85 year-old Maamar Discovered

Kehot Publication Society has just released a chassidic discourse (“maamar”) by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of sainted memory.

The discourse, entitled “Chaviv Adam,” was delivered by the Rebbe on the second day of Shavuos 1925, in S. Petersburg, Russia, and has never before been published.

Lost to the ravages of war and forced immigration, the discourse was recently discovered in a bound volume (bichel) of discourses transcribed by a chassidic transcriber (maatik).

The lengthy Shavuot maamar discusses, among other topics, a) the unique role of the Jewish people in transforming the world through the study of the Torah; b) the relationship between the soul to the body; c) the meaning of “spiritual space;” d) the various forms and levels of Divine revelation in the physical world; e) the meaning of the “light” metaphor in kabbala and chasidus, and e) the importance of “toil” in the service of G-d.

The maamar is available for free download, here.

Another worthy publication for Shavuos is The Divine Commandments. The philosophical and mystical significance of the Mitzvot – the Divine precepts of the Torah – are succinctly explained in this classic essay by a distinguished author and scholar of Chassidism.

Here is what Alan Jay Gerber wrote about the 1945-published booklet (a new revised 2010 edition is now available at Kehot):

In 1945, just as the Holocaust came to an end, a little book was written and published by a then-obscure Brooklyn publisher, the Kehot Publishing Society. The book was titled The Commandments, and was written by a young man, Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of this eloquent works publication. After scores of printings and two revisions, it is now retitled, The Divine Commandments, and has been re-released just in time for your Shavuot reading pleasure.

Organized into seven thematic segments, this brief definition of Jewish theological belief defines for us within the context of the Chabad tradition such concepts as personal self-restraint, our connection with G-d, the real purpose of creation, and the real source of life. All are brought together for us to learn from and to practice in our daily observance.

This little book of 55 pages, when read seriously, will give the reader a better understanding of the true meaning of what is behind our mitzvoth. The author of this work,

Rabbi Mindel, now of blessed memory, was a distinguished author, editor, and translator. He was trained in European yeshivot where he received his rabbinic ordination. Rabbi Mindel also studied law and political science at the University of Manchester. He graduated with a B.A. and a M.A., and he received his Ph.D. in the study of Semitic Languages from Columbia University.

Dr. Mindel was associated with the Chabad movement and served in many leadership and scholarship positions till his passing in 1999. He was a prolific writer and translator and was a pivotal personality in the translation of many Chassidic classics into the English tongue.

The Divine Commandments, Nissan Mindel, Kehot Publication Society, 6×9 Paperback, 48 pages, $5.65.