In the garden of the Torah: insights of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, on the weekly Torah readings (2 volumes)

The Alter Rebbe once told his chassidim: "We have to live with the times." The chassidim, trained as they were in holding fast to the eternal standards of the Torah despite the shifting trends of contemporary thought, reacted with puzzlement. They asked R. Yehudah Leib, the Alter Rebbe's brother, to inquire about the Rebbe's intent. In reply, the Alter Rebbe answered that he had meant that the chassidim should "live with the weekly Torah portion." And as the Rebbe frequently explained, this does not mean merely studying the weekly portion; this means living with the lessons of the portion and seeing them as practical directives for more meaningful and more satisfying life. This endeavor is enhanced by highlighting the lesson to be derived from the name of the Torah reading. For this is a comprehensive theme, summarizing and conveying the thrust of the Torah reading as a whole. The Alter Rebbe teaches that an object's name reflects its essential life force. If this applies with regard to worldly matters, surely it is true with regard to the names of the Torah portions. The essays to follow blend together several of the Rebbe's talks, underscoring a lesson to be derived from the names of every one of the Torah readings.