Published by Machon Chaya Mushka

8 Machanaim St. Jerusalem 95314 Tel.: (02) 532-3156 Fax: (02) 532-3172 In the U.S.A. Machon Chaya Mushka

750 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11213 Tel.: (718) 493-8449 Fax: (718) 773-7589 ISBN 1-8814-0030-1

Year by year, thousands of Jews lovingly tread the familiar path of the weekly Torah readings. The path, however, becomes so familiar that it is easy to forget that beneath the surface lie countless strata of hidden treasures. Mercifully, though, from time to time, such as when one studies one of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's talks on the weekly Torah readings, a penetrating shaft of light opens up the surface terrain; it grants the reader a breathtaking glimpse of the deepseated treasures that have lain hidden from mortal eyes since Sinai.

Many of these weekly sichos of the Rebbe have already appeared in a variety of translations, summaries and adaptations. Yet this book is unique. Here the Rebbe's insights and interpretations are perceived through the eyes of a woman.

For many years, until her passing in 1992 at the age of 39, hundreds of women of all ages and levels of observance eagerly attended Nechoma Greisman's weekly classes on Chassidic Insights into Torah, at Machon Chaya Mushka and at the Israel Center in Jerusalem. As those women fondly recall, each of these shiurim was not merely a forum for the transmission of information: it was an unforgettable happening, a shared sisterly quest, a joyful igniting of souls. (Regrettably, not all of these classes were taped.) Basically, they constituted a chassidic lesson in learning from life. In addition, their womanly perspective considered the varied roles of women earnestly, yet with mellow good humor. Now, within the limits of the printed word, much of their tone and savor is distilled and preserved in these pages.

The present book will be a welcome breath of life for those who seek a human, vibrant, chassidic guide to digging for treasure, whether it is hidden within the weekly Torah readings or within oneself. For those who have read (and reread) The Nechoma Greisman Anthology, the present book will be doubly welcome. Simultaneously, it presents womanhood through the eyes of Chassidism, and Chassidism through the eyes of a woman.

Machon Chaya Mushka Women's Institute for Jewish Studies Jerusalem

23 Shvat, 5758 (1998)

Credits

Machon Chaya Mushka would like to thank Rabbi Moshe Miller, who painstakingly compiled this volume from a variety of lecture notes and tape transcripts; Uri Kaploun, for his editorial advice; Hinda Esther Baruch, for her conscientious proofreading; Yosef Yitzchok Turner, for the tasteful typography and layout; and Rabbi Yonah Avtzon, Director of Sichos In English, for his tireless efforts as publisher.