Levi Shmotkin

Releasing the load is the first, more passive, step of bitachon. But there is a second, active step often found in the Rebbe’s counseling. Cognitive Power “Think good and it will be good,” the Tzemach Tzedek (the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, 1789–1866) counse...

“Do not allow worry into your heart, for worry has killed mighty men.” —Talmud Sanhedrin 100b “Why worry what will be tomorrow as long as the bartender is willing to serve us on credit?” —Nineteenth-century Chasidic song We all worry. We fret over the pas...

When studying the Rebbe’s correspondences, one repeatedly finds the Rebbe reminding people of the Torah’s dictum, “Serve G-d with joy.”Psalms 100:2. See, for example, Igrot Kodesh, Vol. 4, p. 293; Vol. 6, pp. 82, 210; Vol. 9, p. 103; Vol. 10, p. 376; Vol....

The Rebbe consistently emphasized the importance—and preference—of “preventive medicine.” He critiqued approaches that focus exclusively on treating illness—“curative medicine”—rather than pouring equal resources into fortifying stable health, preventing ...

One of the primal characteristics we share as human beings is the quest for that special something we call happiness. Or contentment. Or serenity. And yet, for many of us, it can feel perpetually elusive. We tell ourselves, when my situation falls into pl...

For every human being, of every identity, living in accordance with G-dly ideals profoundly enhances emotional wellness. This is particularly relevant in our times. Terra Firma “Peace of mind is conditioned on inner security,” reads a 1958 letter.English ...

While the Rebbe thought spiritual practice was necessary for every human being’s mental health, in letters counseling Jewish individuals he would explain how this need is particularly urgent in the case of a Jew. Beyond a cultural affiliation or a reason ...

Maimonides, the great medieval Jewish sage, writes in his Guide for the Perplexed, “Man is innately a social being. Unlike [some] other animals for whom banding together is not a necessity, it is human nature to seek out society.”Moreh Nevuchim II, ch. 40...

[Living a spiritually committed life] obviously does not mean that we must renounce all worldly pleasures and live a life full of suffering and pain; for, as Chasidic teachings emphasize, self-affliction is not the ideal nor the goal. However, it is neces...