Op-Ed: Is Chabad Lubavitch?
Is Chabad Lubavitch? Is Lubavitch Chabad? Are the two terms – “Chabad” and “Lubavitch” – synonymous? Chabad is an acronym; Lubavitch is a town. Chabad represents a hassidic philosophy; Lubavitch the ancestral home of a hassidic court. They are not synonymous. Cryptic though it may sound, Lubavitch is Chabad, but Chabad is not only Lubavitch.
Chabad is an acronym for hochma (wisdom), bina (understanding), da’at (knowledge) – the three intellectual faculties in the kabbalistic system of viewing the world. The acronym refers to the school of hassidic thought pioneered by one of the early and influential hassidic masters, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Lyady (1745-1812). Rabbi Shneur Zalman taught that the mind must rule over the heart; it is the intellect that should define our relationship with the Almighty. This school focuses on developing a methodological approach to understanding God. The seminal text of the Chabad school of thought is Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s Tanya, which was first printed in 1797.
Lubavitch – or Lyubavichi, as it is known – is today in Russia. The town is most famously associated with the contemporary branch of hassidism that has a worldwide presence. Hassidic masters of this branch are descended from Rabbi Shneur Zalman, and the branch takes its philosophy from Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s writings.
Was Rabbi Shneur Zalman a “Lubavitcher”? Born in Liozna, he moved to Lyady later in life and was buried in Hadiach. As a young boy, Shneur Zalman had studied under Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Lubavitch – presumably in his teacher’s city. Later, some of his opponents who sought to undermine his authority lived in Lubavitch. We might well ponder whether Rabbi Shneur Zalman would have felt any affection for that town. But either way, calling Rabbi Shneur Zalman a “Lubavitcher” would be anachronistic.
After Rabbi Shneur Zalman died, his son and successor, Rabbi Dov Ber Shneuri (1773-1827) settled in Lubavitch, and it was from his base in this town that he led his disciples. The custom among most – but not all – hassidic groups is that the branch of hassidism takes and preserves its name from where the founders of that branch lived. Lubavitch, therefore, takes its name from the town where Rabbi Dov Ber led his disciples. Rabbi Dov Ber’s son-in-law and successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1789- 1866) – known by the title of his multi-volume work, Tzemah Tzedek – also presided in that town, as did his son after him, Rabbi Shmuel (Maharash, 1834-1882).
Maharash’s son, Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber (Rashab, 1860-1920) was born in Lubavitch, but during World War I he fled to Rostov-on-Don. That signaled the end of the presence of hassidic masters in Lubavitch, although the name “Lubavitch” continued – and continues – to live on as a hassidic identity.
Why did Lubavitch Hassidim not call themselves “Lyady Hassidim,” after the founder’s town? The answer lies in understanding that Chabad is not only Lubavitch. After Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s death, his disciples split between his son – the aforementioned Rabbi Dov Ber – and his prime student, Rabbi Aharon Halevi Horowitz (1766-1828), who established a rival Chabad school in Strashelye. Rabbi Aharon was a prolific writer and his brand of Chabad was popular. When he died, he was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Haim Raphael (d. 1842). Alas, when Rabbi Haim Raphael died, the Strashelye branch of Chabad did not continue.
This was not the only non-Lubavitch branch of Chabad. When the Tzemah Tzedek – Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s grandson – died in 1866, he was succeeded in Lubavitch by his youngest son. Some of his other children and grandchildren established Chabad hassidic courts in the towns of Kopys, Lyady, Nizhyn, Lubavitch, Rezekne and Babruysk. Thus, in the generation of Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s great-grandchildren, there were Lyady Hassidim in addition to Lubavitch Hassidim, and both courts adhered to the Chabad philosophy. Kopys, one of the other Chabad branches, even produced important works in Chabad philosophy.
Given this account, why is it commonly assumed that “Lubavitch” and “Chabad” are synonymous? Lubavitch is the only surviving branch of Chabad Hassidism, and hence the custodian of Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s Chabad philosophy.
The writer is on the faculty of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and is a rabbi in Tzur Hadassah.
okay
point?
Didan natzach
Besides being a nice history lesson, I don’t see the point of this article. Of course it’s a reminder that for the first time in 200 years, Chabad has no Rebbe..
me
nothing new
Brilliant!
good to know
Mochin and Midos
It’s the same recycled argument about the successors to the Bal Shem Tov…
Ultimately: Chasidim-Chabad-Lubavitch=Nasi Hador.
And to the writer: You do need both — Chabad and Lubavitch. Chabad equals Mochin and Lubavitch equals Midos. they are not mutually exclusive.You need Mochin and you need Midos (Think: Tefillin Shel Yad and Shel Rosh) for a complete experience.
Reb Aharon Mistrashela’s mode of Chasidus was to trump Midos in realizing one’s Avodas Hashem.
Hence they would scream and dance during Davening, and led ultimately to the events that culminated in the Yom Tov of Yud Tes Kislev.
A comment on CH.Info would do an injustice to this topic. Read more in the previous Rebbe’s “Lange Briv”- translated into English by Rabbi Neubort for a more comprehensive understanding of all this.
Chossid
Point-filling up a space in Jpost.
Tolerance please.
So Levi Cooper didn’t write this for you guys. There are a lot of other readers of The J post who might find it interesting.
Why not simply complement him for his efforts, and dispense with belittling. Ess past nisht far Lubavitch or Chabad chassidim.
Concerned Chossid
Nasi HaDor? So why is he niftar, Z”L.??
I think the point is that without good leadership, Chabad as a philosophy burns out. Similar to oyur dancing chassidim of R. Aharon, now we have our own dancers and singers who proclaim the geulah that has not yet come.
Wnc
By the way, this is Levi ben Hersch Cooper.
interesting
I heard an interesting anecdote. There was once an Israeli that said Lubavitch I hate. They bash our government’s political policy, dictate to us who is Jewish (mihu yehudi)… But Chabad I love! They bring us donuts on Chanukah, dance with us on Purim, visit all the army bases…
BCE
“Rezekne”? What is the world is that? Surely, the author meant “Rechitza” where Sholom Ber Scheneerson (one of the brothers of Shlomo Zalman of Kopys) was a Rebbe of the Kopys branch of Chabad.
To #5
Slight error – Yud Tes Kislev took place during the life of the Alter Rebbe, while R’ Ahron was one his talmidim, with the split happening towards the end of the Alter Rebbe’s life.
If would be nice if someone would translate Beis Rebbe into english, as this sefer is an excellent source of (accurate) Chasidishe history from the time of the Alter Rebbe until the times of the Rashab.
Milhouse
#12, Indeed, #5 may perhaps have confused the Strasheler with the Kalisker.
Beis Rebbi is nice, but not always accurate. It was written just around the time that the big machlokes had ended, so it sanitises it. You would never know from Beis Rebbi how bitter it was.
Pinchos Woolstone
Lubavitch is the only branch of Chassidus Chabad which has survived into the 21 st Century.
Undoubtedly, because of the Rebbe Rayatz zy“a and our Rebbe zy”a
Until 1924 there was of Rebbe in Kopust.
Most of the offspring from the third and fourth generation of leadership loosened their ties to Chabad or in some cases to Yiddishkeit in general
When the Rebbe Rayatz came to America there were over 100 Nusach HaAri Shuls accross the country, unfortunately most did not continue in the Chabad tradition, some even became reform or closed.
The Rayatz had a vision to unite all the Kehilos under the banner of Agudas Chassidei Chabad.
Sholom Dovber
Excellent
the “conversation” about the next generation of Chabad Lubavitch is starting.
A painful but vital process.
Don’t expect this to occur without blood letting angst and unhappiness, but happen it must.
We who love our Chassidus will benefit in the long term.
It may my be part of the birth pangs of Moshiach.
Concerned Chossid
Agreed, Sholom Dovber.
The time has come to decide whether Chabad Lubavitch is a chassidus, a personality cult, a social club, or a whole new religion outright.
All the people who learn and live up to being Chabad chassidim stand to benefit. Those who are part of the cult or the social club will have to eventually make hard decisions as time goes on.
Qualified Historian
This article, which was written by someone who may have an agenda, is hardly a discussion of the future. That may be needed, but this is not even a start.
It is more like Jewish History 101 for the uninformed, with a very big error.
“Chabad is not only Lubavitch” – change is to WAS.
Zalman
Chabad = CHochma Binah Daas (wisdom, understanding & knowledge)
Lubavitch = City of Love
Chassidim = Rei’im Ahuvim (Loving neighbors)
(Note: Originally chassidim termed themselves rei’im ahuvim, it was their opponents who coined the term chassidim to refer to them.)
It would seem that Chabad focuses on intellect while Lubavitch focuses on emotion (love) by its very definition (and surely a contributing factor to it’s being chosen as the place to name the dynasty after).
This departs from the common social distinction made regarding which facets of the community Chabad and Lubavitch are used to refer to, as reflected in an above comment about “an Israeli”.
People often refer to the hardlined inner core of chassidim as Lubavitch, while referring to the more liberal social culture as Chabad.
Seemingly it should be the other way around, the hardlined inner core (possibly more intellectually driven) would be CHaBaD, while the more liberal social culture ought to be referred to as LUBAvitch (city of love).
Then there is how the term applied brings focus to an issue, thereby reminding the social culture of the importance of CHaBaD, and the more hardlined inner core of LUBAvitch.
On a final note: It can be suggested that the inner core (Lubavitch) are the progenitors of the City of Love, living their entire lives in a state of Loving their fellows, in all the many hardlined ways they so extremely give themselves over, while the social culture (CHaBaD) in their intellectualizing the messages of chassidus and the love of their fellow, to some degree lose sight of the true meaning of Love, giving and (/to the point of) sacrifice for another, in all facets of their life, including religious and chassidic adherence in their own lives.
Sincerely,
One of both.