BBC interviews Chabad author as book becomes national bestseller

Arutz Sheva ^ | 29/3/26

[Eleutheria5]

Yenny/El Ateneo, Argentina’s oldest and largest bookstore chain, publishes weekly charts of the top 10 bestselling books in their retail stores across the country. The Spanish edition of Letters for Life, a new book on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Torah-based advice for emotional wellbeing, surprised the country’s publishing wizards and emerged as #5 on the list. As a result, the book is now being sold in airports and malls across Argentina.

The book’s popularity follows the increased interest in the Lubavitcher Rebbe caused by Argentina’s philo-Semite president Javier Milei. Milei has visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Ohel several times on his trips to New York and speaks of the impact the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s teachings have had on his life.

Seeing the book’s international success, BBC journalist Talat-Farooq Awan contacted the author, Levi Shmotkin, to discuss the reasons for the book’s wide appeal. The interview played on the BBC’s nationally syndicated Sunday morning radio program.

Prompted by Awan, Shmotkin opened up about how the book came about:

“I was a regular teenager, studying and trying to focus on my academic roles, but my inner world was distracting me. I’d be sitting there with my textbooks, but my brain and my heart weren’t there."

“I found myself gravitating toward the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s letters. He was a great Jewish sage who counseled thousands of people through personal correspondence about their emotional and mental lives. As I read letter after letter, the guidance rooted in Jewish wisdom felt like it was coming off the page and speaking directly to me."

The conversation continued with questions from Awan:

.....

---

TOPICS: Books/Literature; Reference; Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: argentina; bbc; chabad; javiermilei; jewish; jews; lettersforlife; levishmotkin; lubavitcher; lubavitcherrebbe; talatfarooqawan; torah; yennyelateneo

[Eleutheria5]

Cool.

[Judge Bean]

My local Chabad is where I am spiritually fed.

[BipolarBob]

Local Chabad? Is there a synagogue near you?

[NetAddicted]

Me, too. I’m a Jew Wannabe. Actually, I’m a Chassidic Jew wannabe, which I believe means an Orthodox Jew who attends Chabad synagogues.

[Judge Bean]

The Chabad has its own Schul, but we live a couple of hours away. So we go to classes there and big events. As you probably know, the teaching is always excellent and worth the long trip. Classes are usually one day per week for six weeks, and happen 4 or 5 times per year.

[Judge Bean]

Their doors are always open for Jews and non-Jews. The theory is like when you were in high school and in your gymnasium, think of standing in the middle of it with all the lights out. And yet, you are able to light that entire gym with one candle light if given enough time. The light will conquer the darkness.

[BipolarBob]

Is the service in Hebrew or English?