Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Magazine Tevet 22, 5771 · December 29, 2010 Editor's Note: What is faith? Ask ten people, and you will likely get ten different answers. Ask ten Jews, and you'll get at least twenty. Join Manis Friedman for an insightful discussion of what it means to believe. Then, trace the thread of faith through this week's Parshah in What is G-d's Answer? and Whacking the River. If we believe in G-d, we must also believe in ourselves. Enter the world of Yankel the Master of Sins, and gain a new understanding of how meaningful our actions, or lack thereof, can be. Even Yankel had a unique gift to contribute to the world—don't be afraid to make your mark! And Miriam Adahan provides a lesson in giving our loved ones (and ourselves) some much-needed space. Finally, with his Tanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi transformed the way we think about faith, G-d and ourselves. As we mark the anniversary of his passing on 24 Tevet (this year on Friday, December 31), we pause to renew our appreciation for the life and teachings of the founder of Chabad Chassidism. This Week's Features Printable Magazine Faith in G-d Question: What Does it Mean to "Believe in G-d"? The statement, "I believe there is a G-d," is meaningless. Faith is not the ability to imagine that which does not exist. Faith is finding relevance in that which is transcendent. By Manis Friedman Parshah: Whacking the River Our source of sustenance is neither regular nor predictable. Our eyes are forever trained upward, in hope and in faith . . . By Yanki Tauber Women: Rachel Knopf A Pillar of Strength and Faith After the Holocaust Rachel was a Holocaust survivor who lived a life of tragedies and great challenges. Yet she often said, in a voice choked with emotion, "G-d is so good to me." By Dina Hendel Voices: Three Strands of Memory The trees remind me of growing. Each one is a masterpiece, and I am awed. I am also a "masterpiece," and I am also unfinished . . . By Varda Branfman Faith in Humanity Question: The Glory of Doing Nothing What does G-d want with sinners like me? Does He appreciate all the effort I put into trying not to be what I am? By Tzvi Freeman Recovery: Selfless Prayer The ego employs a more innocuous method of thwarting our connection to G-d. It allows us to seek spirituality, but inserts the condition, "Only do not go far off-pray for me!" By Rabbi Ben A. Parshah: Never Lose the Spirit It happens all too often. People become so set in their mediocrity that they give up hope of ever achieving a breakthrough. By Yossy Goldman Video: Make Your Mark No person is "broken" or ready to be discarded. Each of us is valuable, and has a valuable contribution to make to our world. By Chana Weisberg  Watch (1:39) Video: Children of Israel The meaning of Yisrael, the name of all Jews. By Chaim Mentz  Watch (2:13) Story: The Promise My children specifically enjoy hearing my most vivid image of a late March Canadian blizzard, the night of my Bat Mitzvah . . . By Batya (Schochet) Lisker Story: The Chassid and the Fool at the Leipzig Fair When Rabbi Hillel finally finished, his companion was quite upset. "I don't understand," he complained. "I thought you wanted to spend Shabbat with the Rebbe . . ." By Yanki Tauber Jewish History Maimonides The most renowned of the Jewish medieval scholars, Maimonides indelibly changed the face of Judaism. Read about his scholarship and achievements, and the modern-day global campaign to incorporate his teachings into every Jew's daily study schedule. Video: Studies in Maimonides A survey of the life, work and legacy of one of the most influential figures in Jewish history, Rabbi Moses Maimonides (1135-1204). By J. Immanuel Schochet  Watch Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812) Founder of Chabad A short biography of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad Chassidism, with links leading to many of his teachings. Twenty-Eight Teachings from Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi This is what man is all about; this is the purpose of his creation—to make for G-d a dwelling in the physical world . . . Story: The Needy and the Needed The Rebbe said with great feeling: "You speak of all that you need. But you say nothing of what you are are needed for." From the writings of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch Video Class Multiple Lifetimes Reincarnation: Part 3 Reasons why souls may need to endure the challenge of embodiment more than once. By Yisroel Levine  Watch (1:26:31) Judaism 101 Verbal Exploitation Which crime is worse, financial exploitation or verbal abuse? "Money can be reimbursed," the Talmud notes, "but the hurt from words is irreparable . . ." Pidyon Haben Redeeming the Firstborn Son Pidyon Haben: We are commanded to "redeem" firstborn sons after they reach 30 days of age. What is the significance of this rite, and how is it done? Relationships Video: The Ultimate Recipe for Lasting Love How couples can build the kind of life together where both will give and receive the maximum amount of love. By Manis Friedman  Watch (54:49) Emotional Temperature Taking When people marry, many feel as if they were given an imaginary thermometer and now have the right to check their spouse's moods whenever they feel like it. By Miriam Adahan Parenting Do You Have a Dark Side? Are you in a fight with the other guy, or are you facing a struggle between the good and the evil inside your own heart? By Aron Moss Obnoxious Teenage Daughter She used to be a sweet girl, but for the past year or two, things have been getting more and more out of hand. By Beryl Tritel Kids Baby Basket Gridlock on the Nile Va'eira Parshah Report Senior Weather/Catastrophe Correspondent Jono gives us a meteorological look at the Ten Plagues. Dovid Taub & Jonathan Goorvich  Watch (4:24)