He had suffered a massive stroke in 1992. The stroke left him paralyzed on the right side of his body and unable to speak. He never recovered. In the time that passed between his stroke and his death the previously quiet speculation that he was the long-awaited messiah developed into an all out declaration. When he finally died many of his followers had a hard time letting go. In the years since his death Chabad has become as known for its resurrectionists as it has for its kiruv work.Speaking as a former insider I am saddened by the current state of Chabad. My personal feelings regarding religion aside, I admire the empire and network The Rebbe built. I also have many, many fond memories of life as a Chabadnik. Chabad today may be larger in numbers (and in cash flow) but it lacks the heart the movement had when The Rebbe was in charge.
Where did Chabad go wrong?
I blame the Rebbe. Chabad didn't go messianic while The Rebbe was incapacitated at the end of his life. I lay the blame with the Rebbe because he built the power of Lubavitch around a "cult of personality" with himself at the center. Once The Rebbe died, Lubavitch had no official leadership. In hindsight the results were almost predictable. The Rebbe had trained his followers to carry out his every command and be prepared for new instructions at anytime. His following was nothing less than fanatical. The Rebbe never prepared the movement for the possibility that a) the messiah wouldn't come or b) he would die. Before he got so old (he died at 92) he should have established a clear successor.
Why didn't The Rebbe create a successor?
I think he believed that Moshiach would come before he died. I think he believed in that idea so firmly that he bet the future of Chabad on that belief.
Tragically, The Rebbe was wrong.
36 comments:
This isn't the first time that Rabbis have so tragically miscalculated their moves and misread history, due to their emunah. The chassidic rabbis of Europe at the beginning of the Nazi era stands out as a glaring example, many of which told their followers not to leave. In modern times, the rabbinic leaders of Gush Katif convinced their flock that the hitnatkut would not happen, leaving them sorely unprepared. The orthodox decided to boycott non-orthodox movements, dating back to the 1800s and continues to this day, despite the massive hemorrhage from traditional Judaism and that only a few percentage of Jews alive today are observant.
Lubab, many rabbinical leaders spoke out against Lubavitch beginning I think in the 60's, surely 70's. Those who chose to ignore the advice of the rabbis have paid a price.
drj,
"The chassidic rabbis of Europe at the beginning of the Nazi era stands out as a glaring example, many of which told their followers not to leave."
Hitler was not in any way a threat to Polish Jewry until at least 1936. Let's say there were several hundred thousand Chassidim in Poland in 1936. How many visas would the British government have issued to them between 1936 and 1939 and how many were in fact issued?
I think you'll find that lack of visas, not lack of good advice, caused the tragedy.
The Rebbe's arrogance made him impercetible to the admonitions of all the Rabbonim in the entire world who warned against his messianic agenda. As a man with no probity, no concern for the consequences of his actions, he is responsible for the loss of hundreds of thousands of Jews from Judaism to a cult which celebrates a dead man as their messiah.
yossi, Amen to that.
Being Orthoprax is one thing. Being an atheist is one thing. But undue criticism piled on a dead rabbi is another thing altogether, and unfair.
I am an atheist myself. I do not have much use for Orthodox rabbis. But the Rebbe was charismatic, kind, and helped many people. Besides, he is dead! So, let us have some respect.
The Rebbe not having the foresight to train an heir places him in good company of Alexander the Great, Atilla the Hun, and King David.
I've read a lot about the rebbe, and as I understand it, he was actually an electrician who, in middle age, became the rabbi of a shul in Brooklyn. There's nothing wrong with that. However he apparently convinced himself that if enough Jews would accept him as the messiah, so he would be. More than that, he refused to listen to other far greater rabbis who said he was mistaken. In my humble opinion, that is outrageous wickedness. I'm not alone in saying so. And I said it when he was alive and well.
I was recently in the home of a young family on shlecus when I overheard the following conversation between a 10 year old girl and her father. The names have been changed to protect the identities of the family.
Chaya Mushka: Tati..is the Rebbe Moshiach?
Tati: we don't know
that about sums up Lubavitch of 2007
badrabbi,
Were The Rebbe just some Rav at a local shul I would agree with you. However, The Rebbe was much more than that. He was a historical figure who has had a major impact on modern Jewish life. Because of the impact, positive and negative, he has had on thousands and thousands of people criticism of him is warranted.
>>Were The Rebbe just some Rav at a local shul I would agree with you. However, The Rebbe was much more than that. He was a historical figure who has had a major impact on modern Jewish life. Because of the impact, positive and negative, he has had on thousands and thousands of people criticism of him is warranted.
The Rabbe was NOT a major historical figure--his influence was limited to Lubavitch--and his only influence was to twist around chassidish theology into his distorted view of "original" chassidus so as to suit his messianic agenda. Despite the hundreds of tall tales said about the Rebbe (helping Oppenheimer with the A-bomb, answering the hardest kushyas on Shas which all the great Lithuanian Roshei Yeshivos could not answer, to being a better student than RYBS), he encouraged a hostile, deeply hateful outlook toward anyone who disagreed with his agenda, branding them "misnagdim." Furthermore, he encouraged statements like, "the Chazon Ish in shomayim is jealous of every cheder yingel in Chabad because they learn Chassidus," justifying such motzei shem rah on a mes (for which he belongs in cherem) on the grounds that "chassidus is the pnimius of Torah." For speaking publicly about a deceased giant whose feet he never touched in greatness, the "Rebbe" does not deserve respect even in his death. He was, at best, confused with concepts he did not understand (this is the extremely chariatable view of gedolei hador even in his life time). However, because he refused to learn, blasted all those who tried to educate him and, at the very least, his innocent followers (he even declared--again, publicly--that Rav Shach's teffilin must be possul if he could talk like this about him!!!) he is responsible for the consequences his obstinance played out for the innocent people who he wrapped around his finger--who loved him and fell for his cult of personality.
Shame on him.
He was a Jewish electrician who duped a lot of people. As they say, there's a sucker born every minute.
I visited Chabad once, as a goy on New Years weekend 1977. I was in the process of converting. I was there for a gathering of secular college students. In my diary, I wrote:
"In spite of Lubavitch's many positive aspects, I do harbor several reservations. The idea of one man rule seems dangerous and perhaps unnecessary. It also creates a disturbing parallel with other religions (particularly
Catholicism), a fact which often, more than a little, I find disturbing. Also, the intense missionary drive in Lubavitch, aimed at increasing religious observance among Jews, too often has an oppressive Madison Avenue tone, a tone foreign to my idea of Judiasm."
I think in a sense, Lubavitch provided a bridge between Christianity and Judaism. It was basically successful among Jews who had been raised in Christian environment. There may be a reason why.
Yossi,
> The Rabbe was NOT a major historical figure--his influence was limited to Lubavitch
The Rebbe changed Orthodox perceptions about kiruv work. For the most part, when Chabad started reaching out to non-observant Jews they were criticized for it. Today kiruv is mainstream. You clearly have a bigger beef with the guy than I do but that doesn't make him any less of an important figure in the history of modern Jewry.
Kiruv is nothing new. Four hundred years ago, Jews had to deal with thousands of Marranos who escaped from Catholic countries. They were essentially the same as the baalei tshuva of the 1970's.
Oh, please, lubab, the Rebbe had no interest in kiruv. He was merely trying to act in conformance with the Rambam so as to render him Moshiach. The entire "Lubavitch" kiruv movement is about making people Lubavitch and annoninting the Rebbe as their savior--you cannot begin to compare it with normatice kiruv. This is especially the case in Ohr Someyach which puts so much emphasis on learning and halacha. Lubavitch kiruv could not care less for these issues--the most important in the Jewish religion--and engages in "farbrengen" and other inane, and not neccessarily Jewish, activities.
I don't have a beef with the Rebbe per say, but I am extremely dissappointed with the way members of his cult lie to everyone's face. We all know what they believe and why. Their kiruv is a joke, and is done by complete ignoramouses. Their title, shluchim, is impossibly obvious. Normal Jews cannot have anything to do with such people.
He had zero effect on mainstream Jewry. He is a stain on our history, and it will take centuries to clean the mess he made.
Oh, please, lubab, the Rebbe had no interest in kiruv. He was merely trying to act in conformance with the Rambam so as to render him Moshiach. The entire "Lubavitch" kiruv movement is about making people Lubavitch and annoninting the Rebbe as their savior--you cannot begin to compare it with normatice kiruv. This is especially the case in Ohr Someyach which puts so much emphasis on learning and halacha. Lubavitch kiruv could not care less for these issues--the most important in the Jewish religion--and engages in "farbrengen" and other inane, and not neccessarily Jewish, activities.
I don't have a beef with the Rebbe per say, but I am extremely dissappointed with the way members of his cult lie to everyone's face. We all know what they believe and why. Their kiruv is a joke, and is done by complete ignoramouses. Their title, shluchim, is impossibly obvious. Normal Jews cannot have anything to do with such people.
He had zero effect on mainstream Jewry. He is a stain on our history, and it will take centuries to clean the mess he made.
It's haters like Yossi and the Jewish Philosopher that make me so sure that their brand of Judaism isn't much better. People that wrongfully accuse Lubavitch of worshiping the Rebbe {making me question the extent of their exposure besides for the blogs rife with Lubavitch haters who themselves have little exposure} yet can make statements of some Tzaddik's prodigiousness to the effect that "whose feet he never touched in greatness" force me to believe that there's little more content there. They essentially discredit Chabad with the very claim that they bolster their own heroes with- invincibility. Their gripes- and I've done the investigation on this- have little substantive value and are based more on comparative censure {such as saying that they're LIKE Christians}which essentially means nothing beyond "we don't like it."
For the record I am an agnostic who has had tremendous exposure to Chabad in college {spent time in a Yeshiva} and only had positive experiences. My disagreements with Judaism have little to do with the specific philosophies of Chabad, which I have no problem with in the vacuum of Orthodox belief, but rather with the existential questions which Judaism fails to answer.
Hey, Chozer, no problem. I've got all the answers.
>>It's haters like Yossi and the Jewish Philosopher that make me so sure that their brand of Judaism isn't much better.
This is how we know your are from Chabad: they categorize all rational probity as "hatefullness." Its pathetic, but worse, its the reason why the movement will never be able to get back on course.
>>People that wrongfully accuse Lubavitch of worshiping the Rebbe {making me question the extent of their exposure besides for the blogs rife with Lubavitch haters who themselves have little exposure} yet can make statements of some Tzaddik's prodigiousness to the effect that "whose feet he never touched in greatness" force me to believe that there's little more content there.
Lubavitch DOES worship the Rebbe. If you don't know this, you know NOTHING about Chabad. Either that, or you are a typicl Chabadsker who would rather whitewash or deny a problem than acknowledge it and repair the damage. I don't think anyone would deny that there is something extremely wrong in the "Rebbe" publicly besmirching a Giant (the Chazon Ish) who was undoubtedly his superior. And the fact that he used such hateful talk about him and attempted to discredit his actual knoweldge (implying he did not understand the pnimius of Torah) is beyond the pale. Call that insubstantial? You just show yourself to be so hateful toward all others (undoubtedly because you are a Chabadsker) that you fail to realize how out of line the Rebbe was.
>>They essentially discredit Chabad with the very claim that they bolster their own heroes with- invincibility.
Of course, this never ACTUALLY happened. Not on this thread. But, hey, you are already married to a position. So what does truth matter to you? Not much, if you're a Chabadsker defending the fact the Rebbe refused to better understand what he was confused about.
>>Their gripes- and I've done the investigation on this- have little substantive value and are based more on comparative censure {such as saying that they're LIKE Christians}which essentially means nothing beyond "we don't like it."
It is not possible you have done any meaningful investigation on this topic. There is no comparitive censure here. This is about one man bringing an entire movement and hundreds of thousands of individuals to a place where they are out of the pale of Judaism. There is no ring "we don't like it," here--its about the shame one man brought to a movement and the seemingly irreversible damage he started. After all, followers of his (like yourself, for example) were so indoctrinated with the Big Lie that all who know the Rebbe to be wrong are "haters" or "misnagdim" cannot change until you do actual investigation. But you never did. And you probably never will.
>>For the record I am an agnostic who has had tremendous exposure to Chabad in college {spent time in a Yeshiva} and only had positive experiences.
Something does not make sense here.
>>My disagreements with Judaism have little to do with the specific philosophies of Chabad, which I have no problem with in the vacuum of Orthodox belief, but rather with the existential questions which Judaism fails to answer.
Because you never had exposure to real Judaism. Stay away from Chabad. Go to something real.
"Hey, Chozer, no problem. I've got all the answers."
Somehow I doubt that.
"Because you never had exposure to real Judaism. Stay away from Chabad. Go to something real."
I think you just don't get it.
>>I think you just don't get it.
No, you don't. I would not give up on Phsyics if my first professor knew nothing about it. If I wanted to know about it, I would go to someone who knew it. You were with frauds, charlatans, ignoramouses.
I'm so sorry, but I don't know what about being mistaken about Messiah {I didn't hang around the Yechiniks anyway} could make someone an ignoramus about philosophical dillemas like the origins of the universe, the existence of god, whether there's an afterlife or the truth of science and evolution.
Those are not big questions. They are dealt with extensively.
Chozer, I'm very strong on that existential stuff. Try me.
Yossi,
> He had zero effect on mainstream Jewry. He is a stain on our history, and it will take centuries to clean the mess he made.
You sound confused. One second you state that The Rebbe had "zero effect" on Jewry and the next you claim he made a "mess" that "will take centuries to clean." Make up your mind.
Whatever your personal opinion is of The Rebbe and the movement he built you can't deny that he made a lasting impact on Orthodox Judaism.
I can acknowledge the Rebbe made an impact on Orthodoxy. But it was only negative. The man was unrepentant and completely in love with himself. Its a shame he can no longer do teshuva for the mess he made.
Chabad introduced missionary type activity, generally absent in Jewish history. Personally I find nothing wrong with this, even though it uses a strong cult-personality approach. It is just one of the many alternative streams of Judaism that has evolved over the centuries, and has abided by the one condition that allows it to not be rejected by mainstream Judaism: It remains committed to halachah and Torah.
I know that some people have called it Christianity-like, a cult, or whatever, but the fact is that it doesn't really matter what you believe as long as you don't reject the mitzvot and Torah. The emphasis is just different.
If I want I can believe that Eliyahu Hanavi or Shabtai Zvi or Jesus or R Shneerson or anybody else is the messiah, as long as I do mitzvot it's OK (although that doesn't preclude me from being an idiot or a fool...)
Mashiach and afterlife are all post-exilic concepts that developed in response to the tragedies and suffering of the Jewish people, and the obvious lack of justice on this earth. There are many variations on the theme, including those of other religions.
It goes without saying that an orthodox Jew is compelled to believe in it in some way, otherwise the world and Jewish history cannot be reconciled with the orthodox concept of God. (Exept for Leibovitzians)
So pick your favorite savior!!
>>If I want I can believe that Eliyahu Hanavi or Shabtai Zvi or Jesus or R Shneerson or anybody else is the messiah, as long as I do mitzvot it's OK (although that doesn't preclude me from being an idiot or a fool...)
This is one of the Big Lies of the Lubavitch Movement. And it is not true.
>>This is one of the Big Lies of the Lubavitch Movement. And it is not true.
. . .One who believes that Jesus is their savior is not merely a shotah. You cannot say you are an orthodox Jew if you believe this. Sadly, Lubavitchers do not have a choice. And this is all the Rebbe's fault.
>>If I want I can believe that Eliyahu Hanavi or Shabtai Zvi or Jesus or R Shneerson or anybody else is the messiah, as long as I do mitzvot it's OK (although that doesn't preclude me from being an idiot or a fool...)
You are throwing out the words of Rishonim spanning over centuries with this kind of ignorant talk. Its not "Ok" so long as you are doing mitzvot. And I am glad that you conceed that you are being an idiot and a fool for maintaing your wrong beliefs. You are not in a valid stream of Orthodoxy which has evolved "over centuries." Its a new, evil cult which was developed around the Rebbe's faulty understanding of the issues.
Stop with the Sinnat Chinom. I hope everyone respects Rav Kook enough to agree that Ahavat Chinom is needed. We are all Jews and all have a place in olam habo - lubavitch, satmar reform haredi MO yeshivish - but I don't know about those conservatives - never really liked them. (joke).
This is another Lubavitch argument. The Rebbe was one of the greatest proponents of sinas chinam of his generation--if not the greatest. Consider what he wrote and said publicly about the Chazon Ish. Anyone who was not a Chabadsker did not have the pnimius of Torah. Anyone who was not chassidish was not a complete Jew. Now that his mistakes were never corrected, he left hundreds of thousands practicing a religion which is not Judaism. And he encouraged his chassidim to mock reproof.
"We are all Jews and all have a place in olam habo"
Except those who lose it.
Some see the glass as half full.
Some see the glass as half empty.
Some say "HEY!! Is this Cholov Yisroel???"
>>Kiruv is nothing new. Four hundred years ago, Jews had to deal with thousands of Marranos
This is just a silly statement. Kiruv today is a giant new movement that never existed before. That doesn't mean that there was no drive to bring back those lost to the Inquisition or the Haskala. But to say that what exists today is nothing new is mind bogglingly silly.
>>This is how we know your are from Chabad: they categorize all rational probity as "hatefullness."
I have nothing to do with Chabad and have no use for it. But I've seen hateful people and hateful writing. Yours falls into that category. Sometimes negative writers have a very valid point, as do all sides usually. But you're just mean. But that's the way of blogging and blog responders. Hatred is seen as sharp wittedness by people with nowhere else to vent their frustrations and anger.
I see nothing mean about Anonomous's/Yossi's elegant writing and logically sound arguments.
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