‘Jewish Insights’ Teaches the Importance of Ohel Visits

Shluchim across the United States received a beautiful ready-to-use class to give over to their communities in honor of Gimmel Tammuz from the Shluchim Office. The lesson focuses on a person’s connection with the Rebbe, and the importance of visiting the Ohel.

Shluchim across the United States received a beautiful ready-to-use class to give over to their communities in honor of Gimmel Tammuz from the Shluchim Office. The lesson focuses on a person’s connection with the Rebbe, and the importance of visiting the Ohel.

This class is part of the Jewish Insights series (formerly Taamu Ureu), a weekly lesson in the Rebbe’s Torah prepared and distributed by the Shluchim Office. Since its inception at the beginning of this year, this free resource has been received with wide acclaim and adopted by over 400 Shluchim.

The project was first launched on Shabbos Bereishis 5781, when many Shluchim moved their activities entirely to Zoom with a renewed focus on Torah classes. The lessons are compatible for one-on-one learning and group sessions, short half-hour lunch classes and longer, in-depth discussions. They are easy to prepare, aesthetically presentable, and relevant to the average person’s daily life.

“Since Covid created a matzav where less people were coming to shul but more open to learning on Zoom, I decided to add a shiur to our existing schedule of regular shiurim,” shared Rabbi Mendy Mangel, Shliach to Cherry Hill, New Jersey. “I very much wanted the new shiur to be entirely from the Rebbe’s Torah and when I saw the new project Jewish Insights from the Shluchim Office after Tishrei, I felt it was the perfect shidduch!

“And it really was! My balebatim enjoy the sichos immensely. They are presented in a simple and straightforward manner. The sichos chosen express the Rebbe’s unique hashkafa in so many areas of Torah and Yiddishkeit, and it comes across to the learners in its authenticity. It’s very powerful.”

Jewish Insights offers Shluchim a new and unique opportunity. The material presented is taken directly from the Rebbe’s sichos and allows participants to delve into the unparalleled awesomeness of the Rebbe’s farbrengen. A class generally includes a large section of a sicha, with the relevant mareh mekomos the Rebbe mentioned or refers to, all prepared in a smooth and easy-to-read fashion.

Each week, Jewish Insights provides teacher and student handbooks, an accompanying Powerpoint presentation, customizable marketing materials, and a podcast of a live class to help the Shliach prepare.

In the words of our editor, Rabbi Avraham Greenberg, the idea for the project came as a result of a conversation with one of his study partners.

“Why is it, he asked me, that we learn Pirkei Avos directly from the Mishnah and Tanya directly from the text, but when we learn the Rebbe’s teachings it is usually from adaptations and not in the original?”

“His question bothered me. When you learn the Rebbe’s own holy words, it gives a tremendous richness and geshmak that is difficult to transfer into adaptations; I wanted to share the “mayan” itself with my Mekuravim. I wanted a Chabad House-style resource which made the Rebbe’s Farbrengens accessible to beginners while retaining the original text.”

“With that, Jewish Insights was born.”

Shluchim can access the weekly class series free of charge at JewishInsights.org.

As The Shluchim Office just announced their “Hand in Hand, Together for Shluchim” campaign which will begin on Wednesday morning at 11:00am, we are calling on the public to partner in serving and assisting the family of Shluchim around the world.

Donate NOW at TogetherForShluchim.com and it will be posted when the campaign goes live.