What is Likkutei Sichos?
The Rebbe’s Magnum Opus
The Likkutei Sichos series stands as the cornerstone of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe’s expansive Torah library. A prolific teacher, the Rebbe taught Torah in a tremendously broad manner. For over four decades, the Rebbe delivered hours-long divrei Torah during frequent public farbrengens held on Shabbos, Yom Tov, and other significant occasions. These talks, or sichos as they are known, span a broad array of Torah genres and topics and fill over 200 volumes in printed form.
Chief amongst this collection is Likkutei Sichos, or “Collection of Talks.” More than being raw transcripts of the Rebbe’s talks, these selections were prepared in essay form and submitted to the Rebbe for rigorous editing. The Rebbe personally reviewed and polished each of these sichos, ensuring their accuracy and clarity.
As a result, Likkutei Sichos comprises an authoritative collection of the Rebbe’s teachings, spanning 39 volumes and encompasses over one thousand sichos.
Likkutei Sichos stands apart as one of the most significant direct sources of the Rebbe’s Torah insights and perspectives. Unlike other texts edited by external sources, Likkutei Sichos presents the Rebbe’s teachings in their purest form, straight from his mouth and pen to the page. Discussing all areas of Torah with signature clarity, ingenuity, and compelling logic, these seforim offer unparalleled access to the Rebbe’s Torah empire. Moreover, within its pages, readers encounter not only a wealth of Torah knowledge and lomdus, but also a transformative vision for practical avodas Hashem.
Likkutei Sichos serves as a timeless repository of wisdom, guiding Jews of all backgrounds on a journey of spiritual discovery and growth, and inspiring generations to embrace the richness of Yiddishkeit with renewed fervor and understanding.
The Rebbe’s Philosophy
Teaching for Transformation
To the Rebbe, teaching Torah was the primary way he guided his chassidim and Klal Yisrael. Throughout the decades of public farbrengens, the Rebbe communicated a monumental perspective of the Torah’s deep-rooted truth, wholesome oneness, and ever-applicable relevance.
Regardless of the topic discussed, a deep reverence for every bit of Torah was vividly displayed. Constantly illustrating the precision of each Torah-perspective and opinion, the Rebbe demonstrated the inherent truth expressed in every iota of Torah. Consistently, the Rebbe ingrained within his students that nothing can mitigate the Torah’s G-dly truth, framing a Torah perspective to navigate the challenges of everyday living and our task at hand in bringing Mashiach.
Through his prolific discourses, particularly showcased in the 39 volumes of Likkutei Sichos, the Rebbe’s insights, scholarship, and visionary wisdom resonate with readers worldwide, offering timeless guidance for contemporary Jewish life.
Words that Breathe Life
What made the Rebbe’s sichos so captivating?
It is said, “Words that come from the heart enter the heart.” When a person wholeheartedly believes in what he is saying, and you see how meaningful it is to him, it becomes meaningful to you as well.
But it wasn’t just that the Rebbe believed what he said; his ideas breathed life. Rooted in sincerity and heart, his teachings breathed life and vibrancy into age-old Torah ideas, igniting a transformative journey for everyone hearing his teachings. Bringing Torah ideas to life, the Rebbe’s teachings caused a significant impact on Jewish life and perspective, even for many who would not consider themselves the Rebbe’s students.
Living Torah, Practically
The Rebbe would often state that “Torah” is related to the word “hora’ah” – “lesson.” He made this a fundamental principle in his approach to Torah – that Torah is a blueprint for life and every letter and nuance is a lesson to guide a Jew’s everyday actions.
The Rebbe would frequently repeat the statement of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad movement, that “one must live with the times” (mehn darf lebbin mit der tzeit) – with the content of the week’s Torah reading. Because the Torah is “Toras Chaim,” a “Torah of Life,” the weekly Torah portion is meant to be a guide, providing life lessons for that particular time.
To this end, Likkutei Sichos is divided according to the weekly parshah, allowing the reader to explore the timely lessons each parshah conveys. Each sichah is brimming with guidance and empowerment, providing the student with numerous lessons and pointers in actualizing their Divine purpose.
A Call to Purpose
The Rebbe would frequently quote Chazal, saying: “Study is not what is most essential; action is.”
As a true Jewish leader, the Rebbe sought – through his multifaceted teachings – to relate to all Jews and connect them each to their inner G-dly potential.
Moreover, the Rebbe transforms that potential into an active force, empowering each Jew to fulfill their role in the mission G-d entrusted to mankind – to make this world a dwelling for G-d.
Harmonious Integration
The Rebbe systematically illustrated the interdependent unity of all elements of Torah. For instance, the Rebbe often demonstrated that one cannot fully appreciate a specific comment of Rashi on Chumash without the depths of Chassidus, or that a nuanced piece of lomdus allows one to accurately grasp an abstract idea of Chassidus. The Rebbe’s talks and writings illustrate how the various disciplines of pshat, halachah, Talmud, and pnimiyus are one natural whole.
About Sichos in English
The premier publisher of Chassidus Chabad in English, SIE was founded in 5738 (1978) to accommodate the growing demand for English translation of the Rebbe’s frequent talks. The Rebbe welcomed this initiative and guided the translation process, at times personally editing entire talks or essays directly for the SIE publication.
Its immediate success saw it become a publisher of many classic texts of Chabad Chassidus that were otherwise out of reach from the English-speaking public. Beyond translating the language, its library of hundreds of titles provides elucidation and context, making them a go-to for anyone wishing to experience the world of Chassidus.
SIE’s mission is to present the teachings of the Chabad Rebbeim to the broadest spectrum of English readers, sharing the insights of these chassidic masters as they communicated them, without being filtered through other thought structures. Spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus outward to the furthest peripheries, both geographic and in mindset, we hope to usher in the time when “the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d.”
