All Classes

Torah Ohr Maamar Mayim Rabim - Class 3: -When the Currents of Water and Rivers Can't Quench the Love

Torah Ohr Maamar Mayim Rabim - Class 2: -When Yitzchak Can Finally Laugh

Torah Ohr Maamar Mayim Rabim - Class 5: -Daas as the Bridge Between the Mind & Heart; and Between the Subconscious & the Conscious

Torah Ohr Maamar Mayim Rabim - Class 4: -To Touch the Essence, Bwyond the River

Torah Ohr Maamar Mayim Rabim - Class 1: -The Structure of Chabad Maamarim

Chassidus: Torah Ohr V'hinei Anachnu Mi'almim #1: This class was presented on Monday, Parshas Vayishlach, 11 Kislev, 5780, December 9, 2019 at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY

Women's Vayetzei Class: The opening of the thirtieth chapter of Genesis relates a small but disturbing scene. The infertile Rachel tells her husband: "Give me children, and if not, I am dead." And Jacob became angry with Rachel, and he said, "Am I instead of God, Who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" Jacobs response seems painfully insensitive and uncharacteristic of their affectionate bond. He is in love with Rachel. Any experienced and loving husband knows that even in a good day when your wife conveys an emotion about something eating up on her, the last think you do is get angry at her! What she wants from you is an attentive ear and a receptive heart. That itself makes her feel better. Certainly if she is expressing her pain over a real and deep wound. Jacobs response is baffling and disturbing. Today we will present four approachesone from the Midrash, the second from a medieval Jewish philosopher, the third from the Munkatcher Rebbe, and the fourth from the Ramban and the world of Chassidus. The Midrash opens up its commentary on the portion of Vayeitzei by attributing Psalm 121 to Jacob on his journey to Haran. Psalms 121 begins with a description of a distraught narrator, who wonders from where will my salvation come? Jacob despaired. The Midrash says: Jacob said to himself: What?! I will give up hope from my Creator? I will never give up hope! My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! But what does this mean? Did Jacob really give up hope? Just because he was destitute and penniless, he fell into such despair? This is the man who would carry on the covenant of Abraham and Isaacdid he really forget about G-d? Also, his words seem repetitious: What? I will give up hope from my Creator? I will never give up hope! He should have just said: I will never give up hope! Why the question and the answer? It was the great Chassidic master, the Chidushei Harim (Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, the first Gerer Rebbe, (1799 - 1866)), who gave a stunning explanation. I would venture to add that knowing the life story of this man makes the explanation far more poignant. This women's class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Vayetzei, 5 Kislev, 5780, December 3, 2019 at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY

Kuntres Beis Rabeinu Sheb'Bavel: This is a text-based shiur by Rabbi YY Jacobson on the"Kuntres Beinyan Mikdash MeatZeh Beis Rabeinu SheB'bavel" (Gemara Megila 29a), by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, exploring the Sugya in Gemarah Megilah about the extrardinary holiness of a Shul, a "miniature" Beis Hamikdash, and how each Shul will become part of the future Beis Hamikdash.The Kuntres goes on to explore thespecial holiness of the Shul of his father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz, "770,"a the center dedicated to the spiritual and physical well-being of every Jew the world over, and to spread Torah and Yidishkeit to the entire world.This classwas presented to thousands on Wednesday evening, Rosh Chodesh Kislev, 5780, November 27, 2019, at 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY.

Women's Toldos Class: This women's class was presented on Tuesday Parshas Toldos, 28Cheshvon, 5780, November 26, 2019 at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY. It is one of those seemingly bizarre and absurd Talmudic tales. The king and queenthey were from the Hasmonaean dynasty, ruling during the Second Temple erasat and debated which food is preferable, the sheep or the goat. The king said, Goats are better. The queen said No! Sheep are better. They decided to seek the judgment of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest of the Temple, because of his familiarity with these animals which regularly served as sacrifices. The High Priest was the man who cooked and consumed the most lamb and goat in the entire Jewish world; he would be the expert. They summoned the Kohen Kadol, Named Yissachar, who came from the town of Barkaei. He insolently waved his hand in a gesture that demonstrated disdain to the king. How can the king even consider such a foolish idea that goat meat was superior, said the High Priest, when the daily communal sacrifice was brought from sheep? Yissachar was arguing, if lamb was not superior to goat meat, why would G-d ask for a daily feast of lamb, rather than goat? The king was furious at the insult and the denigrating wave of the hand. The king declared: Since this man, the High Priest, has no reverence for the king, his right hand should be chopped off, making him unfit to serve at all in the Holy Temple (the Temple service was done primarily with the right hand). The Kohen Gadol bribed the executioner to cut off his left hand instead. When the king found out, he had his remaining hand chopped off as well. The Talmud then goes on to explain how the High Priest erred. For both the Torah and the Mishnah intimate that, from the Torah perspective, sheep and goats are equal. What are we to make of this apparently absurd tale? Should we laugh or cry? Is this a humorous tale? A parable? Or a reflection on the monstrous behavior of the monarchs of yore? And how about the story itself? Do kings and queens have nothing better to do than argue if lamb chaps are superior to goat meat? Anyhow, how can you argue about the taste of a meal? As we say in Hebrew, Al taam viraich, ain mah lhitvokaich. You cannot argue objectively about taste or smell. And what are we to make of the Kohen Gadols strange answer? The king and queen were ostensibly arguing about physical taste; how does that get resolved from the daily sacrifice in the Temple? Did the High Priest of Israel really believe that G-d consumed and enjoyed the meat of the offerings? It was the Maggid of Mezrich, Rabbi Dov Ber, one of the greatest spiritual masters of Judaism, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov, who suggested that this story served also as a parable for life. The debate between the king and the queen about sheep and goat represented the debate between Isaac and Rebecca about their sons Esau and Jacob, in this weeks portion. Yet, as fate would have it, the student of the Maggid who transcribed this teaching of his master, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz from the city of Lantzut, Poland, known as the Seer of Lublin, forgot the details. It was he, and the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, Rabbi Menachem Mendel, who suggested what the Maggid might have meant. It provides us with one of the most empowering lessons on educations and leadership in our world today.

Likkutei Sichos Chayei Sarah: Rabbi YY Jacobson presentes this text-based shiur in a "sicha" (an address) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, published in Likkutei Sichos vol. 30, Parshas Chayei Sarah, to a group of the Bais Shmuel Shul, in Brooklyn, NY.