Chabad
Chabad Lubavitch, or Lubavich, is one of the largest branches of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi . It is one of the largest Jewish Orthodox organizations worldwide, especially in the United States and Israel. It is also known simply as Chabad (חבד) a Hebrew acronym for "חכמה Wisdom- בינה Understanding- דעת Knowledge", or as Lubavitch (ליובאוויטש), the town that served as the movement's headquarters for over a century. In Russian, the name means "town of brotherly love".
Its adherents, or Chasidim, known as "Lubavitchers" or "Chabadniks", are Orthodox Jews belonging to Hasidic Judaism as defined by the Chabad traditions.
Like all Hasidim they follow the teachings and customs of Chasidut as taught by the Baal Shem Tov, base on the Kabbalistic works of Rabbi Isaac Luria (also know as the Arizal).
Since the foundation of the movement, it has had seven leaders or Rebbes, the seventh being Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), the son of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson (1878-1944) who is the great grandson of the fourth leader, the Tzemach Tzedek.
Early origins
The movement originated in Belarus in Eastern Europe. Chabad traces its roots back to the beginnings of Hasidic Judaism. Its founder, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov, based his nascent movement in Mezibush, Ukraine. His successor was Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch (d. 1772), his leading disciple, who was well-versed in the Lurianic Kabbalah and developed the movement further.
- Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), son of Rabbi Boruch, was the youngest student of Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch and founded the Chabad dynasty within Hasidism. He defined the direction of his movement and influenced Hasidic Judaism through his master works the Tanya, which is primarily mystical and in line with the Zohar, and his authoritative work on Jewish law known as the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, which Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch asked him to write with the sources of the law, but some chapters were lost in a fire. He was recognized and accepted as a posek (Rabbinic authority in Jewish law), and is often cited in other Halakhic works such as the Mishnah Berura and Ben Ish Chai. The names "Schneersohn" and "Schneerson" began as patronymics by Shneur Zalman's descendants. The first form of this name was "Shneuri" (Hebrew for "of Shneur"). This was later changed to "Schneersohn".
- Rabbi Dovber Schneuri 1773–1827, son of Shneur Zalman.
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn 1789–1866, grandson of Shneur Zalman and son-in-law of Dovber, known after this work Tzemach Tzedek.
- Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn 1834–1882, son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel.
- Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn 1860–1920, son of Rabbi Shmuel known for founding Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva Network.
- Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn 1880–1950, only son of Sholom Dovber.
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson 1902–1994, (his family name does not have the "h" of "...sohn" as he was a cousin from a different branch of the family), sixth in paternal line from Rabbi Menachem Mendel, and son-in-law of Joseph Isaac.
Origin of name
Chabad
The names Chabad and Lubavitch each have a history. Chabad is a Hebrew acronym for Chochma ("wisdom"), Bina ("understanding"), and Da'as ("knowledge"), that was chosen early on by its founder, the first Rebbe, Shneur Zalman of Liadi. The name Chabad reflects the intellectual accessibility of the mystical teachings of the Kabbalah. Rabbi Shneur Zalman is the author of the seminal Hassidic work, Tanya, as well as the Shulchan Aruch HaRav - a code of Jewish Law.
Chabad is sometimes written as Habad in English, and in all the phonetic equivalents of the name in all the countries they operate in. Thus, as an example, Jabad is the Spanish form, particularly important to the Jews of Latin America, most notably Argentina, which has the largest concentration of Spanish speaking Jews anywhere in the world and therefore has a large Lubavitch presence as well.
Lubavitch
Lubavitch is the name of a small town in Russia meaning "town of love". It was Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi who founded the movement, but his son established court in Lubavitch, and the name stuck. In Hasidic Judaism, a dynasty normally takes its name from the town in Eastern Europe where it was born and originated. The followers of Lubavitch place great emphasis on the value and meaning of their group name and town of origin. They say that this evokes, symbolizes and embodies who they are.
History of the movement
In 19th and 20th century Russia Chabad had a large following and had a sizeable network of yeshivoth called Tomchei Temimim. Most of this system was destroyed by Bolshevik governments and the German invasion in 1942. The then current Rebbe Joseph Isaac Schneersohn had been living in Warsaw, Poland, and with the lobbying of many Jewish leaders on his behalf, he was finally granted diplomatic immunity and given safe conduct to go via Berlin, then to Riga, and then on to New York City where he arrived on March 19 1940. His son-in-law and cousin Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who had been living in Paris, France, since 1933, escaped from France in 1941 and joined his father-in-law in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York City. Nowdays, Chabad can be found wherever there are Jews. The worldwide headquarters of the Chabad movement is 770 Eastern Parkway in the neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, referred to as "770" by Lubavitchers who deem the number to have great mystical significance.
Chabad today
Emissaries
Menachem Mendel Schneerson, after becoming the Rebbe himself, and following an initiative of the previous Rebbe, spurred the movement on to what has become known as shlichus (outreach work). As a result, Chabad shluchim (emissaries, sing. shaliach) have moved all over the world with a mission of helping all Jews, regardless of denomination or affiliation, with all their needs, physical assistance and spiritual, to learn more about their Jewish heritage, and Judaism as practiced by Chabad.
The movement, following Rabbi Schneerson's call, has trained and ordained thousands of rabbis, educators, ritual slaughterers, and ritual circumcisers, who are all accompanied by equally motivated spouses and typically large families, all of whom aim to fulfill their mandate of Jewish outreach, education, and revival. They look for and recruit Jews who want to join them, encourage Jews to strengthen their commitment to Judaism, and assist in supporting the religious needs of hundreds of thousands of Jews worldwide. Emissaries have commented on various occasions that "wherever there is Coca-Cola, there is Chabad"[1].
The Chabad House
A Chabad House is a Jewish community center, the nerve center of all the educational and outreach activities of a shliach. Often until the community is big enough for its own building, the Chabad House is the shliach's house, with the synagogue being their living room.
There are 4,000 Chabad centers in 70 countries serving the needs of the local Jewish communities worldwide.
Mitzvot campaigns
Chabad is also remarkable in its openness to non-Orthodox Jews; in fact, it aims to attract them to do mitzvot, and believes this part of the process to bring the Geula. This practice is called "mivtzoim" - based on the words mitzvat tefillin.
The Rebbe issued a call to every Jew: "Even if you are not fully commited to a Torah life, do something. Begin with a mitzvah [commandment] - any mitzvah; its value will not be diminished by the fact that there are others which you are not prepared to do." The Rebbe believed even one act of goodness and kindness is imcompareble.
The Rebbe also suggested ten specific mitzvot - likely, because of their centrality to the Torah's guide to life, are ideally suited for a first experience of the mitzvah connection.
- Lighting candles before Shabbat and the Jewish holidays (women and girls)
- Putting on tefillin (phylacteries, for men over 13)
- Affixing a mezuzah (scroll with central Torah passsages) on doors
- Torah study on a regular basis
- Tzedakah (charity)
- Obtaining Jewish religious literature (a Chumash/Pentateuch, Book of Psalms, and a siddur/prayer book)
- Adhering to kashrut (the dietary laws)
- loving one's neighbor like oneself
- Proper Jewish eductation
- Observing "family purity" (the laws of niddah).
In addition to the above campaigns, Schneerson greatly emphasized spreading awareness of the coming of Moshiach and preparing for his imminent arrival. Some of the points Schneerson stressed in his teachings include:
- Belief in the imminent coming of Moshiach is a fundamental Jewish belief as explained by the Rambam.
- The Geula, or the Era of Redemption, is the culmination of the spiritual work since the Creation of the world.
- Jews prepare and pave the way for the coming of Moshiach and the Geula by doing acts of goodness and kindness.
- Non-Jews have seven commandments, called the Noahide Laws that they should become aware of and practice. Chabad has been a prime force in the dissemination of awareness of these laws, and several Noahide communities have sprung up as a result.
- The importance of opposing any discussion concerning concession of territories in the Holy Land of Israel, or otherwise strategically vital territories to Arabs or anyone else.
Often when asked what remains to be done to bring Moshiach (the messiah), Schneerson answered that we need to perform "Acts of Goodness and Kindness," now a popular catchphrase. Rabbi Schneerson intended that Moshiach awareness be an essential part of everything we do, and thus it is unusual for any Chabad function to be without mention of the desire for the immediate Redemption.
Outreach activities
Activities:
- Chabad has set up an extensive network of camps around the world most using the name Gan Israel, a name chosen by the Rebbe for the first overnight camp. There are 1,200 sites serving 210,000 children -- most of whom are not Orthodox. Of these, 500 camps are in the United States.
- In recent years Chabad has greatly expanded its reach on Campuses. They serve hundreds of college campuses worldwide and has 85 full-service Jewish Student Centers.They have received much praise from faculty and students alike. Professor Alan Dershowitz has stated "Chabad’s presence on college campuses today is absolutely crucial." And "We cannot rest until Chabad is on every major college campus in the world"[2].
- Dissemination of literature by Kehot Publication Society (the Chabad publishing house) in Hebrew, Yiddish, English and other languages.
- Mitzvah tanks (mobile booths for outreach activities) are operated in busy areas.
Customs of Chabad
Chabad has specific minhagim (customs) that distinguish it from other Hasidic groups. For example, in contrast with other Hasidic sects, Chabad hassidim do not wear shtreimels (fur hats worn on special days and occasions).
Chabad hassidim pronounce Hebrew according to the Ashkenazi dialect, with the vowel cholem sounding somewhat closer to /ey/ than the Modern Hebrew /o/ and the Ashkenazi /oi/.
Like many other Hasidic groups, Chabad attaches importance to singing Hasidic nigunim (tunes), either with or without words and following precise customs of their leaders.
Influence on the Jewish world
Chabad has had a notable influence on Haredi entertainment. Singing rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was affiliated with Chabad, and popular singers such as Avraham Fried and Mordechai ben David and children's entertainer Uncle Moshie attract sizable crowds on their tours and have popularized many melodies for various Jewish occasions.
Chabad took a lead in the post-War kiruv rechokim ("outreach") movement which spread the message of authentic Judaism to many assimilated Jews worldwide, leading to a substantial number of baalei teshuva ("returnees" to Judaism"). Chabad was one of the first Jewish outreach organizations to discover the World Wide Web as an outreach tool.
Controversies
History of controversy
Since its inception, Hasidism was the center of much controversy within the Jewish community. The founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov was a populist preacher and Kabbalist virtually unknown to the accepted Rabbinate at the time. His quickly growing popularity and novel interpretations of the Torah and halakha (Jewish law) quickly caused a growing backlash by established Rabbis who called themselves mitnagdim (lit. opposers). Hasidim were accused of idolatry, false messianism and laxity in observance of halakha. This opposition was led by Rabbi Eliyahu Kramer, known as the Vilna Gaon.
After the death of the Baal Shem Tov's successor, Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch; Hasidism split into many groups. Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi is believed by Chabad Hasidim to be the rightful heir and successor of Rabbi Dovber of Mezritch. During the lives of Rabbi Shneur Zalman and his son Dovber, the controversies between the Hasidim and Mitnagdim intensified in many ways. Subjects of the disagreement were the rules for ritual slaughter and the conduction and phrasing of prayers, but rapidly involved many other aspects of Jewish life. As a result, Rabbi Shneur Zalman and his followers were subjected to bans and persecution. Finally, a prominent member of the mitnagdim informed the Russian government that Rabbi Shneur Zalman was encouraging his followers to send money to Palestine. Palestine was a part of the Ottoman Empire, which was at war with Russia. Rabbi Shneur Zalman was arrested for treason. His subsequent release on 19 Kislev is celebrated by Chabad Hasidim as the New Year of Hasidism and divine vindication of the movement.
There was brief rapprochement between Chabad, other Hasidim and the mitnagdim during the tenure of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the grandson of Rabbi Shneur Zalman. However, controversies continued throughout the generations.
Controversy during the seventh Rebbe's life
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Chabad leader, took the reins of the sect shortly after World War II and became their Rebbe. At the time, many believed that Orthodox Judaism was about to die. Schneerson believed that the Messiah was soon to come. At the speech where he accepted leadership, he proclaimed the defining theme of his tenure. He stated that his purpose as the seventh Rebbe was to complete the work of bringing the Jewish Messiah. He further stated that the previous Rebbe had not finished this work, but because of the unusual character of his self-sacrifice was still present to lead the charge in bringing about the Messianic Age. "Beyond this, the Rebbe will bind and unite us with the infinite Essence of G-d... When he redeems us from the exile with an uplifted hand and the dwelling places of all Jews shall be filled with light... May we be privileged to see and meet with the Rebbe here is this world, in a physical body, in this earthy domain - and he will redeem us" (Basi L'Gani 1951).
Schneerson renounced the traditionally insular or assimilationist way of life espoused by many Jews in the United States. He encouraged growing long beards, women wearing wigs and other overt signs of religiosity. His followers held public Hannukah celebrations, encouraged secular Jews to put on tefillin in public and made themselves highly visible in their Jewish observance. This caused a backlash from both liberal and traditional factions of the Jewish establishment. The County of Allegheny with the support of Chabad defended itself in court all the way to the United States Supreme Court from the ACLU in County of Allegheny v. ACLU over the display of a public Menorah owned by Chabad. Many prominent Rabbis were staunchly opposed to allowing secular Jews to wear tefillin, as they believed it to be a desecration. The controversies over the role of a tzadik and the coming of the Jewish Messiah continue to rage.
Relationship between God, the Rebbe and his followers
Based on the teachings of Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Baal Shem Tov and the Ohr ha-Chaim, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi taught in the name of the Zohar that "He who breathed life into man, breathed from Himself." Therefore a person's soul comes from the essence of God.
According to kabbalah, a tzadik, because he has completely nullified himself and his desires to what God wants, his soul which like every Jewish soul is part of God is revealed within him more than other people whom have not completely nullified themselves to God. However, Judaism does not believe in the Tzadik being like God.
In 1951 the seventh Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson said a similiar statement to those statements discussed in Tzadik, (Lekutei Sichos Vol 2 pg 510-511) saying regarding the practice by Hasidim to have a Rebbe act as an intermediary with God on their behalf, by explaining that "the Rebbe is completely connected with his Hasidim, not like two separate things that connect, rather they become completely one. And the Rebbe is not an intermediary which separates rather he is one that connects. Therefore by a Hassid, he with the Rebbe with God are all one... Therefore one can not ask a question about an intermediary since this is the essence of God Himself, as He has clothed Himself in a human body".
In recent years some critics, notably Berger, Keller and others, have expressed the concern that this is a Chabad innovation that deifies the Rebbe, which whould be contrary to accepted Jewish theology. Chabad writers counter that these reactions are based on a misunderstanding of the Kabbalistic terminology used by Schneerson, and that similar expressions can be found throughout non-Chabad Hassidic literature.
Various forms of messianism
During the later years of his life Schneerson's teachings were interpreted by many to mean that he was claiming to be the Messiah. The development of this messianism and its impact on Chabad in specific — and Orthodox Judaism in general — has been the subject of much discussion in the Jewish press, as well as within the pages of peer-reviewed journals.
There are various expressions of the Messianic message:
- Some Chabad Hasidim hold that Schneerson was the best candidate for messiah in his generation, but now say that people were mistaken to believe that he was the Messiah. Rather, he could have been the messiah if God willed it to be so, but it was not to be. As such, the Messiah will come nonetheless in the person of some other great leader.
- Some Chabad Hasidim hold that the classic meaning of death does not apply to a truly righteous person such as Schneerson, as his soul was closer to God than that of an ordinary human being. In this view Schneerson never died, and is still alive in some way that ordinary humans cannot perceive. He will return in a more obvious way to proclaim his messiahship (see e.g. Rabbi Levi Yitzchack Ginsberg, of Kfar Chabad Yeshiva, in his book Mashiah Akhshav, volume IV, 1996). Many Chabad Hasidim refuse to put the typical honorifics for the dead (e.g. zt"l or zecher tzaddik livrocho, "may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing") after Schneerson's name.
- Some Chabad Hasidim hold that Schneerson will literally return from the dead amidst a general bodily resurrection of the dead, and will be proclaimed as Messiah. Some Chabad Hasidim have developed an extensive literature of prooftexts attempting to show that this is what previous rabbinic literature actually meant (Berger 2001, see below for details).
- Berger also asserts that a few Chabad followers hold Schneerson to be God incarnate, and that they worship him as such. However this belief runs contrary to Judaism and has been condemed both within chabad (See Bistritzky and Ashkenazi) and outside chabad (See Feldman and Keller).
Vociferous opponents of the "meschichist" ("messianist") approach were some of the prominent roshei yeshiva (deans of Talmud colleges), such as Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach, dean of the Ponovezh yeshiva in Israel, who had condemned Chabad beliefs even before Schneerson's death. He was the leader of a group that had historically been at odds with all Hasidim, including Chabad, although from the 20th century onwards they worked quite closely together in organizations such as Agudath Israel, and Shach himself had not criticized any other Hasidic group in this way. It is noteworthy that many roshei yeshiva, including the late Rabbi Moses Feinstein and Rabbi Abraham Pam (essentially from the same camp as Schach) held Schneerson in the highest regard and did not take a stance vis a vis the Messianic stirrings.
The most vocal critic in the Modern Orthodox camp has been Rabbi David Berger, professor of history at Brooklyn College. In his 2001 book The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference, he criticizes the movement's Messianistic teachings, the perceived belief by many followers that the Rebbe was indeed the Messiah, and the incompatibility of these beliefs with traditional Judaism. He urges the Orthodox community to distance itself from Chabad.
At the request of Berger, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) resolved through a majority vote that “"In light of disturbing developments which have recently arisen in the Jewish community, the Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled declares that there is not and has never been a place in Judaism for the belief that Mashiach ben David [Messiah son of David] will begin his Messianic Mission only to experience death, burial and resurrection before completing it."” Additonally Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University, and major leader in the Modern Orthodox community, Rabbi Norman Lamm, has gone on record criticising the messianic tendencies within Chabad.
In contrast, Berger's claims have been attacked as false and misleading by several books written in response to his claims. Moshe Idel, the Max Cooper Professor of Jewish Thought at Hebrew University, considered the world's foremost academic authority on kabbala, or Jewish mysticism, disagrees with Berger's key point, that Judaism abhors the idea of a messiah who rises from the dead. He pointed out that this notion is not as foreign as Berger would have readers believe. After all, the professor argued, the late King David is considered in Jewish literature as a top candidate for the post of Messiah (Yanover). Rabbi Aaron Soloveitchik expressed concern for voices attacking Chabad. At the time, he had authorized publication of a letter in which he urged respect for Chabad, expressed praise for its work and stated that its beliefs are not outside the realm of Orthodox Judaism. Likewise, Professor Aviezer Ravitzky, chairman of the department of Jewish philosophy at Hebrew University, strongly disputes Berger's claims that new Chabad teachings amount to heresy; however he does not believe that such beliefs are correct. In regards to those who wait for Schneerson to return from the dead as a messiah, Ravitzky stated "Torah does not prohibit a person from being stupid."
Earlier responses from other various Jewish spokespeople had been also been aimed specifically at the last two expressions of messianism. Longtime critics Allan Nadler (2001) and Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller (1998) warned that Chabad had moved its focus from God to Schneerson to the point that they "worship him", but their criticism did not have the impact that Berger's work and subsequent campign.
References and further reading
- Berger, David. "The Fragility of Religious Doctrine: Accounting for Orthodox Acquiescence in the Belief In A Second Coming," Modern Judaism, Vol. 22, p.103-114, 2002
- Berger, David. The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference, Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2001 (ISBN 1874774889)
- Dalfin, Chaim. Attack on Lubavitch: A Response, Jewish Enrichment Press, February 2002 (ISBN 1880880660)
- Fishkoff, Sue. The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch, Schocken, 2003 (ISBN 0805241892)
- Frumer, Assaf. Kol Hanikra Bishmi (Hebrew)
- Hoffman, Edward. Despite All Odds: The Story of Lubavitch. Simon & Schuster, 1991 (ISBN 0671677039)
- Keller, Chaim Dov. "G-d - Centered or Rebbe/Messiah - Centered: What is Normative Judaism?", Jewish Observer, March, 1998
- Lessons in Tanya chabad.org
- Mindel, Nissan. The philosophy of Chabad. Chabad Research Center, 1973
- Nadler, Allan. Last Exit to Brooklyn: The Lubavitcher's powerful and preposterous messianism. The New Republic May 4, 1992.
- Nadler, Allan. A Historian's Polemic Against 'The Madness of False Messianism' The Forward Oct. 19, 2001.
- Neusner, Jacob. A Messianism That Some Call Heresy. Jerusalem Post October 19, 2001
- Pavzener, Avraham. Al HaTzadikim (Hebrew). Kfar Chabad. 1991
- Prager, Dennis. Irresponsible Slander Moment Magazine 2002
- Rapoport, Chaim The Messiah Problem; Berger, The Angel and the Scandal of Reckless Indiscrimination Chaim Rapoport 2002
- Riemer, Jack. Will the Rebbe Return?. Moment Magazine February 2002.
- Schneerson, Menachem Mendel. On the Essence of Chasidus: A Chasidic Discourse by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad-Lubavitch. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2003 (ISBN 0826604668)
- Schochet, Rabbi J. Immanuel. G-d Centered or Machloket-Centered: Which is Normative Judaism? A Response to Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller of Chicago. Algemeiner Journal.
- Schochet, Rabbi J. Immanuel. Mashiach. Sichos In English.
- Shaffir, William. When Prophecy is Not Validated: Explaining the Unexpected in a Messianic Campaign. The Jewish Journal of Sociology. Vol.XXXVII, No.2, Dec. 1995
- Student, Gil. Can the Rebbe Be Moshiach?: Proofs from Gemara, Midrash, and Rambam that the Rebbe cannot be Moshiach, Universal Publishers, 2002, (ISBN 1581126115). online version
- Yanover, Yori. Attack on Chabad Is Called Unredeemable The Forward January 18, 2002
External links
Chabad sites
- Chabad of Cyberspace
- Chabad on Campus
- A huge collection of Jewish text, audio and applications
- Chabad News
- Lubavitch News Service
- Chabad books, audio, and information
- Messianic Lubavitch Networks
- Unauthorized scans of Chabad books