Talks and Tales (Sichos L'Noar)

Talks and Tales (or in Yiddish "Shmuesn Mit Kinder Un Yugent") was a children's monthly magazine published in English and Yiddish by Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch starting from 1942.

The purpose of publishing this monthly magazine was to enrich Jewish youth in the United States with Jewish knowledge in the spirit of traditional Judaism. The magazine included halachos, minhagim, stories from the Talmud and Midrash connected to the weekly parsha, biographies of great Jewish leaders, and more.

Purpose of the Publication

The inner intention of publishing this monthly magazine was to strengthen Yiddishkeit and instill it in the hearts of youth through all possible means.

The Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe's Relationship to the Magazine

The magazine received special attention from the Frierdiker Rebbe, who frequently encouraged its distribution in his letters.

The Rebbe would carefully review and edit each new issue before publication.

In 1942-1944, the magazine featured a regular column with answers to questions that the Rebbe chose to include in a daily pocket calendar for students.

In a letter from 1956, the Rebbe writes:

"I acknowledge with thanks receipt of the first issue of Sichos L'Noar, and may your mind be at ease as mine was when the above was published.

May it be Hashem's will that this be a good beginning to conquer literature in the Holy Land, especially literature for youth through the Torah of our holy Rebbeim, because... ultimately these talks too are meant for spreading the wellsprings outward, and as with all matters of Torah and mitzvos (as it is written 'Hashem commanded us to do etc. to fear,' for how one comes to love and fear Him is through contemplating His greatness etc. as ruled by the Rambam, which is the concept of Chassidus - know the G-d of your father), and may Hashem grant you tremendous success, and through this may your personal matters also be enhanced."

Fortunate is His Portion Who Stands at the Head of this Enterprise

In a letter from 1958, the Rebbe writes to R' Naftali Kraus: "Regarding what was written about Sichos L'Noar, it seems a letter was already sent to him from Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch.

Fortunate is his portion who stands at the head of this enterprise, which without doubt brings many Jewish hearts closer to our Father in Heaven, His Torah and mitzvos. The greatness of this matter cannot be adequately described, particularly according to the saying of the Alter Rebbe that 'Love your fellow as yourself' is a vessel for 'Love Hashem your G-d' [for love of Hashem is the foundation and root of all mitzvos, as love is the foundation and root of all 248 positive commandments which include also the mitzvah of fearing Hashem, the foundation and root of the 365 negative commandments]."

The Magazine's Cover

The Rebbe explained to someone how the illustrations on the magazine's cover express and instill two fundamental points of Yiddishkeit in the youth's hearts:

That Yiddishkeit and its practical expression, meaning Torah and mitzvos, are the most sublime and elevated matters in creation. And on the other extreme, that nothing in the world can exist without being founded on Torah and mitzvos.

This is expressed with utmost clarity in the cover illustration:

The Symbol of the Luchos on the Cover

The clearest symbol of Torah and mitzvos is the Two Luchos (Tablets), and it's emphasized in the illustration that they are above the earth and even above the heavens, which are difficult to symbolize clearly except through clouds. Therefore, the Two Luchos are placed above the clouds, and above them is only the Creator, blessed be He, hinted to in the illustration by the letters "B"H". Below them is the globe, and since the giving of the Torah was at Har Sinai, the globe is drawn such that a straight line from the letters "B"H", through the Two Luchos, would reach, proportionally, the area where the giving of the Torah occurred - Har Sinai.

For this purpose, the three elements (the globe, the Luchos, and the letters) are diagonal, not one beneath the other, since then the globe would need to be drawn in a way youth are not at all accustomed to, meaning with east up and west down. Also, then only part of the inhabited countries would appear on the cover, while the intention is to emphasize that the Torah is in full force in every place.

The Globe on Three Pillars

The illustration is based on the Mishnah's statement "The world stands on three things: on Torah, on Avodah (service), and on Gemilus Chassadim (acts of kindness)." In the cover illustration, the Mishnah's words are taken literally, though obviously everyone understands that Torah, Avodah, and Gemilus Chassadim are not physical pillars, but rather spiritual concepts (although expressed through human actions), and everyone knows that Torah comes from the Giver of the Torah.

(Despite the Mishnah using the phrase "the world stands," which is shared with the standing of a physical object on a physical pillar, though its intention is the spiritual and inner meaning, it's not concerned about any mistake in this, as proven by none of the Mishnah's commentators addressing the question of what the pillars stand on, and similarly in the cover illustration, there is no room for mistake in this matter).

Shmuesn Mit Kinder Un Yugend

Originally, the series was published in Yiddish under the name "Shmuesn Mit Kinder Un Yugend." It began publication in 1942 and continued for 48 years as a monthly publication that came out each month.

The magazine was edited by the mechanech Rabbi Nissan Mindel and was published by Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch.

The Rebbe responded in a long and detailed letter to Rabbi Moshe Pinchas Katz regarding his questions about precise points in the Shmuesn issues.

Hebrew

In Elul 1956, "Sichos L'Noar" began publication in Eretz HaKodesh in Hebrew by Rabbi Avraham Meizlish and the chossid R' Naftali Kraus.

This publication was largely based on the content from the old Yiddish issues of 'Sichos L'Noar' with additions including: a beautifully designed and eye-catching illustration on the first page of each section featuring Jewish concepts related to the parshos, etc. The magazine also included a section on the wonders of the Creator, Jewish sections about holidays, a section about gedolei Yisroel from previous generations, and more.

Publication continued until 1981, with a total of 333 issues published. Later, the issues were compiled and published as a series of books.

After the monthly issues ceased publication, several books were published that collected articles from Sichos L'Noar, some with renewed editing:

• Chagei Yisrael U'Moadav - edited by Rachel Zamir, a collection of articles about the holidays
• Mah Sheseiper Li Saba - four volumes of stories from Sichos L'Noar
• Niflaos HaTeva - collection of articles from the section with renewed editing by A. Navon, 2 volumes
• Va'ani Tefilasi (2 volumes)
• Mi, Mah V'Eimasai - from the "Did You Know?" section

Books in Yiddish:

• Dertzeil Mir A Mayse - selected stories from Sichos L'Noar in Yiddish (4 volumes)
• Ver, Vos, Vu, Ven - Who, What, Where, When - from the "Did You Know?" section of Sichos L'Noar in Yiddish

In 2004, R' Lior Eliyahu from Kfar Chabad took upon himself to republish the monthly magazine in a renewed format by collecting material from previously published issues with color printing and new typesetting. As part of this project, two volumes were published before publication ceased following the tragic passing of the initiator in a car accident.