly endured deprivation and torture, physical and mental, in an event meant to destroy the Jewish underground, and emerged from his ordeal miraculously alive and undaunted, his defiant stance entirely intact.

The laughter will never stop with this once-in-a-lifetime collection of side-splitting family-friendly humor, from the brilliant humorist Arnold Fine of The Jewish Press. Includes over 340 classic Jewish jokes, one-liners, and humorous observations that will leave you rolling on the floor!

There are no mistakes in Torah. That said, week after week when reading the weekly Torah portion, scholars and laymen alike encounter broken, enlarged - and even missing - letters without stopping to realize that the bodies of these oddball letters themselves hold some of the Torah's most cogent life lessons.

Yet another volume of the biggest and silliest collection of side-splitting classic Jewish jokes! Enjoy hundreds more all-time-favorite jokes straight from the archives of the Jewish Press. The laughter will never stop with this once-in-a-lifetime collection of the side-splitting family-friendly humor from the brilliant humorist, Arnold Fine. Arnie's classic Jewish jokes, one-liners, and humorous observations will leave you - and everyone else - rolling on the floor!

As a young child I was moved from a modern American orthodox home to my grandparents' home located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. There I met a new type of Jew, Hungarian Jews, refugees from Europe. Many had their children born in "displaced person camps." They had just arrived with their families to New York after a hard-earned escape from the Russian suppression of Hungary in 1957.