Likkutei Sichos by Mayer

Why is the story of Avraham’s sacrifice at the Akaida so fundamental to Judaism? There were countless other historical sacrificial events that were to a large degree even greater. In this shiur we will discuss why the Akaida was truly unique and the impact it had on the Jewish nation. From volume 20 sicha 3

The Torah’s first mention of Avraham was G-D asking him to leave his present home and move to the promised land. Why was this seemingly ambiguous conversation their first interaction? Why doesn’t the Torah relate all the great deeds that Avraham did prior to this episode? How this episode epitomizes the uniqueness of a Jew. From volume 25.

During the time of Noach, the Mabul (great flood) completely obliterated everything. As horrible as that was, Kabbalah and Chassidus sheds an extremely positive light onto the Mabul and it’s ultimate purpose. More specifically, through the lens of the Mabul, the Alter Rebbe gives great insight into the purpose of parnassa (livelihood) related challenges. Even more importantly, we discuss how to overcome these anxieties, and reveal the great good behind it.

May everyone be blessed with health and success. Living with faith and trust has always been a requisite in life. But is now even “more” important. In today’s shiur we will discuss the correct attitude and mindset that one needs to have while pursuing their needs in order to realize G-D’s blessings. From volume 1.

In the Haftorah it discusses one of the greatest open miracles that was witnessed by all. It was the time of Eliyahu and the majority of the Jews, including the king were pagan worshippers. In order to redirect the Jews back to G-D and the truth, Eliyahu proposed a contest. On one side he would set up an alter and on the other side the priests of the pagan worshippers would set up their Alter. Each would request that their deity light the fire on their Alter. To the amazement of all, just as Eliyahu requested that G-D intercede, a fire descended from above. All saw that the truth lies only with Eliyahu and the Torah that he represented. During his great speech / admonishment, he focused on those that wavered back and forth from sometimes believing in G-D to sometimes being pagan worshippers. Eliyahu put his greatest effort in this group even more than those that only believed in pagan idols. In this Shiur we will discuss the great damage that is incurred by those that sway back and forth from the truth, a damage that is even greater than the one done by only serving idols. A very important message on the damage of insincerity. From volume 1.

The Jews built a golden calf and worshiped it immediately after the giving of the Ten Commandments. G-D was so angered that he wanted to abolish the Jews, leaving only Moshe to reestablish the Jewish nation. Moshe, in his great love of his fellow Jews didn’t just protest and use every possible defense for his brethren, he went to the extreme proclaiming “But if not (to forgive their sin), erase me now from your book, which you have written." Moshe didn’t want to be part of a history that did not include his Jewish brethren. G-D forgave. As a token reminder of Moshe’s great act, this Parsha has no mention of Moshe’s name. (The only Parsha he is not mentioned since he was born). In this shiur we will discuss the great significance of a Parsha that ONLY talks about Moshe, yet never mentions his name. Even more importantly we will learn a great lesson from Moshe about how to treat our fellow Jews. From volume 21.

When the Torah tells us about donations towards the Tabernacle, it uses the word “לי” which means “to me”. Our sages explain that in regards to this Mitzvah, it needs to be done for G-D’s sake. Isn’t every Mitzvah supposed to be done for G-D’s sake? Also, in regards to the donations, the Torah uses the word “ויקחו” which means “to take”. Seemingly it should have said “to give” which would be much more in line with “giving” charity. In this Shiur we will learn about the unique role that the “collector” of charity plays in bringing about G-D’s ultimate plan. From volume 3.

At the giving of the Torah the Jews experienced G-D in a “real” way. After that incredible encounter, they longed to relive that amazing realization. In response, G-D told Moshe that if the Jews make a Mishkan in that location, they will again be able to experience G-D’s presence. G-D’s presence is everywhere and in everything, so why is a physical Mishkan necessary to experience it? In our daily prayers we are supposed to face towards the direction of the Holy Temple. Why is it so important that while we pray, we face the Temple? In this Shiur we will explore the significance of G-D choosing one place to facilitate all of our wants and needs. From volume 3.

In the Midrash it states that the first word of the Ten Commandments, אנכי - Anochi is not a Jewish word, it is an Egyptian world. It is beyond unbelievable that the first and most important word ever mentioned is not only not of Jewish origins but from a place that was so defiled and has subjected the Jews to hundreds of years of slavery and worse. In this shiur we will discuss the significance of G-D choosing a word from this foreign culture to start the greatest Jewish message of all time. From volume 1.

Moshe’s father in law was Yisro. Yisro was a very unique individual. There was not a single belief system (be it pagan, scientific, or spiritual) that he did not master. At the time of the Jewish exodus, he had a major spiritual awakening and attached himself to Jewish beliefs. The Zohar states that the giving of the Torah could not have happened until Yisro joined the nation. In this shiur we will discuss the significance of this transformation and why the monumental Torah giving needed this transformation and recognition. From volume 11.

In this weeks Parsha, the Jews finally leave Mitzrayim. Before they are able to breathe a sigh of relief, they see that behind them, the Mitzrim are pursuing them with all of their military might. Yet in front of them is the sea. With no signs of a possible rescue, the Torah tells us that the Jews started to yell and scream towards G-D for salvation. In this Shiur we will discuss the nature of that “screaming”. There is a tremendous positive insight from Rashi. Once this is understood, we will see those Jews and all Jews in a completely positive light. From volume 11.

When the Jews were finally freed after hundreds of years of slavery, they immediately began singing one of the greatest, most beautiful songs of all time. The Torah describes how Moshe and the entire Jewish nation sang this song together. Our sages debate as to how exactly this momentous event took place. But what they all do agree on is that Moshe began the song and the Jews proceeded to follow along. In this shiur we will discuss why it is so historically relevant that Moshe was the one that started the song. We will discuss why the unity of the Jews is so dependent on it’s spiritual leader. From volume 31.

Matzah vs. Chometz, Matzah is spelled מצה and Chometz is spelled חמץ. The only difference between them is that one is spelled with a ה and the other with a ח. In this shiur we will learn of the inner meaning and differences of the two letters and their life message. From volume 1.

In the Midrash it states that G-D singled out that this particular plague, the plague of frogs was the exact correct punishment that the Mitzrim deserved and the lesson that we learned from it. From all the plagues, seemingly the plague of frogs was the least damaging and impactful. Especially compared to all the water turning into blood and even more damaging, the death of all the first born Mitzrim. In this shiur we will explore the deep message that we can learn from this plague and from frogs in general. From volume 21.

Moshe was brought up in the lap of luxury in the house of Pharoh. When he grew up, he set out to see how his Jewish brethren were doing. What he saw was the terrible predicaments that the Jews were being plagued with. At one point he encountered two Jews speaking slander (lashon harah). He was so taken by seeing Jews speak negatively about one another that he proclaimed “I always wondered why the Jews were enslaved and treated worse than any other nation but now I know. In this shiur we will discuss why Jews speaking slander about each other can be so destructive that Moshe, the great redeemer was unfortunately able to see this as a reason for the Jews remaining in exile for so long. From volume 31.

When Yosef finally meets up with his beloved brother Benyamin it states that they were both each crying on each other’s shoulder. Our sages give a deeper insight into this event explaining that each was crying for a future disaster that would plague the other. In this shiur we will explore why each was crying for the other and not for their own pending disaster. We will also explore when crying is beneficial and when it is not. From volume 10.

In this week’s Parsha we learn a great lesson on the significance of the life of every Jew. Even more profound, that every detail that occurs in the life of a Jew is of utmost importance. We will see this through a deeper understanding of the story of the epic battle that Yaakov had with the angel that represented Esav. The angle initially came to kill him, but ended up blessing him. From volume 30.