Watching the recent terror attacks and the grave danger to our fellow Jews in Israel, everyone is asking what can be done. Presented are practical things we can all do to help. Yes, we can make a real difference!

Unpack layers of Biblical and rabbinic text to understand the inner mechanics of this sometimes-overlooked but super-important holiday.

Throughout Jewish history, through times serene and turbulent, the People of Israel looked to the Torah for guidance and stability. Only through steadfast adherence to Torah principles, - the Rebbe insisted - can Israel achieve true peace.

Join Eli, Ezzy and Dina on a quest around the universe

Divine Presence in our lives!

Jono learns a lesson about being humble when he has to dress up in a very cute little mountain costume and sing an adorable little song. Oh, and no monologues this week.

When we realize the importance of our individual roles, we are empowered to tackle and transform our personal wildnerness.

How do you explain and make the Ten Commandments relevant to children? Watch how Rabbi Manis Friedman explains them in a fresh way so that even a puppet could understand.

Experience the miraculous exodus of the Jewish people out of the mighty Egyptian empire—in a unique, fun-filled (and educational) style!

Discover the 6 steps of spiritual preparation the Jewish People observed at Mt. Siani, over a six-day period prior to the Giving of the Torah, and how you can take these spiritual steps today, as our ancestors did more than 3,300 years ago.

Study the daily lesson of Sefer HaMitzvos for day 308 with Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, where he teaches the mitzvah in-depth with added insight and detail.

A brief history of the Six-Day War and the Rebbe’s call for all Jewish men, particularly soldiers in the IDF, to don tefillin as a special merit for added security.

Sarah and Avi, with help from Mitzvah Bird, return a little lost challah to his home.

In distress King David song-fully calls out to G-d for rescue, but why is the Psalmist singing when he is in danger?

A special culinary presentation of favorite dairy recipes for the holiday of Shavuot.

The Mitzvah ATM is about to dispense the Torah in honor of the holiday of Shavuot. One snag, though: It wants trustworthy guarantors...

Learn the basics of which foods are kosher, how to shop for kosher foods and keep a kosher kitchen, and why this mitzvah is so important.

The Talmud in Pesachim quotes Rav Yosef exulting the holiday of Shavuos when the Jews received the Torah: “Said Rav Yosef, “If not for this day, how many Yosefs would wander the market?” If the Talmud notes the name of a sage, the name obviously has some relevance, and can add meaning to the teaching. So in the case of the teaching, why is Rav Yosef mentioned?

Take an exciting trip back in time to the court of King Ahasuerus and his beautiful Jewish wife Queen Esther as you watch the dramatic story of the Jewish victory over Persian persecution.

Feel the rhythm…hear the beat….and let your spirit get you jumping on your feet! Get ready to sing, dance and exercise together with Mendy and his friends in this exhilarating animated workout video for the whole family.

A virtuous heroine. A wicked villain. It’s the ancient, true story of Queen Esther, brought vividly to life in a delightfully educational way.

Learn how to turn a roll of duct tape into a beautiful rose for the holiday of Shavuot.

Feel the rhythm…hear the beat….and let your spirit get you jumping on your feet! Get ready to sing, dance and exercise together with Mendy and his friends in this exhilarating animated workout video for the whole family.

When we realize the importance of our individual roles, we are empowered to tackle and transform our personal wildnerness.

Itche and Jono ride through the desert on goats. Why? Watch the video and find out . . .

The obvious coefficient of Jewish identity is peoplehood. And yet the Jewish people cannot be defined without reference to the family.

Most of us like to express our individuality. And yet, when given autonomy, many of us feel a need to belong. How can we reconcile both these needs?

Topics include: How the census of the Jewish people teaches us about the power of speech, the commandment for the Levites to guard the Holy Temple, why Torah was given in a barren desert.

How to tackle times of emotional or spiritual desolation.

In this portion, Moses takes a census of the Jewish people without directly counting any of them. Why do we not count each other directly and what are the practical applications for this mitzvah today?

You may already know that the giving of the Torah -- which we celebrate on the holiday of Shavuot -- took place at Sinai. But what is Sinai? The Torah speaks of a wilderness called Sinai as well as a mountain by the same name. What is the difference between the desert and the mountain? And how does that shape our understanding of what happened there years ago?

In the census of the Jewish people, Moses counted all men eligible for military conscription, that is all who were twenty years of age and older. Why then did a separate census of the Tribe of Levi include even babies from 30 days and up?

Learn the profound connections between the weekly parsha and its related Haftorah.

Unlike the beginnings of other religions, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai was experience by an entire people.

The name of the fourth book of thhe Torah is Bamidbar, which means ‘desert’. Why such a peculiar name?

After the general census of the Jewish people, Moses takes a separate census of the tribe of Levi, including the family of Aaron the high priest. In the verse (Numbers 3:39) “All the countings of the Levites that Moses and Aaron counted,” the word “ve-Aharon” (and Aaron) has five dots above it. One explanation of these dots is that they tell us that Aaron himself was not counted in the census of the rest of his tribe. What makes Aaron unique?

Study some of the highlights of the weekly Torah portion with insights from various commentaries.

In the desert, G-d tells the Jewish people to camp around the Mishkan sanctuary – not too close, but not too far. This carries an important lesson about how a Jew should live his or her life.

Rashi identifies two key roles that the tribe of Levi played in the Sanctuary. The Rebbe extracts an empowering life-lesson for us from this teaching. Learning Likutei Sichos vol. 13, Bamidbar (sicha 2)

G-d commands Moses and Aaron to conduct a census of the Jewish people. But if G-d is all-knowing – including the exact population of the Jewish people – what then is the point in counting them?

The Torah was given to the Jewish people in the Sinai desert. Why did G‑d choose such a desolate place to reveal this most precious gift?

Unpack layers of Biblical and rabbinic text to understand the inner mechanics of this sometimes-overlooked but super-important holiday.

Each holiday has its special mitzvah that is unique to the respective festival (like shofar on Rosh Hashana, matzah on Passover etc.). Yet, it seems we don’t find in the Torah any particular mitzvah for Shavuot?!

Shavuot, when we received the Torah at Sinai, is the culmination of the Exodus on Passover. Yet, on Passover we stay clear of the smallest amount of chometz, but on Shavuot two loaves of leavened bread were offered in the Holy Temple.

The giving of the Torah reconciles the dichotomy in everything and reveals the unifying essence in both the spiritual and the material.

If one had a disturbingly ominous dream, Halachah allows one to fast even on a Sabbath or Festival – notwithstanding the obligation to feast on these days – since the person is distressed over his dream, he would derive 'pleasure' from fasting and not from eating. The one exception to the rule is Shavuot—the Festival of the Giving of the Torah. On Shavuot one must eat! This appears strange, given that all the other festivals celebrate a physical, bodily salvation, whereas Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah—a profoundly spiritual event?! The answer explores the nature of pleasure and the essence of Shavuot. (Likutei Sichos vol. 23 pp. 27)

In the Talmud, there is a dispute between the sages as to what date the Torah was given at Sinai. According to one opinion, Moses added an extra day of preparation before the giving of the Torah. How could Moses depart from G-d's timeline?

Ask any child what we celebrate on Shavuot, and the obvious answer is the giving of the Torah at Sinai; yet the Torah makes no mention of it. How do we make sense of this glaring omission?

An overview of some the unique customs associated with the holiday of Shavuot, along with their practical reasons and spiritual explanations.

The Mitzvah ATM is about to dispense the Torah in honor of the holiday of Shavuot. One snag, though: It wants trustworthy guarantors...

A short overview of the customs and meaning of the holiday of Shavuot, celebrating the giving of the Torah.

Discover the 6 steps of spiritual preparation the Jewish People observed at Mt. Siani, over a six-day period prior to the Giving of the Torah, and how you can take these spiritual steps today, as our ancestors did more than 3,300 years ago.

Understanding the nature of differing opinions in Torah, and how the Halachic ruling does not favor one view and reject the other, but rather unites them both.

In explaining why the sacrifices that a Jew was obligated to offer in the Temple in honor of Shavuos were not offered on the holyday itself but during the weekdays which follow, this class offers insight into the nature of G-d’s choice of the Children of Israel.

Rabbi Yosef, the Talmud relates, would celebrate Shavuot, the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, with a unique banquet. The puzzling statement he said in connection with the feast is the subject of this class. Probing the layers of the Sage’s words reveals startling new depth to our appreciation of G-d’s most precious gift. (Based on Likutei Sichos volume 16)

Though not the majority opinion, there is an important school of thought that perceives the five days following Shavuot as an organic continuation of the holiday – a curious prolongation of hallowed time not found anywhere else in our Jewish calendar. The source for this unique convention seems rooted in the Talmud, yet its logic seems less than ironclad. The Rebbe provides a fresh and deeply insightful perspective on the essence of Shavuot itself that ultimately sheds illumination and clarity about the unusual expansion of the holiday’s broadened circumference.

Associating dairy-delicacies with the annual celebratory observance of Matan Torah (giving of the Torah) seems as natural as blintzes and sour cream; yet the origins of this near ubiquitous custom appear artificial and even contradictory to the mandated holiday meat menu. Mixing medieval manuscripts with contemporary clarification, a sweet and fruitful medley of delightful insight, rhyme and reason emerges. See how a desire to flavor Shavuot with a taste of times bygone set “Milky Way” customs into orbit and how to best balance this curious minhag with the Halacha!

Many reasons are suggested to explain why we eat dairy foods on Shavuot. Of all the classic reasons offered, the one that appears to be the simplest is strangely absent. This class will explain why, and in so do doing will address the great mission of the Jewish people that began at Sinai. (Based in part on Likutei Sichos vol. 8, Naso 3)

In this Talmud class we’re onto a Shavuot track with teachings from Tractate Shabbat that narrate the events surrounding the revelation at Sinai.

Each year, the Rebbe would hold a Farbrengen the night before Shavuot, often touching on topics from Tractate Sotah in the Talmud, which is customarily studied during the Counting of the Omer period, as well as discussing the lessons of the approaching holiday.

Prior to the giving of the Torah, G-d instructs Moses: "Speak to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel" (Exodus 19:3). The "house of Jacob," our Sages explain, are the women; "the sons of Israel," the men. Explore this special feminine role on five levels of understanding.

Two sages of the Talmud debate whether the Jews actually saw heavenly thunder at the giving of the Torah.

The double miracle at Mount Sinai tells us when to aim upwards and when to bring it down.

The days between Passover and Shavuos correspond to the Israelites’ journey from Egypt in the lead up to receiving the Torah at Sinai. The closer they came to their goal, the more their anticipation grew.

The custom of “going green” on Shavuot with displays of organic flowers and greenery is widespread and seems entirely natural, yet its oldest historic documentation is far more recent than most imagine. Tracing earliest written sources through to the Code of Jewish Law reveals significant nuance and variation within this seemingly time-honored practice, while ancient sources also seem to wink at this idea. Yet, despite its apparent deep history, an 18th-century luminary threw shade on this practice and many subsequently abandoned it. Here, you'll find out why!

The Talmud in Pesachim quotes Rav Yosef exulting the holiday of Shavuos when the Jews received the Torah: “Said Rav Yosef, “If not for this day, how many Yosefs would wander the market?” If the Talmud notes the name of a sage, the name obviously has some relevance, and can add meaning to the teaching. So in the case of the teaching, why is Rav Yosef mentioned?

Soon after the Jewish people arrived at Mount Sinai, the final stages to receive the Torah began to unfold in earnest. This talk explores two views on the nature of these special days and what exactly is required of us as we prepare to receive the Torah anew this year. (Sefer Hasichos 5750)

Every manufacturer creates a manual. What is the manual for life?

By examining Rashi’s interpretation of the Kohen’s responsibility to safeguard his Kehunah (priesthood), we discover how spiritual health requires appropriate boundaries.

Rifka and Shalom Chilungu share their story of their path to embracing Judaism, their inspiration and challenges, and what it's like to raise their children as a bi-racial couple.

Rabbi Shlomo and Devorah Elkan, the co-directors of Chabad at Oberlin, one of the most progressive campus colleges, speak about their lives, what inspires them, and the challenges of today's youth.

In distress King David song-fully calls out to G-d for rescue, but why is the Psalmist singing when he is in danger?

Are you looking for life, liberty and happiness? Learn secret teachings of our Sages about little known, dangerous, mortality-inducing things to avoid, and the things that require a special plea-for-mercy from G-d! (Talmud tractate Berachot 55a)

Exploring the weekly reading from the Prophets, where we uncover the mystical characteristic of the Kohen by exploring Cain and Abel according to Kabbalah.

The law of the new grain teaches that spiritual growth starts with speaking your body's language and progresses to stimulating your soul.

How many of these important Passover facts do you know?

Judaism divides life into two time zones, "body time” when we're meant to work within the world, and "soul time" when we're meant to transcend the world.

Ch. 2, Mishnah 4-5: Hillel would say: Do not separate yourself from the community. Do not believe in yourself until the day you die. Do not judge your fellow until you have stood in his place. Do not say something that is not readily understood in the bel

A beautiful story about an embarrassed woman in the supermarket teaches us how to love one another.

Our choices, for positive or negative, impact the whole world.

A magnificent forum on tractate Yoma, which teaches about the unique status of the Kohen Gadol and a powerful insight into being Jewish.

A spiritual exploration of the three preconditions for a food item to become ritually impure. The inner dimension of these Temple laws highlights how there is a part of us that is always whole and pure, where nothing – no trauma, no circumstances – can da

A spoken word poem: Dear daughter, it is time to free yourself.

Exuberant prayer can be misguided and we learn this from Rashi's insight into the anatomy of the ear.