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A New Book About the Rebbe’s Teachings Will Light Up and Inspire Your Life
Menachem Mendel Schneerson — the Lubavitcher Rebbe — at the Lag BaOmer parade in Brooklyn, New York, May 17, 1987. Photo: Mordecai Baron via Wikicommons.
Mendel Kalmenson’s newly published book, On Purpose (Ezra Press), was inspired by the wisdom and teachings of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, otherwise affectionately known throughout the world as the Rebbe.
The opening pages at once grab the reader’s attention, with the Rebbe’s answer to that age-old question, “why am I here?”
His answer is both life-changing and life-confirming; he said your existence is G-d’s way of saying that you matter. The fact that you matter is a perfect segue into another question, “if I matter, why am I here, in other words, what is my purpose in life?” According to the Rebbe, the short answer is, we are here to elevate the Divine sparks hidden within the material world. What that means and how we do that is the focus of this book.
Judaism considers humility a virtue, and according to our sages, the humblest person to have ever existed was Moses. How do we know? The Torah tells us so. “Now, this man Moses was exceedingly humble, more so than any person on earth.” (Bamidbar 12:3). Although it would be a monumental challenge to be as humble as Moses, nevertheless we can aspire to be more modest and unassuming in our own lives, despite what appears to be a contradictory Kabbalist statement that “G-d crafted the cosmos to make your existence possible.”
Kalmenson illuminates three principles the Rebbe embraced — the importance of life, the value of the individual, and their responsibility to the self and the entire world. The Rebbe, ever the optimist, had unabated faith in mankind. So much so, he taught that even evil allows us to find a positive outcome in a circumspect way. He explained that history bears witness to the fact that an individual can do much harm, but similarly a person can do much good. The Rebbe believed that in G-d’s creation, good outweighs evil and that the smallest act of kindness can have a profound positive Butterfly Effect on the world.
So, how do we know what G-d expects from us; what is our mission? Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks summed up the wisdom he received from the Rebbe, “Where what you do meets what needs to be done, that is where G-d wants you to be.” But because life places obstacles and diversions along each person’s path, it is difficult to find the right way to fulfill one’s purpose. But that is no reason to despair, because G-d equips us with the wherewithal to overcome the difficulties we will inevitably meet.
Although the Rebbe had no children, he stressed the importance of family. His view of family is characterized by the aphorism, “Charity begins at home” or more pointedly he said, “If you have the choice between supporting those who are poor in your family or the poor in your city, the poor in your family takes precedence.”
Sometimes the Rebbe surprised those who had the privilege to learn some of his personal views. For example, who would think the Rebbe considered a birthday the most important day of your life? After all, in traditional Jewish practice, the birthday’s importance pales compared to the day of your death, by the fact we commemorate a person’s yahrzeit, by giving tzedakah, reciting kaddish, special prayers, and lighting a yahrzeit candle. But the Rebbe viewed the importance of those two days differently than one would expect. To find out his reasoning about that matter, as well as gaining insight to a host of other fascinating ideas about his theological beliefs and practices, I strongly recommend reading Kalmenson’s well-written and hard to put down book; you will not be disappointed.
Steve is a freelance writer focusing on topics relating to Israel and Judaism.
The post A New Book About the Rebbe’s Teachings Will Light Up and Inspire Your Life first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.