Unfortunately, some of the dysfunction that has overtaken Chabad in the last few years was just around the corner. On Shabbos day a shliach was welcomed to speak to the community. Before his speech, an elderly Chassid banged on the lectern, announced that the shliach in question was not a real shliach but a ‘mushroom.’ Since the policy of the Shule was to have Shluchim speak, he should not be allowed to address them.
Op-Ed: Chabad’s Moral Crisis
Not long ago I spent Shabbos in a Lubavitch community with my wife and children. The family we stayed with showed us effusive Lubavitch hospitality. What other community in the world would welcome a family with nine children and a niece to march into their home and take over? The warmth with which we were received reminded me of all that is beautiful about Chabad and how Lubavitchers are the warmest and kindest people in the world.
Unfortunately, some of the dysfunction that has overtaken Chabad in the last few years was just around the corner. On Shabbos day a shliach was welcomed to speak to the community. Before his speech, an elderly Chassid banged on the lectern, announced that the shliach in question was not a real shliach but a ‘mushroom.’ Since the policy of the Shule was to have Shluchim speak, he should not be allowed to address them.
When it came time for the speech, the shliach stood up and said that he was electing to thank the community for their hospitality but not to address them, given the controversy his presence had already generated. This set in motion a series of increasingly traumatic events. At the farbrengen that followed davening, the shliach finally gave his speech, essentially sharing with all of us that he had been publicly humiliated and almost none had objected. His wounds were deep. He began to share what his life had been like ever since he decided, a few years earlier, to remain in the city where he had worked as a shliach for many years after having fallen out with his head shliach who fired him and ordered him out. When he elected to stay, a campaign of ostracization, which he claimed even involved the targeting of his children, had begun.
When I was invited to speak at the farbrengen, I dwelled on his predicament, his obvious pain, and how we all had to do more to ensure that scenarios like these did not repeat themselves. Some in attendance politely told me that I was misguided, that while Chabad had some issues, none of these were terribly serious and that if we all davened properly and learned Chassidus everything would turn out well.
It is time for Lubavitch to confront the moral crisis that is engulfing it. Some of my readers will be aware that I have addressed this issue before. I cannot help but return to it, seeing as Chabad is just too special, to vital to the future of humanity in general and Jewry in particular, to allow corrosive influences to gnaw away at its very soul.
Everyone fights, everyone has arguments. But in every altercation there are rules of engagement and Lubavitch seems to have few. Is it right for a man to be publicly humiliated because he did not get along with a shliach? Does this accord with teachings of the Talmud that humiliating a man and stripping him of his dignity is the equivalent of killing him? All too many younger Shluchim who have not gotten along with their superiors have faced a campaign of vilification that is unbecoming of an organization committed to Jewish law, Jewish values, and brotherly love.
To be sure, I understand that Chabad must have a structure. I also understand that it is improper for a Shliach to trailblaze a path in solitude, struggle to develop a community completely on his own, and not have his authority respected by the people he later brings out to work under his leadership. Like every organization, Chabad must have a hierarchy and an infrastructure. Rather, my objection is to how viciously young Shluchim are sometimes treated when they fall out with their superiors. Even if they are wrong, they are still human beings. Morse so, they are still our brothers.
There can be no religion without ethics. Chassidishkeit must be rooted in an unshakable moral foundation. Religious piety dare never supersede a simple commitment to right and wrong. Chabad today is beginning to tolerate the intolerable. Many things that are happening around the world – from public arguments, to court battles, to private hatred –are being excused. But the uncivilized manner in which these disputes are carried out is primitive, unethical, and inexcusable. Civilized people do not behave this way.
When the Shliach I referred to above finally spoke, he accused all of us present of being morally indifferent to his humiliation. He compared his predicament to the Talmud’s lamentable story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, when the silence of the Rabbis at witnessing a man’s public disgrace led to disastrous consequences. He was not completely right. While some sat in silence, quite a few courageous souls present told the elderly Chassid who shamed him that he should be silent and sit down. But the ramifications for Lubavitch at disgraceful public spectacles such as these is to allow its moral center to be eroded and compromised.
Is there noone in Chabad today with the moral authority to simply call upon each of us to adhere to the most basic rules of civility and decency? Will we, whose very raison d’être is Ahavas Yisroel, allow these disputes to unweave our moral fiber? And is there not a critical mass of people who are by now just sickened by the frequency of stories such as these?
Have we forgotten that we are disciples of a moral giant? The Rebbe’s leadership was entirely dependent on the fact he was a man of unquestioned integrity and righteousness. When he told us to pack up our kids and live thousands of miles away in complete spiritual isolation, we listened because we knew his only agenda was to advance G-d’s work.
Has it really been so long when we last saw him that we have forgotten how he stood on his tired feet to meet thousands of people every Sunday and interact with them for even a brief moment to bless them? Have we forgotten how he led thousands of us in song and dance, together, as ‘one person, with one heart’? Will we allow territorialism and egotism to fragment the love that he worked so hard to inculcate?
The moral crisis in Chabad is a crisis born of ego. We are becoming too power-centric, too self-absorbed and not sufficiently self-critical. We do selfless work, and no doubt the Rebbe’s Shluchim are Judaism’s heroes. Even as I write these lines, I am conscious of the fact that I am not the equal of any of the Rebbe’s Shluchim who courageously settle the globe, selflessly imparting the light of Jewish values to distant shores. But the darker side of such selfless work is how it can sometimes be accompanied by heartless territorialsim. We dare never forget that the institutions we build are not about us. We were sent out to spread the light of Judaism, not to create personal fiefdoms. We have a right to lead the institution we build, but let us endeavor to do so with magnanimity and largeness of heart.
Lubavitch must, finally, set up an independent review board to hear, in the most civil way, the complaints that Shluchim have and adjudicate justly and fairly. The current practice of head Shluchim having the final say without younger Shluchim having any just recourse is unfair and cannot continue. Less so is character assassination acceptable to Jews who are committed to the highest moral behavior.
I need to know that living a life devoted to Chabad teachings will make me a better person. I need to know that it will give me a softer heart. I need to know that being part of Chabad will call me to moral greatness, that ringing through my ears will always be the admonition of Hillel, “That which you hate never do unto others.”
The Lubavitcher Rebbe was a moral beacon to the world. He exemplified love, righteousness, and justice. Let us commit ourselves to lives that demonstrate the deep impact he made on his Chassidim, and through our goodness to the rest of the world.
This Op-Ed reflects the views of its author. It does not necessarily reflect the views of CrownHeights.info nor of its Editors.
A reader that wishes to make his or her voice heard on any topic of their desire is welcome to submit his or her Op-Ed to News@CrownHeights.info.
Readers please note: The following piece is a revised edition of the original Op-Ed that was posted.
cher
well said R. Boteach. thanks for the oped. what can i say words of wisdom.
Major problem
your 100% right! i hate when people get political.
interesting
You make some very good points, but you should know there are many times when a shliach is fired because he is in the wrong and has done some terrible things.
Anonymous
I grew up on Shlichus and have worked for Shluchim. The problem isn’t so wide spread, but I think this article was generally well said.
To be a bit negative, this problem will probably be addressed the same way every other Lubavitch issue is dealt with. We’ll see 50-100 comments on the article and nothing will be done.
wow
wow you are 110% right. chabad is falling apart
what a chutzpa!!
how dare crownheights.info ut up such an article!!!!forget the author evenlook at the content of it. the fact is, if that would be a misnagid most wouldnt have a problem. so when someone goes against the Rebbe wishes delibrately, that doesnt call for such behavior?? yes this “mushroom” might be doing work that the Rebbe encouraged, however in a way defeating the purpose!!! hes not working for the Rebbe at all and anyone doing such things has to dealt with in ways not neccesarily rational!!
chaim
graet job! now tackle the fact that there’s “no place left” cuz everything is being saved for their 13 year old son.
chabad
there are 2 type of mushrooms:
1. A person that has built up a shluchus & had a …. with his head shliach & is told to pack up & go back to crown heights. Most guys will not – they have there family, balabatim & they will just not walk off. the head shliach in this case is doing more harm than good since this shliach can take revenge & bring in mushrooms for other towns. its better to just work out your differences and over look other issues (as long as it doesnt contradict halacha
2. the second type of mushroom is the yungerman that just moves down to any community to fight the existing shliach in that town or goes down without being hired – this is inexcusable and a chutspa & chillul chabad
anonymous
although the shliach who was fired may have been wrong it was definately wrong to embaress him
shmuel Y
My op-ed
What a great use of words, not saying where the bungalow colony was, but eluding to it. The one (there is only one) that has a Rabbi on staff. Not saying a name but telling us that it was an elderly Jew that got up and gave over policy (anyone that wants can call any of the 63 owners to find out who it was). Just beautiful… Yeah right, who are you kidding…You are guilty of the same thing you are trying to make us think you feel so bad about. Not to mention, that publicly, once again, you are spilling your personal issues with Chabad in the way you do so elegantly…. Making it seem as if you are such a lover of the Rebbe and the dynasty he created.
Now on to the more pressing issue. Why is it that this former shliach even had the audacity to get up and speak after knowing full well the policy of this bungalow colony? Why is it that he has become this “great guy” and is now just a poor “victim”? why is it that this Rabbi who is a “mushroom” did not want to leave his city? Do you realize that he along with others are the reason that shluchim today do not want to hire in the first place.
Why is it that the older Rabbi even had to get up to make the announcement? Why was there even this whole commotion, is it because this “real Shliach” even after knowing that he was causing a controversy still wanted to talk??? Do not start this as if he is the victim, by doing what he did and by causing others discomfort and by trying to get the justification from other Lubavitchers he made everyone in that shul victims, including the Rabbi. Why is it that the people that are in the “right” always have to fight for their rules and ways of life as if they are the monsters while those that are trying to change the rules and the moral ways are the “victims???
Should we say that if the position of the bungalow colony was to let any Rabbi that comes speak, and if I had Rabbis Susan Sch…er as a guest for that shabbos, wouldn’t your argument be that she be allowed to talk??? Is there nothing to be said for having rules and following them???
Let us not forget that the Rebbe was the one who set up the way the Shluchim to answer to their head shlucim etc. No one is stopping anyone that wants to join the Kiruv movement and open up a Kiruv House. However, “Chabad is as Rebbe does” and that means that if the Rebbe set it up that way, weather you like it or not it is the way it will stay, it is the way it will grow and it is the way that will bring moshiach!
Bochur
Wow, Shmuley Boteach on a Crown Heights website? That’s called progress.
What Shmuley says is 100% true. Not agreeing with someone is not an excuse to not be mentchlech with him.
gossip reader
The elderly chosid was wrong in publicly insulting someone but maybe people did not want to disrespect the elderly chosid. If the rabbi in charge did not say anything, maybe people felt it was not their place to interfere. If the head shliach asked him to leave, does he have a right to represent Lubavitch? If he feels otherwise, he should take his cause to a bais din and if he feels he was humiliated, he should go to a bais din with that too.
anonymous
people dont care to live by the rebbes words only when its good for them.
Z.D.L.
“Has it really been so long when we last saw him that we have forgotten how he stood on his tired feet to meet thousands of people every Sunday and interact with them for even a brief moment to bless them? Have we forgotten how he led thousands of us in song and dance, together, as ‘one person, with one heart’?”
Yes, and yes.
Down Under
Rabbi Boteach:
By calling that man a Shliach, indicates that you are biased and have an agenda as well; to whitewash the mushroom concept. The older man should have just corrected the one who introduced him, and let him speak. Fine. But don’t flip the tables here and make the case that we ought to ignore the issue. If the Rebbe was for mushrooms, he would of never founded Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, made Head Shluchim etc. Es is faran a seder in Lubavitch, and people who have agendas and want to introduce someone as a Shliach when he’s not, ought to be corrected, albeit in a diplomatic way. Moshiach now.
Disenfranchised
I think the main point is missing from this article: That many bochurim, being that they were instilled with the Rebbe’s chinuch, have been totally turned off from shlichus, as the very values they were raised with brings them to disgust when they witness the behavior you describe, whether feudal territorialism or the classic nepotist qualification “procedure.”
I know that I myself, should I choose to go on shlichus, I would not look to do it within the framework of the current “system”. Rather I would look to establish a community not with an official “chabad” or “shliach” sticker, but a regular Jewish community which teaches jews the torah of Chabad. I will leave it to my community to judge me based on my personal merits and faults, as opposed to having a character assassination campaign mounted against me “coincidentally” a year or two after my co-shliachs son marries.
There is a widespread animosity felt by bochurim against the current shlichus system in general (which it is an issue which also needs to be addressed), but it is myself and bochurim who have witnessed firsthand the behavior described in this article perpetrated in shameless fashion, whom are totally turned of from any association with today’s shlichus system, and wish to have now part of it. The shluchim who cause this churban will boast to you how chabad is bigger than it ever has been, but it is a hollow accomplishment when they are destroying its leaders of the next generation.
Well done Shmuley!
Shmuley,
Once again, you have “hit the nail on the head” with your unique eloquence and clarity. Few–perhaps none– could have tackled such a painful issue so well.
Shmuley, LUBAVITCH NEEDS YOU!!!!
We need your leadership to guidance as an educated and charismatic chassidishe mentch to get us out of this–and our other– moral crises.
The issue you bring up here, is true, and most certainly but the tip of the iceberg. Things must change!
100% True....
This should be addressed to the leadership of the Lubavitch LLC aka Merkos… too many people have too big egos to allow Chabad to grow the way it should….
just curious
to rabbi boteach:
are you what they call “American friends of lubavitch”?
just curious
annonymous
the article is very well articulated, however shmuly is addressing his own personla gripe with the system, after he himslef had an issue similiar to this one (not being screamed at in shul publicly), so therefore he has a certasin bias to this issue.
common sense
this is ridiculous!! a community welcomes you with open arms and this the thank you that you give them,,of course there are issues… but do you air out their dirty laundry…do you become a divorce lawyer and then the families problems become headlines in the community newspaper…what in heavens name???? and you expect that you will be henceforth invited into other communities…
a SHLIACH.
Bravo! Thanks for being so upfront and saying what needed to be said! As a shliach who after 18 years of working with complete dedication the shliach who hired us (who lives hours away)removed our name from “the list” and put other shluchim all around in an area that we had put our sweat and toil into. He even placed another shliach in the same city who has created a terrible chilul Hashem.
I should mention that the sin we committed was that we demanded a fair unbiased din Torah (a zabla) as required al pi Torah. I know that we have done our shlichus faithfully and I sincerely believe that the “head” shliach was moel in his shlichus and the mishaleach and those who joined him and were partners to this injustice, together with him, will have to answer for their deeds to the mishaleach and to the Ribon Shel Olom.
shliome freundlich
I know this shliach he has 20 to 40 people every Friday nightat his home, the head shliach kicked him out over, the fact that he made a Minyan where he lives 7 miles from the head shiach Shul .The Head shliach said the people can drive to him .Many of the people had walked the the now so called “mushroom shliachs” Shul and still do. It is a very nice minyin .This fight has nothing to do with Messisim or Jewish law .But jealousy and money matters. This is why Aish and the Colel have been successful
a shliach
I understand your pain and I would not wish to be that gentelman who was told not to speek, but…
1) I am a shliach who had to move due to issues with my head shliach.
2) There were things said and done that it not befitting a shliach, yet I remained a shliach and stayed within the “system” of shlichus.
I feel this gives me the right to make the following comments:
1) It takes two to tangle. Although one may be very wrong, nevetheless there are always methods to properly deal with situations.
2) A shliach must always (publicly) go along with the head shliach. Like it or not, this is the system that the Rebbe set up!
3) When there is an issue that can not be resolved, then you need to go to a din torah. Yes, there have been a few high profiled cases that got very messy, but most of the times, things get resolved.
4) If these issues can not be resolved, gi find a new shlichus! I know of a case where a shliach wrote to the rebbe about his head shliach and the Rebbe told him that the head shliach was wrong, but… If you do not have a contract holding you down, go find a new shlichus. The Rebbe did not tell him to cause machlokes andstay in town.
I personally know of many “mushrooms” who have caused lots of harm. There are shluchim out there who are going crazy with this problem. Yes, there are some cases that the head shliach is wrong, but you must still go along with the system, as hard is it may be.
shloime freundlich
I don’t think there is an official Rabbi at Lubavitch Bungalow Colony,but may be a official teacher.
Sina has no place in Chabad
Rabbi Boteach makes many very valuable points in his article. One above all others: no matter what our leanings, no matter if we believe we are right or wrong, humiliating someone (especially) publicly, is beyond the pale for anyone. How can someone call himself a chossid when causing anguish to a fellow Jew is incomprehensible. Let us all take that to heart and make sure we do not fall in this pit. The article will have accomplished something if even one person is saved from humiliation because of it.
Another very valid advice that the powers that be should consider is to have an impartial panel to mediate when there are disputes. If we do not keep the peace among ourselves and if we humiliate each other how can we face the people who look up to us?
dave
enough of this guy Boteach on Lubavitch… straighten up and fly right.
surprised
Chabad, we must take heed. We have been accused of becoming too power-centric and ego driven by the expert of ego himself. This is coming from a man who proclaimed about himself that he desires to be the most famous Jew in the world. Chabad, we must repent!
ch bocher
R’ Boteach is 100% correct. hopefully he will not publish this article in the Jerusalem Post or any outside publications, it doesn’t help to wash our dirty laundry in public ( i think corwnheights.info is still heimish enough not to be considered “public”).
maybe Rabbi Boteach should move from Engelwood to CH and put his enormous talents and energies to good use, he is very much needed over here.
Not Concerned
Although Chabad is not a corporation, the Rebbe seemed very intent on making sure that all the legalities were in place within the Mosdos.
If someone worked for IBM (or any other corporation) and was (even unfairly) fired, would they even think of opening a competition under the same name? Obviously not – because they would bring a lawsuit and close him down.
Maybe it is time that these mushrooms should have legal actions taken against them to stop this weed from growing. It is incorrect to humiliate the person in public – just use full legal force to close him up and ship him out.
For all those business people who are commenting on this issue, please think about what you would do if this happened in your business.
And for all those that are “turned off” of Shlichus because of this issue:
1) The vast majority of Shluchim relationships are working great (and they work through difficult issues as in any relationship – and sometimes get divorced), it is just the sensationalists and Loshon Horahnics that love to focus on the negative stories.
2) Shlichus is not for everyone – just look throughout CH to see all the people that the Rebbe did not take into his army and turned down their Shlichus offers.
not fooled at all
Rabbi Boteach enjoys controversy & adds fuel to every fire by virtue of his flowery language. For the average, ill-educated Bochur or even Shliach, such eloquence is intimidating.
You effectively confuse people through language. To put it plainly: don’t try your self-serving hype on those who are NOT intimidated by your style. I seem to remember you were removed from YOUR Shlichus. I guess you think we all have short memories & forget that you have your own axe to grind.
Berl
SO SO TRUE & SAD
WE ARE BANKRUPT…
IF IT CONTINUES THIS WAY
Bochur
Dear “What a Chutzpa”,
Shmuley wasn’t telling you to agree with the “mushroom”. He was just telling you to be mentshlech with him, and not to embarrass him in public. Refer to the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza. He might not have been invited to the party, but that was no excuse to send him flying.
THAT IS WHAT DESTROYED THE BEIS HAMIKDOSH
disgusted in the hood
after what has happened the past 2 weeks here in kan tziva, with two young women torn from our midst, we should all pull ourselves up by the bootstraps in every way and get our acts together. this includes ahavas yisroel and tznius. I have seen several of our young woman wearing shaitlach and sleeves that were barely an inch more than no sleeves at all, sandals without socks and slits up to their crotch! These are girls from gezh families..not people attracted to our neighborhood by the magnet ontop of 770!!!
why bother with a shaitel which is only d’rabbonon when tznius is a d’oraysa?
something constructive must be done NOW!
me myself and i
I may not agree with who the author is, and what he says in general about things in halachah,
BUT
in this case he has a good point.
Mushrooms
let start by looking to how mushrooms grow…
Mushrooms are fungi that do not require roots, leaves, flowers or seeds to grow. They are a special type of living organism that grows from microscopic spores. These spores are too small to handle so they are collected and grown onto grain in a sterile laboratory type of environment. The inoculated grain is known as mushroom spawn and is like a “mushroom seed” to produce cultivated mushroom.
Unlike plants, mushrooms have no chlorophyll and they must get all of their nutrients and energy from their growing medium. Cultivated mushrooms are grown in a rich organic medium known as compost. Compost is carefully formulated from various materials such as wheat straw, gypsum and nitrogen supplements. A rich dark compost is made to imitate the ideal growing conditions as would be found in wild mushroom production.
in other words…
when there is emptyness and a somthing, it grows allmost out of nowhere.
im a shliach and a son of a shliach, I and my father dont have Mushroom problems, why
BC we do not leave space for nothingness
and a little somthing allowing one to grow
Mushrooms dont come into a town were a shliach is doing a great job, they go into areas or areas of shlichus that have not yet been touched,
its a shliachs falt if he has a mushroom grow in his area…
case closed
kosher .... very nice
thanks shmully
lets make avhavas yisrael not war :)
Shalom in the Globe
Next time any one decides to use that most disgusting term “mushroom” on another Jew, Just remember the others who like to refer to jews as mushrooms:
The Nazi era childrens author Julius Streicher:
http://www.calvin.edu/acade…
His Book Proudly displayed by some White Supremacists:
http://www.churchoftrueisra…
So next time you decide to loosely use that termjust remember whose compnay you are in
A mushroom child deeply hurt
i think we should start a list of comments of mushroom shliachs kids. we have been treated like garbage cant get proper shidduchim and we get the looks from our friends when we say our father cant go to the kinnus. The whole system that the rebbe put in place is worth nothing if the head shliah themselves dont follow the rebbes words.
Dovid
There are many straight and upright Lubavitchers but, on the whole, it is a movement overtaken by the Erev Rav, who are maniacal in their quest for power, money, and honor, and the whorish masses that allow them to do whatever they please, abuse whomever they wish, and use shul and communal resources as they like.
Lubavitch is a farce.
Public humiliation, is wrong
Public humiliation:
6 years ago, Sydney australia
the capital of politics, hate, and jelosy… (it’s finally getting better)
the tables were set and a fancy meeting was held between the 1st year and 2nd year bocherim shluchim known as the smicha bocherim.
the idea of this meeting was to share past stories of shlichus and plan and out line the future of yidishkeit in sydney.
a bocher shliach got up to talk in this grand setting and spoke about how another bocher…
(the bocher starts acusing and slandering another fellow bocher)
“Who is in this room right now, who stands over thier in the back of the room as if he doesnt know what im talking about, who he that guy did… this… that… and the other…
and his name is…
and my proof for saying this is…”
(take a moment to understand the setting, over 60 guys in a room a dais set up with all the hanhalah present)
and silence, everyone listens averyone agrees with this bocher at front. not bc they belive him, just bc he is a loud mouth.
thats called public humiliation…
what s the halacha, can any body tell me
when you get up there and you put down somone and let say it IS TRUE (in the above case it was not) what is the punishment to the one who does sucha thing
Yes the story goes that the guy later after talking it over with the acused for the fist time that this whole thing was a set up no harm intendid and he oppligised…
would you belive there are some who are reading this that are saying Oh i remember that, really he was wrong you mean that guy was inosint oh he really did oppoligise….
when you stand up in a room and publicly humilitise some one
if you would like to oppoligise to that person bc what you said was wrong, even if you get up in front of all the same people the damage was done people may not even want to here the truth
and after each guy tells just one freind and that guy just tells one freind
everyone knows everyone talks and the out come is hrible
today 6 years later i am still pained by what happand that day to that close freind of mine, i still regret not standing up for him, and not helping him at that time of need
and i made a hachlata when such a thing happans again, when i see public humiliation, i will no mattter who its about stand up and say what ever it takes to keep the idiot quite…
and i think you too reading all the way till the end should say the same thing
DONT LET IT HAPPAN
Funcused!!!
A Mushroom!!!! Funny terminology!!!
What the…
Excuse my ignorance please, but what is a mushroom and why do we call people mushrooms?
Hey Shmuli Y
I don’t see Boteach writing anything about a bungalow colony that contains any specific amount of people. I guess your intention was to publicize the place that this occurred!
Well done! You have achieved your purpose.
think positive!
its amazing to see one story from 700 viewpoints!
why not just look at the facts:
its a pity to see an old man (even not a chasid!) stand up against some one in such manner.
the rebbe may, or may not be for “mushrooms”. but I dont recall the rebbe ever advocating chasidim taking things into there own hands!
(its his problem if he is not doing the rught thing. [that is as long as he doesent directtly interfere with any one else])
most of the people invovled in the story were on the wrong.
the proper thing to do is to stay as far away from machloikes as posible,
(like walking out of the shukl in this case).
one thing is for sure, and that is that no one can calme that they are right, we must learn from the students of rabbi akivah, if they (who were of much greater stature then any of us) were wrong for not allowing anothers understanding of thier rebbe then how can we even think of enforcing our understanding of the rebbes instructions on another?
would any of us do any of these things in the presence of the rebbe?
are we doing these things purely for g-ds sake, to honor his name?
in judaism the ends justifies the means ionly in a situation of life and death!
the main thing is for everyone of us to make sure that they only do what is constructive, and not what is destructive.
the rebbe once wrote to someone,about there thinking about feeling bad about there aveiros all the time, that just like there is a time of the year set aside for teshuvah (rosh hashana and yom kipur), so to there is a time in each day set for doing teshuvah (krias shma). and to think about it any other time of the day, is coming from the yetzer horah, (dressed in chasidik garb), to disturb you from doing what you are suposed to be doing. when a lubavitcher chossid gets busy with friction and machloikes, he is being distracted by his yetzer horah, so that he cannot occupy himself with doing what he is suposed to be doing.
let us all make the effort on consentrating on the possitve, and not on the negitive, cause even a fraction of a seccond used to think about something negitive (whatever it involves) is godly light abused and wasted, instead of its full potential being unleashed.
-thing good and it will be good-
Duvid
Boteach is brilliant , We neeed you shumley – can you visit my home with your mobile and bring some peace in and teach us how to have Kosher…
Just kiddin;)
Good points
Kabel Es Hames Vchulu ye you cant speak about the mushroom issue unless you have been confronted by one Luv Ya
Not a Boteach fan
THIS is the “moral crisis” affecting Chabad? The drugs, alcohol, tznius, and inter-gender relationships take a back seat to THIS? Boteach, get your priorities straight.
Shlome Seldowitz
It is shocking to read that this nonsense still plaques Lubavitch.
I recall in the years after Gimmel Tammuz this open hatred divided Lubavitch into two camps. As years passed, even over a decade, I thought that this hatred subsided.
Apparently, Rabbi Boteach saw it raise its ugly head, for division certainly keeps is from seeing the arrival of Moshiach.
Chassidis stresses bitul. When Crown Heights suffered a series of tragedies, the Rebbe gave out the maamer of “Hachaltzu” for many many hours.
“Hachaltzu” explains that ahavos yisroel can’t exist in place lacking bitul. Having bitul is the way we accept everyone, even if they think differently than us.
I think both the chosid who said that the shaliach is a mushroom, and the shaliach who said he was humiliated, both of them lacked the bitul of “Hachaltzu”.
It’s a shame but the farbrenghen was the tome of healing. What was achieved by the comparison of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza? What a mishnagidishe thing to say! Did the shaliach want us to cry on the spot?
I don’t think there’s a moral crisis in Lubavitch. We just have to return to our basics. When we live our teachings, these things become history and fade away.
Former Bochur
“Chabad” is truly eating itself alive from the inside. Sluchim doing “outreach” are turning off boys like myself and many others.
Rabbe please save us. Save me.
alte kaker
a major reason for me not wanting to go on shlichus is for this axact reason!!!i think i could do buisness and do shlichus there with the people and not be ever stuck in fights!!!
WE NEED PEACE!
Beutifully written article. Thank you Rabbi! Yup! Lubavitch face the facts this is exactly what is going on ..maybe not in every community but it has gotten out of hand.. and not only that its insane the disgusting comments that have been written above …if u disagree or have a different opinion …thats just fine …but to put the author down is not at all acceptable…and exactly we should never either refer to another jew as a mushroom… no matter who they are or what happened or what they did we still have to have complete Ahavas Yisroel for one another. May there be peace between us!
Shliach to be
I did not read the whole op-ed. Although it was well written it was to long and i couldn’t be bothered. I scrolled down to the comments and was disappointed again. For this Boteach character to say this is one thing but for almost everyone to agree is sad.
I would like to explain a few things to you Crown Heighters who think you know how the world runs.
In order for an organization to run properly everyone must get along. If a shliach is brought out by a head shliach and they do not get along the new couple must be moved on. Otherwise problems occur, I hope I don’t have to explain what problems could come up.
If a couple moves in and opens a Chabad house with out the permission of the head Shliach and the authority of Rabbi M Kotlarsky they must be dealt with as well for this is much more harmful. If you open a Wal-mart on your own you very likely will end up in jail. there is very little difference between that and a “mushroom”.
About the positions being held for children issue. First of all that is just how it works. It is called nepotism and it happens everywhere in every organization and company and there is little wrong with it. Secondly this positions are being created for the shluchims kids. Besides the fact that these kids grew up in these cities and towns and are well known in the community they know who is who and are therefor more fit for the position then anyone else. Also if you hire your kids there is much less chance of the whole mushroom issue.
about the comment from me myself and ion the mushroom issue nothing is that simple you con not say that if there is a mushroom the shliach is not doing his job. for example if a shliach is hired by the head shliach and fun raises saying the money is for chabad and collects for a new car or home and says its ok bec he is a shliach that is the act of a mushroom and is out of the head shliachs control.
There is so much more wrong with the article and comments that i would like to set straight but I have lost faith in CH and its inhabitants. Many of you call yourselves geshe but what do you bring to the table there is new geshe these days shluchim sent in the 70’s and 80’s are the real geshe these are the people that are keeping lubavitch alive
to: Public humiliation, is wrong
Thainks four yoor messidge. Wee halve too tri to luve ower fello joo and nevver insullt them inn publick.
Need I go on? The English is atrocious. This brings more shame to Chabad then politics which every group has. A chossid ought to be literate or stay below the radar. Doesn’t mean that an illiterate Chossid is bad, it just means that he doesn’t have to air out his illiteracy on the World Wide Web.
Rivka
What is this with ‘head-shliach’ Shlichus is Shlichus and the only person who can ‘fire’ a shliach is the Rebbe. Chabad Lubavitch has become a corporation, is this what shlichus is about?
To the author – one bad experience in a community doesnt mean all other Shluchim / Lubavitchers are the same.
sick of shmuly
Who is Shmuel Boteach anyway that he uses the “royal we”? And since when is he the moral compass of chassidim? And lets all remember that he himself was thrown out of his shlichus for innapropriate bahavior.
So Crownheights.info, just because someone writes something, doesn’t mean it is fit to print.
SHAME ON YOU BOTH!
Check My middos
Thank you Rabbi Boteach,
I dont agree with all your views but on this particular matter I most definitely do.
כבר החליטו הראשונים כמלאכים זי“ע אשר רפואת הנפש היא כרפואת הגוף.
לכל לראש צריך לסמן מקום החולי: אם הוא מצד שחומר גופו עב, גס ומושחת, או שהחיסרון הוא בכוחות נפשו, שיש לה נטיות לענינים רעים כמו גאוה, שקר וכדומה, או שמקור החולי הוא בהרגילות, שמפני רוע החינוך או רוע הסביבה בא להרגלים רעים.
עד אשר לא יתבררו פרטי מקום החולי וסיבת אחיזת המחלה אי אפשר להתחיל ברפואתו, כי אם לסדר אופן הנהגה ישרה בכל הדברים במה שיעשה ובמה שימנע את עצמו מהם: ב”ועשה טוב“ – בקיום המצוות, קביעות עתים לתורה, קנין מדות טובות, וב”סור מרע“. אמנם מה שנחוץ ביותר הוא שיעורר החולה בעצמו שני ענינים: א) לידע שהוא חולה ויכסוף וישתוקק להתרפאות
מחליו. ב) הידיעה שיכול להתרפאות, והתקוה ובטחון גמור כי בעזה”י יתרפא מחליו.
Every year when I read this Hayom Yom I make a quick calculation in my head of the amount of times I considered myself “Ill”. This morning was no different, up until now (roughly 3 hours later), the words are still ringing in my ears.
As a small and insignificant Jew (ess) I like to think that I learn and grow from my life experiences and mistakes and that makes me a better person in particular and Jew in general.
Then I look around and take note of the people around me and the people in the world, particularly people that are out there for a particular purpose; to teach other Jews about Hashem.
Check My middos - continuation
I realize that this is an extremely sensitive topic to be speaking about in a public place like the net, however, after the stories and rumours ( I know that rumours can be ruinous, however, I am a strong believer of ‘There’s no smoke without a fire’).
Since my early teen years I have always admired and even been jealous (a good type of jealousy) of Shluchim. In my eyes, their dedication, their opportunities to help and teach people, their feeling of accomplishment was always something I got excited hearing about.
Then, recently, to be exact during the past couple of years I have started hearing so many stories about Shluchim, those that did this, those that said that, those that hurt this one, those that took another to court and mainly: ‘those that looked down on others and treated individuals like they were insignificant’.
I know its not fair, I know its a very sensitive topic, I know that putting this on the net where any person, Jew or non-Jew, big anti-lubab or just a trouble maker could read this and get a bad vibe is risky and perhaps, indeed (most probably) I myself am guilty of a few transgressions at one go, however I feel the need to say this, to say this out loud!!!!!
Dear Shluchim,
Many of you were sent to your destination by the Rebbe, many others were brought out by the first Shluchim, others were sent by the Shluchim office and so on. When I learn and learned what the Rebbe wants us to do, what he demands from us as people living in this world and all the more so what he demands of his Shluchim, how can you explain the unexemplary behaviour of so many Shluchim during the last couple of years.
Yes, I am sure that just like there are many types of people so too there are many types of Shluchim, I have absolutely no intention of generalizing and saying that all Shluchim are like this, far from it however, those Shluchim that do behave in such a way smear the whole institution, their ego, pride and in some cases meanness display them in poor light, particularly in the eyes of some that may be the ones that are in need of their help.
Since when did the Job of a Shliach become to suck up to rich people and snicker at the poor?
What right does a Shliach have to preach to others but tell all that he is perfect?
Is this a role model??
That’s it, I’m done for today and believe me, that was mild, especially in light of some of the stories I’ve heard just this month!!!!
Now there, I’m off to improve my Middos.
Saddend
To the one that compares chabad lubavitch to IBM,
It was the rebbetzin that said “my father belongs to the chasidim”
Whatever legal authority merkos has, no one has a copy right on the rebbe and chasidus!!!
The rebbe belongs to the chasidim, yet we are his children.
Chayale
It is interesting to note that people keep talking about the fact that the Rebbe set up his mosdos this way,,,,
MANY MANY SHluchim would never have dreamt to do things that were hepech Hatorah if they were afraid of a fone call from the mazkirus saying they did something wrong, i.e. bringing goyim into their hebrew schools, because they need money. Unfortunately today there are some from this elite group of men who were MOISER Nefesh, and moved to the boondocks with fledgling families before most of us reading this were born, have had nisyonos that they could not overcome. If they were running their mosdos the way the REBBE intended, they would not come to issues of mushrooms.
I believe in nepotism when all things are equal in the field of hiring a shliach. Think about it.. a father goes into business, and is successful, isnt he going to hire his son to help him? Shlichus is the only legacy these guys are leaving for their kids, of course they should be brought into the family business.
We need Moshiach NOW! When those head shluchim (with mushroom problems) will again feer zach like the Rebbe would have wanted, the whole issue of Mushrooms will fall by the wayside,,, allowing beautiful flowers to bloom, and pave the path for Moshiach to come speedily!
Huh?
Just look at the comments and see what type of audience you appeal to…
im not going to waste my time answering anytghing, especially being that shmuly Y from comment number 10 allready answer most things..
Just remember one thing: the first thing people do when they read something is to see who the author is and what the reason could be for him writing what he is. v´dal.
DallasJew
I don’t care how you slice it or dice it, bottom line is the Rebbe would have abhored this type of behavior end of story.
Shmuley has many detractors and naysayers, truth be told I bet they are all just jealous. Well written and expressed as typical Boteach, Kol Hakavod for the op-ed.
Av Echod L-kulonu! Gufim Mechulokim?
Many of us have absorbed the proper attitudes of how to deal with non-Lubavitchers we see as threats. We even give respect – or at least act civilly – to others in our cities and towns who openly do everything they can to make our lives miserable and try to turn our congregants against us. We feel that we have the moral high-ground and try to just get on with doing our job, poalei diyemomo.
So why can’t we do the same with a Lubavitcher?
I think it’s because we see it as different because as Lubavitchers we *expect* to work on the same team.
We have not stopped to think about what our response should be to those on our own team, nor have we absorbed a tolerant approach.
This realization hit me when I saw a young inexperienced camp director mimicking what he absorbed from his years as a camper and staff member. He smiled at the non-Jewish cleaning staff and made them feel cared for (have you enough food? is your room comfortable?) but refused to give ANY recognition (even a thank you at the staff barbecue that the chaperones organized) to the staff members that killed themselves to make a color war with everything the “big camps” do with only a few staff per team.
Monkey See, Monkey Do.
He had picked up how to deal with “ordinary” workers, but did not consider it important to treat those ‘on the same team’ with respect. (He told me so outright!)
I think that is the attitude causing the mushroom friction.
We see a problem and don’t think through the ‘proper’ response, and haven’t absorbed it as an intinctual response.
The solution could come from those that DO get along with their mushrooms. They can give some thoughts and insights on what they went through that enabled them to get along.
Zvi in Montreal
To public humiliation is wrong…
I was there too, and feel the same way. Someone was publicly humiliated, and we all sat there like dolts. None of us had the courage to stand up for our buddy.
I still feel ashamed about it. Perhaps there are some people out there who still believe that the story was true, only because someone spoke louder than the other.
I think the term is ‘bullying.’ When someone makes a public announcement about someone else, I generally immediately and permanently lose respect for that person.
There is no excuse to wash someone elses laundry in public.
To the point: the focus of many people in Lubavitch is off.
If someone has a problem with another shliach in his area, deal with it. But not publicly.
And R’ Boteach makes a good suggestion regarding the beis din specializing in scenarios such as this.
Sometimes it sounds like 3rd-world countries the way these fights happen.
kamtza ubar kamtza
shimu no raboisai …
the story is not about the shluchim here.
how did it happend in a Bungalow Colony.
colony is achdus toghether not a pilug .
jews and chasidim live toghter for 8
weeks stay more in achdus and shutfus.
more lerning more farbrengen etc.
how is that story can happend ?
all that boteach say is chazering the
gemorofrom tisha beav .
The story of Kamtza u’Bar Kamtza teaches this very message. Big events, be they positive or negative, never occur out of nowhere. They are the end result of a process, not the beginning of it. If they appear otherwise, it is because we weren’t sensitive to the smaller events that led to them.
UK Member of Anash
Rabbi Boteach,
Unfortunately what you write is very true; however your position in the UK was abruptly ended due to certain ideas you came up with that where not befitting the Rebbe’s shliach.
The fact that they dismissed you is our loss, they brought you to the UK
And let you run wiled, when they should have guided and monitored you closely, your qualities are what we need for our youngsters today.
Every person and especially a Lubavitch’er has what to offer society
If he or she is nurtured, directed, and has a shliach whom to look up to.
The funny or sad thing is (depending how you look at it) the person that was sent to dismiss you, that same person has just dismissed one of the head shluchim that sent him to get rid of you.
From this we learn what go’s around comes around.
To all head shluchim, before you dismiss someone make sure it’s the right thing to do, because you are being watched by G’D and the REBBE
And you could be dismissed as well.
Bochur
Shmuly Y
I hate to tell you that it was from your comment not Boteach’s that everyone worked out where it was. You are guilty of what you accuse Shmuley of. Ironic.
Kol haposel bemumo posel.
PA
Without providing my comment or opinion on Rabbi Boteach’s article, I will state the following which to me is personally, and on the “moral” issue, more important than the main intended point of the article itself. Given that we’ve just come off Tisha B’av, and the story that everyone knows about Kamtza and Bar Kamtza; I was present when this event transpired, and in fact people, including myself, did voice protest; and did so in an immediate and in an audible fashion. And in fact, being a long time friend of the person who was subjected to this public humiliation (which is aside from the point), I was very irritated with what was transpiring at the time and proceeded to scream at the person doing the humiliation and in no uncertain terms told him to sit down (I will not repeat verbatim the exact words I used for obvious reasons). My point is that people did not sit around silently while this yunger mun was humiliated publicly. I have spoken with many of the people who were present who remember this distinctly.
What I fail to understand however is how Rabbi Boteach, who was sitting one table away from me, and other people who have commented on this email who claim to have been present, could have possibly missed the fact that the gentleman perpetrating the humiliation was heckled immediately, and in fact left the bima and returned to his seat as a result.
To be moitzi shem rah on a bunglow colony that is known for its achdus, equality and hospitality is THE unforgivable crime here!
Yossie
Shmuley,
I think that you are mnissing some major points.
The fact is that the system that was set up was set up by the Rebbe. The rebbe vigourously enforced the terototial issues (even when he was disappointed in the head shliach). There are MANY examples of where the rebbe did not send shluchim to a place becase there was old shliach from the FR who didnt want new shluchium and that old shliach was doing nothing.
The rebbe also openly rejected peple who defied the system. There was a time when the rebbe gave a kunros to shluchim and questioned people in line if they were shluchim. That including old time chasidisher askonim who were wonderful people — but not shluchim.
I believe that the rebbe did that because an imperfect order is better than no order at all.
(now i am going to your expertise) Take marriage: I can point out to you many situations where the people would be better off divorcing. Yet we say that we have to protect the SYSTEM of marriage. We have to do that even when it doesnt make sense (unles in an extreme case) because the overall system needs it.
Take the system that everyone gets to raise their own children. I am sure that there are people who will make an argument that society should, for the benifit of children, take children away from parents who are (not abusive but) not really great at being parents. We dont do that because society benifits from an assumption taht the majoroty of the time, a parent of child knows best.
Same thing is with the system of shlichus. The Rebbe created this system because it was the best amoungst all imperfect alternatives.
For all the times that it fails, there are hundreds of times when it works.
At this stage in time, there is hardly an instance that you can point at where a person was fired withut a din toirah.
system gal.
Shlichus was given by the Rebbe for that person’s personal development as well. Remember the story how the head shliach in Europe was maligned and it was regarded as chutzpah to question the Frierdiker Rebbe’s choice of shliach?
Who are we to question the Rebbe’s system? Even if shluchim make mistakes, that is part of the avodah the Rebbe had in mind for him to grow and develop himself.
If you are fired, MOVE ON. Otherwise you bring only much machlokes and loss of brochos to the community you supposedly “love”.
wow, what words of wisdom
You do a great service by having the courage to confront this issue. Your recommendation is so obvious, one wonders why it is still not implemented.
a little mesiras nefesh
B“H
for ”disgusted for the system: and all the the others who cant figure yourselves out on shlichus, i have one tip for you – BITUL, and even more than that MESIRAS NEFESH. I just visited shluchim last week who have at most 30 BACKPACKERS in town, and didn’t have running water for the first four month, mind you they live in communist country called Laos (how many of you know where that is) Now how many of you “dying to do the rebbe’s shlichus” would live in these conditions. Every one wants there own CITY, with a car (or two) a nice house in the suburbs. YES shluchim who moved out in the 80 and sweated their backs off to build it up are NOW living a decent life, but it takes real mesiras nefesh, and if what you want is a nice house and a nice car outside of the slum called crown height (dont get me wrong i love that place, jsut stating the way most people see it) then you dont want shlichus! You want a nice life!!!! Maybe if people really wanted to have mesiras nefesh then we wouldn’t have mushrooms, because tehy wouldn’t be kavod hungry and money hungry
this is something for all of us to think of
re: UK Member of Anash
to UK Member of Anash:
The comment that you wrote shows that you completely missed the point that Rabbi Shmuli was trying to make. You basically did to him what that elderly chassid did to the visiting rabbi. The only difference is that he used the Shul as a forum to degrade, critisize, and humiliate a jew. You used the internet to do the same. Also a public forum. Whatever the point you tried making -you could have done it w/o degrading the author. Enough said.
shmuel Y
Once again it is always someone else that is wrong. From what I am reading it seems that anyone that could not get to go on Shlichus have finally found their hero. It seems that nothing the great Rabbi Shmuli B. wrote can be wrong. Truth be told he has the intentions of what you all stand for. (to bring down the Rebbe and shluchim)
Heres the point, first to all of you that now know where this happened because of what I wrote, I am sorry you are not smart enough to put 2 and 2 together. I guess you needed some help. I do not live in NY and I do not go to the Bungalow Colony but figured it out. I am happy to have helped you along, consider it my good deed of the day.
As for what this man has done, to open up a public argument when he was just a guest somewhere. To write his “humble opinion” when he is directly a part of this (as he was thrown out himself) There is no excuse. Shmuly it is one thing if you were as dysfunctional as most of the people that have defend you, but you are not. You are talented, smart and you know better. Here is a thought, stop being angry at a system that was setup by a man who was a Tzadik and had a purpose to set it up a certain way. There is a lot more you can do that sit around and write your “lectures” of how shluchim can get it right, or now how anash that defend shluchim can get it right. Start doing the work that you should have done in the first place, do the Rebbes work the way he would have wanted you to do it, and you will actually see that you can grow a love for a man and a way that had no flaws.
(Just a note to the wise, you might want to think twice about inviting to your homes people that instead of being grateful will go out and “dirty” up the image of your home!)
to nbf
“The drugs, alcohol, tznius, and inter-gender relationships take a back seat to THIS?”
fyi, what leads young people into these things, is the character-assassination that they experience. or that their friends and family members experience. so yes, it is a priority.
shalom is the keli for brocha.
making someone feel like a shmatta is MAKOR kol hatzoris.
whatever
“Not long ago” was not even 24 hours after the event. It happened this past Shabbos. R. Boteach was put in his place @ the shul but couldn’t leave well enough alone. The “shliach” that felt he was wronged never showed up to the din torah of his choice.
I am not impressed with this article because it is totally one sided. R. Boteach found someone that like him is “upset” with the chabad system. Well either you are chabad like the Rabbi in shul said Shamor and Zachor or your not……
FRANK
AND IF YOU WIN A DIN TORAH AND THE HEAD SHLIACH DOS NOT CARE. TODAY ITS A FREE FOR ALL AND ITS GOING TO BLOW UP ONE DAY
SHLIACH THROWN OUT
Without getting into specifics, The current leadership of Chabad Luabvitch is totally and completely corrupt. period end of story. I know because I dealt with every single one of them. I would be prepared to debate any one (or for that matter all of them together) of the HIGHER UPS Publicly, so the world of Lubavitch could hear for themselves how despicable our moral values have fallen.
For the higher ups, its all a game with ABSOLUTELY no care or interest in what’s right or wrong. They are liars and back stabbers and the common guy of the street could not fathom in their wildest dreams the kind of manipulation and intimidation that goes on.
Din Torahs??? they could care less for them.
The Rebbes instructions??? they don’t give a hoot.
It’s all money and power and unless there is some public transparency to the workings of the higher ups , ABSOLUTE POWER BREEDS ABSOLUTE CORRUPTION.
son of a Head shliach
First of all
i would like start off by saying that there will always be differences in opinion between the people who live in crown heights and the people living on shlichus.To go on the Rebbes shlichus is an amazing oppurtunity and a life long commitment. This is a 24 hour job 7 days a week 365 days a year.There are many obstacles that arrise on shlichus and everyday a shliach works on overcoming these obstacles, not always does he make the right choice but he defiantly tries.
it is very easy for businessman living in crown heights to come to conclusions without knowing much information about the situation,and it happens time and again when i am in crown heights i hear these things that people make up or add “spice” to a story to make it sound juicier.Reading these comments really disturbs me.To the comment by Rivka, you have know idea what your saying you sound all chassidish that that there are shluchim and the rebbe and that no one can fire a shliach besides the Rebbe.. why don’t you learn a thing or two about shlichus. your Rebbe is the one that established Head shluchim and empowered them with the special koach and gave them guidelines and in lots of cases special horaos of how to do their shlichus.It is very easy and fun to bash shluchim and talk about “politics” but before you decide to say something about it you should first find out all the facts about the story and then publish your thoughts.
For those bochurim or yungeleit that are “turned off” from shlichus you are just using that as a personal excuse not to go on shlichus if there is a will there is a way.
It is defiantly easier to get a job where you know where you next meal will come from.
I think it’s time that maybe shluchim should once a day write a story about their shlichus on this website, and when people start seeing good hopefully this will put down all this negativity towards shluchim who are the Rebbes soldiers, and portray who the Rebbe’s children really are, and maybe you will also get a better understaning of who your Rebbe really is. As the Rebbe said shliach shel odom kemoso.
Moshiach now!
p.s. I am just trying to shed some light from the shlichus perspective!
THE REAL STORY
Just to clarify a bit for the people that were not there.
The man who stood up and spoke out against the “Shliach” is the FATHER of the head shliach that did the firing!!!!
So this particular case is a personal issue between the father and the Shliach and it was not some randon person who stood up in shul to curse someone out
Rabbi Boteach Conveniently left this little piece of information out of his article and made it a widespread Chabad issue
fake shaliach
the “head shaliach” rentend his bongolow in our colony to a vicious mosser who masserd on his mothers sister
so i guess the fired shaliach is right.
why did you bring this garbage to our colony ?
NBF
To NFB wrote: “The drugs, alcohol, tznius, and inter-gender relationships take a back seat to THIS?”
fyi, what leads young people into these things, is the character-assassination that they experience. or that their friends and family members experience. so yes, it is a priority.
If that’s what’s leading your kids off, then that is what you should address. Ask any person who grew up Lubavitch and strayed (no matter if it’s just a little bit) if their reason for doing so was the character slandering that goes on. I asked my friends, and they all laughed. But hey, whatever it takes for you to keep avoiding the problem, go for it!
to nbf
kindly let us know what problem we’re avoiding, so that it can be addressed.
to the real story
it’s still not an excuse.
Be proud!
This article should have never been written. Nothing is gained from pointing out mis-conduct. Be a Dugma Chaya and then there’s a chance that people will follow.
Soon after reading this article, I happened upon the blog of the Merkos Shlichus. This gave me a lot of comfort and pride in being Chabad and that there are still many doing the right thing.
Check it out at http://www.chabad.org/blogs…
Milhouse
Boteach is 100% right.
First of all, Shmuel Y, you were the first person to mention bungalow colonies. You accused Boteach of playing games, “Yeah right, who are you kidding…You are guilty of the same thing”. You were clearly wrong, and you owe him and us an apology. You accused him of something that he did not do, and then you went and did that very thing. There was NO WAY to determine from Boteach’s article where it happened; NO WAY IN THE WORLD – unless you happened to have been there, or to have heard from someone who was there.
Now, “shliach to be”, who wrote: “About the positions being held for children issue. First of all that is just how it works. It is called nepotism and it happens everywhere in every organization and company and there is little wrong with it.”
Yes, it’s called nepotism, and EVERYONE AGREES THAT NEPOTISM IS BAD. You’re like someone saying “that’s just how it works, it’s called stealing and it happens everywhere and there’s little wrong with it”.
If there’s work that needs to be done and you are deliberately not doing it and not allowing anyone else to do it, because you’re “saving” the place for your son, then you are NOT THE REBBE’S SHLIACH. Your shlichus was to spread the maayonos of chassidus, and when you deliberately prevent those maayonos from spreading then the Rebbe says to you “LESIKUNI SHDARTICH VELO LE’AVOSI”.
Do you know what the gemoro says about “monea bar”? How dare you leave yidden untended, without yiddishkeit that they could have had, because they’re in a “field” that you’re leaving “fallow”? You think you own them? You think you’re the farmer and they’re your livestock? The yidden don’t belong to you and the “territory” doesn’t belong to you; they belong to Hashem, and you have no rights over them.
Get this into your heads, shluchim: there is NO SUCH THING as “territorial rights” when it comes to Torah. A melamed can’t protest when another melamed moves in next to him, and the neighbors can’t protest about the noise and the traffic, because YAGDIL TORAH VEYA’DIR. So long as there’s work that’s not being done, and someone willing to do it, they have the right to come into “your territory” and do it. As “me myself and i” wrote, if you hadn’t left a mokom ponuy, if you were really serving all the yidden in your community, then no mushroom would move in, because there’d be nothing for him to do.
I’m not a shliach, and I don’t intend to go on shlichus, official or “mushroom”, but I’m one of those people you depend on, the donors. I’m not a gvir, so you don’t have to worry about not getting $10K or $100K from me; but my $36 and $54 and sometimes $90 or $180 donations will go only to those who play fair. If you are willing to destroy another shliach, and thereby cause yidden to miss out on a drop from the baal shem tov’s maayonos, just to get another few dollars into your pocket, then why shouldn’t I keep those dollars in MY pocket? You want me to part with my money because I care about the shlichus more than about the money; show me that you have the same commitment. Show me that you’d rather have another yid in your community doing a mitzvah than another $50 in your pocket, and I’ll feel the same way.
As for those who claim the “head shliach” system was set up by the Rebbe, frankly I only have the word of those “head shluchim” about that, and they are nog’im badovor. The same Rebbe also said that anyone who does his work is his shliach, and as far as I’m concerned that’s how it is.
NBF
You want to know? I doubt I could list all the issues, but I’ll see what I can do. To start with, the education is beyond “sorely lacking”. The schools teach by the book without giving explanations for anything. Ask a child why we keep kosher, and 9 out of 10 will say “because the Torah says so”. Ask why we don’t shave our beards, and none of them will know the answer. (And no, it’s not a chumra. According to the Tzemach Tzedek, it’s m’dioraisa.)
This helps people come to the next problem, which is tznius. My mother is a shlucha, and is embarrassed when she has to tell CH girls who come to our house (even relatives) that they have to wear socks and make sure their shirts actually meet their skirts. On the same subject, the interaction between males and females is waaay beyond what it’s supposed to be. Why is it that no one is shocked to see teens talking to each other on the street corners? It’s become part of reality, so no one thinks twice.
Last week there were 2 editorials on this website about drug and alcohol abuse. Needless to say, it is way out of hand and needs to be addressed. Of course, people displayed shock and concern in the form of comments on this site, yet I doubt more than 5% actually did anything about it.
How’s that for a start?
Shlucha
Boy!!
Sorry. I am a Shlucha on shlichus.
Whether you like Shmuley B. or not, there is a lot of truth to what he is saying.
I believe he is a sincere person, who loves the Rebbe and lives with his own challenges. Don’t we all?
I am on Shlichus and generally support the Shlichus ‘system’ and the need for a ‘system’. Nevertheless, I cringe whenever I hear the word ‘mushroom’. It is disgusting to refer to another Human Being this way, let alone a fellow Jew, let alone a fellow Lubavitcher.
I agree that there has to be an ‘appeals’ board, perhaps made up of Aguch or head shluchim.
Personal attacks are shameful and lets stop it now.
to nbf
thanks for replying. if i understood correctly, the reason we have issues in tznius and inappropriate mingling, is because in school, the children are not given explanations for the mitzvos, such as kashrus and not shaving for example. i offer the following points, as a parent, and hope that a succesful mechanich will shed light on this. it could be that you’re right, we need to focus more on explaining, however with kashrus, which is a chok, how do you explain a chok? and how do we instill kabalos ol if everything requires an explanation? not everything has an explanation. i am interested in further discussion.
NBF
The first step to instilling kabolas ol is to lead by example. Don’t question every p’sak that comes your way. Don’t look for heterim for everything you’d like to do but isn’t necessarily permitted. When you teach a child tznius, and then they see something in your home or on the street that isn’t at the standard that they were taught, that undermines what you’ve taught them.
Kabolas ol can also be supplemented with explanations given by various sources. Why should we be so concerned to educate every Jew about Kashrus, to the point of writing tons of articles geared towards non-religious Jews, when we don’t give our children the same resources? Tzvi Freeman has an excellent article on Chabad.org on kashrus. Add things like that into the curriculum!
You’re right that not everything has an explanation. The point is, kids aren’t even taught the explanations that ARE there. I was at a Q&A session with Rabbi J.I. Schochet for our youth on the topic of “Judaism vs Atheism”. Rabbi Schochet was shocked at how many people had questions that weren’t being answered in the schools. Basic questions about how we know Hashem created the world. He stayed until after 12:30 answering questions from about 40 people, aged 18-25. And these were the people who still cared enough to come. Can you imagine what would happen if we actually took the time to teach basic yahadus in school?
Satmarer
“What other community in the world would welcome a family with nine children and a niece to march into their home and take over?”
Yes! Satmar!
shliach to be
to millhouse
nepotism and stealing are very different
when the rebbe chose his shluchim do you really think he didn’t have the shliachs kids in mind he sent families we were chosen for a reason. I noticed you had no problem saying I was wrong but had no answer for the reasons i stated before.
nepotism is wrong but is safer than other options.
also i said most positions that are being held for kids are created they don’t exist already
if there is a place where someone is needed and the spot is being “saved” (although it was meant for him when his father has sent 20-30 years ago) there are bochurim who gladly come to do the rebbes work they are also easier to deal with and don’t cost 25-30 thousand dollars a year
mushrooms
as stated above if not by me than by someone else there isn’t just one type of mushroom there are many
if a shliach moves out to a place lets say Los angles and opens a chabad house there that is a mushroom it is 10000% wrong and its near criminal
another kind is when a shliach lets say in los angles working under R cunin breaks away because he can do better for himself if he is an anti cunin guy that is also wrong he he should loose his shlichus
those are 2 examples and yes they r made up i was not referring to actual incidents and more were mentioned in my last comment
so remember nothing is clear cut
there is defiantly direction in lubavitch
R m kotlarsky was chosen by the rebbe for a reason and yes he will probably side with the head shluchim more often than not but more often than not its those head shluchim that are correct even if it doesn’t look like it
you don’t always know the whole story actually you NEVER know the hole story
nobody is leaving yidden “unattended” as a business man you know that everything cost money well there is an exception to that rule it doesn’t cost money to come to chabad chabad is a NONPROFIT a head shliach cant just hire young couples bec there are a few blocks or even a neighborhood or city that has a few jews and no chabad house if he does and they both fundraise from the same ppl which is what will happen bec there are only a certain amount of ppl that will give and they all have their limits as to what they can give and then the head shliach is getting less funding and cant do his peulos and put food on his table and the new shliach cant do anything either bec he isn’t getting enough funding either the head shliach knows this and therefore dosen’t bring someone down and instead does less in the other city than what could be done then the mushroom moves in and like i just said everyone looses and it makes u all look bad
yes everyone that does the rebbes work is a shliach but when he messes up what the shliach the was sent by the rebbe he is not doing the rebbes work
bottom line stop judging ppl period