Parsha & the Weekly Story

We’ve been crying. Struggling. So brokenhearted. What is the call of the hour? The Rebbe gave us the answer 50 years ago, 3 days into the Yom Kippur war. Our mandate is JOY! You can't go into battle with a faint heart or low morale. You need to be strong, courageous, and positive. This week’s story will deeply inspire you to bring forth your song of defiance and courage in the face of all this...

Teshuva means to return. To return to your truest self. A Jew can always come back home, because truthfully he never left. This remarkable story spans multiple generations and a promise from the Rebbe that ultimately bore fruit.

Every single person matters. We all play a role and have a story to create. This week’s story is about a miracle that happened on 9/11, as a continuation to a very special blessing from the Rebbe a decade earlier.

When you arrive at the place where Hashems wants you to be, just follow Him to where He takes you, because He knows where you are meant to be. Enjoy this incredible, hard-to-believe story at the Rebbe’s Ohel.

A story of a wild horse, an out-of-control young man, and its powerful message that can bring us all home.

The month of Elul is an unusually spiritual time. This is the month when G‑d is more accessible than any other time of the year. Enjoy this week heart-stirring story about a life transformed and uplifted when a door swung open.

What is the symbolism of the most tragic month of the year being called Av, which means Father? The message is that we all have one Father. The strength of the Jewish people is that we are one big family. This week’s story is with two Jewish mothers who never met before, yet discover how they each carried the other during the darkest of times.

“These are the journeys…” but surprisingly the Torah proceeds to recount not the journeys, but the 42 encampments. Is this portion about the stops or about the journeys? The message is clear: each stop was not seen as end unto itself, but as a stepping-stone in the larger journey towards Promised Land. The same is true with the setbacks in our journey through life. This week’s story involves the c...

As the Jews are about to enter the Land of Israel, G-d directs them to make lots to divide the land. A miraculous voice also emanated confirming their portion. This underscores how wherever we are in life, is always for a purpose. This week’s story is about a famous Israeli and an incredible life-altering experience he shared with fellow soldiers in a forsaken village in Lebanon.

While it may seem like we know ourselves and those around us, the truth is there is so much more than meets the eye. We learn from Aaron what it means to bring that truest essence to the fore. This week's story takes us to a small farming town in New Jersey as we witness the revival of a Jewish soul, thanks to the far-reaching vision of the Previous Rebbe.

In his very first discourse upon assuming leadership, the Rebbe chose to focus on the deep love that Jewish leaders have for each and every person. This week’s story shares the remarkable moment when minutes before the final distribution of dollars ended, the Rebbe bestows his love upon a broken-hearted couple and changes their life forever.

What is the connection between Eurovision, a gas station in Northern Israel and YOU? Enjoy this week's inspiring story, which reminds us that our baseline and default needs to be not what I think is best, but what does Hashem want from me in this moment. This will rectify the sin of the spies and bring us all back home!

The Torah tells us that the Exodus from Egypt was conditional upon us ensuring that our weights are correct. Why is having proper scales such a big deal? Why are faulty weights worse than brazen daylight theft? There is a powerful message here about having integrity and avoiding duplicity. Our story takes us to a cold winter in Krakow and a very special man named Shlomo the Butcher.

Brit Milah, the circumcision, represents a deep intrinsic bond with G-d that every Jew possesses, beyond logic and beyond understanding. This is not something we earn through our own efforts, rather this is a gift given to us from G-d. This is why every Jew has a Bris simply because a Jew is a Jew. This week’s story drives the point home with an incredible Bris that took place in the most surprisi...

What lies at the essence of the laws of Kosher? The Torah sheds lights with one key word: to differentiate, or l’havdil in the original Hebrew—this single word defines the Jew’s uniqueness as a holy person. When we eat kosher food it becomes part of who we are, and transforms our entire spiritual being and can even help our physical health as well. This week story brings the point home with an inc...

There is a fire of love for G‑d that burns within every soul. It is the task of the kohen—the spiritual leader—to find and feed this fire. As we celebrate the Rebbe‘s birthday, we recognize how the Rebbe kindles the flame of every Jew and encourages us to do the same. This week’s story takes us to an old, lonely Jew, in some forsaken corner of the universe as we discover how the Rebbe kindles his...

The small Alef in the opening of this week’s Parsha teaches us about the special humility that Moses possessed. Interestingly there’s a big Alef in the opening verse of the book of Chronicles in the word Adam. What’s the message? True humility is not lying about one’s greatness. It is the realization that all my strengths, talents and abilities are gifts from Heaven. This week’s story drives this...

After the construction of the Tabernacle, we read how the Jewish peaple will follow the clouds of glory. When the clouds are lifted, they will move on. When the clouds settle down, they will rest. We too have a GPS—G-d Positioning System. Wherever we find ourselves, it is not random, rather it is for a purpose. This week's story is about an individual who was blessed to see the clouds of glory...

Why in the world do we immortalize our enemy Haman by eating cookies that bear his name? The truth is that this is a case of mistaken identity. These Purim treats were originally called Muhntashen, which means 'poppy seed pockets'. The deeper reason for eating Hamantaschen is to symbolize how the Purim story was a hidden miracle, comprised of many natural twists and turns that all lined up...

At times we may feel that a life of Torah and Mitzvahs is difficult and too much to carry. But the truth is that it is not us who are carrying the Torah, rather the Torah is carrying us! This idea is seen in how the Levites carries the heavy Holy Ark. This week's story is about a young man who lost it all, but was courageous enough to trust that through committing himself to Torah he will be c...

Every Jew knows that a Jew doesn’t eat a cheeseburger…but why? What’s the big deal about a drop of milk on my burger? Kabbala explains that milk and meat represents kindness and severity. We must always remember that kindness needs to come first. If our relationships are based on closeness and love, then they will go very far. However, if they are based on severity and discipline, then the journey...

Where in the world is Mount Sinai? Why don’t we go there to visit and pray? There is a powerful message here: The Torah was given to the Jewish people so we take it with us wherever we go. Every place, every moment, and every encounter is an opportunity for us to bring heaven down to earth and recreate the divine revelation that occurred at Mt. Sinai. This week’s story is about an experience just...

While others waited at the shore of the Reid Sea, Nachshon walked into the sea and only after this fearless act did the waters split. We too when face with challenges have a choice: we can wait for the dry land before we are prepared to move forward, or we can muster up the courage and leap in, braving the waters so that the dry land miraculously appears. Be like Nachshon. Take the leap and watch...

Before the promised day of freedom, the Jews were instructed to take a sheep, tie it to their bed and live with it for four days and then slaughter it. What’s the point? The Egyptians used to worship the sheep. By bringing the sheep into their home, the Jews were removing themselves from the paganism that was holding them back. What is your sheep that is stopping you from being free? It’s now time...

Often we feel like we simply cannot fulfill our missions in life. Then, we are reminded that we are not responsible for what we do not have. All we need to do is utilize the strengths within ourselves and leverage what we do have to do our part and G-d will take care of the rest. This is the message that G-d gives Moses in this week’s portion, and this is a powerful lesson that we learn from this...