LubavitchSpeak: A Dictionary of Chabad-Lubavitch Chasidism: Words, Sayings and Colloquialisms

THE PREVIOUS REBBE of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950) said, "When we remind ourselves of the 'sayings of old,' it enlivens us." That is to say, the expressions used through the generations in Lubavitch are permeated with a life and a holy energy. In them is preserved an entire culture, a lifestyle, and a place of genuine warmth . . . for they come from a time and a place when people truly cared for one another. LubavitchSpeak is a fascinating dictionary of words, sayings and colloquialisms used by generations of Chabad-Lubavitcher Chasidim to express the most important concepts and contents of their unique culture which has been so influential on modern Judaism. It is a language which has evolved through 200 years of pious and dedicated service to G-d, and includes the terminology of the Chasidic gathering (farbrengen), the synagogue (shul), the seminary (yeshiva), and even Lubavitch 'street language,' the day-to-day talk of Lubavitcher Chasidim, young and old, male and female, past and present. The more one is familiar with 'LubavitchSpeak,' the better one will appreciate the Lubavitch lifestyle and its holiness. For, to know a culture, you must first understand its language.