144 Comments

• heavy

  those mesianic guys are just an embarasmant to the chabbad community

• levi

  why is this being published on your website?

• Pained & Disturbed

  This “Rabbi” Bruce Warshal shows such extreme hate towards Lubavitch, its not even funny.

  It becomes clearly evident in the 10th paragraph where he writes “The pamphlet says it comes directly from 770 Eastern Parkway, so I assume that it is official Chabad doctrine.”. He writes an article with out calling any Chabad authority, he sais so himself! “so I assume that it is official Chabad doctrine.”. You know what they say about assumptions…

  It’s very sad to see someone who titles himself as a ‘Rabbi’ go and write something like this based on ASSUMPTIONS!

  This article also brings to light the ‘Messianic’ problem and the fallout it creates. They give such bitter ‘Rabbis’ ammunition against the wonderful work we do. Just a few weeks ago CHinfo published a video were these ‘Mishechists’ dancing in times square screaming slogans in the most embarrassing way possible. Where will this end? Where will it lead us?

• CHT

  Aside of the point that some of reader might agree with some of his points and some might not, it is clear and vivid from this article that it was written by Lubavitch hater. Also, if you read into it you will see that he talks against some foundation of Judaism, not just according to Lubavitch or Meshichist view, but frumkait in general.

• Vos Vet Zein

  What has become of us? This guy is right – until the “leaders” of Chabad come out against these retards the world at large will believe that this is official Chabad doctrine. If you don’t condemn it, you condone it. Hashem Yishmor!

• Mendel

  just one q. whats this long article gonna help?
  is it just to argue?
  is that gonna do anygood?!?!

  Moshiach now!!!

• CHT

  heavy,

  You and me are embarrassment because we don’t believe in gay right and evolution. Read article more carefully.

• Itzhak Schier

  Part of the problem is that these nutjobs have assumed control of 770 and believe it is theirs.

  Someone traced the registration of the infamous bitul tzomos (more like lehavdil bitul Torah) site and sure enough the address given is 770. (When I called the number on the registration records, it clearly belonged to a non-Jew – shows what a bunch of cowardly frauds these lowlives are).

  Anyone can print 770 Eastern Parkway as their address on any document. It is understandable how someone innocent can become confused by this.

  However, I agree that this author is a sonei, because any responsible journalist would check other sources and get the full story. And unlike some of the whackos, who really do need mental health counseling and are borderline shoitim, he has a nice place waiting for him in the subterranean hot springs as a reward for his sinas chinam. He also does not merit the title “rabbi”, as he is clearly from a non-Torah “movement”.

• Eli

  i am happy that you put this article out so we can all see it, it is good for us to see this, it helps us face the reality.
  to be honest, it does not take a non-lubavitcher to react like this when reading that type of liturature.
  anybody who thinks that is is so important to figure out how much of a lubavitch hater the auther of the article is, has lost sight of our priorities, the fact is that there is a small but very energetic group that are simply “apikorsim in all senses of the word! it is not the ”tzfatim“ or the ”mishichistim”… these are people who say that we should not fast anymore other then on Yom Kippur because Moshiach is here.it is our responsability to do something about it.
  either way, anyone who complains about this being on the web, is denying reality, and in this way dodging responsability.

• sagdiyev

  not surprised!!! what else is new!! what else do you expect when you send a bunch of ignorrent brainwashed clowns on mivtzoim, and please dont blame a normanl innocent rabbi for an honest observation! what we have to learnfrom this is to take on that if we ever actually do see these loonatics on mivtzoim in action to go and tell them in a diplomatic way that what they are doing is a shame and chilul hashem and lubavitch, and if you see anybody who is not lubavitch make sure to state explicitly that the rebbe and the real chassidim of lubavitch have no involvement with them .

• Bochur!

  This ashuold not be on your web site it sounds from someone that want to make machlocos

• Yisroel

  No one here should worry to much …
  Chabad is not only surviving but thriving.

  And btw, believing in the Rebbe as moshiach is not against halacha. Perhaps the method used by many to publisize it isn’t good … but ‘Truth will stand forever …’

  However, Loshon Hara IS against halacha … so WHY are you publishing such garbage?!

  Just because you may not agree with one side, doesn’t mean you have a right to Loshon Hara, H”V.

  Many who are against us chasidim, laughed equally if not more at the Rebbe himself.

  Don’t be scared b/c of unknowledgable people who scorn meaningful things…

  Moshiach Now!!

• Itzhak Schier

  Eli:

  The problem is that the author went so far as to say the following:

  Why do we feel comfortable davening with Chabad and not with the Jews for Jesus? Why do we invite Chabad emissaries into our Day Schools and into our Reform and Conservative religious schools to bake matzah? Would we invite Jews for Jesus to bake matzah for our children? And why do liberal Jews build Chabad houses?

  While the kooks did give him ammunition, this clergyman’s problem is with frumkeit and Chassidus in general.

  Sagdiyev:

  This author is not normal, he is not innocent, and he is not a rabbi. Do a quick Google check if that article is not enough to show who he is. Sadly, though, a stopped clock is right twice a day, but he goes way too far and tars all of Chabad with his sick leftist brush.

  And who sent these clowns on mivtzoim? BIGGER and OLDER clowns who are part of the nonsense. Not official Lubavitch, and not anyone who understands a simple sicha either.

  The only question, and it is not one that anyone seems to be able to answer, is how to distance ourselves from the lunacy and the lunatics without sinking to their level. Sure, we could all go out to Nostrand and buy cricket bats to whack them below the spine where their brains seem to be located, but that is not what Chabad is all about either. The question is whether anyone normal can reach out to the brainwashed bochurim while the community marginalizes their deluded (and sometimes they are in it only for power and don’t believe their own nonsense) wannabe “mashpi’im” and handlers.

  My feeling is that someone who does say Yechi but is responsible (yes, there ARE such people in CH and in EY) is the only one who can reach out to these bochurim that there is such a thing as ofen hamiskabel. That would be a good beginning.

• Aaron

  A quick google search reveals that Bruce Warshal is a far Left Reform “rabbi.” Unfortunately,this attitiude is expected from the assimilated segments of the Jewish people. We have this same problem where I live from a Conservative “rabbi” who continues to quote from David Berger’s book to his congregation.

• Arieh

  I think we have a major problem – it’s not just those that go out spreading such falsehoods (to be compared to Jews for J) but in what is being taught to our children.
  This may sound aweful, but I believe that every rebbe in each mosad needs to be investigated and any “un-Jewish” notions that are being passed on to our very impressionable children be weeded out (like avoda zora?). Where necessary, rebbes would have to be dismissed.
  This may sound strong but I see little auternative.
  This is where it all starts and this is what is feeding the future!

• when will this golus end?!

  Its pretty funny, he asks the question, how do we let them into our matzah bakeries?! If I`m not mistaken aren`t most matzah bakeries run by chabad?
  And you can tell by the leshoines he uses he is an Anti Semite, but anyway why is this on the web site, we all know what is out there and this will just anger ppl and show other ppl what he wrote, as chabad isnt the only ppl coming onto this site

• Sigh

  OK, half of the stuff in that pamphlet was baloney, but some of the stuff he was picking on IS “mainstream” Chabad philosophy.

• In it and turned off ages ago....

  This guy is 100% right nothing to discuss. This is exactly how the world and the young of lubavitch view this “cult” and this is one of the reasons this community has so many issues. This is pure avodah zara and by the community not condoning they are inadvertantly approving it. Shame. Very sad.

• Saddened!

  WEBBY: i think you published this for the sole purpose of sensationalism in the comments section. It is now coming towards Pesach and Yud Aleph Nissan, PLease be sensitive and put in articles that will produce Ahavas Yisroel and pride in the comments section and leave off all these Loshomn Hara mongering articles.

• Aussie Echo

  Despite the bad taste this article leaves in one’s mouth it must be publicised to Lubavitchers. We need to recognise what these crazy yellow people are doing to the Rebbe and his teachings and put a stop to it. The sooner the better.
  The author cannot be blamed for making the assumption that the “official” Chabad leadership supports these nutjobs. They appear to be doing what they want without anyone stopping them.
  The time is well overdue that these people should be ejected from 770 and Crown Heights.

• Lehoir

  bsd
  I just want to point out (before people may start laughing out of ignorance) that what he quotes about the UN etc. is directly from a Haorah of the Rebbe on sichas shabbas parshas mishpatim 5752. I am not sure if this is the way to publicise it, but we Lubavitchers have to know that it’s true.
  ps- I agree with those that don’t understand how this article ended up on a “lubavitch” site.

• Why?

  Why do you insist on publicizing such drivel? What do you hope to achieve by posting the “wit and wisdom” of a person who is obviously filled with hatred?

  What he writes may or may not be true. So what? We’ve all been through this issue numerous times and this “Rabbi” adds nothing to the discussion.

  Stick to posting the news.

• the information is all valid.

  Hi

  I disagree with many of the comments posted.

  The information that was written in the pamphlet is all TRUE. It is based on many Sichas. The Rebbe said about the UN being in the place of Nasi Hador – Moshiach She’bi’dor. The Rebbe spoke about many things. Learn Beis Rabbeinu Shebibovel for starters.

  The Rebbe also said that we have to talk about Moshiach.

  The only thing is, the way we do it. I agree that putting it all in a pamphlet is not the correct way.

  But our own lubavitcher commentors on this site should not say what crazy mishichisten!

• schneur

  i have a question: what do you think is a worse accomplishment: what happened rosh chodesh kislev or this article?

• Dovid Brownstein

  Editor:

  I think your posting of this article is in very poor taste, to put it mildly. One does not have to be a proponent of the actions of those bochurim to realize that the author is either blatantly anti Lubavitch, ignorant of anything about Lubavitch, or of very low intelligence.

  Whichever of these the case in fact is, you should have had the integrity to let this article stay where it was originally published rather than reprint it to further spread a an article that has no redeeming value.

  What is more disturbing is that the only reason I can fathom for your decision to re-post this article is that you have an agenda to do everything within your power (and power you have in a forum such as this) to show the world how terrible the behavior of those bochurim is.

  I only hope there was no feeling of glee when you first saw this article. I hope it did not bring a smile to our face when you were presented with an opportunity to hurt those bochurim worse than they have already hurt themselves. In the future I would hope that you would realize that you do your cause no good by posting something like this. There is enough negativity in the world. We need not actively perpetuate it.

• David

  The guy may be a sonei Lubavitch, BUT if we didn’t have this ‘literature’ on the street there wouldn’t be fuel to keep his fire alive.

• mo

  Eli, you’ve said it perfectly!

• levi shemtov

  some people wonder what why this article should be posted on a lubavitch website. heres and answer for you: many of us, especially younger people, are not too imformed of how big of a chillul lubavitch they can cause when speaking to people who are not affiliated with chabad. im sure that after reading this article the un-informed one’s will get more of a picture of the current situation we’re in. do you think that after reading what the superstar on the article distributing pamphlets caused, somebody with brain’s will do what this shmok did? its about time people face the situation and try to get the least worse out of it. what do you think the rebbe meant when he said beofen hamiskabel? do you need a clearer example of the churban that happens when you dont listen? the truth is, its not really this bachur’s fault, hes convinced by his “mashpia” that this is what has to be done. yes, were in a bad situation. its about time people use they’re brains not theyre last name and start teaming up to get back what we had 15 years ago (yes, i mean team up even with krinsky and shemtov).

• Whatever

  In short this “rabbi’s” problem is:

  “The essence of mainstream Judaism (Orthodox through Humanism) is that we can have a direct relationship with God. The word rabbi means merely teacher. No one stands between a Jew and his or her God. That’s the distortion that Chasidism introduced into Judaism, whether a particular Chasidic rabbi believes that the Rebbe is the Messiah or not.”

  enough said…

• THINK ABOUT IT

  MAYBE THE REBBES HORAOS SHOULD BE SPREAD MORE DELICATELY AND LESS INDOCTRINATED SOUNDING!
  HOWEVER WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF THE REBBE’S LEADERSHIP, NEVUOS, AND UNBELIEVABLE FORESIGHT!
  WHY ARE WE DEGRADING THIS!

• shocked

  WHAT IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE?????? how quickly can one forget how many of our friends and relatives, and even ourselves were sticken with tragedy this year. A tragedy happens and everyone screams “we need achdus” we need more ahavas yisroel” THEN A WEEK LATER ONLY THE FAMILIES ARE LEFT TO CRY AND THE REST OF LUBAVITCH FORGETS EVERYTHING AND CONTINUES TO DO WHAT THEY DO BEST – SPOUT LOSHON HORA AND BASH OTHER PEOPLE. I JUST DON’T GET IT!!!

• cht who believes rebbe is moshiach

  firts of all why is this on a chabad website? secondly everyone is entiteled to their own opoinon so dont start making fun of anyone. and even if you dont believe he is moshiach, dont start saying dead, in such a mean way there is a more respectful way of saying it; passed away. and what rabbi are you – REFORM?! FUNNY!!

• the saddest thing is:

  the saddest thing is that even after reading this article there are many lefierech normal people who will still on some way or another support the tzfatim, directly ot indirectly.

  we need to find a way, or those that have the power need to find a way to once and for all make it clear that they are complete foreigners, most of them come from disurbed homes, most of them landed recently, definetely after guimmel tammuz, and chabad has nothing to do with them, there is not one shliach that resembles the tzfati movement, once in a while you’ll find a shliach that thinks that after a baale boss is close enough to lubavitch you have to tell him that the rebbe is moshiach, but not more than that and those shluchim get along with all other hsluchim and merkos. you have to put the numbers and facts on the table and make a public statement.

• do you still need proof?

  is there anybody that still needs proof of whats right and whats worng?

  if yes then voice youre question out loud and i’ll answer it.

  enough is enough!!

• chaya lipsker

  thank g-d little by little everybody is realizing how right people were 15 years ago.

  its still to be publicly admitted, but baruch hashem things are getting better.

  more and more bachurim are going to the ohel for shabbos and yom tov.

  guimmel tammuz is more packed every year., and although its the obvious thing that guimmel tammuz you’re by the rebbe, still some people had some messianic feelings that stopped them to encourage and arrange for OTHER people to come. BH thats basically over.

  the vaad had 2700 bachurim this past yud shvat.

  just walk into OT zal and tell me if you see the difference of now and even 5 years ago.

  detroit yeshiva has many bachurim that would’nt have gone a couple years ago.

  the problem usually starts when at a young age parents brainwash theyre sons with messianic mishigassen (e.g. it doesnt matted if the guy doesnt like lubavitch and hes going to write an article, you still have to tell him that the rebbe never died and hes moshiach and send him to a missionary website..), and unfotunately they loose out theyre young bachurishe yoren. fortunately many of them realize how dum they were and at least “neutralize” a little.

  little by little there’s less
  “holocaust deniers” (tzfati’s) supporters.

  putting this article on this website helps accomplish this sooner, although there are some con’s (machlokes, further publisizing the article), its worth just in order for the people that read it should have no doubt of how to behave.

• mmmmmm

  let’s not get carried away. i don’t think this guy would be any happier if he were to receive any other literature from chabad. he apparently feels threatened by chabad and is trying to convince his readers (note: this should not include us on this website) that chabad is evil and they should follow HIS brand of judaism (which although may make more sense, is for sure apikursus!)

• Moshiach now!!!

  It was very interesting to read all the above comments, those who were defensive , those who felt shamed,those who feel this article should not have been posted at all. It was even more intrigueing to note that those who questioned what the purpose of this article was, were basing their opinions on Halacha(i.e. isn’t this loshon hara} and not on their feelings{shame,etc.}as it seems to me the others are.
  How acccomplishing it would be if each of us would stop basing our opinions on how we feel and rather imagine how the Rebbe would like us to think, talk, feel, act,ect.
  i have one more question:why is this article still on?
  May we merit, perhaps through a bit more ahavas yisroel and re-focusing, the imminent redemption right now!!!

• Mendy

  Webby could you make clear that these bocherim are not the tzfatim, they are the bocherim who give out the “rebbe” dolars, yes they do say Yechi but there is a big difference between them & the tzfatim, these crazy bocherim don’t fast by a fast day & they are the bocherim who go to times square & make a chillul hashem.

• zalman

  i am from florida and bruce warshaw is a sona lubavitch and frumer yiden bechlal.
  but why do we have to give them thing to write about us, and he is very important person here in florida people read this paper and he owns this paper.
  let crown hights see what we have to deal with in the city’s trought america with what they are doing today in 770. if we think this is the right derech and this is what the Rebbe wanted so then we should be proud of these kind of articels, and if we think that the Rebbe would not be happy with this it’s time for us to wake up and put this stupidty to and end. thsi is a chilul hashem in city’s truoght america that shluchim have to deal with on a constent bases to try and responed to all of this nareshkiet that get us off our job of bringing yidden to the Rebbe and to the ames.

• Shmuly

  Ok everyone……the funniest part is………this guy a reform rabbi!!!!
  Of course he has a problem with us. We are the real deal and he drives to shul!!! Here it is……

  Warshal is a Reform rabbi with a bachelor’s degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a law degree from Yale. He is a columnist for and publisher emeritus of the Jewish Journal of South Florida (Broward County), was chair of the Commissioner of Education’s Task Force on Holocaust Education for the Florida Department of Education, and was a member of the board of trustees of Florida Atlantic University. =LOSER

• bouchur

  well this is what the world thinks of lubavichers i learn in a misnagdish school and most kids there think all lubavitchers think that their rebbe is alive

• Mendy Hecht

  Rabbi Bruce Warshal is not so much a sonei Lubavitch as he is a liberal who doesn’t like anything that makes him uncomfortable. Unfortunately for us, he is 100% right on the money for being uncomfortable with these idiots who call themselves Lubavitchers whilst distributing indefensibly insane propoganda.

• go learn what the /rebbe said...

  Yes, a lot of the information in the pamphlete is in the sichos. stop complaining about what every one else is doing and go learn the sichos of nun-beis! And by the way the Rebbe says by learning about moshiach makes it happen sooner.
  Don’t just think he is attacking the moshiachistin, he is against things the Rebbe says clearly in the sichos, the bochurim didn’t make this stuff up. he is a sonei lubavitch.

• Eli

  Itzhak Schier:
  I don’t disagree that this “Rabbi” is hatefull towards lubavitch, i just dont think that he is worth enough to even have my words of critisism.
  Howerver, i myself would not feel comfertable davening with some elements who call themselves lubavitch.
  And by the way i do beleive that the Rebbe is Moshiach.

• Mivtzoim classes a must!

  There’s something that has been sadly amiss in the world of Lubavitch educational systems, that has been grating on my soul for many a year. It’s time for educators, roshei yeshivas etc to recognize that not only is professionality NOT detrimental to chassidishkeit, but that in our present day and age (if not at all times – see the writings of the Frierdiker Rebbe at length) it is ESSENTIAL to mivtzoim and to keeping our youth chassidic. Why oh why are there no classes on how to present oneself, Judaism, and the Chabad approach, to the public?!? How dare educators, schools, and yeshivas continuously send our (often) young bochurim without giving them even a basic once-a-week class/speech to give over a few fundementals, in preparation??? PLEASE, if there are any educators reading this – begin such classes without further delay! Today is Tuesday, there is still 3 days until Friday…
  (This has nothing to do with the brainwashed unfortunates in that religious-Jew-hater’s article by the way – this is a desparate need for ANY Lubavitch outreach circles.)

• mistome.

  lets call a spade a spade.

  1) The bachurimn are nuts.

  2) And the guy is a self hating jew, and a rabbi who officiates inter-religious marriages.

  the guy is a putz!

• Eli

  TO: the information was valid

  Some of the information was valid (although probebly not presented in the proper way or to the proper audiance), but inviting people to 770 to “come see the rebbe” is going a bit to far, no?

  To: David
  there will alway be fuel out there for those who hate us.
  the reason we should deal with these ppl. (those publishing the afformentioned liturature) is not because we are afraid of their hate
  but for ourselves. it is just an article such as this one that halps bring to our attention how far some people have gone.
  and i know that people dont like to hear this, but there are some apikorsim in lubavitch. and this has nothing to do with Mishichist or Anti.

• mendel

  I myself was not born a Lubavitcher but became a Chassid 3 years ago through learning Chabad Chassidus and I hope everyone realizes this article is the way a major part of the religious world views Chabad !!!!!

  Living in a neighborhood where there are many Yidden who have never learned Chassidus would make most of you think “what an opportunity to spread Chassidus”.However, every time I try to speak to people (from other Chassidic or religious circles) about learning Chassidus Chabad, I always get the same answer:“I do not want to have anything to do with these crazies”.People look at Chabad as some crazy cult.The damage these meshigistin have been doing is unbelievable. They are flat out stopping other yidden from learning Chassidus which will make Moshiach come faster.We need the wellsprings of Chassidus to reach everyone, and I want you readers to realize the great damage that is being done.

• anon

  what a chilul Lubavitch and the Rebbe. If you don’t have what to answer don’t answer questions people from the street ask you. I am so embarrassed

• anon

  what a chilul Lubavitch and the Rebbe. If you don’t have what to answer don’t answer questions people from the street ask you. I am so embarrassed

• genuk shoin!!

  Don’t try to defend the Meschistin when they do crazy things(which is most of the time). Though some of the author’s points seem to indicate that he has no knowledge about Chassidus in general, his points on the Meschistin represent the way that most of the religious world views us.

  I want to thank the author for posting the article, because it gives the Lubavitcher community a little insight of how the Meschistin have alienated the entire Lubavitcher Chassidus and made a Chilull Hashem out of the Rebbe!

• ATTORNEY for B.WARSHALL

  Bruce Warshall is someone I have personally known for 20 years. He is a loi Yutzlach was kicked out of the South Palm Beach Federation and believes in nothing. He claims affiliation with the reform movement and is at best a total wack job left winger within the reform movement itself.

  He holds no pulpit and has no respect even from the clergyman of his own affiliation.

  Bruce Warshall HATES anything that has a connection with Toras Emes and is an Apikoirus of the first degree.

  He is for gay rights, Woman Rabbis , eats treif in public and what more can i say to convince you, his opinion on any matters of Judaism is worthless.

  So before you give him any credibilty know who he is and his background

• an

  nobody can argue that these papers are mechallel the name of our nossi. whether the writer hates us is a not our issue. these people should be stopped, the only way we will stop them is by exposing their backers those who are using these people as pawns.

• Itzhak Schier

  Looks like there are 3 classes of meshichisten (or Yechiniks):

  1) The perfectly normal Lubavitchers who interpret certain sichos in certain ways that others may not agree with, but who are respectable and do not force their beliefs on others or make a spectacle of said beliefs. They quietly say or answer Yechi, and perhaps have a now worn and tattered flag on their own homes etc. The only problem here is that some educators of this belief may be a little too forceful in passing their views on to their young students, who may in turn be confused between the message they get at school and the message they get at home.

  2) The “Tzfatim” (no idea if they are all from the Tzfas yeshiva) and their supporters, mostly Israeli, who are a bit too loud and need to understand that not everyone is ready or able or should be ready and able to accept their message. These people need to be exposed to other views and to understand the damage their misguided zeal is causing to Chabad and to the Rebbe. If they are in kvutza, then the hanhala needs to be shaped up or shipped out because they do nothing to control this group and often egg them on in their misguided but well meaning zeal. I come into contact with this group every month or so, and they are very nice guys. But they need to learn a bit more and to understand that ofen hamiskabel in certain circles in Israel is zeyr shtark mishegoss for most of the people they will encounter when here in CH or on mivtzoim in the US.

  3) The Taliban. These sad cases, many of whom are mentally ill or could even be substance abusers, have no idea who the Rebbe is, what Chassidus is, how to read a simple sicha, or even how to understand the first posuk in Parshas Bereishis. They are violent, unruly and disrespectful, and they are basically a cross between Na Nachers and the “shababnikim” of the streets of Bnei Brak and Geula. These nuts have to be removed from our midst. Deportation of the foreign contingent that makes up the bulk of the Taliban, and clear cherem for any local supporters, is the only way to remove this dangerous weed from our midst. Ahavas Yisroel means protecting the rest of us, including and especially group 2) from these mishegoyim. Get rid of them, and others will fall into line.

• Itzhak Schier

  Looks like there are 3 classes of meshichisten (or Yechiniks):

  1) The perfectly normal Lubavitchers who interpret certain sichos in certain ways that others may not agree with, but who are respectable and do not force their beliefs on others or make a spectacle of said beliefs. They quietly say or answer Yechi, and perhaps have a now worn and tattered flag on their own homes etc. The only problem here is that some educators of this belief may be a little too forceful in passing their views on to their young students, who may in turn be confused between the message they get at school and the message they get at home. Also, some may turn people off to Chabad by expressing their views too strongly to the wrong people at the wrong time.

  2) The “Tzfatim” (no idea if they are all from the Tzfas yeshiva) and their supporters, mostly Israeli, who are a bit too loud and need to understand that not everyone is ready or able or should be ready and able to accept their message. These young men need to be exposed to other views and to understand the damage their misguided zeal is causing to Chabad and to the Rebbe. If they are in kvutza, then the hanhala needs to be shaped up or shipped out because they do nothing to control this group and often egg them on. I come into contact with this group every month or so, and they are very nice guys whose hiskashrus is sincere and whose intentions are good. But they need to learn a bit more and to understand that ofen hamiskabel in certain circles in Israel is zeyr shtark mishegoss for most of the people they will encounter when here in CH or on mivtzoim in the US.

  3) The Taliban. These sad cases, many of whom are mentally ill or could even be substance abusers, have no idea who the Rebbe is, what Chassidus is, how to read a simple sicha, or even how to understand the first posuk in Parshas Bereishis. They are violent, unruly and disrespectful, and they are basically a cross between Na Nachers and the “shababnikim” of the streets of Bnei Brak and Geula. These nuts have to be removed from our midst. Deportation of the foreign contingent that makes up the bulk of the Taliban, and clear cherem for any local supporters, is the only way to remove this dangerous weed from our midst. Ahavas Yisroel means protecting the rest of us, including and especially group 2) from these mishegoyim. Their female counterparts, the Bitul Tzomos gang (who BH seem to be a very minor problem), need to be completely marginalized as well. Get rid of them, and others will fall into line.

• EVERYBODY STOP MISSING THE POINT -

  evrybody except for a few comments are missing the point. and for some reason it allways happens.

  ok: this guy is a sone israel. this guy is a sone lubavitch. hes a reform rabbi. he feels threteaned. very nice. now look at the heart of the problem; why wouldnt this article be written 15 years ago? fill in: ……………………..
  is there anything we could do to stop them? fill in: …………………..
  now that i know what the problem is, why shouldnt i focus so much on the author of the article, especially when its the third such article this week? fill in:…………………………….

  thanx for doing some basic thinking. thats all i wanted.

  mendel shemtov

• Shimon

  What is this doing on this website? Everyone who visits this site knows the issues, whether they agree with them or not. Yes, some Lubavitchers are crazy, but so what. You’re going to let this guy defame THE REBBE on your website? Do you care about the REBBE? I know you do so what is this story doing here?

• Mamesh Embarrased

  WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF ME IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS

• chossid

  It is a great thing that you publized this article here. Most ppl in Ch do not know what other Ydden are thinking about Lub. This “rabbi” is a reform, but , most of the Jews are reforms or conservatives and these are the guys that we want to bring to Iddishkait, so this is the exact way , how ppl are looking at Lub. I see it everyday,. In fact ,many times I have many ppl coming to me , asking me questons about these mivtzoyim. and asking me if I think the same thing and if this is the Lub shita.In my place, most Jews work in Manhattan and get these pamphlets , and I know that these Lub who write those things they have the best intention to bring Moshiach like this, but the effect that this causing to ppl, is a Chillul Hashem and Chillul Lub.

• very sad that this article ls posted

  Bs”d
  #1
  I will not agree with “extremists”, but we have to remember who is this “rabbi” that’s writing this article, r we going to agree with him and say that we r wrong.
  I don’t know how many of you remember the time when “אותו האיש” (shach) was alive, do u know how much pain the rebbe had from what he said about the rebbe, do you how much the rebbe screamed by farbrengens,
  Do you know what he called the rebbe r“l, In the time when people were coming to ask the rebbe for his opinion regarding the holocaust, and rebbe said that it is not from the yiddens sins… and that it’s from above, and when the rebbe came out with the mivtzoim tefilin and so on…(and the same regarding the satmar).
  Did you read what this “rabbi” has to say about the rebbe, for example: the U.N. is in NY state b/c there is a leader in the world that lives there, yes b/c these are the words of the rebbe, as it is taught in tanya that everything form gashmiyus has it’s source beruchniyus.
  Being that we as Chasidim hold that the rebbe is a נביא as the rebbe said it him self.

  Here comes a person that is definitely a soine Lubavitch and the rebbe to, and gives his opinion in what he calls ”Lubavitch“ in what he likes or he doesn’t like, I’m wondering if this “rabbi” keeps even one halacha in the shulchan oruch b/c going against a נביא is against torah. I don’t understand why anybody is arguing even if this “rabbi” is wrong, but should we learn from such a person what to do and what not?

  At those times when ”אותו האיש“ gave his opinion, the rebbe then only strengthened the mivtzoim and said we should go out to the world and the rebbe gave another mivtza and another. In the eyes of the rest of the frum world yes putting on tefilin with a person who just came out of McDonalds is a big Question lehalacha, but the rebbe disagreed and said we should do it anyway, spreading out that the rebbe is moshiach might not be on everybody’s menu but being that it is fact as the rebbe taught us in the sichos, (that according to the Rambam the rebbe is considered in the first stage of a ”ודאי“ moshiach),
  Maybe we should go out and tell the entire world? But for that the rebbe said in one of the sichos that it has to be ”באופן המתקבל”, so now everybody has a different translation of what it means but it defiantly does not mean we should not say anything about it, until it comes to a point that we stop believing in it our selves, nor does it mean that the rebbe is giving out dollars every Sunday.
  But if someone once to really tell the world the truth, then you have to explain it in length according to torah not your own opinion.

  #2
  If I would carry the name of Lubavitch on my self I would not post up such an article b/c it only brings politics and agmas Nefesh to the rebbe.

  I’m sorry that what I’m writing is long but I just want to say the truth about this whole story and how much the rebbe had to scream when things like this happen.
  May moshiach come before all this runs in to trouble!
  Moshiach now.

• Chill out

  wow, I cannot believe what I’m reading here…
  some anti-semetic putz writes an article bashing the Rebbe and all you idiots seem to be agreeing with him!
  this is an attack on the Rebbe and Chabad, not those few mishugenne flaggers.
  (yes, I realize his attacks are supposedly against those mishugoim who gave him the pamphlet, but 90% of what he wrote was either bashing the Rebbe’s shitas or mocking what the Rebbe said in a Sicha)
  obviously this is very poor presentation (to put it mildly) and does not belong in a pamphlet being distributed on the subways. but lets face it: this is what the Rebbe said.

  who’s side are you guys on anyways? is your hatred for your (rather misguided) fellow chassidim so great that you’re willing to join forces with this anti-semite in bashing the Rebbe merely because he inadvertently bashes the flaggers as well?!

• Zalman

  Mendel, whom do you think you are kidding?

  You are every Anti’s dream, the perfect excuse to excuse their shame and their insecurity to talk clearly about Moshiach.

  You live in a mythical fear of a lack of self confidence in your Rebbe which makes you have an inferiority complex as a Lubavitcher, too Chicken, to speak clearly and boldly about Moshiach.

• 55 year old C.H.er Bedford Boy

  After reading and re-reading all of the above comments there seems to be one thing missing and that is “SIMPLE CLEARITY”.

  As Yidden and as Chasidim and even more so as lubavitcher we were taught that when in doubt in as to “do or not to do” or “ say or
  not to say” one has to make an honest CHESZBEN; What results or reaction will my action (or words) bring, in our case: saying in any shape form or manner that the Rebbe Nosie Doreinu is Moshiach (with or even without Shlit“a) will it advance the Rotzen or Chv”s
  the opposit.

  We now have it easier to make the CHESZBEN due to the fact that it’s after the action and we see the results, A)when one wants to talk to someone on the outside on the topic of “the coming of Moshiach” it became much harder if not allmost impossable to do so due to the their antics. B)When one wants to talk about the Rebbe
  he or she will get a “you mean the Moshiach” and so on and so forth.

  One may say But lubavitch grew in leaps and bounds in the last 10-13 years, my answer to that is that that is simply the Rebbes doing (in spite of their actions) it’s just one more example of “YATIR M”BICHAYEHU”.

  The matter of who wrote that article is totaly irrelevent he’s just an example of how we are preceived and what we project to someone outside of Lubavitch.

  To the complaint as to why this website puts up such articles, My question to you is are you as pained about the article itself?! are you as pained by their actions mentioned in the article?!.

  We can go on and on but I don’t think it’s necessary…..

  May we be zoche to the day when such writings arn’t necessary With the coming of Moshiach U’Malkeinu B’Roshienu. Amen KEIN YEHIE ROTZOIN.

• I Love Me

  “The Rebbe of every generation provides spiritual life force for the whole generation. We, on our part, must do all we can to be ‘connected’ to him, only then can we receive all our physical and spiritual needs from him.”

  And then blah blah blah J for J

  DUDE He hates us all

  You should thank God for the Tzfatim If not for them you would have people making fun of every aspect of your Frumkait (“After talking to chabadniks i found that they all truly believe that their Rebbe is not a human like the rest of us)

  Jews and Lubavitchers in perticular do and belive things that are percived as being very wierd to other people (swinging chikens over heads)
  Its sad to see people hating other of their own kind just so they can feel ”Derklert“ ”Enlightened”

• Shmuel

  To Moshiach Now!
  Because many disagree with what this Bochur did that means that they don’t study Sichos and don’t Moshiach to come?
  It is very important that this article remain on the front page of this website for as long as possible.
  Crown Heightsers – please realize that there is a bigger world out there than the SUV you are driving to and from Eastern Parkway to Empire.
  Shulchim not only in America but the world over have to wipe the dirty diapers being soiled in NY.
  Someone else commented “what would the Rebbe want you to do”. How about “What would the Oibershter want you to do”?
  Ubochen Kloyos Volev is said about the Oibershter.

• joan ozema

  As a non-Lubavitcher, but a Jew very supportive of Lubavitch, I think the moshiach article is very much on all Jews’ minds. Will someone please explain to me how a dead man, yes a tzadik and a great thinker, could be moshiach? If a dead man could be moshiach and a large following shows the truth well . . .

• UmustBkidding

  Why publish this “rant” by a REFORM rabbi?! Just Google his name! he has written “bad” about Israel and any other “jewish” topic. see his contcat info:
  LIBERAL TEMPLE OF COCONUT CREEK
  (POB 93-4384, Margate, FL 33093)
  3251 Holiday Springs Blvd., #305,
  Margate, FL 33063.
  Tel. 954.970.8358.
  Rabbi: Bruce S. Warshal,
  President: Mike Kirstein

• ao

  A chillul lubavitch and a chillul Hashem is mutually exclusive.

• ao

  A chillul lubavitch and a chillul Hashem is mutually exclusive.

• Azmat

  Do you realize that a lot of non-lubavitchers read this site? So what did you gain? That we should be laughed upon? For what purpose did you post this “Shtus”?

• UN address is 770

  someone should update the pamphlet – the part about the UN. it is interesting to note that that address of the UN is 770.

• aliza

  a few weeks ago i went to a screening of a settler-bashing documentary. it was being shown at the JCC. i wrote a 10 page review. i took points in the film and showed how they were a distortion of reality. i sent the transcript to private people, the media and a few staff in the JCC. yesterday i spoke with someone at the JCC. he was very sweet and very smooth and found the life and death issues about which i had raised to be irrelevant. the JCC had to be politically correct for their audience. truth and reality were not the issue.

  people such as the author of this article are not into reality, eventhough they would like you to think they are. this article is more about being politically correct than trying to find reality.

• Nisht a Mishichist

  Whoever put this article on this website should be removed from writing for Crown Heights.info or the readers should no longer come to this site. Kivoin shehoitsee es atzmoi min haklal etc.

  Fun vemen lachst du?. Der naar iz doch unzers. Practically all of the ideas that this author is expressing and is mocking could have been directed against Lubavitch and the one She’omad B’roish before Gimel Tammuz also. In your zeal to discredit the Mishichisten you are also throwing out much of our Chassisish hiskasrus and Hanochois. You are mocking the Rebbeim CH”V and the Sichois and the Rebbes hanhoges etc.
  Yes: Some of the Meshichitin are expressing ideas that are probably erroneous and certainly difficult to be niskabel by most people but they are miyusid on Sichois of the Rebbe and the Rabeim and the Chassidish way of looking at the world around us.( I am not referring to Shlita) In your zeal to mock and discredit the very few extreme and krum Mishichisten you are also ready to destroy our kesher to the Rebbe.

  Are you trying to show this Frei Yid that you are not like this foolish Chasid but you are rational and normal like him. In his eyes you are just as crazy and just as wrong as the Mishichist for what you believe. You are like a frei yid kicking a bearded Chasid together with Anit Semitic hooligans to show them that you are not part of those bearded Jewish fanatics.

  To sum up: I feel that those extreme Mishichiten are doing terrible harm but what you reveal by putting this article on a website for all Lubavitchers who are interested in and have a passionate love for the Rebbe and Crown Heights is far more disturbing and damaging then what this person wrote.

• disgusted

  Let’s go out on a crusade and kill the Meshichistin!!!!
  All in favor say I!
  I’m sure there’s a lot of you on this site….

  Guys, you lost the plot, nobody ever liked us, as long as we’re doing the right thing, we’ll continue to irk people and they’ll find what to complain about.
  If we’re in it, it’s because it’s the truth, not because so and so will look at us better.

  Btw, anyone interested in looking for a new Rebbe, look up Deutsh in Boro Park…

• ah bisel shechel

  God in heaven. A rabbi meets a bunch of wild, education challenged, from homeless families, and they talk to him about the rebbe not being buried.

  Must one hate Lubavitch to have a reaction of ekel and discust for these enemies of the rebbe?

  How dare one write he must be a shneh Lubavitch!

  Have you really gone nuts god in heaven??

  get a life.

• David

  chaya lipsker – can you let us know what the connection is that there are more bochurim in Detroit and going to the ohel to shabbos and yom tov to “wonderful developments”. Are you implying that if one does not want to go to the Ohel for Shabbos & Yom Tov they are not good people?…..

• Back to basics

  I think it worth noting that Chabad is not a new religion, even though quite a number of followers would like to think so.

  The fact is, the Rebbe did pass away (I know many may deny this, but facts are facts) and did not become Moshiach. What the future will bring I cannot predict (even if there are several thousand followers who think they can — just like other religions do) as I am not a prophet.

  I think it fair to point out that through the ages, there are several great personalities who were identified in this way (Bar Koziba, Rebbi Yehudah Hanossi, the Chasam Sofer, I believe, rebbes of other dynasties – just to name a few) – what are we to say of these great people – they were false (I would refer you about five lines of gemorra enumerating five roshe hayeshivos whose talmidim more or less (it’s actually done in a round about way) identified their roshe hayeshiva as such – the gemorra, interestingly, does not expand but goes on to the next issue (in spite of Rashi’s comment – which I will not explain, could this have been written tongue in cheek?).

  As Lubavitchers, we should recognise that we are Yidden following a particular philosophy and way of life – and that is our ONLY difference – no special Olam Haboh (sorry guys) no special place in the the Beis HaMikdosh (except for those with the right yichus) and most definitely, the same Torah as all other Yidden (yes – we can even look in seforim from non-Lubavitchers.

  Our job is one of bringing others into the fold (even if not Chabad) – there is little or no point in following the line of who is Moshiach or when he is coming because it is really quite irrelevant to our or any one else’s avoda.

• Elazar

  There is a HUGE difference between the Jews for Yashke gang and the Chabadniks who believe the Rebbe is Moshiach. Please understand that I am in neither camp, but I can daven with the latter, but never with the former.

  This is because the Christian group denies fundamental Torah truths. Jews for Yashke believe a man was G-d himself. They deny the oneness of G-d (yes, they rationalize it, but a trinity is 3 no matter how to slice it).

  To look at their actions, hardly any of them keep Torah mitzvot, yet they relish in rabbinic tradition as if that makes them authentic Jews. For example, they will all light shabbos candles (often after sundown) but ignore the laws of family purity.

  Actions speak louder than words. Having been involved with these groups for several years before discovering Torah true Judaism, I beleive, makes me a valid observer.

• Ze-ev G

  Editor;

  Thank you for publishing this article.

  I am a Baal Shuva who is not involved with Chabad/Lubavitich. My children go to a Lub. Yesheva where my wife works and will work again G-D willing.

  I appriciate what the movement has done in order to strienghen Judaism. My only reservation over the last 7 years in my involvement in the movement is the Rebbi as Moshiach issue. It has always bothered me and continues to do so.

  The current leadership, if there actually is such a thing must speak out. Those of us who don’t beleive the Rebbi was the Moshiach need to know where the officers of the movement stand.

  Sincerely,
  Ze’ev in PA

• Mivtza Moshiach

  chill out you are right, except for one point. The Rebbe DID say to publicize what he said about moshiach- this is one of the mivtzoim.Actually the Rebbe said to the shluchim that this IS THE MAIN MIVTZA NOW AND ALL OTHER MIVTZOIM ARE CHANNELED THROUGH THIS ONE.
  Why is it okay to stop someone on the street and ask them to put on tiffilin, but not to tell them about moshliach?!
  When the Rebbe started Mivta tiffilin there was a lot of opposition, but we did it anyways. But now wveryone is so sceared of what will everyone think about us… The Rebbe said to do it so you do it…
  Why are you mixing in to the rebbe’s cheshbonos, just do what the Rebbe said to do.
  But the problem is there is a great number of chassidim out there who never learned the sichos about moshiach and they don’t know that the Rebbe said to do this, they are just misguided by a few “big” chassidim who have hiskashrus problems and they think they are “smarter” then the Rebbe CH“V, and they ”know” what the Rebbe meant.(Basically skip out the whole moshiach issue altogether.)
  Go learn the sichos and then you will see the truth.

• anon

  “do you still need proof? wrote:
  is there anybody that still needs proof of whats right and whats worng?

  if yes then voice youre question out loud and i’ll answer it.

  enough is enough!!”

  um-i dont get that. You’re looking at a reform rabbi for whats proof of what’s right and wrong??? We look at the Rebbe’s sichos for what’s right. But that doesn’t mean we can just publish this stuff without thinking and hand it out, we have to do it delicately and think beforehand of the proper way to say these things, so that it won’t cause a Chilul Lubavitch.

• A Bothered Lad

  to the staff at crownheights.info:

  i just wanted to let you know that this article is being linked off google by way of crownheights.info and thus the issue get’s put on the table gain true that the tzfatim can be careless nd not realie the chilul hasheh etc. but i think it is possible that you could be walking behind them on the same careless path!

  please understnd that my intentions are only that one less person should be turned off from lubavitch and – truth be told – from the rebbe as well.

  this is lso pertaining to those writnig comments. all that you wright can be read by any person surfing the internet let alone a person searching for shmutz on chabad!

  i hope that my comment will be undrstood and cause a complete change of direction in the way that crownheights.info as well as some of the other “chabad” websites rethink before they post anything, having in my mind the million dollar question wiil posting this add to the rebbe’s kovod or not???

  thank you very much!

  CrownHeights.info – Is the Lubavitcher Rebbe the Messiah? –

• sara

  “Ok everyone……the funniest part is………this guy a reform rabbi!!!!
  Of course he has a problem with us. We are the real deal and he drives to shul!!! Here it is……

  Warshal is a Reform rabbi with a bachelor’s degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a law degree from Yale. He is a columnist for and publisher emeritus of the Jewish Journal of South Florida (Broward County), was chair of the Commissioner of Education’s Task Force on Holocaust Education for the Florida Department of Education, and was a member of the board of trustees of Florida Atlantic University. =LOSER”

  Yes Shmuly, but how many shluchim do you think have baalei batim that drive to shul? Do they call them losers? Of course its completety wrong and horrible for him to write something like this, but you’re just giving him more to complain about like ‘chabad just pretends to be accepting of less religious people but really they think they’re losers’…. lets just once and for all have some AHAVAS CHINAM. Arguing will never bring Moshiach.
  Moshiach Now!

• Anon

  I’m not a Lubavicher and I totally agree with this guy’s article. I worked in Manhattan for 5 Years and very often there were Lubavitchers outside Penn Station passing out pamphlets right next to some wackjob JforJ wearing a talis and holding a New Testament and preaching as the escalator riders come out onto the street next to the Homeless shelter collectors, next to the Salvation Army people. I felt ashamed that I was wearing a yarmulka and was affiliated with these people. And as I walked by and just to be courteous I nodded to one of the bochrim, so he exclamed to me, “MASHIACH HIGIAH!”
  As a non-Lubavitcher who has respect for all the Chabad and the Rebbe have done for Yiddishkeit, and I appreciate the history and depth of Chabad Chassidus. I would suggest you guys clean up shop and straighten yourselves out.

• North Country

  although opinions on our community may make a lot of noise and make headlines, you’d be surprised that the REAL opinion others have and the real encounters we have with other Yidden is a whole different story.

  Recently when I was on Merkoz Shlichus the heavily Reform Jewish community I visited were expecting to see the new “orthodox” Rabbi to come with horns and perhaps a Moshiach flag to smack them over the head or something, because they were very concerned. They were preparing for debates and arguments. This particular reform community seemed to have a very bad ideas about orthodox Rabbis. However, when I did come, and had spoken to the many “Rabbi’s” present (including rebbitzin rabbis), and they learnt that this lubavitcher guy is not that bad after all, they began to realize that all of their preconseptions and ideas about orthodox Rabbis were not in fact as bad as they thought, and slowly I became a very welcome guest to their community. They now want me to speak in thir “shul”, offered to arrange for kosher food just so that I could be by them for shabbos, and even offered if I come for shabbos to put up a mechitza.

  This bipolar change in attitude and regard toward Lubavitch is a result of simple reality, and the big bias image that “the world” has of us Lubavitchers is simply the lack of reality. An ounce of chasidus is a Light that dissipates a world of darkness.

  “Rabbi” the reform rav asks me, “tell me, is it true that you orthodox don’t accept woman???”

  i proceeded to explain how woman are not only accepted but are counted on for their unique roles they have in the Jewish family and community, and its probably the minyan that he was referring to because men have Mitzvos unique to them and woman unique to them, so there is no discrimination whatsoever. When the “Rabbi” asked so what about accepting other Jews, I explained how although there may be differences in our levels of observance, and keeping the Torah and Mitzvos are certainly and vitally important, nevertheless every single Jew is priceless and precious, as a Jewish identity is inherited with a Neshama. By now I had a crowed gathered, to hear what the New orthodox rabbi has to teach, and to their surprise they loved it. They want me to give sermons in their “synagogue”. But of course you have the one guy who still needs to prove his point “Rabbi”, but how come you guys don’t accept GOYIM for a Minyan !!?? thats not right!!!

  Who cares what they say, they have no idea who we are and what we represent. as soon as there is contact and communication it is a whole different story.

• please don-t lump everyone together

  We should not generalize and call these people Tzfatim. My son learns in Tzfas and says the extremist are a very small percentage. Most bochrim are there to learn and they do.

• Licoved Reb Bruce

  “Why do we feel comfortable davening with Chabad and not with the Jews for Jesus? Why do we invite Chabad emissaries into our Day Schools and into our Reform and Conservative religious schools to bake matzah?”……”And why do liberal Jews build Chabad houses?

  Reb Bruce, you tell me why! your own questions are your own answer.

  By the way when you write the word rabbi capitalize the R.

• miryam swerdlov

  because there was no Bais Rivka when i went to HS, yes, I admit it, I am not 27…I went to Bais Yaakov, and, wake up and smell the coffee, there was always a reason for ‘misnagdim’ in any form, to find something wrong with us, mivtzoim, shlichus, u name it, they found it. so, i am not sure that we have to bend ourselves out of shape because someone said something against us. they did before 3 tammuz, after the first yud shvat, do u remember the first yud tes kislev, listen, c’est la vie, but as far as WE are concerned, there are definitely things wrong, and people doing things that maybe you do not agree with, but kinderlach, get a life, LEARN, be PROUD of who you are, where you come from, and who our Rebbe is. no matter where you are and what you see, remember ASHREINU. BH BH BH for what we have even today, even now.
  and yes, you COULD say Yechi proudly, if that is what you say, be’ofen hamiskabel. it doesn’t have to be ‘in your face’, and you don’t have to be ashamed chas vesholom in what you believe. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN. be informed. be a proud chosid. and may we immediately see the coming of Moshiach.

• yyl

  the faster these loonatics are shiped away from 770 the faster these problems will stop and we need every lubaviture to help us in this “mivtza” to stop chillul lubavitch and chillul the rebbe

• Yosef Berkowitz

  WHY WOULD YOU PUT UP SOMTHING WRITEN BY A REFORM PERSON!?!
  WHY EVEN GIVE CREDENCE TO HIS STUPIDITY????

• CHT

  mendel shemtov,

  There were plenty of articles like this 15 years ago, 20 years ago and even before that. How old are you?

• ayl

  i used to to be a farbrente mishachist until a year or 2 ago.

  why?

  because they have taken yechi and turned it into a crazy slogan.
  flags, buttons, crazy fliers and signs, and fist fights and little kids in over sized yarmukas with yechi on it standing in tallest to shortest pointing there fingers at the rebbes chair while screaming yechi.

  if anything goes with regards to a message on a flier then what on earth do you THINK the rebbe meant when he said oifen hamiskabel?
  did anyone you know do teshuva or come closer from seeing a card that has a picture of the rebbe with the caption MESSIAH, is this the first thing to say when finding a frier yid?

  there is no seder….
  anything goes…..

  and the results are not just this guy but many many normal people are alieanated by this.

  which is exactly what the rebbe said would happen.

  the rebbe always taught us to present yiddishkiet diplomatically.

  it is so determental to the rebbe to the shulchim to lubavitch to do crazy things and worst to claim its based on the rebbe.

  no fasting?
  why should yechi be on the paroches?
  why on the yarmulka?
  does it bring down hamshachos?
  the rebbe wants us to get the world ready for moshiach.

  did you ever succeed in getting a yid to put on tefilin my putting up a sign or chanting wildly “tefilin tefilin tefilin’?

  thats not the way it just doesnt work.

  its not about us its about them .
  finding the right way and best way to influence them to get closer.

  tell me one shliach that because he wares a moshiach pin another jew came closer?
  stoop the shtus and do it right.

  moshiach is coming lets be ready.

• Woman united for the redemption?

  I was never handed one of those pamphlets at Times Square but I did receive a very disturbing package in the mail from this retarded, well funded extremist group that should be castrated and locked up (discontinued…).
  What a pity.

• zalman

  I think all these articles should be printed and distributed in 770 and in
  Crown Heights shuls for the people there to have a clear idea of what is
  going on and maybe after a while this will wake them up to take action.

• Itzhak Schier

  To Myriam S:

  The ones who bent themselves out of shape are the ones who are running around with flags and distributing literature of a sort that turns people off.

  Yes, we had enemies going back to the beginnings of Chassidus. But at the beginnings of Chassidus, there were also charlatans and whackos, referred to as the “Tolker Chassidim” who gave Chassidus a bad name. The Alter Rebbe and his heiliger contemporaries (the Noam Elimelech, Reb Zushe and other tzaddikim of the first generation after the Baal Shem Tov) clearly distanced themselves from this nonsense, which dried up in due time.

  Now, the Tolkers of today think they can speak in the name of Lubavitch.

  And yes, “Rabbi Bruce” is a pay tzaddik gomur. But it’s our job to do our best to see to it that if not he, perhaps his children (if they are Jewish al pi halacha) can drop that pay as we bring them closer and teach them how to realize their potential (and who knows how high that potential is).

  If we allow our fringe element to go out and speak nonsense in our name, then we will lose 10 good people for every one fellow nutjob whom these freaks manage to attract to their quasi-Chassidish cult.

  The only question is, how do we get rid of the ringleaders and the utter nutcases, and at the same time bring those who are just duped followers back to real Chassidus Chabad.

• F.R.

  The fact that this was published just before Yud Alef Nisson is not a “coincidence.”
  There is no question this guy is not a lover of Jews let alone Chabad.
  Did anyone bother to google him? Seems to me he would not be so
  troubled if he was picked as a “Moshiach” candidate. He seems to have all the answers and criticizes just about everyone. His views are the exact opposite of Chabad’s views. Chabad is always praised for their “Love” of every Jew regardless of affiliation or level – believing we are all one.
  He has yet to learn this from Chabad but unfortunately he has chosen to
  take the long road and prefers to find fault with most Jews.
  Let us all pity him and wish him along with all the people that gave him
  this ammo a Refua Shlaima Bikarov!!!
  Remember the true test is to love them too!!
  I do not see why he has such difficulty with these sadly misguided people?
  Isn’t he just as misguided? He is not practicing Yiddishkeit either he is practicing a newly created form of Judaism (Reform) just like these michichistin are.
  The famous gemora saying “Kol Haposel Bemuma Posel ” proves to be right again. With all this said may be all be zoiche to see the Geula Now!!!!

• tzufloygin

  everybody chill out… um… ok… now that youre less steamed.. The dude’s right.. what chabadmenites are portrayed out there in the real world (oh, that’s outside of crown heights) as is insane… i was speaking to someone who told me that crown heights is on a higher level of kedushah than Yerushalayim and that 770 is holier than the Kodesh HaKadoshim (which if your education has you thinking that just means a place inside the “holy temple” your going to say ‘why not?’ well i got new for you buddy: it means HOLY OF HOLIES…. sheesh) Because the Rebbe was there so, hey its the most extreme holinessness place on earth, or why stop there its holier than all creation or heck, why not, the creator.. right? wrong! thats the apikorses you here in crown heights.. it can make you sick.. if you still care… i for one have completely stopped caring… i just figure when the rest of “normal lubavitch” realizes that something has got to be done it will be to late, and when that happens…. i say we should put a heck of a lot of security at the ohel to protect a stone.. again?

• Fakakta Rabbi

  Guys M’ken Shoyn Meinen he’s this big Jewish Leader or something, he’s not as big as you think, he is a Fakakta Reform Rabbi from somewhere in Florida.

  WHO CARES

• ARE U A CHOSSID?

  To all those who agree with the writer of this article: I will not for a moment say that I condone the activities of the Lubavitchers giving out pamphlets HOWEVER the words in the pamphlet that was quoted in the article 101% come from sichos of the Rebbe – these are the direct words of the Rebbe…and here we have this man mocking what our Rebbe has continuelsy stated. To those of you putting the blame on these Lubavitchers and agreeing with the author – know that you are thereby negating all that the Rebbe has said. Learn the sichos you will see that the REbbe in fact has said all that was mentioned in the pamphlet. if like the author u think these words hold no value then take it up with the original author – the Rebbe

• Re: to CHT responding to mendel shemtov

  you responded to mendel shemtov as follows: ¨there were many articles like this 15 and 20 years ago, how old are you?” my question is: how old are YOU?

  you seem to not realize what he meant and the reason seems to be because YOU werent around 20 years ago. yes there were many articles bashing lubavitch 20 years ago, but an article like this one there was not ONE in fifty years. if somebody on my chabad house asks me for an answer to this article, im going to have to change subjects quick. better start practicing fake sneezes a.s.a.p…
  i will have nothing to answer him. NOTHING. i could try to explain that theyre not lubavitch, but im going to need a big philosopher like you to help me being that unless you´re special, that excuse falls on deaf ears.

  yes he´s a shemtov, but he has a point that being that you werent around then (if you were, you would agree with him) you dont and probably wont understand. for sure not as well as him and me.

• Eli

  itzhak schier:
  i like the way you catagorized the verious groups within the “mishichist” camp.

• CHers are B-R-A-I-N-L-E-S-S

  some people were saying that these are not tzfatim, theyre worse than that.

  LOL LOL LOL

  how funny, people used to say “theyre not meshichistim, theyre tzfatim”, now people are saying “theyre not tzfatim, theyre ……” fill in, i dont know a worse level than tzfatim. and how exactly are tzfatim different than these people?? unfortunately the situation is getting worse by the month.
  and its or ONE simple reason: people dont have brains. and its sad.

• Tzfati = meshichist

  The biggest problem we face today are those who try to differentiate between the “moderate” meshichistim and the “tzfatim”

  This is all one disease eating us alive and destroying everything that the Rebbe worked so hard to achieve his entire life.

  Yes, some of you are right, 15-20 years ago there were also tainos against us. But is that a reason to fuel their fire?

• what-s the point

  what’s the point of all this when the bochurim who should be seeing this problably dont even go on-line

• Krauss

  to “Are You A Chosid”:

  Missionaries also quote the Tanach! To prove that Yoshke is the Messiah!

  Quoting Sichos means NOTHING if you dont know what they mean.

• To are you a chosid...

  You myabe correctmaybe however all these sayings etc were said before gimul tamuz before the histalkus. Please Please undersatnd, and if you dont refuah shlaima

• HPP

  IT DOESINT MATTER IF HIS FACTS ARE RIGHT OR WRONG ABOUT WHAT THE REBBE SAID. THE REBBE IS THE REBBE AND HOW DARE SOMEONE SPEAK ABOUT HIM IN THAT WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THE TFATIM AND THE OTHER EXTREMISTS SHOULD REALLY CHILL BUT I DONT THINK IT WAS THE BUCHRIMS FULT THIS GUY JUST HATES LUBAVICH PERIOD, NO MATTER ANI OR MISHACHIST.HES JELUSE OF OUR SUCSESS AND OF THE REBBE ALWAYS BEING RIGHT WHICH HE IS OFCOURSE!AND HE SAID ABOUT A LUBAVICHER WHO DOESINT BELIEVE THE REBBE IS MOSHIACH, WELL THERE IS NO SUCH THING B/C EVERY CHABADNICK ,ANTIS AND MISHACHISTS ALIKE KNOW THE REBBE IS MOSHIACH AND MANY MORE PPL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD KNOW HE IS ,PROVING THIS SO CALLED “RABBI” WRONG AND A STUPIT ARROGENT FOOL WHO I GUESS WANTS TO PROCLAIM HIMSELF MOSHIACH

• Orit

  Thank you for posting this article so that the rebuttals can also be posted. I live in S. Florida and I don’t know anyone who is even close to Chabad that I could ask after I read this article today in the Jewish Journal. This is the only place I know to hear the other side. Now, I know something different than just what Warshal says…

• CHT

  To however responded to me,

  How are you comparing the attacks on Lubavitch from 20 years ago to this article? This article was not published in New York Times or NY Post or something to this extend in popularity. It was published in totally unknown “Jewish Light Online”, try searching for it. Anything that was published 20 years ago in this type of periodical is totally lost by now and not in any library now, but there were many attacks of this vigor in a loosers periodicals always.

• dosen-t live in ch

  people who dont have any connection with Chabad really do think like the author of this article! Chabad Lubavitch is getting a horrible reputation & something should be done to counterbalance the crazy impression people get (more publicity about the non-yechi side of Lubavitchers)

• Boruch ben Tzvi HaKohaine Hoffinger

  B“H
  Kind souls, ‘Rabbi’ Bruce Warshal is jealous, and he’s ignorant.
  We know what Pirke Avos says about jealousy.
  I’m a maschichist and so is Rabbi Solevetchik who said the Rebbe, MH”M has the status of ‘chezkus Moshiach.’ Many famous sages say that Moshiach can come from the dead (maybe we’re ‘dead’ and the ‘dead’ are alive?). Scientists are busy looking for life on other planets; is there life on earth (no joke)?
  Without abundant Ahavas Yisroel we’re dead.
  So, what else is there to say?

• Useless

  While we are sitting on our Tuches glued to a computer screen the bochrim are actualy doing something to bring moshiach closer.

• Where-s our sensitivity?

  BS”D
  Personally, I’m horrified that the admin of this website has no sensitivity or qualms about posting an article with the Rebbe’s name and l’havdil l’havdil J’s name side by side, and even worse, that the author equates them chas v’shalom. That’s what should make people shudder when they read this… not what everyone is complaining about.

• Mashpia

  A KLIPEH

  FOON FLORIDA

• A concerned Chabadnik

  How could I reach this “Rabbi”?
  We need to tell him, THIS is NOT Chabad!!!
  The more people write him, the better.

• LEARN

  yasher koach to what R U A choosid and Mrs. Swerdlov wrote.
  AND TO EVERYONE ELSE…
  GO LEARN THE SICHOS.
  WHO EVER IS BLAMING THE MESHICHISTIN,
  IS REALLY ATTACKING WHAT THE REBBE SAID.
  YOU NEED TO GO SEE FOR YOURSELF WHAT THE REBBE SAID ABOUT MOSHIACH.
  Back to the basics you basically wrote that there is no point in discussing who moshich is or when he is coming…
  How can you say that ???!!
  That is against everything the Rebbe said in nun-aleph and nun-beis!
  Go learn the sichos!!!

• disgusted

  this whole situation is appaling. the very fact that lubavitchers’ actions could lead a yid to compare the Rebbe to Yoshke Yemach Shmo is completely sickening and it’s hard-core proof the the mishechists have gone too far. it’s not against halacha to believe the Rebbe is Moshiach but what right does anyone have to impose their opinion on anyone else. if someone asks you if you believe the Rebbe is Moshiach you can give your opinion and if they ask how people can go around saying the Rebbe is Moshiach a proper response would be “Iknow that I’m not Moshiach so why can’t I believe my Rebbe is Moshiach?” besides the point, it really doesn’t matter who Moshiach is. would you say all you did to bring Moshiach in your life was a waste if the Rebbe isn’t Moshiach? I think everyone would just be glad when Moshiach comes it’s not even going to make a difference. our only obligation is to wait for Moshiach and believe Moshiach is coming, we don’t have to believe anyone specific is Moshiach.

• re: what-s the point

  forgot that they don’t go online, the majority of them are Israelis and don’t even understand this. they go out with their stack of pamphlets and daven that nobody will ask them questions because they’ll have no idea how to answer.

• Yosef Yitzchok

  Chevra,

  LiStNeN uP!!

  We are all proud to be Lubavitch.(Right? I hope)
  We are all proud to be chassidim of the Rebbe. (No doubt)
  We know where we all stand in these issues at hand.
  David berger ym”shas one point right that ALL Chassidim truley believe that the nosi hador is the moshiach shebidor….
  There is absoultuely no reason for us to deny.

  So don’t get so intimidated by this shoite menuval. Keep up your good work and the ultimate avoidas hashlichus…. likabeil pnei moshiach tzidkeinu.

  PS: regarding the few tipshim who are instigating and prompting such articles to be written, we have to handle them like we do anyone who is c’v distant from daas Torah and Chassidus. We must take the initative to be mekarev them and teach them the authentic sichos of the Rebbe.They are mostly bts who were warped by the misguided leadership. There is absolutely no reason why we should mistreat them and yet when we encounter any other Jew shower love. They also desrve the love, but must be returned to the derech hayoshor and made to realize that their ways a far from oifen hamiskabel…..

  Uber shem zich nisht from being PROUD chassidim of the Rebbe.ASHREINU MAH TOIV CHELKEINU.

• 6 Days of Creation - B-Oifen Hamiskabel

  The fact that Hashem Created the world in 6 days FOR REAL is NOT “B’Ofen Hamiskabel” for such a Reform Pey Tzadik, Self Hating Jew.

  It is far easier for such people to understand why the UN is in NY as the Rebbe said, than for them to accept 6 Days of Creation.

  Should we stop saying Shma Yisroel, in order not to offend those who don’t believe, in only one G-d and who think we are “intolerant” for not accepting Avoda Zara?

• Ellie

  Name calling, that is what Lubavitcher’s (not all of them) resort to when someone expresses his honest opinion.
  Whether his opinion is misguided or not, as Lubavitchers it is not our place to call him names or try to degrade him. The Rebbe never condoned degradation, he had the utmost respect for other sectors of Judaism, and for sectors such as reform or conservative, He never said a bad/ not good word about them. The Rebbe was one of the greatest leaders of our time and He was always careful to call misguided people Tinkoim shenishbah.
  No matter how misguided this Rabbi Bruce Warshal is he brings up some very disturbing points, and it often takes an outsider for us to be enlightened with reality. Just last week i saw a Yechi Hamelech Rebbe’s picture being handed to a gentile. The gentile had a handful of other pamflets in his hand. He disposed of the unwanted waiste in the way many New Yorkers do, and threw it on the subway tracks. Now this is the part that really hurts, a rat went and sat on the Rebbe’s face. I don’t care what you choose to believe in or how you choose to publicize your beliefs, but to lower the Rebbe but turning his picture into a litter box for vermin is a true chillul Rebbe, and in making a chillul of the Rebbe you ruin all he stood for.
  Another point is, if a Reform Rabbi off the street is writing an article in a publicized paper that reaches many people that disgraces Chabad, it not only is a chillul Chabad but for all Jews as well. The Rebbe made us the leaders in spreading yiddishkeit, it is a very tough standard to live up to, when any action inspires an article such as this one, whether it was recognised by Lubavitcher Headquarters or not, the chillul falls unto us regardless of where the blame lies. It not only brings chillul Hashem to Lubavitch to all who call themselves Jewish!
  How can anyone call this man a sineih Lubavitch when we ourselves are not B’achdus, this school doesn’t associate with that one, this person can’t be friends with that one because he follows that Rav. The Rebbe told us that Moshiach is here, we have but to open our eyes. He passed away and we have not only left our eyes closed, but we poked them out, we cut off our noses simply to spite our faces.
  I always was proud to be a Lubavitcher because my Rebbe loved everyone, he never had a bad thing to say and He always taught us to better ourselves and become as close to Hashem as we are able. He brought us, no, He forced us to better ourselves for us. How can i now be proud of who i am when within our own community there is no untiy. Not only is there no unity but we have lost sight of what is right.
  Who you believe is Moshiach is not the point, when we are ready for it we will know, what we have to do know is work, fullfill the Torah and Mitzvos so that we may merrit Moshiach, whomever Hashem decides that may be.

• Friction makes music

  1. Complicated, multidimensional matters.
  2. Personal bias.
  3. Personal shortcomings.
  4. Need for attention.
  5. Mix of fact, heresay, fantasy.

  Mix all together & post for all to see.

  You get 70 faces of post3Tammuz chabad & 1000 faces of the world as it watches.

  We have yet to learn the skill, capacity and capability to study issues to detail, know fact from guess, and how to separate components from another’s presentation so that not eveything is accepted as true or false, and the presenter is not labeled as anything.

  Till we do, round and round we’ll go.

• sfvbroker

  I think that there is no problem with this article being posted on this site. This IS news, news about the Lubavitcher community and proof as to how divided it is. This Rabbi and his opinions, albeit liberal, are merely his observations. Yes he was extremely cynical, there is no denying that. Still, he had the ammunition, adding fuel to the perverbial fire. If everyone in Lubavitch ould ac the way they think their Rebbe, OUR Rebbe, would like to see them act, there would be much less than this.

  My guess is that as usual, the minority is making all the negative noise. Instead of acting how the Rebbe would want them to, they are taking matters into their own hands. As a previous post said, how are shluchim supposed to react to this. And as far as the guy whi says “He is a Fakakta reform Rabbi”, guess what? There are a lot more of them than there are of us. All they need is more ammo like this.

  All this especially when Rabbi Eric Yoffie (look him up) tol his own Reform colleagues to be more like Chabad when it comess to outreach.

  All in all, these people should be out doing the Mivtzoim. The Rebbe’s addition of Mivtza Moshiach never instructed the chassidim to decide who Moshiach is. As long as Moshiach arrives, that is the Ikkar.

• Aaron

  Thank you for posting this article. We Lubavitchers need to hear whats going on in the world in the name of Lubavitch, and put a stop to it. The real problem is that no one stands up to these guys. If we told them how we really felt, they might be a little more ashamed of themselves.

  Unfortunately the real problem starts at a young age. I cringe every time I see a little kid walking around in a Yechi yarmulke. These kids are being indoctrinated with such garbage! No wonder they will eventually go off the derech when they are older. Seeing this crap makes me want to jump ship, I’m sure I’m not the only one.

• SS

  I’d like to make my comment short and sweet. I take the subway to and from work every single day and I mamash melt out of embarressment from these meshuganas who walk through subway cars handing out ridiculous literature! I will not even get into how badly i want to grab all of their pamphlets and rip them to shreds, but of course the rebbe’s picture makes that impossible. The question we all need to be asking ourselves is what can we do to stop these apikorsim from further tainting the rebbe’s name, lubavitch, and judaism! I always have this urge to walk up to one of them and say something but i know it will not help anything, so i keep my mouth shut. Please everyone let’s put our heads together and figure out how to end the distribution!

• WAKE UP NOW

  ITS THE SO CALLED MASHPIM
  ITS THE SO CALLED MASHPIM
  ITS THE SO CALLED MASHPIM
  OH DID I TELL YOU THAT IT IS THE SO CALLED MASHPIM

  THESE NARISHER FARKRUMTER SO CALLED MASHPIM THAT BEFORE GIMUL TAMUZ WOULD BE NOTHINGS AND AFTER GIMUL TAMUZ THEY INTERPRATE THE REBBES SICHOS TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK GOOD AND TO HAVE AN AUDIANCE.
  THEY NEED TO BE KICKED OUT OF EVERY MIOSED THAT THEY LAY THIER HANDS ON
  AND NO IT IS NOT TO LATE.
  WAKE UP CHABADSKERS, WAKE UP NOW.

• Proud Lubavitcher

  I Schier
  You castigate the ‘Taliban’ and make rude remarks about the Meshichisten, Who are you to speak about fellow Jews?
  (Funny how you manage to mock the ‘rabbi’ and the meshichisten at the same time,I guess anything so your name will be seen)

• sfvbroker

  Some of these people posting are missing the point. Why are you calling this Rabbi ‘Yimach Shmo’? Ahavas Yisroel, guys. Not the opposite. We need to be able to converse with people with other beliefs and opinions, not dismiss them as if they were trash. Those who truly believe what they are saying and distributing, remember that the Rebbe would truly want you guys to get along with other people, not treat them like they don’t matter.

  By the way, it is at least nice to see that most of the posts on this matter are along the same lines, that we need to temper this behavior.

• mr.

  listen this guy is some reform rabbi in some temple and is probably having bad bussiness with his temple bec. of a chabad house so he is trying to make people htink chabad people are missionaries as he says “Why do we feel comfortable davening with Chabad and not with the Jews for Jesus? Why do we invite Chabad emissaries into our Day Schools and into our Reform and Conservative religious schools to bake matzah? Would we invite Jews for Jesus to bake matzah for our children? And why do liberal Jews build Chabad houses?” so its evident from his words that he is having some problem with chabad houses or people davening in them.

• AN IMPORTANT POINT - IT-S UP TO US..!

  A point (which some have mentioned, but not very emphasized):

  When the Rebbe screamed his heart out about Shleimus HaAretz in the Lameds & Mems, someone asked the Rebbe, why is he speaking this (and all the various details) to Temimim, who aren’t “mavens” in this – speak to politicians!

  The Rebbe answered, that he purposely does it, becuase the bochurim “darf zich avek’geben fun di EIGENE shtochim..” [=have to give up from their own areas (as in EY)]…

  The story is a known one. But it tells us something very lucid: everything is based on our Ruchnius! If we’d daven better, etc. etc. – such things would be prevented altogether from Above!

  (Obviously, we still have to filter and so on, in the necessary avenues – we have to work “al derech teva”, with the damage already done – but AT THE SAME TIME – to increase in Ahavas Yisroel and all the Rebbe wants from us, and maybe the matter will already be solved).

  This point, if well thought through, will IY“H put people in the right direction, and start, positively, to ”expel the darkness of golus,” whatever it may be.

  There’s more to say in this regard, but I’ll leave it at that.

  I’m not saying it’s an easy thing, believe me, but bit by bit – we’ll heal the world for Moshiach. B’agala Didan!

• disgusted

  it is a real chutzpah that something like this has been posted on a chabad website. any person who agrees with the meshugeneh “rabbi” that wrote the article cannot be called a chossid bichlal. How can the Rebbe be compared to yoshke? Is this a sick joke? This is one of the most sickening things i’ve ever seen, and it was a big mistake for this to be posted on this website.

• another chossid

  aaron. i think you should make a reality check, is it the kids with Moshiach yarmulkes that are going off the derech, or rather kids of parents like yourself who hate other yidden with such a passion

• חזק

  From what I read I see two opinions, that of the Proud Lubavichers, and that of those of us who have the this natural in-born or learned shame.

  A proud Lubavitcher may have opinions about Meshichistim, and what other people will say, etc, but they don’t have the irresistible need to jump up and tear out the pamphlets from somebody’s hands and feel like they want to bury their face in the ground. That is what shame is. Sometimes we have legitimate shame, other times we are embarrassed because we are doing the embarrassment for another person.

  Personally, I have no problem explaining to mekuravim why it is that there are Lubavichers who behave strangely, and if you overcome your childhood shame you should have no problem answering questions a potential curious person may have.

  If I recall correctly when someone put together a collection of articles about Lubavitch, the Rebbe did not approve of it and did not want us to think so much about what others think of us but instead to think about the work that needs to be done, and ourselves.

  Elli, you don’t have to be ashamed, be proud! you have a right to be. you are fully entitled to bash someone who has a Sineh against you. It is true that we may need to have more Ahavas Yisroel but there is a time for everything, and first we begin by practicing Ahavas Yisroel with our own brothers, as it is THEY who are Tinok Shenishbu, THEN, and only then can one proceed to decide if it is best to forgive an outside, enemy, who is a Sone Lubavitch of who King david said Tachlis Sineh Saneisi, and you should read about that in Perek 32 of Tanya, where you could learn something about Ahavas Yisroel.

  I also noticed that as you take sides with the author, you are also taking the side of the very figure Lihavdil he brings down in his article, who has very similar teachings as you seem to have, about forgiving and forgetting and loving vechulhu vechulhu

  There is a time for Ahavas Yisroel, but there is also a time to be MoChiach (a.k.a. corrective criticism)

  Mr Svfbroker, you seem to need a little Chizuck, Rev Yaffe could be a very nice guy, but you don’t have to feel afraid of your own shadow, or just to say it as it is – and ver nisht nispael – the guy is a shmuck a Soneh an Apikores who preaches a Judaism which is Heipech Hatorah and Heipech Hashulchan Aruch. You have the right to say that, and a Chiuv to say that. You have nothing to be afraid of. Be Proud!

• Jack Shepard

  As a semi-affiliated lubavitcher, could someone please explain to me how to negate the author’s assertion that according to traditional judaism there is no need for an intermediate between us and G-d?

• ch

  the guy is basically denying chassidus, and how can we expect himnot to,being a reform rabbi? but why is this on a chabad website? hello?

• disgusted

  Don’t you realize by now, that by posting about this particular subject cuases alot of strife, and works up alot of hatred in many people! Why don’t you stop posting these ridicules articles! We don’t have to have it stuffed down our throats!
  You should just know, that it’s these articles which are to blame for lot people refraining from visiting your site.

• Ephraim M. from Chicago

  THERE AREN’T MANY OF US LEFT WHO WERE THE HANDFUL OF TMIMIM LEARNING IN 770 AND BEDFORD-DEAN IN THE TIME OF THE FREIDIKER REBBE DPFZCHUS UYAGON OLAINU. HAVING SEEN HISTORY UNFOLD IN THE LAST 60 YEARS AND THE GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF CHABAD WORLDWIDE, I CAN ONLY TAKE HEART THAT THE ULTIMATE GOOD WILL PREVAIL. SEEING THE WORK OF MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER SHLUCHIM WHO HAVE KEPT THEIR FOCUS AND CONTINUE THE HOLY WORK , I CAN ONLY BE OPTIMISTIC AND INSPIRED.

• dovid

  WHY IS YOUR HATE SO BIG AGAINST CHABAD….?

• Stham a yid

  I am Glad you posted this garbage diatribe.
  That said, while I am sympethetic to Chabad overall I admit these outcasts really need to be addressed. Many don’t know and assume this is Lubavitch today. While most know the difference many don’t. And this activity they do does not help. Helps the Berger’s in our midst with extra ammo.

  Also regardless what some say (thank g-d, a minority) the Rebbe never had this in mind nor is it important or a necessity to state or publish who Moshiach is.

• Regular Lubavitcher

  Reb Yid, Your right, but they have the right to preach their beliefs, regardless if it makes them look like Tipshim. Their Triple Barrel Chaotic approach to preaching their teachings, although it may seem a bit disturbing to us orderly organized fellow Yidden, they still have the right to make noise if they want to. In fact, many times the Rebbe encouraged such brazen, Lichatchile Ariber Activities Lubavitchers have made, and ironically this yielded results Lemaale Miderech Hateva. For many years Lubavichers would even Dance in the streets sharing their Yom Tov Joy with fellow Yidden, and even though the excitement may have been a bit too threatening to some of our more Veltishe Yidden, Lubavitchers nevertheless have gone with that no-limit approach when it came to teaching and sharing with fellow Yidden. Take a look at the enormous Israeli population in NYC, happiness and Joy have a spiritual meaning to them, and their sincere belief in Tzadikim, their appreciation for simple Mitzvos, and their awaiting of Moshiach, are priceless Jewish values not found by any other Yidden, and their only fuel and support come from these Isreali Tzfati Meshichisten, believe it or not.

  Furthermore, every Mishichist knows that the Rebbe encouraged the proclaiming of the identity of Moshiach, to the public.

  I personally don’t, because I can teach only what I personally value, and that which I hold by, but if others want to publicly preach something which is their belief, I don’t care what other people will say, it is their belief and they are entitled to that and I will respect that.

• Benny

  Let me preface and say that I am not very Lubavitch (idology) freindly.
  However Bruce Warshal is a notorious Jew hater. His past articles embrace Arafat while cussing at frumkiet. He has writen the most vile articles regarding kasherous and cholov Yisoel. He demonizes anything Jewish an praises anything not.
  He is a true Rasha Gomar.

• Milesfan420

  Religious extremism is religious extremism. The author here, unintentionally but actually nonetheless, points to how extremism is extremism. I’m not looking to dilute traditions or customs, but it’s high time we stop picking fights both within and without our traditions over doctrinal issues that, even though mean so much within the virtual world of the ivory tower, mean little in the actual world of how we live with our neighbors, whether Goy or Jew, radical orthodox or reform. There was a time for radical tribalism. That time is coming to an end. Woe to the Man who harbors extreme tribalism to the detriment of Mankind. Peace.

• Avraham Abba

  I thank the Lubavitcher Rebbe for helping me stay frum. It is his gevadigeh gadlus and zrizus that inspired me. Whether or not he is Moashiach is not as important as the fact that we all need Moshiach and we should all be very thankful to Hashem Yisborach for giving us life and for giving us such a wonderful, sincere, beloved Rebbe.
  I am not a chasid but now that I look back at what I just wrote, I wonder. Maybe I really am a Lubavitcher chasid!
  I love him!!!

• Chava

  Dear Rabbi Bruce Warshal:

  Please know that not all Lubavitchers believe the way that these men you encountered do. I”m Lubavitch and live in a community with a large Lubavitch population, and WE DO NOT believe that the Rebbe is still alive or that he is moshiach. I’m sorry that these men were the only Lubavitchers with whom you have come into contact.