Nobody was harmed, the Torah scrolls were saved In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Dec. 22, in San Jose’s Almaden Valley, what appears to be an intentionally lit fire ripped through the distinct purple building of Chabad-Lubavitch of Almaden Valley. The fire devastated the building, tearing through the very foundation. Rabbi Mendel Weinfeld, co-director […]

Today in Jewish History: 20 Teves, Passing Of Maimonides The “Rambam,” acronym for Rabbi Moshe ben (son of) Maimon, passed away today, the 20th of Teves in 4965 (1204). Born in Cordoba, Spain on Passover eve in 1135 or 1138, the Rambam became known to the world as Maimonides. He was of the most prolific and influential […]

By Rabbi Menachem Brod Translated By Yoni Brown The Torah describes that when the daughters of Yitro came home early one day from watching his sheep, they told their father: “An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds. He also drew water for us and watered the sheep.” The man was none other than Moshe.  […]

In Episode 15 of Lamplighters: Stories From Chabad Emissaries On The Jewish Frontier, Lamplighters Reporter/Producer Gary Waleik presents the story of Sarah Bracha Koroghli, a Cambodian princess whose journey to Torah Judaism was made possible through the friendship and support of shluchos in Nevada and California; Rebbetzin Chaya Harlig of Chabad of Henderson and Rebbetzin […]

Synagogue members and yeshivah students step up to ensure a proper Jewish burial NEW HAVEN, Conn.—The message on our shul’s WhatsApp group announcing, in caps, a MITZVAH OPPORTUNITY caught my attention. I admit to sometimes skimming or even ignoring such messages during a busy week, as they are usually about an upcoming class, a special […]

He dedicated his life to Torah study and instruction Rabbi Meir Aharon had a meticulous daily routine all his life, never wasting a minute. When he rode the bus each morning from his home in Bnei Brak, Israel, to Lod, where he taught schoolchildren, he’d study seven folios of Talmud. After returning home from a […]

When unprecedented flooding cut thousands of British Columbians off from food supplies, Chabad of the Fraser Valley wanted to help Rebbetzin Simie Schtroks was so busy preparing for Chabad of the Fraser Valley’s Chanukah programs that she didn’t pay much attention to the fact that it had been raining for two full days. But when […]

A Rabbi responds to a common conundrum. When it comes to parenting, there’s no definitive, manufacturer-approved manual. Parenting Jewish is even harder—especially when your children are the only Jews in their peer group. Here we asked a Chabad representative to respond to a conundrum that commonly comes up among Jewish parents during this time of […]

On first visit by an Israeli PM, to the Emirates, Bennett begins the first Torah written in the UAE As Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett makes history with the first Israeli head-of-state visit to the United Arab Emirates, he’s making history in other ways, too. Bennett was honored by Rabbi Levi Duchman, Chabad-Lubavitch emissary and […]

Tempting danger makes for a good story, but moral responsibility makes for a better life By Menachem Brod Translated by Yoni Brown Many of Torah’s prohibitions are guardrails, designed to steer us away from outright sin. Our Sages forbade many things that are not in and of themselves wrong, intending to prevent us from knocking […]