Meet Project Likkutei Sichos Teacher Rabbi Moshe Gourarie

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, today Rabbi Moshe Gourarie and his wife run the Chabad House of Tom’s River, NJ, where they have lived with their 12 children for 18 years and counting. What began as a more typical “Chabad house” style community- focused primarily on outreach- slowly blossomed into one with a thriving religious Jewish life, as more traditional families began joining the community in recent years.

With this shift, the Gourarie family’s reach has broadened, and so have their services. Not only is outreach a part of their mission, but imbuing the community with chassidus is now a big part of it too.

Thus, it is no surprise that Project Likkutei Sichos is so close to Rabbi Gourarie’s heart. Involved with the project from the very beginning, he watched as a personal passion project quickly turned into a community-wide operation, connecting people across the globe through the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. And each week, he continues to take part in that mission.

As Gourarie explains, “The Rebbe taught that every milestone creates a special energy that is meant to be harnessed and utilized”. On the 70th anniversary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s leadership, a very powerful energy was used to help create and cultivate such a successful project, and it continues to help Project Likkutei Sichos flourish each week, as its resources, languages, and viewers worldwide rapidly expand.

“God’s hand is in everything we do. Yet, there are times in life when we are blessed to see it clearly. The Rebbe’s role in the project is so clear to me, from the very beginning. I am incredibly blessed to be a part of such a special endeavor.”

Rabbi Gourarie teaches a classic text-based class on the first sicha each week. He may already be a full time shaliach and father, but the Rebbe’s sichos have become a huge part of his daily life, beginning with his weekly class preparation.

Gourarie believes in giving his students the full story; each sicha of the Rebbe is without a doubt a whole world unto itself, with comments that direct us to other sources and references divinely placed to teach us through their context. These “ha’aros” are crucial, Rabbi Gourarie explains, and through collecting the many puzzle pieces along the way himself, Gourarie strives to give his students the full picture, without them needing to know the different references beforehand. He provides the context needed for listeners, as he dives into the text of the sicha each week, and translates it into English from both Yiddish and Hebrew.

But the sichos’ influence on Gourarie’s life go well beyond the scope of teaching; they have become a part of his family. Each week, both his wife and children learn alongside him, and work on creations of their own to help spread the Torah of the Rebbe. Gourarie’s wife, who grew up in a family of sicha transcribers and translators, has found her own unique way of continuing the family tradition, and has teamed up with their children to create weekly animated videos, based on a poem she writes each week for the sicha.

“There is an enthusiasm around the Rebbe’s sichos in our home, as my children create, direct and edit their work each week. The Rebbe’s ideas follow us to the Shabbat table. It has become a part of our family, and has not only made me into a better person, but has had a positive impact on my family as well.”

And well beyond his family, Project Likkutei Sichos has become a “household name” among many, finding its place in the wider community, and making its way into mainstream culture.
This comes as no surprise, as the project itself both survives and thrives on the community it has created, and the many volunteers who put in the work day in and day out. It takes a village; and when a village comes together with a shared vision, the results are truly remarkable.

“The project is all about connection, in its consistency and simplicity. People come together to learn each week, and there is a great power in that one simple goal.”

Although Gourarie doesn’t teach face-to-face, every time he hits “record” at the beginning of each class, he feels the adrenaline rush as if it were day one- and his students feel the excitement too. Many see Rabbi Gourarie as their weekly chavrusa, and feel a personal connection to him even though they’ve never met.

Gourarie recalls visiting a community member during a challenging time. “He asked me to bring my Likkutei sichos to learn, and I laughed. But he was serious, because we already learn together each week! There is a built-in friendship and connection through the project, despite not getting the chance to teach in person, and seeing the results of my classes is both meaningful and inspiring.”

But the learning and teaching goes both ways. One of the Rabbi’s favorite parts of the process is his own learning. As he teaches, Gourarie gains a whole new level of understanding, and gets to learn from some of the other project’s teachers as well. As he prepares each week, he speaks with teachers from around the world, as they connect over the Rebbe’s ideas.
“The best part of teaching is the learning,” Rabbi Gourarie shares “and as I continue to grow as a teacher, I become an even better student.”

This profile is part of a featured series on the incredible Maggidei Shiurim who teach for Project Likkutei Sichos.

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