Communicated
How a small grassroots initiative to spread the Rebbe’s teachings transformed into a global movement, inspiring thousands of people each day.
A Young Israel rabbi sharing the Rebbe’s message in his sermon. A Flatbush teacher offering the Rebbe’s explanation in her Chumash class. A chossid in Williamsburg repeating a sicha to his guests at the Shabbos table. While today such scenarios are commonplace, fifteen years ago, before Rabbi Avremi Mann dreamt up Ohr HaChassidus, the Rebbe’s torah was far less accessible to anyone outside of Chabad.
The founding vision for Ohr HaChassidus was at once entirely simple yet utterly audacious, says Mann: To bring the message of the Rebbe to every single Jew in the world.
4000 shuls, 35,000 email subscribers, and countless lives touched later, Mann’s vision is well on its way to fruition.
“The more I interacted with people outside of Chabad,” Mann says, describing his inspiration to launch Ohr HaChassidus, “the more I realized how unknown the Rebbe’s message was. Clearly we had to start doing something different.”
The new approach: Meet people where they are. And share the Rebbe’s teachings in the language they speak.
This insight led to a series of new publications, each targeting a different Jewish demographic. For people familiar with a more Yeshivish approach to learning: Likras Shabbos, a weekly publication of sichos, letters and stories readapted in a Yeshivish style and language. For English readers looking for a quick dose of inspiration: Lightpoints, a short daily teaching on the weekly Torah portion. And for those looking to make a more serious commitment to learning the Rebbe’s Torah: Regular seforim sales in Jewish communities across the country.
The results are telling. Today, tens of thousands of people in Jewish communities across North America, South America, Europe and Australia have regular access to the Rebbe’s teachings and receive daily inspiration from his message.
“Ohr HaChassidus is still in its infancy,” Mann says. “There are still so many more Jewish people around the world who we can inspire.”
To help cover its expanding budget, Ohr HaChassidus is running the annual Bayis Raffle: An opportunity to win six months of your family’s rent or mortgage fully paid. The second prize winner will receive 100 Sifrei Chassidus of their choice.
“The Bayis Raffle is an opportunity for the entire community to partake in Hafatzas HaMa’ayanos,” says Mann. “Your support will allow Ohr HaChassidus to continue its important work and to expand well beyond what’s been achieved to date.”
Tickets to the Bayis Raffle can be purchased at BayisRaffle.com or by calling 917-410-8144.
Purchase tickets before Rosh Chodesh Adar using coupon code “LS770” and you’ll double your chances of winning!
The raffle will be drawn on Adar 7 / February 12.
For more information about Ohr HaChassidus and to subscribe to their publications. Visit Likras.org and the Dailylightpoints.com
This actually began 5759 here In ch as a one time thing the devar malchus the rebbe gave out in 5751 named Madame melech that spread globally with over 4000 copies (printed by zev cadaner) by 2 bochurim in ot. then in winter 5760 it expanded to a yom tov publication on a local level of about 1000 pc (and it was brought to Lakewood for instance by their own talmidim) called madanei yom tov printed by vaad printing than by the following year r’ yossi laine exempted to do the printing so then they could print much more. With… Read more »
A prominent lecturer in Israel , Rabbi Menashe Reizman who has a world wide audience of tens of thousands of people who receive his shiurim via email has quoted from these publications several times.
Great to go online and see good news! Keep up spreading light!
And buy raffles – can organizers just please clarify:
What is meant – not exceeding $2,500?
As well for whoever will be the lucky winner, are taxes meant to be paid if prize is directly allocated to rent or mortgage, i.e. not as a cash deposit and/or savings?
If I recall correctly, this beautiful endeavor and publication of Likras Shabbos began about 15 years ago with total dedication to answering a need and expanding the Rebbe’s teachings, to as many as possible. At the time my son was a classmate of Avremi Mann in Yeshiva in Kfar Chabad. Almost singlehandedly, at just age 18 with few resources, from a little makeshift space in Yeshiva, Rabbi Avremi Mann – compiled, summarized, edited and distributed this precious publication as a plain paper booklet, consistently on a weekly basis, every Erev Shabbos without fail to cities, communities, and shuls throughout Israel…… Read more »