Toras Chaim (Chabad)
Chabad philosophy book
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toras Chaim (Hebrew: תורת חיים, "Torah of Life") is a two-volume work of Hasidic discourses on the books of Genesis and Exodus by the second rebbe (hereditary hasidic leader) of the Chabad dynasty, Dovber Schneuri.[1][3] The work is arranged according to the weekly Torah portion.
Toras Chaim, 1826 edition, Kapust | |
| Author | Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the second Chabad Rebbe |
|---|---|
| Published | |
| Pages | 1,812 (current hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | 0-8266-5588-2 |
The treatises in Toras Chaim long and complex, and elucidate of concepts discussed in Likutei Torah/Torah Or.[4]
Publication
Kapust
The first printing of Toras Chaim occurred during Rabbi Dovber's lifetime; it was printed in Kapust in 1826.[1] This edition contained Hasidic treatises covering just the first half of the book of Genesis.[5]
Warsaw
The next edition of Toras Chaim was published in Warsaw, in 1866. The edition was published by Rafael Mordechai Schneerson, the great-nephew of Dovber Schneuri, together with Schneur Schneerson, a grandson of Dovber. This edition included treatises covering the second half of the book of Genesis.[5]
Shanghai
In 1946, the Chabad yeshiva in Shanghai and the central Chabad publishing house, Kehot Publication Society, republished the Warsaw edition of Toras Chaim. Additionally, a series of unpublished Hasidic treatises by Dovber covering the book of Exodus were included in a separate second volume. The edition was published. The second volume was never typeset. Instead, those treatises remained a photocopy of the original handwritten transcripts.[5][6]
Brooklyn
The central Chabad publishing house in Brooklyn, Kehot Publication Society, republished Toras Chaim in 1974,[7] 1993[6] and 2004. The 2004 edition is a 1,812 page, three-volume set; the Exodus treatises have been typeset and all treatises include extensive footnotes and annotations.[8]