Mitzvot – Resources

Sukah

For 7 days from the 15th day of Tishrei to the 21st, we are commanded to dwell in a temporary dwelling called a sukah.

• Why a Sukah cannot be Higher than 20 Cubits An English written summary of the original lecture given in Hebrew (and available for listening)

Second Passover

On the 14th day of Iyar we celebrate the second passover, a second chance to perform the commandment of the Paschal lamb.

• Second Passover and the State of Israel The momentous events surrounding the State of Israel all occurred in the month of Iyar. From the only holiday in Iyar, the second Passover, we learn that there is always a second chance and it is still possible to rectify our communal future in the Land of Israel.

Counting the Omer

From the 2nd day of Passover until Shavu'ot we count the 49 days of the Omer. This article explores three levels of light that are brought down by the act of counting the omer and the effect that each has in refining our character, particularly in refeence to the month of Iyar, when most of the counting of the Omer takes place.

• Sefirat Ha’omer [Counting ofthe Omer] worksheet
• The Lights of Iyar

Blessings

Except for the blessings recited after a meal, the many blessings we recite daily are one of the 7 mitzvot of the sages.

• The Blessing of the Sun – Birkat Hachamah. Recited only once every 28 years, this blessing will be said on the 14th day of Nisan, 5769 (April 8th, 2009). In this article, we look at the inner meaning of the blessing in respect to the nations of the world and the year of Hakhel.

Sanctifying God's Name

Elkanah’s Outreach Campaign

Long before Mitzvah Tanks, Tefilin Stands, and over 4,000 Chabad centers around the world, was an outreach campaign initiated by Elkanah, father of Samuel the Prophet.

The Shema

• The Six Idioms of the Shema. The first word of the Shema, "hear" (שְׁמַע, shema), has 3 letters, which can be permuted in six different ways. Each of these permutations alludes to either part of a verse or to a Rabbinical idiom.

The Tzizit

In the paragraph prescribing the mitzvah of tzitzit, the Torah mentions the word tzitzit explicitly three times. This is analyzed in light of the models of space-time-soul and the 4 Worlds (Emanation, Creation, Formation, and Action). In addition, the basic connection between the tzitzit and 613 is explained in depth, both mathematically and conceptually.

The Four Species

• The Inner Meaning of the Four Species
• Rebbe Levi Yitzchak's Nigun for shaking the lulav: This melody, sung here by Rav Ginsburgh, is traditionally credited to Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. It is sung while shaking the lulav on Sukot.

Tzedakeh

• The Redeeming River of Charity

Shofar

• The Inner Meaning of the Teru'ah
• How the Sounds of the Shofar Rectify the Psyche

Love of One's Fellow Jew (Ahavat Yisra'el)

• Introduction
• And the Redemption
• The Torah’s greatest principle: Love your fellow as yourself

Challah

Lecture 1: One of the 3 mitzvot given especially to women, Challah entails taking a piece of unleavened dough from a batch of dough and donating it the priest. In this multi-part series, Rav Ginsburgh explores the deep inner meaning of this mitzvah and how it relates to women in particular. He also goes into the two other mitzvot for women, lighting Shabbat candles (one of the 7 mitzvot of the sages) and family purity.