THE REBBE'S DISCOURSES
A collection of summaries of a selection of the discourses of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, delivered over decades of the Rebbe's leadership.
This discourse was delivered by the Rebbe on Shabbat Bereishit, 5718 (1957). The prophet Isaiah states 'G-d tells the end from the beginning', which Rabbi Shneur Zalman links to the first word of the Torah, Bereishit. The discourse reveals that Bereishit as 'the beginning' is so intensely the origin of all existence that everything else, in relation to it, is 'the end', uncovering the Essence of the Infinite that is present at the very start of Creation.
This discourse was delivered by the Rebbe on Shabbat Bereishit, 5742 (1981). The first word of the Torah, Bereishit, forms the anagram Brit Eish, a Covenant of Fire, which Chassidic teachings link to the verse about Jerusalem being surrounded by a Divine wall of fire. The discourse explores three aspects of Jerusalem's spiritual structure and how the Covenant of Fire expresses the ultimate future state of the Divine Presence dwelling within a boundless, open city.
This discourse was delivered by the Rebbe on Shabbat Sedra Bereishit, 5725 (1964). The Talmud states that one who recites Vayechulu on Friday evening becomes a partner with G-d in Creation. The discourse explores what it means for a finite human being to be a partner in the infinite work of Creation, revealing how through the Shabbat declaration each Jew testifies to and thereby participates in the ongoing creative act of G-d.