The goal of The Rebbe’s Chinese Translations is to spread the wellsprings of Chassidus to the Chinese language. Our first project is to translate The Tanya, the seminal book of Chassidus, into Chinese. We are currently translating the Alter Rebbe’s Tanya Part II: “Chinuch Katan” and “Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah”. Once completed it will be published by Kehos as a hardcover book, and will be digitized and disseminated online through the Chabad.org website, as well as many other forums.
In the process of translating the Tanya, we discovered that in the mid-1980s the Lubavitcher Rebbe personally asked for two works of Chassidic thought to be translated and disseminated in Chinese: The Divine Commandments and My Prayer. The Divine Commandments was translated, published, and presented to the Rebbe in 1989. My Prayer was translated and delivered to the Rebbe in draft form, but has never been edited or published, until now.
Upon this recent discovery, our team of translators took up the task of digitizing The Divine Commandments, so that we can disseminate it online to a wider audience. Our translating team is also meticulously editing the translation of My Prayer to be digitized, published and disseminated as per the Rebbe’s request.
To the Rebbe, this is a project that is of great importance. In fact, as early as 1946 the Rebbe asked the group of Bochurim who were in Shanghai to find out if there are any local Jews who only speak Chinese, and if so to translate the pamphlets on Shabbos, tefillin, the Torah, and the Jewish people into the native language. See the full letter here.
To complete the Rebbe’s project that was started 40 years ago, and to pioneer the first ever translation of the Tanya into Chinese, we need your help and your involvement.
It can’t happen any other way!
Please make a generous donation to this groundbreaking project!
Wellsprings Global is a non-profit organization with a mission to spread the teachings of Chassidus to the world. We do this by translating, publishing, and digitizing works of Chassidus into different languages, thereby bringing Moshiach closer. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explained that by translating Chassidus into different languages we actually elevate the language from its mundane state, bringing it into the realm of holiness.
Editor Rabbi Mattisyahu Trusch earned a masters from Harvard University in Chinese Studies, contributed to R Tzvi Freeman’s chabad.org series “An Introduction to Jews and Judaism in Chinese,” and teaches Jewish Daily Wisdom in Chinese. He oversees a team of Chinese translators in Israel, UK and USA. He is also the co-host of the Gate of Trust Podcast, and creator of TRUST 101.
About Wellsprings Global:
Wellsprings Global is a non-profit organization with a mission to spread the teachings of Chassidus to the world. We do this by translating, publishing, and digitizing works of Chassidus into different languages, thereby bringing Moshiach closer. The Rebbe’s Chinese Translations is an independent initiative undertaken exclusively by Wellsprings Global, and is not affiliated with any other non-profit organization or charity.
But how would you say “G-d”? And when you say “Chinese”, do you mean to say “Mandarin”? Because Chinese is not a language.
祝你好运。
Written Chinese is uniform across the country. The pronunciation will differ between the different Chinese languages – but this is a written translation, not an audiobook.
Is an amazing person. Lets all help him with this amazing endeavor. Hatzlacha Rabbi Trusch! We’re cheating for you and remember, it’s all in Hashem’s hands.