From Rishon LeZion to the World: The Torah Class Bringing Hope, Healing, and Unity

“The truth is, there’s an interesting story behind the weekly class I give,” says Rabbi Shneur Ashkenazi shyly, when I ask him about the origins of his beloved class, which receives tens of thousands of views every week. “Thirteen years ago, I began giving a class on the weekly Torah portion in a synagogue in Rishon LeZion. I wasn’t aiming for anything big — just a regular neighborhood shiur. A few months after we began, suddenly one week a tall man walked in carrying five bags and asked if he could film the class. A Chabadnik never refuses hafatzah — spreading Torah, so I told him he was welcome to film.

“After the class, the man approached me and said he was a film director who had become religious, and he wanted to share the class with others. He had a small website, and each week a few hundred people watched the shiur there. A few months later I found out that the Chabad news website was also uploading the class. A few years after that, the site’s technical manager contacted me and said the files were too heavy for their servers, and asked permission to upload the shiurim to YouTube. I didn’t even know what YouTube was, but I said sure — and that gave it another huge leap. Today it’s probably the largest Torah class in the world. It’s broadcast on Kol Chai, Kol Berama, Kol HaLashon, dozens of WhatsApp groups, YouTube, and more. The class is given Sunday at nine, and by midnight it’s already online.”

There are many pros and cons to the internet. What do you think is unique about spreading Torah this way?

“One of the special things about the web is that you never know where your words will reach. The Torah is compared to water, and one explanation is that you know where it enters but not where it flows. A Jew stands in Rishon LeZion speaking to a camera — and the words reach people and places he never dreamed of.

“I receive messages from all over the world — from Reform Jews, from non-Jews. This tool has completely changed the world.

“For example, just a few hours ago I got a message from a man who grew up in a very conservative Chassidic family and left the religious path as a teen. He met a secular woman and has been with her for several years. She told him about a Torah class online that she loves and recommended he listen too. He wrote that because of the shiur he began reconnecting spiritually, while she wants to remain secular, and he asked me whether he should marry her or leave and look for a religious woman.”

A Messenger of Peace at Home

Rabbi Shneur Ashkenazi, 43, father of seven, lives in Rishon LeZion and serves as a Chabad emissary and rabbi of the city’s central synagogue.

“I was born into the Ashkenazi family in Kfar Chabad. My father served for decades as the village rabbi, and both his father and grandfather were rabbis as well. My father was a great Torah scholar, and my mother an incredible educator. I studied in Chabad yeshivot in Israel and then for four years in 770, the Rebbe’s yeshiva. I married the daughter of the central Chabad emissary in Rishon LeZion, and after the wedding we moved here. It’s not a religious city, to put it mildly, and there’s a lot of work to do. There are more than 50 Chabad emissaries here. My wife runs an elementary school, and we try to reach as many people as possible.”

He studied halacha and rabbinical law, but his main mission is teaching Chassidut.

“The greatness of Chassidut is that it speaks deeply about closeness to God and gives a person the feeling that Hashem is very near — which is true. It teaches that our physical world is actually the highest of worlds. It sees beauty and goodness in this world and tells a Jew he is closest to God — more than any other creation. Chassidut believes in people; it teaches they have immense power to repair and influence.”

Rabbi Ashkenazi also works in the content department of Tzeirei Chabad, preparing Torah materials for emissaries worldwide. “A Chabad shaliach runs an entire world of activity — hiring staff, fundraising, teaching Torah. Teaching is not easy, and we prepare lesson plans that shluchim deliver all over the world.”

If Chassidut emphasizes humility, how do you handle the fame that comes with your popular classes?

“It’s a real challenge, and I won’t deny it. Lots of people know me, but every morning I tell myself that everything I have is from Hashem. I’m just a merchant carrying diamonds — why should I be proud? I’m just a shaliach. When someone approaches me and thanks me, I look upward and say, ‘Thank You, Hashem, for allowing me to help this Jew — please give me strength to help others.’

“At times, the work is overwhelming, but I see how much it helps people, and that’s what gives me strength.”

A Marriage Saved

“For example, four years ago, on a Friday morning, a Chabad emissary from one of Israel’s wealthiest cities called me. He said, ‘I’m sorry to bother you before Shabbat, but it’s a matter of pikuach nefesh. There’s a couple here divorcing next week. The moving truck is already scheduled. They were very wealthy and lost everything, then joined my community and began strengthening their Yiddishkeit. I feel responsible for them. I asked if they still do anything together, hoping to find something to rebuild. I expected something about the kids, but they said: every Thursday night they open the big screen in their living room and watch your class. You are the glue that’s left. Maybe you can save the marriage.’”

What did you do?

“I have a rule: I’m not in WhatsApp groups, I don’t socialize endlessly, but if something reaches me, I feel obligated to help as much as I can. I can’t solve the world’s problems, but if Hashem brought something to me, it’s a sign I must try.

“The husband told me he wanted to save the marriage, but his wife did not. I called her, and she said: ‘If you care, help make this as short as possible. I just want him to leave. I don’t want money, nothing. Just go.’

“That man then went through several horrific years of financial collapse, mental health issues, and physical problems. Absolute despair. But I told him: ‘No matter what, never stop honoring your wife. Never stop trying for shalom bayit — within the bounds of halacha and dignity.’

“She had not begun the official divorce process. Had she done so, I would have told him to finalize it; one must never become a get refuser. He kept visiting her and the kids every Shabbat, driving long distances with extraordinary devotion.

“Eventually she did open a file in the rabbinate, and I thought it was over. A few days later he called me — I still remember exactly where I was, and said: ‘My wife called and asked me to come home. She wants to try again.’ They had spent the Seder separately, some kids with him, some with her — and that night she realized the home was worth saving.”

A Message of Hope

“That phone call restored my faith — not just in them, but in all people who struggle. If they could come back from that, it teaches so much about difficult cases. A person must never despair. He must do everything to return to the right path. Hashem believes in us, gives us strength, and we must use it to bring the world to its healing and redemption. I pray we merit it.”