In 1971, with Rabbi Schneerson's guidance, Friedman founded the Bais Chana Women International, an Institute for Jewish Studies in Minnesota, which became the world's first school of Jewish studies exclusively for women with little or no formal Jewish education. He has served as the school's dean since its inception.From 1984-1990, he served as the simultaneous translator for a series of televised talks by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Friedman currently serves as senior translator for most of the Lubavitch publishing houses, including the Kehot Publications Society and Jewish Educational Media, Inc.

Friedman has lectured in hundreds of cities throughout the US, as well as London, Hong Kong, Cape Town, and Johannesburg in South Africa, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and a number of South and Central American cities.In the wake of the natural disasters in 2004 and 2005, Friedman authored a practical guide to help rescue and relief workers properly understand and deal with the needs of Jewish survivors.

Rabbi Manis Friedman is a social philosopher. His teachings range from explanations of Chassidic texts to healthy marriage advice.

Though not extensively published, Friedman's teachings have been cited by many authors writing on various secular issues as well as on exclusively Jewish topics. Friedman's student and fellow author Shmuley Boteach cites Friedman often, including in his books The Private Adam (2005) and Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments (2001). Barbara Becker Holstein quotes Friedman in her book Enchanted Self: A Positive Therapy (1997), Angela Payne quotes him in her book Living Every Single Moment: Embrace Your Purpose Now (2004), and Sylvia Barack Fishman quotes him in A Breath of Life: Feminism in the American Jewish Community (1995; part of the Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life). Lynn Davidman, in her book Tradition in a Rootless World (1993), credits Friedman with playing a key role in the resurgence of Orthodox Judaism among women. In two separate autobiographies, Playing with Fire: One Woman's Remarkable Odyssey by Tova Mordechai (1991) and Shanda: The Making and Breaking of a Self-Loathing Jew by Neal Karlen (2004), both authors credit Friedman for their own returns to Judaism.

In a statement to Moment Magazine Friedman was quoted as saying:

"I don’t believe in western morality, i.e. don’t kill civilians or children, don’t destroy holy sites, don’t fight during holiday seasons, don’t bomb cemeteries, don’t shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral. The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattleIn response to the offense that Jews, Muslims, and others took to the statement Friedman responded:

"It is obvious, I thought, that any neighbor of the Jewish people should be treated, as the Torah commands us, with respect and compassion. Fundamental to the Jewish faith is the concept that every human being was created in the image of G-d, and our sages instruct us to support the non-Jewish poor along with the poor of our own brethren.

The sub-question I chose to address instead is: how should we act in time of war, when our neighbors attack us, using their women, children and religious holy places as shields. I attempted to briefly address some of the ethical issues related to forcing the military to withhold fire from certain people and places, at the unbearable cost of widespread bloodshed (on both sides!) -- when one’s own family and nation is mercilessly targeted from those very people and places."

In the 1980's Manis Friedman accompanied Bob Dylan to a farbrengen (hasidic gathering) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Brooklyn. Dylan had frequented Friedman's home in St. Paul. Friedman's book "Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?" eventually won the following blurb from Dylan: "Anyone who is married or thinking about getting married would do well to read this book."

Books

• Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore? Reclaiming Modesty, Intimacy and Sexuality.
• The Relief and Rescue Workers Guide to Judaism - a Rescue Workers Handbook.

Audio

• The Art of Living (12 lectures based on Igros Kodesh)
• Chassidic Thoughts at Bais Chana (16 lectures on every aspect of Judaism)
• Family - Getting to Like The People You Love (14 lectures on healthy relationships)
• Holiday Series (9 lectures on modern application of holiday messages)
• It's Good To Know (16 lectures; the answers to the hardest questions)
• Living With The Times (54 of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson's lectures on Torah)
• Rambam - Perplexed No More! (14 lectures - the mysticism behind Maimonides' teachings)
• The Rest of the Story (20 telling stories)
• The Ring of Truth - Jewish Philosophy (4 lectures)
• The Ring of Truth — Faith (6 lectures)
• The Ring of Truth - The Inner Jew (6 lectures)
• The Ring of Truth - On Torah and Mitzvos (5 lectures)
• The Ring of Truth - The Vast Eternal Plan (5 lectures)
• How To Be A Mentch (12 lectures base on the Ethics of Our Fathers)
• The Tanya (42 Lectures on the most basic Hassidic Text)
• Get To Know Your Soul (12 lectures on why you do what you do)
• The Holistic and Kabbalistic; Kabbalah and Homeopathy
• Not for Women Only; Relationships
• Moshiach; Why Believe When You can Understand?
• Why Me; Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
• You Are What You Believe
• What's Love Got To Do With It; Three ingredients to everlasting love.
• Nothing Besides Him - Tanya for everyone!