.jpg?fit=crop&w=220&h=132&auto=format)
92NY’s Goldman Center for Children and Family provides an exceptional array of programs designed to support children at every stage of their development.
at The 92nd Street Y, New York. Supported by The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
Nov 12, 1981
“Where are you?” God’s question to the biblical Adam, says Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), actually addresses every person in each and every generation. God is asking us, “Where are you in the world? What is your place in it? What have you done with the years that you have already lived?” Beginning and ending his lecture with this question and the story around which it revolves, Professor Wiesel shows how Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Hasidism, forged a distinct intellectual Chasidic path, the legacy of which can be found today in Chabad centers the world over. In presenting Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s portrait, Professor Wiesel gives “a taste” of his central book, the Tanya, which conveys “philosophy and ethics and Talmudic ingenuity and mystical intuitions,” a “total image of the Hasidic experience.” Yet the lecture focuses on the three events that became turning points in Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s life: his encounter with the Maggid of Mezeritch; his imprisonment in St. Petersburg; and finally, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. And through each event and its challenges, Rabbi Shneur Zalman remained loyal to the mission of spreading the message of a Hasidic “commitment to fervor.”
© 2026 The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association
All Rights Reserved.
All material accessed via the 92NY website (“content”) is protected by copyright under U.S. Copyright laws and is the property of The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association or the party credited as the provider of the content. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell or offer it for sale, or use such content to construct any kind of database. You may not alter or remove any copyright or other notice from copies of the content accessed via 92NY’s website. Copying or storing any content except as provided above is expressly prohibited without prior written permission of 92NY or the copyright holder identified in the individual content’s copyright notice.
If you are a rights holder and have found your material on our website for which you have not granted permission (or is not covered by a copyright exception under US copyright laws), please contact us so that we may obtain and document accurate rights-related information. Upon email request to archive@92ny.org, we will temporarily remove material from public view while we address any rights issue and will honor takedown requests from authors who do not wish to have their work published.
