Sha'ar Hayichud
Veha'emunah

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (Even Israel)

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (Even Israel) (1937–2020), was one of the most prolific and visionary Jewish scholars of the modern era. Born in Jerusalem to a secular family, he found his way to Torah study as a young man and went on to devote his life to making the full breadth of Jewish tradition accessible to all.

His most celebrated achievement was a monumental translation and commentary of the entire Babylonian Talmud — a task that had not been undertaken for over seven hundred years — rendered in modern Hebrew and later translated into multiple languages. He was described by Time Magazine as "a once-in-a-millennium scholar."

Rabbi Steinsaltz was equally at home in the world of Chabad Chassidut, writing extensively on the Tanya and its inner dimensions. His commentary on Sha'ar Hayichud Veha'emunah illuminates the text with rare clarity and depth, drawing on both rigorous scholarship and profound spiritual insight. It is this commentary that forms the backbone of this course.

He founded the Steinsaltz Centre in Jerusalem, which continues his work of bringing Jewish wisdom to Jews and non-Jews around the world. May his memory be a blessing.

Rabbi Shlomo Levin MBE

Shlomo Levin was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and brought up in a traditional Jewish home. He became deeply connected with the Chabad movement during his university years, and ever since, has studied and taught Chabad Chassidut.

He served as the Senior Rabbi of the South Hampstead Synagogue in London, England, growing it over forty years from a small community on the brink of closure into one of the largest and most vibrant communities in the United Kingdom.

He was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his work within the Jewish community and interfaith.

The ideas in Sha'ar Hayichud Veha'emunah, the second book in the Tanya of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, offers a radical way to view an increasingly fragmented world. With the brilliant commentary and insights of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz of blessed memory, one of the greatest teachers of our generation, Shlomo has attempted to make this complex text available to all.

The twenty-two episodes here represent a complete presentation of the text, suitable for the curious beginner and the seasoned student alike.