Quotes

And in the merit of the the (Alter Rebbe’s) self-sacrifice for the sake of spreading the chassidus, it was ruled in the “heavenly court” that in all matters of the Torah, yirat shamayim (awe) and good qualities, the hand of those who are connected with the Alter Rebbe and follow his ways - will prevail.

What is the essence of a Jewish marriage? In a marriage, the power of Ayn-Sof — infinity — is revealed through the birth of children. At no other point within all the spiritual worlds and, of course, within this physical world, is this potential expressed. Thus, the essential point of a marriage is related to the essence of Torah, for it is likewise through Torah that we relate to the essence of G‑d.

... [In Kabbalah], Rachel is "Knesset Israel" - the community of Israel, the fount of all souls, [Rachel represents the attribute of malchut of Atzilut, the source of all Jewish souls].

Man's life is dependent on the air around him. Without air he cannot live and the quality of life is dependent on the quality of air. In an atmosphere of Torah and mitzvot there is healthy life. In a G‑dless environment life is diseased, and one is constantly threatened with the possibility of being stricken with contagious maladies. The first general step in healing is to purify the atmosphere. Purification of the air is the task of every person familiar with Torah and Torah-literature, and is effected through the letters [words] of Torah. When reciting words of Torah while in the store or walking in the street or riding the subway, one cleans the air.

Shabbat is an allusion to the future world. It will be like Shabbat and rest and it’s intended for eternal life.

The stance which we adopt on Shabbat “Breishit” (the first Shabbat immediately following the holidays) determines the nature of our conduct in the entire year to come. The light and vitality . . which shine on Shabbat “Breishit”, continue to shine for the whole year.

Each successive night of Sukkot possesses a new additional quality of joy not present in the previous night. Therefore, each night’s joy must be infinitely greater and loftier than the preceding one …

Come and see, when one sits in this dwelling in the shade of faith, Shekhinah spreads Her wings over him from above, Avraham [representing Chessed], and five other tzadikim [each representing one of the other 5 sefirot] come to dwell with him. Rabbi Abba said: Avraham, the five tzaddikim, and David [representing Malchut] come to dwell with him!

The Rebbe Maharash loved calculations. Reb Abba Person once asked him how many times we bang our chest during “Al Chet” on Yom Kippur. From his response, he discovered that you are supposed to beat your chest also in the words “pardon us, forgive us, purify us” (“סלח לנו מחול לנו כפר לנו”).

A Yahrzeit is associated with, and points to, the immortality of the soul. Although it is many years since the passing away, and the soul has not been in a body all this time, the soul itself is eternal. But not only does the soul exist in Gan Eden, but it affects people in this physical world — and hence every year there are special customs for a Yahrzeit.