Yud Shevat

Tonight is the 10th day of Shevat. It is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the passing) of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950). It is also the day when, in 1951, the seventh Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, formally accepted the leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch with a historic maamar (discourse) and address at a farbrengen (chassidic gathering) marking the first anniversary of his predecessor's passing.

Click here and here to read more about this day and explore the significance and contributions of these two great people.

Google Toolbar Button

Who does not have the Google toolbar today? Just about everyone I know does. So, check out this button that you can install into your toolbar.

Click here to install.

What cool about this button is the updated RSS articles of the current Magazine, an easy way to access the site, and a simple way to search Chabad.org directly from the Google search box.

By the way, you need to version 4 of the Google Toolbar. If you don't have it yet or have an older version installed, you can get it or update it here.

Tu Bishvat Section Update

The Tu Bishvat page on Chabad.org has been updated to become a section in it's own.

Check it out here.

The new sub-sections here cover the following topics:

• Man and Tree: "Man is a tree of the field." How many ways can this statement be interpreted?
• Nature & Environment: What is the Jewish view on ecology and environmentalism?
• Spiritual Insights: The mystical teachings of the Torah offer profound insights on the deeper nature of Tu B'Shevat.
• More on Tu B'Shevat: What is Tu B'Shevat? Why is it celebrated, and how is it observed?

New Column: "Parshah Parenting"

A new column was introduced to our (already huge) Parshah section: "Parshah Parenting" by chabad.org editorial team member Chana Weisberg (RSS), featuring parenting advice and insights from the weekly Torah reading, based on the classic commentaries and the teachings of the chasssidic masters on the Parshah.

Here is an excerpt from this week's article:

Enter into your child's mindset. Intimately experience his pain, his frustrations and his insecurities. Explore his feelings and validate the difficulty of his challenges. Survey the boundaries of what is suffocating his growth. Immerse yourself within the confines of what is oppressing him. Picture his monsters and feel his fears. Face his obstacles, rather than avoid them.

Very well written, and to the point. Great lesson from the Torah portion!

Ask the Rabbi Page Updated

The Ask the Rabbi page on Chabad.org just got a fantastic upgrade! An all-new design presents a standard submission form along with the following new and updated features:

• Question of the Week
• Challenge of the Week - A topic-centric discussion forum with professional analysis and reader opinions
• Ask Rachel - Responsa from the Jewish Woman's site
• Questions & Answers library
• Jewish Knowledgebase search and directory

Ask the Rabbi has also been made into a new main left navigation item.

We hope you enjoy these new features and interactivity!

New York Newsday on Itche Kadoozy

New York Newsday ran a story a few days ago about the popular Itche Kadoozy show. It was available both in the online and print versions. The article give a nice background of Dovid Taub, the creator of the show, and the show in general. Especially revealing was this quote:

To get inspiration for his work, at least once a month, Taub, who is married and the father of a 6-month-old, travels from his home in Crown Heights to the Cambria Heights gravesite of Rebbe Menachem Schneerson, who was the spiritual and organizational leader of the Lubavitch Movement.

Check out the print version below:

"Chabad.org's great-grandmother" passes away...

This past Wednesday night, "Bobbe" Mariasha Garelik, a person that can be called "Chabad.org's great-grandmother" passed away at the ripe old age of 106. Why "Chabad.org's great-grandmother"? Well, we all know that Rabbi Kazen of blessed memory is the father of Chabad.org, and being a grandson of "Bobbe" Mariasha she can have that honored title...

Click here to read a biography about this very special person. May she be a good advocate for us on high.

Some more links:

• Pictures
• AP Article
• Complete News search (It's amazing how many outlets ran this story...)

The Shtetl Jew: Relic or Role Model?

If Tevye's Judaism is anything to go by, don't you think it's time for an updated version?

This article featured in this week's Chabad.org magazine points out how the shtetl life may not an indication of an outdated lifestyle but a continuation of an authentic tradition. Is the famous film Fiddler on the Roof an accurate depiction of a time that once was? How does it relate to religious jews today?

Click here to read on...

While you are at it, you can read Yaakov Brawer's take on this topic in Tevye's Query.

Two New Parshah Columnists on Chabad.org

We would like to welcome two new Parshah Columnists to Chabad.org:

1. The up-and-coming star Rabbi Naftali Silberberg:

Rabbi Naftali Silberberg, a native of Detroit and a scholar renowned for his sharp wit and vast Talmudic knowledge, is on the editorial team of chabad.org. He resides in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Chaya Mushka and their two children.

Click here for a complete list of his articles on Chabad.org.

2. The veteran shliach and scholar Rabbi Zalman Posner:

Rabbi Zalman Posner is Rabbi emeritus of Congregation Sherith Israel of Nashville, Tennessee and the co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Nashville.

Click here for a complete list of his articles on Chabad.org.

These newcomers join Chabad.org's impressive roster of regularly contributing "Parshah Columnists" which already include: Yossi Goldman, Chana Weisberg, Tali Loewenthal, Lazer Gurkow, Elisha Greenbaum, Shimon Posner, Mordechai Wollenberg, Yanki Tauber, Tzvi Freeman and more.

When a one loses a child...

From a question submitted to the site via our Ask the Rabbi service:

It could be the hardest moment in life when someone loses a loved one. However it is most painful when that loved one is a child.

These three articles describe how individuals dealt with the passing of their child:

• Why?
• My Son's Short But Very Meaningful Life
• Yerachmiel: Lessons From Our Baby's Life

Saddam -- Babylon's Last Dictator

Among evil dictators, Saddam stands unique in his preoccupation with his own power and glory. Is it far fetched to assume that he actually was the last manifestation of Nebuchadnezzar?

A fantastic Current Events article about the recent hanging of Iraq's former dictator, Saddam Hussein.

Why was Gerald Ford President?

Gerald Ford's presidency offers a valuable lesson in maintaining successful interpersonal relationships, and offers a vivid demonstration of the presence of G-d's hand in times of need.

Read the latest Current Events article by Naftali Silberberg called "Why was Gerald Ford President?" and come away with some very important lessons.

Special Dates on the Chassidic Calendar

Chabad-Lubavitch, in it's 300-or-so year history, has many significant dates and events related to the Rabbeim. A page has been prepared with all the major dates called "Special Dates on the Chassidic Calendar", and it includes links to the days in the calendar that these events happened for complete information and biographical background.

Search this Book

A new long-awaited feature has been released: The ability to search inside any book on the site. For example, say you are browsing The Gallery of our Great, and you think, hey, let's check out a bio on Rashi. So just scoot over to the right column and search away!

Aside for this feature being added to books, this feature is now available on the right column of all the root-level content sections.