Gnosticism https://www.henrymakow.com
Knowledge without God
Assertion that everything is God.
Promise of a form of happiness, not by an act of loving submission to God (the true faith), but by the acquisition of knowledge (gnosis in Greek), which does not imply any moral effort.
Rejection of a creator Being and thus of the irreducible distinction between creatures and Creator, replaced by the pseudo-concept (simple assembly of letters) of "emanation", confusing all substances into one (monism), existing by itself even and called or not "God" (Pantheism = everything is god ... so me too, wow!).
Notes and Reflections on Chabad Chasidus -- Dedicated to the members of Congregation Anshe Libowitz of Brownsville, Brooklyn
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi
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The Rebbe and Bar Mitzvah Boys
The Rebbe and Bar Mitzvah Boys
Watch the different between how he speaks to Charedi kids (boy in black hat and the chassid) and the more Modern ones, wearing t-shirts and baseball caps. With the former, he's more serious - prepare yourself - with the latter he just says something encouraging. Lesson, be careful not to overwhelm people who are not ready, who have not first been taught the joy of Judaism.
Watch the different between how he speaks to Charedi kids (boy in black hat and the chassid) and the more Modern ones, wearing t-shirts and baseball caps. With the former, he's more serious - prepare yourself - with the latter he just says something encouraging. Lesson, be careful not to overwhelm people who are not ready, who have not first been taught the joy of Judaism.
When do I ever have time
A Brisker once came into shul looking agitated. His friend questioned him about the long face, and he said that he was upset because he had a puzzling dream and did not know its meaning. Upon further questioning from his friend, he finally revealed that he had dreamt about Hakadosh Baruch Hu, [the Holy One, i.e., God]. His friend attempted to comfort him and said: “The sages teach us that dreams are a reflection of one’s thoughts during the day. Perhaps this was merely a result of your thinking about Him during the daytime?” The Brisker responded: “Impossible! You know my schedule: I get up early to learn Talmud, then I pray; Then I return to my studies. Thus, my entire day is occupied with either learning or praying. When do I ever have time to think about Hakadosh Baruch Hu?
Modern Yeshivish
Recently, I was studying the shiurim listing at a shul. Every class was Gemara except for one short ein Yaakov class. Nobody needs to study the topic of emunah? Now there's emunah in the Gemara but from experience I can tell you that the shiurim weren't studying those parts. And what about halacha? This was a shul for baalei batim. They all know the halacha they need? No way.
Who is leading these people? What has happened to the rabbinate? Are they completely out of touch with reality? Many of them live in a bubble, in their own little world.
I spent some time recently with a Litvish rabbi .When I say Litvish I don't mean true Litvish. I mean American/israeli contemporary yeshivish. We need a new word for it really as they aren't Litvish anymore. Americanish? Israeli-ish? Modern yeshivish? Traife?
He never mentioned Hashem ever. Everything was for Torah and by Torah he meant intellectual gymnastics in the Gemara. The guy never talked hashkafa.
One day he went to give a drosho to baalei batim. I was encouraged by the hope that he'd talk about bitachon finally. And the subject, the importance of Torah study. That's a drosho to a Modern yeshivish rabbi. It tells you that Modern yeshivish Gemara has become a god in itself, a false one.
Who is leading these people? What has happened to the rabbinate? Are they completely out of touch with reality? Many of them live in a bubble, in their own little world.
I spent some time recently with a Litvish rabbi .When I say Litvish I don't mean true Litvish. I mean American/israeli contemporary yeshivish. We need a new word for it really as they aren't Litvish anymore. Americanish? Israeli-ish? Modern yeshivish? Traife?
He never mentioned Hashem ever. Everything was for Torah and by Torah he meant intellectual gymnastics in the Gemara. The guy never talked hashkafa.
One day he went to give a drosho to baalei batim. I was encouraged by the hope that he'd talk about bitachon finally. And the subject, the importance of Torah study. That's a drosho to a Modern yeshivish rabbi. It tells you that Modern yeshivish Gemara has become a god in itself, a false one.
Concern for Humanity in Lubavitch
The Backstory of the Chassidim Who Got Criminal Justice Reform Done
Inspired by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, a group saw prison reform through from proposal to law
By Dovid MargolinDecember 27, 2018 3:05 PM
“If a person is being held in prison, the goal should not be punishment but rather to give him the chance to reflect on the undesirable actions for which he was incarcerated,” the Rebbe said in Yiddish in a 1976 talk. “He should be given the opportunity to earn, improve himself and prepare for his release when he will commence an honest, peaceful, new life, having used his days in prison toward this end.
“In order for this be a reality a prisoner must be allowed to maintain a sense that he is created in the image of God; he is a human being who can be a reflection of Godliness in this world. But when a prisoner is denied this sense and feels subjugated and controlled; never allowed to raise up his head, then the prison system not only fails at its purpose, it creates in him a greater criminal than there was before. One of the goals of the prison system is to help Jewish inmates and non-Jewish inmates ... to raise up their spirits and to encourage them, providing the sense, to the degree possible, that they are just as human as those that are free; just as human as the prison guards. In this way they can be empowered to improve themselves ... ”
Hayom Yom: Tackling Life's Tasks - 24 Teves
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.
[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.
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