Likkutei Sichos is the main series of seforim containing the teachings of the Rebbe of Lubavitch Melech HaMoshiach, comprising 40 volumes. The series contains a selected collection of sichas that the Rebbe delivered over the years and were carefully edited by him weekly for publication and distribution worldwide.

The sichos are arranged according to the weekly Torah portions, with each sicha exploring one topic from the parsha in depth, including the annual cycle of Jewish holidays and special Chassidic dates.

History

Since the Rebbe's arrival in America in 1941, he began, under the direction of his father-in-law Rabbi Rayatz, to hold farbrengens with Chassidim at 770 every Shabbat Mevarchim. After Rabbi Rayatz's passing in 1950, the sichas given at these farbrengens and other occasions were written down by several students at 770. Some were edited by the Rebbe himself and distributed worldwide, though not in a regular, organized manner.

Before Shavuot 1958, Tzeirei Agudas Chabad requested the Rebbe to edit one of his weekly sichas from previous years on the Torah portion to provide material for Chassidim to share in New York synagogues. The Rebbe agreed, and weekly booklets began appearing under the name "Table of Contents for Sharing Chassidic Teachings in Synagogues." These sichas continued for a year until Shavuot 1959.

Establishment of the Committee for Publishing Sichas

In the early years, the sichas were written by transcribers with help from additional Chassidim and printed by Tzeirei Agudas Chabad.

In 1967, Rabbi Ben Tzion Shem Tov decided to strengthen the distribution of the sichas in broader circles and established the Committee for Publishing Sichas. That year, Rabbi Shem Tov arranged to reprint one of the "Table of Contents" booklets and distribute them weekly throughout New York. When Rabbi Shem Tov prepared the first pamphlet and submitted it to the Rebbe with notice of plans for public distribution, the Rebbe gave them the name "Likkutei Sichos" and noted to add the Kehot Publication Society logo.

The Weekly "Likkut"

In 1970, when all the old sichas were exhausted, the Rebbe began editing a sicha every week before each Shabbat. This arrangement continued for about two years, and from these edited sichas were printed the sichas appearing in volumes 5-9.

Style of the Sichas

The sichas in the first four volumes were from booklets intended for sharing Chassidic teachings in synagogues, and for this purpose sichas or discourses given by the Rebbe in previous years were selected that explained Chassidic foundations on the weekly Torah portion.

The sichas in volumes 5-9 were the first booklets published as "Likkutei Sichos" and were intended for distribution among Chabad Chassidim and Jews worldwide. Therefore, the style changed from their predecessors, and they are arranged as insights on the weekly Torah portions and holidays.

Language of Writing

Due to various reasons, some parts of the series appear in Yiddish and others in Hebrew. In the early years after the Holocaust, most of the Chabad Chassidic audience were European immigrants whose spoken language was Yiddish. This was also the Rebbe's spoken language, and naturally, the sichas were written in this language as well.

Structure of the Series

The Likkutei Sichos series is arranged according to the order of Torah portions and holidays, consisting of nine 'books'. The first book, like the second book, is divided into two volumes each, where volume 1 includes sichas on the portions of three Chumashim: "Bereishit," "Shemot," and "Vayikra." Volume 2 includes sichas on two Chumashim: "Bamidbar" and "Devarim."

Study of Likkutei Sichos

Seder Likkutei Sichos is an optional study session in Chabad yeshivas where students learn one of the Rebbe's sichas on the parsha each night. The seder was established by students in 770 as a birthday gift to the Rebbe before 11 Nissan of his seventieth year - 1971, dedicating seventy minutes every evening to in-depth study of the Rebbe's sichas.

Various Editions of the Series

The series has been translated into various languages and formats:

Hebrew - Machon Levi Yitzchak completed translation of the series in 2014
English - Translation by Vaad L'Hafotzas Sichos
Likkutei Sichos Parshiyot - A collection of all sichas on each parsha in one volume
Otzar Likkutei Sichos - A series organizing the sichas by topics with introductions and summaries
Likkutei Sichos on Geulah and Moshiach - A collection focusing on redemption-related sichas

Distribution by the Rebbe

The Rebbe distributed various volumes of the series on several occasions, particularly to groups of shluchim (emissaries) before their departure to their posts.

Additional Historical Details

In 1963, the 250th anniversary of the Alter Rebbe's passing, there was renewed interest in distributing the sichas and the Rebbe resumed weekly editing, from Shabbat Bereishit 1963 until Simchat Torah 1964. These booklets were bound in the next two volumes of the series.

After the passing of the Rebbe's mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, in 1965, the Rebbe held farbrengens every Shabbat and dedicated a special sicha each time to explaining the first and last Rashi commentary of the parsha.

Return to Editing in Hebrew

In early 1973, the Rebbe agreed to begin editing the Likkutim in Hebrew. A group of married students from the Kollel near the Rebbe's secretariat in Crown Heights was chosen for this task.

During the following two years, the Likkutim were published in Hebrew - these are the sichas that make up volumes 10-14. Over time, it became apparent that the married students preparing the sichas weren't sufficiently proficient in Hebrew and didn't meet the Rebbe's professional expectations. In early 1975, the Rebbe announced this arrangement couldn't continue and stopped editing the sichas for about a year.

Supplementary Volumes

In 1981, a special volume titled "Likkutei Sichos - Explanations on Likkutei Levi Yitzchak on Igeret HaTeshuva" was published. In the new printing, it was included as part of volume 39 in the general series.

Towards 10 Shevat 2021, two supplementary volumes - volume 40 - were published by the Vaad L'Hafotzas Sichos, containing the Rebbe's edited sichas that hadn't been previously published. The first volume contains complete sichas, and the second volume contains portions of sichas, arranged in chronological order.

Funding of Publication

Main contributors to printing Likkutei Sichos and other Vaad L'Hafotzas Sichos books past and present include:

Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Lapidot from Argentina
Rabbi Meir Zayatz from Brazil, who received special recognition from the Rebbe
Mr. Zeev Horowitz from Brazil, who also received special recognition

Project Likkutei Sichos

Project Likkutei Sichos is a program designed for all Chabad Chassidim, launched for the 70th anniversary of the Rebbe's leadership on 10 Shevat 2020. Thousands of Chassidim and those close to Chabad study two or three of the Rebbe's sichas weekly according to a specific order, with the goal of completing the entire series within eight years.

This covers the main sections I had previously skipped. The Likkutei Sichos series represents a comprehensive collection of the Rebbe's teachings, systematically organized and continues to be studied and referenced throughout the Chabad world.