A new book published by Hasidic Archives presents the Rebbe’s advice on dealing with marital challenges. Like the other books in the Advice for Life series, The Edifice combines wisdom drawn from the Rebbe’s talks and letters with stories. Other sections in the book include dating, the Jewish wedding, and children.
“You conceal your faults from yourself and others,” one entry goes, “so do the same for your spouse. Place their faults to the side and admire their virtues. This is practical love.”
Reading the book, it becomes clear how highly the Rebbe prized marital harmony. “Peace in the home is a critical element in Jewish life,” begins another entry. “The morning prayers extol bringing peace between husband and wife as one of the few mitzvahs from which a person can benefit in this world and the next. Indeed, marital accord is so precious to G-d that He commanded, ‘Erase my name for the sake of harmony in the home’ (Talmud, Hullin 141a).”
The Rebbe’s voluminous correspondence on these deeply personal subjects, including mikvah, is distilled here for the first time into simple, accessible English, enhanced with original illustrations by artist Annita Soble.
Stories in the book feature both well-known Lubavitch personalities and regular people with whom the Rebbe had special connections. In one, a couple, struggling both financially and with their marriage received personal guidance from the Rebbe on numerous occasions. The Rebbe wrote to the husband in one language and the wife in another to keep the correspondence confidential.
In another, the Rebbe gave famed shliach Rabbi Yitzchok Groner a mission to visit England, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, and Singapore on his way back to Australia from New York. Before he left, the Rebbe called him to his office and gave him twenty-six ten-dollar bills.
Since his wife had not accompanied him on the trip, the Rebbe said, one of the bills should be considered his contribution toward a gift for her. Rabbi Groner bought his wife an Indian sari, which she later used to make a dress for her son’s wedding.
The book’s compact design and playful art make it a great gift for people new to the Rebbe’s teachings, or anyone looking for a fresh approach to these subjects.
The book is available for purchase at SeforimDeals.com.
