from Chabad.org
[This date is the anniversary of] the passing of the Alter Rebbe in the village of Piena, on Motzaei Shabbos, Parshas Shmos, 5573 (1812). His resting place is in the township of Haditch.
My revered grandfather, the Rebbe [Maharash], once asked [his father,] the Tzemach Tzedek: “What did our zeide1 want to achieve with the ways of Chassidus2 and [through the study of] Chassidus?”
The Tzemach Tzedek answered: “[The goal of] the ways of Chassidus is that all chassidim should be like one family, [united] in love according to the Torah. Chassidus is vitality, bringing energy and light into everything, even into those things that are undesirable. We should recognize our own evil as it is, so that we can correct it.”3
A Mini-Farbrengen
The last lines of the above teaching summarize a dialogue between the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe Maharash. After the Tzemach Tzedek said that “Chassidus is vitality, bringing energy and light into everything,” the Rebbe Maharash asked him: “Even into undesirable matters?”
The Tzemach Tzedek answered: “Yes, we must illuminate even evil,” and then continued as quoted: “We should recognize….”
With this approach, the Tzemach Tzedek shed light on the Chabad approach to confronting and refining one’s own negative traits.
It is related that the saintly disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch embodied three different approaches when confronted by the evil in others. One approach was personified by R. Zusya of Hanipoli, who simply never saw wickedness in a fellow Jew. No matter how bad the person was, R. Zusya saw only the good in him.
Another approach was personified by R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who could see the evil in a fellow Jew, but would never accept it. He would pray for him until G‑d washed the evil away.
The third approach was personified by the Alter Rebbe. He would see the evil in others, yet despite the unpleasantness of dealing with such traits, he would face those people and talk to them about their problems. Thus, he taught them a path of Divine service that enabled them to correct their difficulties themselves.
A similar concept applies to facing the evil within ourselves. Only after we confront ourselves and look at ourselves honestly can we correct our faults. This approach also relates to the above-quoted call by the Tzemach Tzedek for unity among chassidim, for the work of self-refinement is easiest when we are part of a community whose members relate to each other lovingly — as within a family — and actively support each other’s strivings toward personal growth.
6th Rebbe
6th Rebbe - the Destiny Foundation
"In New York he faced a new threat: a largely apathetic Jewish world. He said, “America is no different” and that even in such a materialistic country, the Torah could take root and flourish. He established yeshivas, day schools, youth clubs, publishing house for Jewish books and social services. Hundreds of people turned out to hear his public lectures. He targeted America as a whole, sending out small groups of highly trained rabbis to teach Torah across the nation – a method used by Chabad today.
"In 1948 the Rebbe founded Kfar Chabad near Tel Aviv, Israel. Today it is a community of 400 Chabad families.
"He passed away in 1950. In his seventy years, he personally stood up to and confronted three major threats to Orthodox Jewish life: Tsarist Russia with its pogroms, Communism and its war against religion and assimilation in the melting pot of America.
"Rabbi Schneerson initiated a worldwide movement to bring Jews back to their religious heritage and observance. He was devoted to helping resettle Jewish refugees after WWII. He published hundreds of commentaries, articles and essays. He also kept a diary documenting the history of Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidism.
"The Rebbe had no sons. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, his son-in-law, became his successor.
"The seeds the Rebbe planted are visible today all over Russia. When he left in 1929, his underground infrastructure of Jewish life continued, spreading the teachings of Torah and Chassidism.
"Today, there are hundreds of synagogues, Jewish schools and mikvaot that the Rebbe himself had built. When the USSR collapsed in 1991, they emerged from the cellars and attics into vacant Communist Party buildings. The Communist plan to destroy the Jewish religion had not succeeded, mainly due to the valiant efforts of Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson."
"In New York he faced a new threat: a largely apathetic Jewish world. He said, “America is no different” and that even in such a materialistic country, the Torah could take root and flourish. He established yeshivas, day schools, youth clubs, publishing house for Jewish books and social services. Hundreds of people turned out to hear his public lectures. He targeted America as a whole, sending out small groups of highly trained rabbis to teach Torah across the nation – a method used by Chabad today.
"In 1948 the Rebbe founded Kfar Chabad near Tel Aviv, Israel. Today it is a community of 400 Chabad families.
"He passed away in 1950. In his seventy years, he personally stood up to and confronted three major threats to Orthodox Jewish life: Tsarist Russia with its pogroms, Communism and its war against religion and assimilation in the melting pot of America.
"Rabbi Schneerson initiated a worldwide movement to bring Jews back to their religious heritage and observance. He was devoted to helping resettle Jewish refugees after WWII. He published hundreds of commentaries, articles and essays. He also kept a diary documenting the history of Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidism.
"The Rebbe had no sons. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, his son-in-law, became his successor.
"The seeds the Rebbe planted are visible today all over Russia. When he left in 1929, his underground infrastructure of Jewish life continued, spreading the teachings of Torah and Chassidism.
"Today, there are hundreds of synagogues, Jewish schools and mikvaot that the Rebbe himself had built. When the USSR collapsed in 1991, they emerged from the cellars and attics into vacant Communist Party buildings. The Communist plan to destroy the Jewish religion had not succeeded, mainly due to the valiant efforts of Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson."
Tears and Action
After Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, he fell on Benyamin's neck and wept and Benyamin fell on his neck and wept. Rashi tells us the tears were future oriented. They were tears for the destruction the Temple, built in the tribal area of Benyamin, and Shiloh, built in the area of Yosef. Why the neck? The Temple is like a neck that connects something higher, the head, to something lower. Why crying for the other? Because tears may be cathartic but what we need most is action. We must build anew, tapping into our potential. But when it comes to another person, or group, each of us can offer advice, encouragement, but ultimately the action is in the hands of the other. So we weep.
7th Lubavitcher Rebbe on Vayigash
7th Lubavitcher Rebbe on Vayigash
The Chizuk Tour that Almost Wasn't
A local Litvish shul near me organized a chartered bus trip to see Litvish gadolim. A trip for chizuk. And it was a well organized trip. We even arrived back home exactly on schedule.
We saw three, the first a famous rosh yeshiva in a famous litvish place. The second a grandson of a famous one at the same place. The third was RY of a musar yeshiva.
Nothing went wrong. The rabbis all acted respectably enough and tried to be inspirational in their way. But what I experienced was a distinct lack of inspiration from the first two because all they talked about was the importance of Torah study. Happiness is Torah study one said. And if you only study part of the day, that's the time when you'll be happy. The other one talked about how klal Yisroel lives through Torah study. And his grandfather built a yeshiva against all odds. And now all this studying goes on. Mind you, the bus was full of baal habatim, not yeshiva students.
This kind of talk has never moved me and I have tried for decades to make it move me. To me, there are 613 mitzvos and the most important thing is emunah.
The musar rav did speak about the shechinah and how it left the Temple during the year under the Syrian Greeks when the Temple ceased functioning. And how the miracle of Chanukah helped bring back the shechinah and how we can too.
The last talk I enjoyed. For it was about Hashem and not about "mevakshei Hashem" by virtue of hunger for Torah study alone.
I like musar. And I like Chassidis. I feel bad saying it, but the Torah study as Judaism approach doesn't feel like religion to me. If it works for others, fine. It doesn't work for me, never has, and likely never will.
Until we visited the last guy I was starting to feel a little blue. Chizuk that almost wasn't.
I asked a student there how much musar they do. He said, 1/2 hour a day of self-study. One shiur a week. That made me a bit sad again. I don't understand these people.
We saw three, the first a famous rosh yeshiva in a famous litvish place. The second a grandson of a famous one at the same place. The third was RY of a musar yeshiva.
Nothing went wrong. The rabbis all acted respectably enough and tried to be inspirational in their way. But what I experienced was a distinct lack of inspiration from the first two because all they talked about was the importance of Torah study. Happiness is Torah study one said. And if you only study part of the day, that's the time when you'll be happy. The other one talked about how klal Yisroel lives through Torah study. And his grandfather built a yeshiva against all odds. And now all this studying goes on. Mind you, the bus was full of baal habatim, not yeshiva students.
This kind of talk has never moved me and I have tried for decades to make it move me. To me, there are 613 mitzvos and the most important thing is emunah.
The musar rav did speak about the shechinah and how it left the Temple during the year under the Syrian Greeks when the Temple ceased functioning. And how the miracle of Chanukah helped bring back the shechinah and how we can too.
The last talk I enjoyed. For it was about Hashem and not about "mevakshei Hashem" by virtue of hunger for Torah study alone.
I like musar. And I like Chassidis. I feel bad saying it, but the Torah study as Judaism approach doesn't feel like religion to me. If it works for others, fine. It doesn't work for me, never has, and likely never will.
Until we visited the last guy I was starting to feel a little blue. Chizuk that almost wasn't.
I asked a student there how much musar they do. He said, 1/2 hour a day of self-study. One shiur a week. That made me a bit sad again. I don't understand these people.
David Berger's Book on Chabad
I come from a family that has roots in Chabad from the 5th Rebbe at the latest and I just read the book on Chabad messianism. Took me a while because the story he paints is painful. I don't mean by that it's a bad book. It's fine with some parts that bothered me as I will describe here. But what has happened to Chabad, or much of it, is tragic. I am not only not mashichist but I don't even believe the Rebbe, may he rest in peace, whose Torah I adore, was the greatest man of the generation. He was one of about 20 that I know of. I have no way of knowing who might have been the greatest if even such a thing is knowable by anyone or even possible or even important.
What bothered me about the book is firstly that it seems to come from an academic's perspective, meaning it puts great importance on what a few oddball people write. For academics, writing is everything. So if somebody writes a crazy screed, it seems to rock the world. But most people today don't read at all anything other than text messages from their friends. So if some guy in Chicago writes that the Rebbe was this or that, it likely doesn't affect anyone other than his household if even they take him seriously.
Could the various screeds indicate trends in Chabad? Could be. But I have been to Chabad houses all over the world and can't say that I ever encountered deification of the rebbe or even much talk about him at all if one comes as a visitor seeking kosher food and the like. Even at Chanukah events, and I have been to many, nothing like that happens. Sometimes if you sit at a farbregen you'll hear moshiach talk or excessive miracle stories but moreso in frum communities like Passaic or Beit Shemesh, not in Raleigh, North Carolina or Hong Kong or Bangkok where they don't really have farbregens anyway. Could be it's worse in Chabad strongholds like Australia - never been there but I was in Paris a few times and didn't see much rebbe stuff; although my French is weak.
Even in Kfar Chabad, well there are too many pictures of him. There are too many pictures of him all over Israel. But people in Kfar Chabad aren't jumping up and down yelling about moshiach or the magic powers of the rebbe. You might hear the latter in stories but it isn't overwhelming, just annoying. You know after all while, the brain hears it like white noise. How many times can you say it? It loses impact after a while.
My son studies in a Chabad school in Israel and some of the teachers are mashichist but they don't promote that view at all. It's understood that wouldn't be appropriate or helpful. They keep it to themselves; although one or two wear the special yarmulka. My son laughs at the idea and does so openly in the school and encounters no trouble because of that. In the end, Chabad believes in love so they can only be so oppressive. You might be picturing Litvachs and projecting their style onto Chabad. Most of his day is Chumash, Mishnah, Gemara. They have once a week Tanya class that they seem to skip most weeks.
I also know many non-mashichist Lubavitchers. They tend to be people who live and work in the larger world and aren't taken in with such childish thought.
The other issue I have with the book is it doesn't say quite enough about the good of Chabad. It is careful to be respectful of the Rebbe and to acknowledge something about the good of Chabad's contemporary works but because the book is intended to highlight a problem, it does what it says Chabad does, give a warped view of a subject. I suppose it's written for frum people who know the good of Chabad. And by the way, the good of Chabad isn't just the public work of the 6th and 7th rebbes. It's the whole derech dating back to the Baal HaTanya. Think of Rabbi Soloveitchik's cheder rebbe who he credits with being such a good influence, with giving him feeling and soul. R' Avigdor Miller also had a good experience with a Chabad chosid, one who taught him for free because he didn't have any money. This was long before the 7th Rebbe became leader as R' Miller was born in 1908. R' Miller says that this teacher, Rabbi Axlelrod, used to take more time bentching than he did eating.
Last thing is that the book is about Chabad. Another good book would be one on the tendencies towards foolishness and idolatry in all the groups. Dr. Berger is just looking at the other guy. He should take at look at his own which I assume to be Modern Orthodoxy with some connections to the Litvish world. We only see the other guy's idol worship not our own. Zionism is even more popular than Chabad. And Zionism leads people to worship the state and the army. See, it's hard to see the flaws in one's own group. And the Litvish? They have made gods of Torah scholars. I'm not talking about respect. I'm talking about worship.
All the groups are sagging. Why just get upset about Chabad? They all are warping Judaism today. A book on that is what I'd like to see.
It is my contention that today the biggest fanatics are in the Charedi/Yeshivish/Litvish and Religious Zionist world. The reason is because they come mostly from the Litvish world where thoughts are taken very seriously. But the old time Litvacks like Chaim Soloveitchik were open minded and allowed more diversity of thought. So each guy had his opinion and he took it seriously but there were other opinions around and each guy largely tolerated it.
Chassidim are more conformist but thought isn't the centerpiece of their world. Community, service, holiness. Those are central. They don't take their thoughts quite so seriously.
But the Litvacks were influenced by the Chassidim and the Zionists, they picked up the conformity when they tried to imitate the holiness of Chasidim (and they do it in part to combat the secular traife world), and they were influenced by Israeli militarism, which like any militarism is highly conformist. The result is incredibly rigid intensity. So as I said earlier, I believe Dr. Berger is projecting the Litvish/Zionist style onto Chabad and thinking that people there take ideas as seriously as they do in the non-Chasidic world. I realize Chabad is a blend of the two, but you get the point.
What bothered me about the book is firstly that it seems to come from an academic's perspective, meaning it puts great importance on what a few oddball people write. For academics, writing is everything. So if somebody writes a crazy screed, it seems to rock the world. But most people today don't read at all anything other than text messages from their friends. So if some guy in Chicago writes that the Rebbe was this or that, it likely doesn't affect anyone other than his household if even they take him seriously.
Could the various screeds indicate trends in Chabad? Could be. But I have been to Chabad houses all over the world and can't say that I ever encountered deification of the rebbe or even much talk about him at all if one comes as a visitor seeking kosher food and the like. Even at Chanukah events, and I have been to many, nothing like that happens. Sometimes if you sit at a farbregen you'll hear moshiach talk or excessive miracle stories but moreso in frum communities like Passaic or Beit Shemesh, not in Raleigh, North Carolina or Hong Kong or Bangkok where they don't really have farbregens anyway. Could be it's worse in Chabad strongholds like Australia - never been there but I was in Paris a few times and didn't see much rebbe stuff; although my French is weak.
Even in Kfar Chabad, well there are too many pictures of him. There are too many pictures of him all over Israel. But people in Kfar Chabad aren't jumping up and down yelling about moshiach or the magic powers of the rebbe. You might hear the latter in stories but it isn't overwhelming, just annoying. You know after all while, the brain hears it like white noise. How many times can you say it? It loses impact after a while.
My son studies in a Chabad school in Israel and some of the teachers are mashichist but they don't promote that view at all. It's understood that wouldn't be appropriate or helpful. They keep it to themselves; although one or two wear the special yarmulka. My son laughs at the idea and does so openly in the school and encounters no trouble because of that. In the end, Chabad believes in love so they can only be so oppressive. You might be picturing Litvachs and projecting their style onto Chabad. Most of his day is Chumash, Mishnah, Gemara. They have once a week Tanya class that they seem to skip most weeks.
I also know many non-mashichist Lubavitchers. They tend to be people who live and work in the larger world and aren't taken in with such childish thought.
The other issue I have with the book is it doesn't say quite enough about the good of Chabad. It is careful to be respectful of the Rebbe and to acknowledge something about the good of Chabad's contemporary works but because the book is intended to highlight a problem, it does what it says Chabad does, give a warped view of a subject. I suppose it's written for frum people who know the good of Chabad. And by the way, the good of Chabad isn't just the public work of the 6th and 7th rebbes. It's the whole derech dating back to the Baal HaTanya. Think of Rabbi Soloveitchik's cheder rebbe who he credits with being such a good influence, with giving him feeling and soul. R' Avigdor Miller also had a good experience with a Chabad chosid, one who taught him for free because he didn't have any money. This was long before the 7th Rebbe became leader as R' Miller was born in 1908. R' Miller says that this teacher, Rabbi Axlelrod, used to take more time bentching than he did eating.
Last thing is that the book is about Chabad. Another good book would be one on the tendencies towards foolishness and idolatry in all the groups. Dr. Berger is just looking at the other guy. He should take at look at his own which I assume to be Modern Orthodoxy with some connections to the Litvish world. We only see the other guy's idol worship not our own. Zionism is even more popular than Chabad. And Zionism leads people to worship the state and the army. See, it's hard to see the flaws in one's own group. And the Litvish? They have made gods of Torah scholars. I'm not talking about respect. I'm talking about worship.
All the groups are sagging. Why just get upset about Chabad? They all are warping Judaism today. A book on that is what I'd like to see.
It is my contention that today the biggest fanatics are in the Charedi/Yeshivish/Litvish and Religious Zionist world. The reason is because they come mostly from the Litvish world where thoughts are taken very seriously. But the old time Litvacks like Chaim Soloveitchik were open minded and allowed more diversity of thought. So each guy had his opinion and he took it seriously but there were other opinions around and each guy largely tolerated it.
Chassidim are more conformist but thought isn't the centerpiece of their world. Community, service, holiness. Those are central. They don't take their thoughts quite so seriously.
But the Litvacks were influenced by the Chassidim and the Zionists, they picked up the conformity when they tried to imitate the holiness of Chasidim (and they do it in part to combat the secular traife world), and they were influenced by Israeli militarism, which like any militarism is highly conformist. The result is incredibly rigid intensity. So as I said earlier, I believe Dr. Berger is projecting the Litvish/Zionist style onto Chabad and thinking that people there take ideas as seriously as they do in the non-Chasidic world. I realize Chabad is a blend of the two, but you get the point.
Linked Post: Halachic justification to not pray the amidah before zman t'filah?
Halachic justification to not pray the amidah before zman t'filah?
http://judaism.stackexchange.com
http://judaism.stackexchange.com
Rabbi Yosef Avraham Heller, the Rosh Kollel of Crown Heights, Brooklyn and former member of the Beis Din there, wrote a essay explaining the Halachic justification for davening after Chatzos, published in "Kobetz Beis Chayenu" 11 Nissan 5760 pg. 28. The crunch of the explanation is as follows:
The Gemora (Brochos 26a) states that, "He may go on praying [Shachris] the whole day. But up to midday he is given the reward of saying the Tefillah in its proper time; thereafter he is given the reward of saying Tefillah, but not of saying Tefillah in its proper time." Although the mainstream view in Rishonim is that of the Rashba that after Chatzos is only considered tashlumim if he accidently missed the time, the Perisha in OC Siman 89 cites an alternative view that even after Chatzos is still considered the time of davening Shachris but only that one would not receive the reward for davening on time. Rabbi Heller continues to back up this view based on many Rishonim that maintain that the time for Shachris is the entire day. Although this Prisha argues with the Mechaber and Rama, Rabbi Heller suggest that since it concurs with the view of many Rishonim, Chassidim relied on his ruling in order to have adequate kavana in their davening.
There are also several letters of the Lubavitcher Rebbe on the topic collected in "Sharey Halacha U'Minhag" OC Chelek 1 pg. 111. The Rebbe brings the halacha (OC 98:2 and Rambam Hilchos Tefila 4:15-16) that proper kavanah during davening is integral to the davening, and without it the teffila is nullified. He asserts that therefore proper preparation for davening takes precedence over being exact in the time of davening.
However, it must be stressed that all the above is only when one is involved in davening or it's preparation from before zman tefila. There is no justification to begin davening after chatzos.
In terms of an opinion that as long as one begins before zman tefilla they may continue even after, I heard that this comes from Tosfos in Brochos 7a "Sh'ilmaley". The Gemora relates that Biliam tried to find the exact second Hashem was angry to curse the Jews, and Tosfos asks what he could have said in that short moment. In their second answer Tosfos says that as long as he would have started at a time of Divine anger the curse would work even after. Similarly, the "zman tefilla" follows when one begins even if he finishes after.
Chabad is non-Zionist
Prof. Lawrence H. Schiffman - Chabad Messianism ~42:00
Although Lubavitch is the most Zionist of the non-Zionists, he says, and that's because of messianism.
Although Lubavitch is the most Zionist of the non-Zionists, he says, and that's because of messianism.
Non-messianism
This site is distinctly non-Messianic. I believe that claiming the Rebbe to be the Messiah serves mostly to embarrass him as do claims that he was the greatest of the Lubavitch Rabbis or the greatest man of the generation. When one says, as I will, that the Rebbe was a tremendous scholar and leader, one of the best of his day, then one tends to accept it. But once you say he was the greatest scholar of his day, then we look a little more closely. We say, what evidence is there that his Talmudic learning was as great as Rav Gustman, or Rav Feinstein, or Rav Soloveitchik? Suddenly, we start to doubt him in that area. Same when you call him the greatest tzadick or leader. You start saying, did he really do so much? Lubavitch made its mark, but it's not the only game in town. Most baalei teshuvah were not brought in by Lubavitch. Most of the so-called Lubavitch educational institutions are Chabad houses which are really homes that the Lubavitch residents assign this name and engage in usually small time help to the community in the form of Menorah lightings and the like. Chabad doesn't have more real schools than anybody else. They have a stronger presence in a few places: Australia, France, and Russia. But they are not dominant in America or Israel. You see, we start finding fault in them as a pushback to the hyperbole.
That's my thought on it. I have no idea who the Messiah is or will be and really it's none of my business. I'm just trying to be a simple Jew and to keep my emunah in tact in these sorry times. The 7th Rebbe is helpful to me. I enjoy his Torah very much. I like the 6th Rebbe too and of course the Baal HaTanya who is greater than all of them as the greats of the 18th century of course tower above contemporary people. Any claim that the 7th Rebbe, may he rest in peace, is greater than earlier rebbes is highly offensive to me.
Here are some other people I have found that oppose Messianism:
"During those years, there were strong forces within the Chabad–Lubavitch movement, led by the two executors of Schneerson's will; Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, and Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, resisting the messianic movement."Wiki)
"The Chabad–Lubavitch umbrella organization, Agudas Chasidei Chabad, and the governing body of Chabad–Lubavitch rabbis, Vaad Rabonei Lubavitch, have both denounced the messianic behavior." Wiki
Schneerson's response (Wiki):
The first record of Hasidim referring to Schneerson in messianic terms was in 1965. That year, Rabbi Avraham Parizh printed letters that spoke of Schneerson as the Messiah and started handing them out in Israel. When Schneerson learned of this, he immediately dispatch a telegram to Parizh in Israel saying that he was "shocked by the letter [you wrote and disseminated]" and asked that Parizh "immediately cease distributing it." Schneerson instructed Parizh to "gather and send to all extant copies of the letter, every last one, and please confirm immediately that you have fulfilled this instruction."[47]
In 1984 Sholom Dov Wolpo published a booklet identifying Schneerson as the Messiah. Schneerson publicly denounced these actions several times. During one of these talks he said that those involved [in the publication] were starting a new war against Chabad, and that he should never have to speak about it again. On Shabbat Bereshit, when Wolpo began singing a song that had long been popular in Lubavitch, which referred to Schneerson as the messiah, he abruptly stopped the singing and ordered that it never be sung again.[48]
In 1991, Rabbi Aharon Dov Halprin, the editor of Chabad’s Israeli magazine (Kfar Chabad) prepared an article that explained why the Rebbe was worthy of being considered Messiah. When the Rebbe got word of this he responded sharply, "If you, God forbid, [plan to] do anything even remotely similar, it is preferable that you shut down the periodical completely".[citation needed]
On a number of occasions Schneerson said that Rabbis should issue a psak din that Moshiach must come. In 1988 Rabbi Yitzchak Hendel issued a ruling stating, not that the Messiah must come, but that the Rebbe was to be the Messiah. When the Rebbe saw the ruling, he responded to Hendel and wrote "me’heichan dantuni? (- a Talmudic term connoting: on what basis have you ruled against me?) Is this the standard of all your rabbinic rulings!?"[49]
And in an urgent Yechidus with Rabbi Tuvia Peles, the Rebbe rebuked those who were making Messianic claims about him, saying "they are taking a knife to my heart. They are tearing off parts of me."[citation needed]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Schneerson's talks became increasingly focused on the topic of Moshiach, that Moshiach was about to come, and what was needed to accomplish this. These talks would often take on a sense of urgency. This, coupled with Schneerson's frequent statement that ours is the "Last Generation of galut (exile) and it is the first generation of Geulah, the redemption" is one of the arguments put forward[by whom?] that the Rebbe is the messiah. On one occasion, during the Rebbe's talk at the International Conference of Shluchim ("emissaries"), he stated, "the work of the Shluchim has already finished, and the only task left is to welcome Moshiach".
In the early 1990s Hasidim became more vocal about Schneerson being the Moshiach, even submitting a petition to him asking that he reveal himself as the long-awaited messiah.
On one occasion in 1991, as the Rebbe was leaving the evening prayers when traditionally someone would start a song and the Rebbe would encourage it on his way out of the synagogue, some Chasidim began singing one of the Rebbe’s favorite lively songs, adding the words of Yechi -- "Long live our master, our teacher, our Rebbe, King Moshiach." The next morning, however, the Rebbe refused to go down to the synagogue until he was assured by Rabbi Groner that there would be no such songs sung again. Indeed, the song was never again sung in front of the Rebbe until some months after a stroke felled him and removed his ability to speak or write.
A few months later, a few people did muster the courage to start singing at an intermission in a Shabbos farbrengen a less overt song that implied that the Rebbe was the messiah. Within a few seconds the Rebbe heard it and immediately became very grave and said: "Really, I should get up and leave [the room]. Even if some people consider it is not respectful that I need to [be the one to leave], I don’t need to reckon with the views of a small number when [what they are saying] is the opposite of reality. However, first of all, it will unfortunately not help anyway. Secondly, it will disrupt the shevet achim gam yachad [brethren to dwell together in unity], for if I were to leave, others will leave, too."[50]
In 1992, a journalist from Israel said to the Rebbe, "We appreciate you very much, we want to see you in Israel; you said soon you will be in Israel, so when will you come?" The Rebbe responded: "I also want to be in Israel." The journalist insisted, "So when, when will you come?" The Rebbe responded, "That depends on the Moshiach, not on me." The journalist persisted, "You are the Moshiach!" to which the Rebbe responded, "I am not."[51]
That's my thought on it. I have no idea who the Messiah is or will be and really it's none of my business. I'm just trying to be a simple Jew and to keep my emunah in tact in these sorry times. The 7th Rebbe is helpful to me. I enjoy his Torah very much. I like the 6th Rebbe too and of course the Baal HaTanya who is greater than all of them as the greats of the 18th century of course tower above contemporary people. Any claim that the 7th Rebbe, may he rest in peace, is greater than earlier rebbes is highly offensive to me.
Here are some other people I have found that oppose Messianism:
"During those years, there were strong forces within the Chabad–Lubavitch movement, led by the two executors of Schneerson's will; Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, and Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, resisting the messianic movement."Wiki)
"The Chabad–Lubavitch umbrella organization, Agudas Chasidei Chabad, and the governing body of Chabad–Lubavitch rabbis, Vaad Rabonei Lubavitch, have both denounced the messianic behavior." Wiki
Schneerson's response (Wiki):
The first record of Hasidim referring to Schneerson in messianic terms was in 1965. That year, Rabbi Avraham Parizh printed letters that spoke of Schneerson as the Messiah and started handing them out in Israel. When Schneerson learned of this, he immediately dispatch a telegram to Parizh in Israel saying that he was "shocked by the letter [you wrote and disseminated]" and asked that Parizh "immediately cease distributing it." Schneerson instructed Parizh to "gather and send to all extant copies of the letter, every last one, and please confirm immediately that you have fulfilled this instruction."[47]
In 1984 Sholom Dov Wolpo published a booklet identifying Schneerson as the Messiah. Schneerson publicly denounced these actions several times. During one of these talks he said that those involved [in the publication] were starting a new war against Chabad, and that he should never have to speak about it again. On Shabbat Bereshit, when Wolpo began singing a song that had long been popular in Lubavitch, which referred to Schneerson as the messiah, he abruptly stopped the singing and ordered that it never be sung again.[48]
In 1991, Rabbi Aharon Dov Halprin, the editor of Chabad’s Israeli magazine (Kfar Chabad) prepared an article that explained why the Rebbe was worthy of being considered Messiah. When the Rebbe got word of this he responded sharply, "If you, God forbid, [plan to] do anything even remotely similar, it is preferable that you shut down the periodical completely".[citation needed]
On a number of occasions Schneerson said that Rabbis should issue a psak din that Moshiach must come. In 1988 Rabbi Yitzchak Hendel issued a ruling stating, not that the Messiah must come, but that the Rebbe was to be the Messiah. When the Rebbe saw the ruling, he responded to Hendel and wrote "me’heichan dantuni? (- a Talmudic term connoting: on what basis have you ruled against me?) Is this the standard of all your rabbinic rulings!?"[49]
And in an urgent Yechidus with Rabbi Tuvia Peles, the Rebbe rebuked those who were making Messianic claims about him, saying "they are taking a knife to my heart. They are tearing off parts of me."[citation needed]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Schneerson's talks became increasingly focused on the topic of Moshiach, that Moshiach was about to come, and what was needed to accomplish this. These talks would often take on a sense of urgency. This, coupled with Schneerson's frequent statement that ours is the "Last Generation of galut (exile) and it is the first generation of Geulah, the redemption" is one of the arguments put forward[by whom?] that the Rebbe is the messiah. On one occasion, during the Rebbe's talk at the International Conference of Shluchim ("emissaries"), he stated, "the work of the Shluchim has already finished, and the only task left is to welcome Moshiach".
In the early 1990s Hasidim became more vocal about Schneerson being the Moshiach, even submitting a petition to him asking that he reveal himself as the long-awaited messiah.
On one occasion in 1991, as the Rebbe was leaving the evening prayers when traditionally someone would start a song and the Rebbe would encourage it on his way out of the synagogue, some Chasidim began singing one of the Rebbe’s favorite lively songs, adding the words of Yechi -- "Long live our master, our teacher, our Rebbe, King Moshiach." The next morning, however, the Rebbe refused to go down to the synagogue until he was assured by Rabbi Groner that there would be no such songs sung again. Indeed, the song was never again sung in front of the Rebbe until some months after a stroke felled him and removed his ability to speak or write.
A few months later, a few people did muster the courage to start singing at an intermission in a Shabbos farbrengen a less overt song that implied that the Rebbe was the messiah. Within a few seconds the Rebbe heard it and immediately became very grave and said: "Really, I should get up and leave [the room]. Even if some people consider it is not respectful that I need to [be the one to leave], I don’t need to reckon with the views of a small number when [what they are saying] is the opposite of reality. However, first of all, it will unfortunately not help anyway. Secondly, it will disrupt the shevet achim gam yachad [brethren to dwell together in unity], for if I were to leave, others will leave, too."[50]
In 1992, a journalist from Israel said to the Rebbe, "We appreciate you very much, we want to see you in Israel; you said soon you will be in Israel, so when will you come?" The Rebbe responded: "I also want to be in Israel." The journalist insisted, "So when, when will you come?" The Rebbe responded, "That depends on the Moshiach, not on me." The journalist persisted, "You are the Moshiach!" to which the Rebbe responded, "I am not."[51]
Chenoch Leiberman
Chenoch Leiberman
"Chenoch Lieberman's career as an artist began in the Soviet art world of the 1920's and 30's. It was the outset of his creative quest and provides insight into both the political and artistic history of the period. Lieberman's experiences during those years left an indelible imprint on his later work."
Chassidic Art Institue
375 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 • (718) 774-9149
"Chenoch Lieberman's career as an artist began in the Soviet art world of the 1920's and 30's. It was the outset of his creative quest and provides insight into both the political and artistic history of the period. Lieberman's experiences during those years left an indelible imprint on his later work."
Chassidic Art Institue
375 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 • (718) 774-9149
Satmar Rebbe Of Kiryas Yoel Visiting the New Building of Kehilas Chabad
Photo Essay: The Satmar Rebbe Of Kiryas Yoel Visiting the New Building of Kehilas Chabad in Palm Springs (Photos by JDN)
Poem by Yehoshua November
When I was younger,
I believed the mystical teachings
could erase sorrow. The mystical teachings
do not erase sorrow.
They say, here is your life.
What will you do with it?
Two Worlds Exist
Yehoshua November
Interview with Alan Brill
I believed the mystical teachings
could erase sorrow. The mystical teachings
do not erase sorrow.
They say, here is your life.
What will you do with it?
Two Worlds Exist
Yehoshua November
Interview with Alan Brill
Jewish cemetery in Lyubavichi
Jewish cemetery in Lyubavichi
- Public Domain
- File:Graves of founders of Lubavitchy Hasidic branch.JPG
Linked Post - More On The Importance of Honoring One's Nature - Chabad.org
"Every individual is required to serve G-d according to his nature and spiritual level. A person who can pierce pearls or polish gems, yet occupies himself with baking bread, is considered to have sinned, even though this too is a much needed task. The parallels to this in our Divine service are obvious." Igros Kodesh of the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rebbe Rayatz, letter #1022, Heb. Vol. 4, p. 340.
"~ A Story with an Echo ~
The Alter Rebbe would tell the following story." One Friday afternoon, a wagon driver drove his wealthy and pampered employer to the mikveh, and then led his horses to the stable where they would be housed over Shabbos. As he was leaving, he saw a squad of soldiers dragging a Jewish family away in chains. He sprang up and with a few powerful blows felled several of the soldiers. Before a major struggle erupted, their commanding officer approached him calmly."
continue
Faith and Mitzvos
"My son, forget not My instruction, and may your heart keep My commandments for they shall add length of days and years of life and peace to you." (Proverbs 3:1)
History's wisest man ends his book of wisdom with the words, "The sum of the matter is to fear God and observe His commandments." (Koheles 12:13)
Thus, faith and mitzvos are the key to life, the focus of life. Yes, how many people today talk about either? I just finished reading a children's story about a boy that was driving his father mad because he didn't like Gemara study. We heard nothing about the kid's character, just his disinterest in Gemara. He was viewed as a lost child. The story ends happily because a new tutor turned him around with regard to his Gemara study.
I have read many stories like this. Many of the charedi gadol books suffer from the same problem.
I have read many stories like this. Many of the charedi gadol books suffer from the same problem.
Yet, R' Herschel Shachter tells us that for most of the last thousand years the average man did not study Gemara. He studied other things. We are talking about good Jews here. And certainly Mishlei doesn't say the sum of the matter is to study Gemara.
In my BT yeshivos we rarely talked about mitzvos, yes even in a school for people raised without mitzvos. We rarely talked about emunah other than to say you have to have faith that Hashem will send you money if you don't work and you study Gemara all day long.
The shuls I attended after leaving yeshiva were the same. Everything centered around daf yomi.
We have a real problem on our hands. What is the baal habayis who has maybe an hour a day for Gemara study to make of his life? What are women who don't study it at all to make of their lives? The problems are exacerbated for baalei teshuva since they were not raised with mitzvos. So an FFB doesn't hear about mitzvos but he or she did do them so even though they were not consciously valued, they were valued to some extent. But a BT isn't taught about mitzvos either by example or by other instruction.
Is all this a new kind of apikorsis? The Satan had his methods of stripping 90% of klal Yisroel from mitzvos - persecution, poverty, haskala. And what about the 10% die-hards who wouldn't leave. Oh, he gets them to leave by manipulating their idealism and redirecting it to a complete focus on Gemara study at the expense of faith and commandments. So who is left to honor King Shlomo's advice and the Torah's many exhortations to keep commandments?
Well, Hirschians are left as Rav Hirsch talked endlessly about the importance of commandments and developed an entire symbolism of commandments to make it more meaningful. And Chasidim are left as they emphasis mitzvos such as peyos, tznius, tefillah, and kashrus. Chabad's daily learning program includes study of a mitzvah a day and a chapter (or 3) of the Rambam, which is all about mitzvos, action.
The Tanya teaches that our purpose is to bring Hashem into the world and we do that through action, through keeping of mitzvos. The Maharal says that commandments connect us to Hashem.
Rav Avigdor Miller carried the torch on the topic of emunah, using the Duties of the Heart as his sourcebook in its discussions of God's interactions with the worl.
Chabad Chassidus approachs emunah from a different angle by talking about God and His interactions with the soul.
Interestingly Rabbi Miller's ethical will advises that a person combine musar and Chassidic life. He says to be involved with a group like Satmar or other anshei sephard.
Many people try to change their lives by going to shiurim. It's not enough. We need to live a life of faith and mitzvos. Connection to Hashem and action as a channel for our energies. The prevailing model of shiurim, shiurim is like college. How many of us became frum to get away from the approach to life? We need to involve our hearts and our hands in our Judaism.
One terrible irony of the Gemara study as life approach is that it takes so many Jews out of the workforce doubling the tuition of those who do work (largely because not working requires financial support from family). This leaves the workers who live under the Gemara as life model with little connection to Judaism because they are forced to take high paying, time consuming jobs. And if mitzvos don't matter then the work is all done disconnected from Judaism. So what you get are baal habatim whose main function in life is to pay for the lifestyle of the in-crowd, kollel establishment and their own religious life suffers. It's like the poor working for the rich.
I believe this is mostly a charedi yeshiva world problem. The answer for many might well be chassidism just as it was 200 years ago for many of our ancestors. Now many yeshivish rabbis head you off at the pass with their disparagement of chassidim even as the chassidim are so obviously superior in their religious observance. As the Rebbe noted (it's in one of the yom yom in English entries), the whole topic barely warrants discussion because the chassidim long ago proved themselves worthy in their derech.
Anyway, we have the wonderful Rabbi Miller telling us to go that way. And that's good enough for me.
Faith and commandments. That's the goal. That's the key. That's the ticket. How are you going to get there?
Many people try to change their lives by going to shiurim. It's not enough. We need to live a life of faith and mitzvos. Connection to Hashem and action as a channel for our energies. The prevailing model of shiurim, shiurim is like college. How many of us became frum to get away from the approach to life? We need to involve our hearts and our hands in our Judaism.
One terrible irony of the Gemara study as life approach is that it takes so many Jews out of the workforce doubling the tuition of those who do work (largely because not working requires financial support from family). This leaves the workers who live under the Gemara as life model with little connection to Judaism because they are forced to take high paying, time consuming jobs. And if mitzvos don't matter then the work is all done disconnected from Judaism. So what you get are baal habatim whose main function in life is to pay for the lifestyle of the in-crowd, kollel establishment and their own religious life suffers. It's like the poor working for the rich.
I believe this is mostly a charedi yeshiva world problem. The answer for many might well be chassidism just as it was 200 years ago for many of our ancestors. Now many yeshivish rabbis head you off at the pass with their disparagement of chassidim even as the chassidim are so obviously superior in their religious observance. As the Rebbe noted (it's in one of the yom yom in English entries), the whole topic barely warrants discussion because the chassidim long ago proved themselves worthy in their derech.
Anyway, we have the wonderful Rabbi Miller telling us to go that way. And that's good enough for me.
Faith and commandments. That's the goal. That's the key. That's the ticket. How are you going to get there?
Chabad and Chagash
Chabad is Chochmah, Binah, and Daas. These are the first three of the sephiros, ie the powers of the soul, and are described as the intellectual components.
Chesed, Geruah, and Teferes are the fourth through six of the sephiros, the first of the emotional or middos oriented sephiros.
Chabad-Lubavitch is more intellectual, or tends to be, than most of the other sects. Hence the name Chabad.
Chagas, characterizes more of the other groups.
Chesed, Geruah, and Teferes are the fourth through six of the sephiros, the first of the emotional or middos oriented sephiros.
Chabad-Lubavitch is more intellectual, or tends to be, than most of the other sects. Hence the name Chabad.
Chagas, characterizes more of the other groups.
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