Chabad.org is the flagship

website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, educatio ...

of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. It was one of the first Jewish

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

sites.

History

In 1988, Yosef Yitzchak Kazen, a Chabad rabbi, began creating a Chabad-Lubavitch presence in

cyberspace Cyberspace is an interconnected digital environment. It is a type of virtual world popularized with the rise of the Internet. The term entered popular culture from science fiction and the arts but is now used by technology strategists, security ...

. With the advent of computer communication technology, Kazen recognized its potential for reaching an almost limitless audience, unlimited by geographic and other constraints. Kazen digitized thousands of documents into what became the world's first virtual Jewish library, and enabling thousands of people to learn about Judaism for the first time. Chabad.org served as a model for other Jewish organizations that created their own educational websites.

Jewish knowledge base

Chabad.org has a Jewish knowledge base which includes over 100,000 articles of information ranging from basic

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

to Hasidic philosophy taught from the Chabad point of view. The major categories are the human being, God and man, concepts and ideas, the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

, the physical world, the

Jewish calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as ''yahrzeits ...

, science and technology, people and events. There are sections on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

Kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

Tefillin Tefillin (Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ; Modern Israeli Hebrew, Modern Hebrew pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls o ...

Mezuzah A ''mezuzah'' ( "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew language, Hebrew verses from the Torah, which Jews affix in a small case to the doorposts of their homes. These verses are the Biblical pa ...

, the Jewish way in death and mourning and a

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

companion.

Ask the Rabbi

Chabad.org was the pioneer of “

Ask the rabbi Ask the Rabbi is a term used in Jewish newspapers and on Jewish websites for responsa, known as ''Shut'' (Hebrew: שו"ת, literally Q&A), the traditional term for correspondence with rabbis, usually on a Halachic basis. This phrase is often us ...

” sites. Kazen reached out to thousands of people on Fidonet, an online discussion network, as far back as 1988. In 1994, Kazen launched the first version of Chabad's “Ask the Rabbi” website. Today's version, in which 40 rabbis and educators field questions via e-mail, answered more than 500,000 questions between 2001 and 2006, averaging about 270 a day. Many people take advantage of the Web's anonymity to impart experiences and ask for advice from chabad.org. Chabad.org also operates TheJewishWoman.org's “Dear Rachel”, a similar service which is run by women for women. Questions and answers have been posted online.

Features

Chabad.org provides daily, date-specific information relevant to each day from

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

, daily Torah study, candle-lighting times, and forthcoming Jewish holidays. Chabad.org maintains a number of sub-sites, including *Weekly Magazine email on Torah and contemporary life. *A search feature that enables the user to quickly find a Chabad House in any part of the world. *An online Jewish library that contains some 100,000 articles. *An "Ask the Rabbi" feature. *A multimedia portal, Jewish.tv, where users can stream Jewish audio and video. *A children's section. *A section featuring reports in the media on the activities of Chabad Lubavitch Shluchim ("emissaries"). Chabad.org and its affiliated sites claim over 43 million visitors per year, and over 365,000 email subscribers.Our Impact
Chabad.org

References

Sources

Rabbi Schneerson's life for a history-gathering project

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chabad.Org Internet properties established in 1988 Chabad organizations Chabad-Lubavitch (Hasidic dynasty) Websites about Jews and Judaism Non-profit organizations based in New York (state)