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Message in honor of 19 Kislev

An excerpt from a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, dated December 10, 1962

The Alter Rebbe shared his house with his oldest married son, Rabbi Dov Ber. Rabbi Dov Ber was known for his unusual power of concentration. Once, when Rabbi Dov Ber was engrossed in learning, his baby, sleeping in its cradle nearby, fell out and began to cry. The infant's father did not hear the baby's cries. But the infant's grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, also engrossed in his studies in his room on the upper floor at the time, most certainly did. He interrupted his studies, went downstairs, picked the baby up, soothed it and replaced it in its cradle. Through all this Rabbi Dov Ber remained quite oblivious.

Subsequently, the Alter Rebbe admonished his son: “No matter how engrossed one may be in the loftiest occupation, one must never remain insensitive to the cry of a child.”

This story has been transmitted to us from generation to generation; I heard it from my father-in-law of saintly memory. It was handed down because of the lasting message it conveys, one which is particularly pertinent to our time. It characterizes one of the basic tenets of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement—to hearken to the cry of our distressed Jewish children…. 

The souls of these Jewish “children” cry out in anguish, for they live in a spiritual void, whether they are conscious of this or feel it only subconsciously. Every Jew, no matter how preoccupied he may be with any lofty cause, must hear the cries of these Jewish children. Bringing these Jewish children back to their Jewish cradle has priority over all else.

Wishing you an uplifting Shabbat,

Rabbi Mendy & Mussy

p.s. As always, we would love to chat with you over coffee or drinks, about Judaism, or just life - reply to this email.

12/26 - YJP Chanukah Party - RSVP now!!

Of Interest

No book is more hyped up by Chabad rabbis than the Tanya, the foundational text of Chabad thought and practice, yet it remains frustratingly hard to acquire independently. A new translation by Tzvi Freeman tries to change that. Give it a shot and let me know what you think! If it's still tough going, message me to start a one-on-one study session :) 

How will/can AI shape the way Jews study and interact with Torah? This might take a few lunch brakes, but the author is an erudite Torah scholar and part of the department of computer science at Bar-Ilan University.

The Secret of the Trader Joe's Babka

They were a kosher bakery success story — 80 years later, people are still trying to make a buck off their babka

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Shabbat, Vayeishev

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