By RABBI NISSEN GOLDMAN
I recently attended a talk at Chabad Sea Point by Rabbi Levi Shmotkin, author of Letters for Life, a book rooted in the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s personal letters on emotional well-being.
The evening was filled with rare insight, and the book has since become a favourite of mine – so much so that I now teach it to university students at our Chabad House.
My fascination with self-help began in adolescence. I searched for the most evolved framework for understanding human potential and living an integrated life. That quest deepened during years of navigating an autoimmune condition. I immersed myself in advanced therapeutic modalities, each of which provided me with tools that I’m still grateful for. But over time, I grew weary of the endless self-focus and commodification that now saturates the industry, especially on social media, where every healing post feels like a sales pitch.
I began craving something purer. Something trustworthy. Something Divine.
When I discovered Letters for Life in a New York bookstore, I felt an immediate sense of relief. Here was a trustworthy voice – Torah -based, untainted by ego or agenda, communicated through the Rebbe’s deep love for every individual. For once, I could absorb guidance without filtering it through scepticism.
More than that, the book spoke to all of me – including the part most other modalities missed: my Jewishness. Not a side identity, but my essence. The Rebbe’s approach doesn’t just allow for that – it centres it. In IFS language, it speaks directly to the Self – with a capital ‘S’.
The self-help world, ironically, often leads to greater self-absorption. The more we dwell on ourselves, the more we become imprisoned by our inner narratives. The Rebbe flips this on its head. His guidance isn’t about fixing ourselves, because we are not broken. It’s rather about transcending ourselves and breaking free of our limiting self-perceptions. We are not here merely to fix ourselves, but to be of service, to be givers, and to live with purpose.
Struggle, in this view, isn’t something to escape – it’s sacred. Be it internal or inflicted upon us. Meaning itself is the medicine. And healing begins when we can place our pain within its greater Divine context.
These days, the Rebbe’s letters have become my compass – helping me navigate life with clarity, strength and trust in G-d’s care. Not just another self-help tool, but a return to eternal truth. ●
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