This class, given at the Beis Rivka High School for Girls in Brooklyn, is a great inspiration for selichos preparation for everyone at any age.

An inspirational nugget to set the tone for Rosh Chodesh Elul. The mini shiur discusses the Chassidus of a key pasuk from “L’David Hashem Ori” that gives insight into the potential of this special time of year.¹ 1. “L’David Hashem Ori” is an extra tehilla (psalm) that is added to the order of davening (prayers)…

HaRaini Mikabel. Wednesday 15 Elul 5774, September 10 2014.This class discusses the line the Arizal added to the Siddur to be said at the very outset of the davening, that the Rebbe popularized. We explore three levels of this: 1) For Chaveirim, 2) For all Jews so the Tefila (korbon) will be whole, 3) that…

Tefilla. The basic idea of Prayer is a Mitzvah (one of the 613.) The idea of Davening quietly was introduced by Chana. The text of Prayer begins with the אנשי כנסת הגדולה (the members of the great assembly) who did it because language was becoming adulterated and people no longer spoke clearly and precisely. What…

Slichos Thoughts and overview (5779/ 2019) Three Parts: 1) Introduction and entry 2) The Selichos are all about the 13 Middos of Rachamim 3) The Techinos at the end: The Nussach is not strictly Chabad, it is Russian. We explored some paragraphs individually: 1) Lecha Hashem Hatzedaka 2) Zechor Rachamecha… 3) Vayomer Dovid EL Gad…

הודו להוי’ קראו בשמו Class Nineteen, Class One.Introduction to (the new class, for new school year on) Siddur and Overview of HoduThis class begins with an overview of the daily journey through davening. Previous classes covered from Modeh Ani through the first two thirds of Hodu. The class overviews the “ladder prayer”: why the sections…

קדיש Class Forty Seven. Continued from class 46. The Shalom here is culminating the Davening or Learning. Chayim Tovim means life rooted in (absolute) goodness.

קדיש Class Forty Six. Peace, in this sentence יהא שלמא רבה, means culminating the Davening or Learning, so it shouldn’t spill over hysterically. Two versions: A) 12 expressions of peace, against the 12 שבטים. B) 2 expressions (our version.) If you know detail you must use it, but if you don’t, generalization has a great…

קדיש Class Forty Five. Continued from 44. The peace at the end of עבודה and the peace as we go into the world. The two opinions of this sentence (יהא שלמא רבה) has only two ideas (שלמא רבה and חיים טובים) or twelve ideas as found in אבודרהם and many (נוסח ספרד סידורים).

קדיש Class Forty Four. שלמא רבה and עושה שלום both speak of שלום peace. But (notwithstanding the צלותא דאברהם) both are necessary. One is the peace after the struggle in תורה עבודה or גמילות חסדים The other (as explained in the רמ”ק) is the peace needed to go out into the world. The רמ”ק explains…