A Month to Prepare

From Living Torah (Volume 53, Episode 209)



Throughout the month of Elul, the Jewish People has a collective task: to prepare itself to be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year. Indeed, there is a Jewish custom to wear white on Rosh Hashanah Eve, to express the certainty that all will be inscribed in the Book of the Righteous. Clearly then, the preparation for this must also be with unity.

During Elul we increase in humble prayer; in particular we invoke the Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy. Every day throughout this month, these Thirteen Attributes shine forth, emanating from a source that supersedes any spiritual or physical multiplicity in creation.

We also increase in charity, the most tangible form of unity. The name of the month itself - “Elul” - forms an acronym for the verse: “Send gifts, one to another, and provide gifts to the poor.”

Also in this Episode:
* Nigun "Sholosh Tenuos"
* Commissioned Articles
* A Guarantee and a Miracle

Ad Mosai? Until When?

From Living Torah (Volume 52, Episode 205)



Concerning the future Redemption, the prophet declares, “I will offer thanks to You, G-d, for Your wrath,” for at that time, the good hidden in all mankind’s suffering will be made clear.

But why must this be concealed from us until then? Torah is called “The Torah of Light,” for through it G-d reveals profound truths to mankind; what makes this mystery so ineffable?

A possible answer: G-d wants Man to cry out with deepest sincerity, “We long for You, all day!” If a person could grasp in any way the “goodness” of exile, he could not cry out for the Redemption from the depths of his soul.

At the same time, a Jew is expected to serve G-d with genuine joy - and through this he tears down the barriers of exile. To spare a single Jew even a moment in exile is worthwhile; how much more so when all Jewish souls, since the Giving of the Torah, are all waiting in a state of exile, yearning for redemption.

Also in this Episode:
* “Lamentations”
* Seek the Positive
* Millions of Hostages

Consistency

From Living Torah (Volume 51, Episode 204)



Rabbi Ephraim Sturm served as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of Young Israel from 1956 to 1992. In the early 1960s, he read an alarming statistic about the assimilation rate of Jewish Orthodox students in American colleges.

Also in this Episode:
* Above the Exile
* “We Want Moshiach Now”
* Defensive Driving

United, We Stand

From Living Torah (Volume 51, Episode 203)



Exile and the Jew are complete opposites! A Jew is the “only son” of G-d, King of kings. And a prince - especially the only son of the King of kings - has only one place fit for him: by his Father’s side. Why then, were the Jewish People exiled from their Father’s palace?

The original cause of the exile was disunity among Jews. But this descent only paves the way for a greater ascent. As Isaiah declares: “For a fleeting moment I have forsaken you, and with great mercy I shall gather you” - with even greater unity than ever before.

Even whilst in exile, G-d transforms the bitterness of our dispersion into a remedy, by distributing the Jews among many nations, thereby ensuring our people’s survival. So though a non-Jew may perceive the dispersion of the Jewish People as an absolute decline and descent, Torah declares that no such thing occurs to the only son of the King of kings; his Father only allows what will bring him to ever-greater heights!

Also in this Episode:
* Haftarah
* Unified Effort
* The Stamp Collection

A Healthy Appetite

From Living Torah (Volume 51, Episode 202)



I will not be happy if your Shliach’s appetite to achieve is satisfied. Give him what he needs now, and he should continue to ask you for more in the future!

Also in this Episode:
* A Partner in Creation
* “Niggun Yud-Beis Tammuz”
* Seven Hours Straight

Bris Milah for Soviet Jewry

From Living Torah (Volume 51, Episode 201)



Reb Avraham Genin, a member of the underground network of Chabad Chassidim in the Soviet Union, visits the Rebbe.

Also in this Episode:
* Working the High Circles
* Operation Exodus
* Diplomacy

Shacharis in the Rebbe’s Home

From Living Torah (Volume 50, Episode 200)



The Rebbe leads the Morning Prayers at his home on President Street, in the year following the passing of his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, of blessed memory.

Also in this Episode:
* An Envoy On High
* The Tribe of Levi
* “Where Art Thou?"