From Rabbi Paltiel:
I want to bring your attention to a very important publication about the Rebbe and hiskashrus - “OD OVINU CHAI” put together by Rabbi Yisroel Shmotkin.
It is a comprehensive discussion on the meaning of HISKASHRUS, all based on the Rebbe’s sichos and igros. Thoroughly exploring the various aspects of this most important inyan, which is so central to the life of each and every chosid.
In this kovetz, questions that are not usually discussed, but relegated to “hergesh”, are discussed comprehensively and clearly.
Examples of a few questions it deals with: What is a Rebbe, why a Rebbe is so important in terms of a yid’s relationship to HASHEM, why this is so central to yiddishkeit and chassidus, how do we relate to the Rebbe now after Gimmel Tamuz, what are the mechanisms of hiskashrus, where do we go from here, etc. etc. the list goes on and on.
The kovetz Od Avinu Chai is a comprehensive work, it’s a textbook on hiskashrus. It opens up the whole inyan for us. It takes hiskashrus and deals with it head on. Issues that are left unspoken are dealt with lucidity and not skirted. Rather than remaining in the dark about such an important and central inyan, the reader can become empowered as they gain clarity to the inyonim. It is organized into sugyos, dealing with issue after issue....
Personally, I think this should be taught in our mesivta’s, it’s such an important “subject” and today nothing can be taken for granted. We need to give our children (and ourselves…) the HISKASHRUS in a fashion that can be explained and understood, making it part of our CHABAD....
So, I’m just giving my chaveirim a heads up about this. I’m not involved in this project, I cannot take an ounce of credit for this, nor am I involved in the hafotzo of it. I’m just writing to you, one Shliach to another, to let you know about a kovetz which was hugely helpful to me in the above inyonim....
Shalom M. Paltiel
Chabad of Port Washington
