A Little Bit of Light will Dispel a Great Deal of Darkness
After we published the disturbing article from the St. Louise Jewish Light, we have received tremendous response criticizing Rabbi Bruce Warshal for his article. One of the responses published by the Jewish Lights was from the local Chabad Shliach Rabbi Yosef Landa, Director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis.
I am gratified by the outpouring of support which was directed to my colleagues and myself since the appearance of the extremely offensive commentary by Rabbi Bruce Warshal of South Florida in the St. Louis Jewish Light of March 21, 2007. I am thankful to the many people who have written to the editor expressing their dismay and outrage at the Warshal piece, and at the Light’s decision to publish it — a misguided decision that compromised truthfulness, fairness and responsibility for the sake of crass sensationalism.
Particularly heartwarming is the fact that those expressions of support came from a virtual cross-section of the community, including Jews from every background and religious persuasion. The passionate response which Warshal’s gratuitous attack elicited, highlighted in most dramatic fashion, the wide range of Jews who are touched by Chabad’s hallmark — an embracing and accepting attitude towards all Jews. I must thank Warshal for that.
I am also thankful to the lay leadership of the Jewish Light for having the good sense to remove the divisive piece from the Light’s website. That is a small but very welcome step toward rectifying the grave injustice that was done to the Chabad movement and to the St. Louis Jewish community as a whole.
To anyone familiar with Chabad, Warshal’s claims are completely outlandish. He makes the unverified and unsupported “assumption” that an anonymous flyer which was handed to him by an unknown individual at a subway station in New York represents “the official doctrine of Chabad”. He then proceeds to smear the entire Chabad movement with the contents of that flyer. His disrespectful and insulting references to the revered Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, the great lover of all Jews, are more than just offensive. They are obscene.
Chabad, with its open and welcoming philosophy, occasionally attracts some “strange birds”, who may be few in number, but who can draw considerable attention to themselves. These mavericks make unauthorized use of the organization’s name and, as in this case, its central address “770 Eastern Parkway” to mislead the public. Unfortunately, there’s very little legal recourse that Chabad has to effectively put a stop to this. But time and again, Chabad officials have disavowed any association with such publications and pronouncements. This has been stated loudly and clearly. If Warshal hasn’t heard it, perhaps it is because he has chosen to plug his ears…
As to the “official doctrine” of Chabad, there’s really no mystery about it. I invite you to explore Chabad’s website, Chabad.org. The content on this website is shared by the websites of thousands of local Chabad centers around the world, including our own ShowMeChabad.com. You will find a huge collection of meaningful and engaging Jewish material, including some on the Jewish concept of Moshiach, but you will not find the ideas espoused in those unauthorized pamphlets. The same is true for Chabad’s publishing house, Kehot Publications, and its website kehotonline.com.
If you are looking for the Chabad doctrine, you can pay a visit to any of the hundreds of Chabad centers in Jewish communities and college campuses in this country. Speak to the colorful variety of Jews who attend their community holiday events or talk to the parents and students of their schools and camps who hail from every affiliation and non-affiliation. You can speak to the thousands of dedicated and highly motivated men and women who are the Rebbe’s emissaries to even the most far-flung Jewish communities in the world.
The Chabad doctrine, which is at the core of the Rebbe’s teachings, is that every single Jewish person, whatever spiritual place he or she might occupy, is equally endowed with an enduring Jewish Spark, a yiddishe neshomo, which transcends all of the differences of background, affiliation or level of observance. It is this principle of unconditional Ahavat Yisrael which motivates Chabad’s outreach efforts and which makes Chabad so universally popular. Perhaps it is precisely the popularity of Chabad that Warshal finds so intolerable.
I had the privilege, while in yeshiva, to listen to the Rebbe for many hundreds of hours as he delivered his public talks and discourses, and I continue to study his voluminous writings. I cannot recall a single instance when the Rebbe applied an appendage to the word “Jew”. To him the labels Reform Jew, Orthodox Jew, Conservative Jew etc. were all non-existent and terribly unhelpful. There are only Jews — all children of our patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and our matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. This is the doctrine of Chabad.
Warshal goes on to extend his attack to all of Chassidism and to the important Chassidic concept of a Rebbe, which he misunderstands and misrepresents — even going so far as to arrogantly assert that “this is not Judaism”. Evidently, his religious pluralism and open-ended tolerance of every mishegas in the world, comes to an abrupt end when it comes to Chassidism — the 300 year-old Jewish revival movement that has illuminated and inspired the lives of millions of the most learned and pious of our people. Does anybody in their right mind believe that the towering giants of Chassidism like Rabbi Israel Baal ShemTov, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev etc. — themselves Chassidic Rebbes — need Bruce Warshal to authenticate the Jewishness of their beliefs?!
Essentially, the notion of a Rebbe can be traced back to our first leader, Moshe Rabbeinu, our teacher Moses, who declared “I stand between G-d and you… to relate to you the word of G-d” (Deuteronomy, Ch. 5). Of course it is correct that every Jew has a direct connection to G-d. But it is also true that we occasionally require assistance from someone who is more spiritually attuned, to help us navigate our daily struggles and to more fully access the goodness and holiness of the divine spark inherent within us. That is why a Jew needs a Rebbe.
Warshal asks “why do liberal Jews build Chabad Houses?” If you ask them, they’ll likely tell you that they feel religiously starved, uninspired and bereft of even the most elementary Jewish information. They are disillusioned with Jewish leaders who are hopelessly caught in Warshal’s brand of divisive denominationalism. Their Chabad shliach’s passionate concern for them as a Jew, and his or her appreciation for their every Mitzvah, for their every piece of Torah, is for them a delightful breath of Jewish fresh air.
That might also explain how even as we prepare to mark the Rebbe’s thirteenth Yahrtzeit, the growth in the number of Chabad centers around the world and the influence of the Rebbe’s teachings, has never been greater. That is the most powerful testament to an authentic Jewish leader.
Finally, a word to the friends and supporters of Chabad in our community. Warshal’s nasty and divisive article cannot deter us in our quest to bring the Rebbe’s message to the Jews of our community. We can take courage from the age-old Jewish adage “a little bit of light will dispel a great deal of darkness”. It is an indisputable and stubborn reality — when light and truth encounter darkness and falsehood, without fail the light and truth will always prevail.
Rabbi Yosef Landa is regional director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis.
Aaron
Why doesn’t R’ Landa, come out and say it: “The Lubavitcher Rebbe is not the Moshiach”. If more Lubavitchers would simply state that this is their belief, there would be less room for people like Bruce Warshal to claim the opposite. The problem is that everyone is remaining silent.
chyutz
kol hakavod. Very well written
kjkl
Great great article.
HOWEVER (theres always a “however”)
“But time and again, Chabad officials have disavowed any association with such publications and pronouncements. This has been stated loudly and clearly. If Warshal hasn’t heard it, perhaps it is because he has chosen to plug his ears…”
this is not so true.
Merkaz and all the “Chabad officials” need to get up and denounce, disavow and state it LOUD and CLEAR…
Warshal hasnt heard because i, your local CHer hasnt heard it either….
but other wise great article…
yechi hamelech
Rabbi Landa could have ended the atricle with someting like and this is what chassidim mean when they say the rebbe is alive etc…
regular bochur
Aaron wrote:
Why doesn’t R’ Landa, come out and say it: “The Lubavitcher Rebbe is not the Moshiach”.
because then he is not a lubavitcher, believing and saying are different but if you dont believe its possible then you are not a chossid.
Shliach protey
Rabbi Landa thank you very much for your clarification. Other Head Shluchim should learn a lesson and speak up now before the mess happens in their cities and save themselves some aggravation.
Chosid
Aaron,
The reason why Rabbi Landa does not come out and say that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is not…..is because that would be a false statement, lubavich chasidim believe the Rebbe is moshiach that is not disputed, the dispute is regarding publicizing it,
ge
to chosid and regular bochur
Please dont put all your dribble and enclose all of us lubavitcher chasidim in your norrow minded thoughts
thank you
qwer
wonderfully written article!! thank you ch.info for posting it! for everyone else, this article was not meant for us, so keep the politics out of it, which is what R’ landa rightfully did.
emunah
The Rebbeh is moshiach and any chosid who sat through farbrengens knows this.If not,they are surely not true chasidim.I believe its all about publicizing.And if thats not the truth then ignorance of facts and reality sure is .
A. Chabadnik
it isn’t apikorsus to believe that the rebbe is moshiach, but it is also not a certain belief like the 13 ikkarim, it’s more like wishful thinking. it may be possible or not, it is up to Hashem.
it is childish to say that if someone doesn’t believe that he isn’t a chossid. who are you to decide who is and who isn’t a chabad chossid. you are probably to young to remember the rebbe, so i don’t know if you could understand what i’m saying here, but certainly the rebbe didn’t think that someone who doesn’t believe that he is moshiach cannot be a chabad chossid. this is poshut rubbish.
if the rebbe could be moshiach after his histalkus, although according to the rambam in hilchos melochim this cannot be (see likutei sichos 35 vayigash in the footnotes), because lav davka we have to pasken like the rambam in this issue (c“v), then the entire yesod of the rebbe’s shita that the state of israel cannot be as’chalta degeulah – because it goes against this same halachah in rambam – falls apart c”v.
just because you were/are being brain washed by your teachers that this is yesod hachasidus (the belief that the rebbe must be moshiach) doesn’t make it true. the rebbe spoke thousands of hours over 4 decades as nossi chabad and farbrenged and wrote plenty beforehand as well. the concept of the rebbe being the moshiach shebedor (which btw isn’t the same as melech hamoshiach) isn’t even ONE PRECENT of the rebbe’s torah!!!
two weeks before the rebbe suffered the terrible stroke in 5752, the rebbe handed a note to reb binyomin klein on which was written that there is no obligation whatsoever to search who moshiach is, but that there is a positive mitzvah from the torah to love every jew, and for sure not to do the opposite of that (loving every jew).
i am sure that stating that someone who doesn’t believe that the rebbe is moshiach has no room among chassidei chabad, comes from very strong feelings of ahavas yisroel…
perhaps some of our own kids who go off the derech are doing so (besides for their natural taavos hayetzer) as a result of being made to feel that there is no room for them in lubavitch if they don’t believe in the man-made 14th ikkar in emunah….
AY
Rabbi Landa’s article is beautifully written. Those who detract the Rebbe’s sichas, however, are only fooling themselves. They were, indeed, controversial. Those who really want to look “normal” to the outside world may as well claim that the Rebbe didn’t really mean that Moshiach is coming “immediately,” etc.
May we only end our own tribal machloichus and bring Geula with ahavas Yisroel and achdus.
br
To Chabadnik Thank you so much what a really well written article.
I think what you pointed out must be stressed to the max and that is that the children today are getting brainwashed by the so called mashpi’im that whoever does not believe tha the rebbe is the moshiach he is not a chabad chosid – which is the furtherst from the truth.
BB
every chosid who truly is a chossid believes his Rebbe is Moshiach. If someone for whatever reason is afraid to let others know of his feeling he truly doesn’t know his Rebbe and or truly doesn’t love his Rebbe strong enough.
If someone really loves his wife/husband son/parent he is never embarassed to let anyone know of this. unless off course he doesn’t really love them or is kofui toiva.
a Rebbe is a Moshiach to a Chossid. If the chossid doesn’t feel his Rebbe to be his Moshiach than the Chossid still has much to work on.
PS
Chabad doctrine is found on chabad.org? How about the statement that Chabad doctrine is found in sifrei Chabad, the forty volumes of Likutei Sichos, Igros Kodesh, Sichos Kodesh, etc. etc. Do not tell me that the shallow and watered down pieces on Chabad.org represent the sum total of Chabad thought and doctrine.
A. Chabadnik
To BB:
Of course your response overflows with love for the Rebbe, and that’s ok, but it is feelings that you are expressing, not Torah or Chochma Binah or Daas. As I wrote before already, these feelings aren’t necessaraly apikorsus (like some extreme misnagdim, like berger hold), but they don’t have any basis in Torah in general or in the Rebbe’s Torah in particular (unless one twists the Rebbe’s words), veaderabbah.
It is your right to feel that way, it is also your right to think that this is a chassidishe hergesh, but to think that a Lubavitcher Chossid who doesn’t share these feelings, either doesn’t truly know or love the Rebbe, or that he is kefui toiva to the Rebbe (?!? – thanks to the Rebbe are expressed in actions not in believing that he is Moshiach as the Rebbe wrote to Rabbi Garelik in 5751 and as the Rebbe spoke publicaly in the Farbrengens after 28 Nissan 5751!!!), and therefore still has a lot of work to do regarding his hiskashrus – –
such sentiments are exactly a manifastation of the behaviour of talmidei Rabbi Akiva “shelo nohagu kovod ze boze” according to the Rebbe’s known Sichah!
Stop forcing your views, feelings and beliefs on the entire Khal HaChassidim!!!!
To PS:
Noone claimed that what is on Chabad.org represents the sum total of Chabad thought and doctrine! If you can’t understand the English language, ask someone to explain to you what Rabbi Landa wrote before you post…
hello?!?!
Very nice article. I was impressed. Good job.
And for all you complainers, critics and bored people out there;
Lets see you come up with a better response.
The man obviously spent countless hours writing this beautiful article. Give credit where credit is due.
And if you don’t like it, well then you can go to ……
Cause nobody gives two hoots what you think.
Grow up.
Avid reader
To A. chosid
What does one percent have to do with anything??? Its clear as day that in the later years the rebbe spoke many more sichos and made many references to moshiach in the world and that its the final avoda vchulu….
The point you made about not making the belief in the rebbe as moshiach a central one is true but you should have stopped there and not gone into the rambam and blaming kids going “off the derech” b/c of it b/c there are many more Valid sources in yiddishkeit that leave the possibility of the rebbe being moshiach even after gimmel tammuz.
Omar R- Akiva
Yaasher Koiach A. Chabadnick and Yaasher Koiach to hello?!?!
Very much to the point. But maybe that is problem.
To BB (and cohorts):Do you indeed announce to whoever will listen your love for your son etc. several times a day.
And does the need to foist your hergesh on everyone express an insecurity one on your part? ?
The oivdim of old didn’t call the maskilim of old “nisht Chassidim.” Nor vice-versa.
clarification
to PS:
For many of the people that article is directed towards, they either wouldn’t have access to the items you mentioned or would not understand them. So for them, chabad.org would be a viable option.
Chasidnik
To a Chabadnik:
While believing that the Rebbe is Moshiach may not be apikursis, what sort of chosid bltantly denies the possibility of his Rebbe to be Moshaich? Only a meshuganer can. You don’t have to believe that he is. However, if it your mission to say that the Rebbe is NOT Moshiach, then I wonder how on earth u can consider yourself a chosid. To me, thats an impossibility.