INBOX: When A Derech Is Not A Legitimate Approach to Yiddishkeit
by Anonymous
I have been thinking about writing this article for a long time but have refrained because it’s a painful topic. Recently, the pain of writing has been outweighed by the pain of not writing so I will opt for the lesser pain.
When Hashim gave us the Torah on Har Sinai, he gave us the written Torah and the oral Torah. The written Torah is a fixed and never changing text which can be passed across generations through inanimate scrolls. The oral Torah was forbidden to be written down. It required a living teacher to pass the ideas and principles onto the next generation. One could never simply open a book and give their own interpretation because books didn’t exist. One of the explanations for this is that the required teacher-student relationship would prevent the student from diluting the tradition (Mesorah).
While Moshe did teach multiple facets of this oral Torah, they were all based on the same fundamentals he received from Hashem. In every generation there were novel ideas and practices and in every community these ideas and practices differed slightly, but all these rivers are part of the same wellspring that originates at Har Sinai because they are all encapsulated in the principles that Moshe received from Hashem. However, because at one point in history it was becoming difficult to maintain the necessary teacher student relationship to preserve the integrity of the oral Torah tradition, rabbi Yehudah Hanasi decreed that should be written down as necessary for preservation. And this is the story of the ocean of printed texts we have in Judaism. However, Rabbi Judah never intended to do away with the essential principle that the oral Torah is defined by the teacher-student relationship as each teacher received it as a student his own teacher. The texts were merely meant to facilitate the process; not to replace it. Therefore, a person never has the authority to use their own understanding of printed texts as a way to introduce new beliefs or practices in Judaism, unless they can demonstrate how they are a continuation of the tradition we already have, and that individual has been granted that stature by a legitimate teacher who is a himself preserver of the authentic tradition.
Incidentally, this was the Rebbe’s primary objection to religious Zionism’s believe that the founding of the state of Israel in 1948 was the beginning of the messianic process. While there might be legitimate texts to suggest such an idea, the actual tradition as preserved by Jews, indeed with the Assistance of halachic texts, such as the Rambam, does not support the possibility of a messianic process without an actual Moshiach individual. So while some great rabbis took this approach, the Rebbe felt they were stepping outside of the acceptable boundaries of Mesorah. (However, the masses who followed them are simply erring based on the guidelines of people who are otherwise legitimate Halachic authorities).
The main point here being that while every Jewish community has its tradition as preserved by its teachers and leaders tracing their heritage back to Mount Sinai, average Jews cannot invent new ideas or practices on their own and attempt to embed them in the formal and official tradition of Judaism, regardless of which community they are trying to be part of, and regardless of how well they can translate a paragraph of Shulchan Aruch (or any other text). So A Jew who follows the Hashkafa and practices Yekish tradition or Yemenite tradition are equally connected to the will of Hashaem, as long as they are basing it on what they received from their parents and teachers.
Lubavitch is one path of practicing and preserving the tradition we received on the Mount Sinai. And everything we do has to be traced back to that tradition as we have been taught by our Rebbe’s, and as their words and writings continue to be taught to us, and we to our children and students, by our Rabonim, Poskim, and Mashpi’im. And while there are variants in the customs and nuances in Hashkafa between various Rabonim, Mashpi’im, and Yeshivis, they are all leaves on the branches that are connected to the roots of our Rebbe’im.
But those of us who are receiving this tradition from them, do not have the right to invent or declare new beliefs and practices of this path of Torah Judaism, regardless of how well they can translate a paragraph in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch or a Sicha of the Rebbe.
G-d forbid to question the intentions or sincerity of a convert or Ba’al Teshuva, but they must know that no matter how bright they are, they are recipients of our Mesorah, not the inventors.
For many years now Lubavitch has been tolerant of a group of people with whom we share our community name, “Lubavitchers”, who have authorized themselves to decide and promote the “right way” to be a Jew in the tradition of Lubavitch. These people have taken the liberty to interpret the texts in their own way and implement and promote Jewish practice as such, despite the fact that, to the best of my knowledge and research, not a single Rav or Mashpia who received our tradition from the previous generation approves of or validates this approach.
If there are any Mashpi’im who validate this perspective, they are definitely not ones who were born into families and raised with our Mesorah. The fact that a certain perspective is rejected by all Rabonim who are Ba’lei Mesorah who received from Ba’lei Mesorah, means it should not smell kosher to a Yid.
As with many movements that have no anchor on solid ground, this group gets more problematic and extreme with time. With no change to this direction in sight, we are at risk for allowing this problematic entity to become completely out of control. Soon, other Jewish communities, and our own children will see this as a legitimate option for living a Torah lifestyle, while it is in truth a mere invention of its enthusiasts.
There are already members of this group who have given themselves the liberty of putting on 4 pairs of Tefilin without the approval of a Rav; something that in previous generations would have been unheard of. And while there’s no formal transgression here, once you can do what you want without asking, there’s no limit where that will go.
May Hashem help that soon, before it’s too late, for the sake of our children, and for the sake of the legitimacy of Lubavitch, our rabbis and leaders will have the courage to publicly declare:
“The perspective promoted by certain people in the name of Lubavitch that is inconsistent with the Mesorah of Lubavitch, is not a legitimate approach to Yiddishkeit. It is invented, and therefore not one of the streams which trace is it source back to the wellspring of Har Sinai. Their mischaracterization of what Lubavitch believes is their own fantasy. It should not be interpreted or seen as a legitimate form of Yiddesheit. May Hashem inspire them to do away with their fallacies and hold only onto the truth our Mesorah”.
What??
Does anyone know who/what this article is talking about?
How do you intend to make change by writing such a vague article?
You
Can just say the mishachistim are the problem
Why would that be what author means?
If that group can be defined, they tend to be gezH who carry on the mesorah from generations in chabad.
old timer
thank you for writing a very nice article that obfuscates your point beautifully. Which group? what are they advocating–other than wearing 4 pairs of tefillin? can you be more specific so that we can identify them? If identifying this “group” will cause a true machlokes, perhaps it would be better not to have written this article in the first place…
Hmmm
What is the actual point of this? So unclear.
P. McDonald
He is saying act according to halacha.
Spell it out
The author should have the courage to spell it out: The belief that the Rebbe is biologically alive and that if Rebetzin Chaya Mushka was still alive she would have the status of a married women (not a widow) is a false belief that goes against the Torah.
Zal
Good point, but must clarify more actual examples.
I’ll add a few:
1) waving flags
2) wearing pins
3) singing certain songs (especially by farbrengens)
4) grobeh dress style (including hair styles)
5) SMARTPHONES. this is an issue across the aisle, and has no mesorah whatsoever. Especially for bochurim.
Unfortunately
Even within Lubavitchers who have been since russia days come with the Freierdiker Rebbe saying “America iz nisht anderesh”. Which means all the source foundation of mesuras nefesh and yiddishkeit way of life as was then and there should be here as well. THE PROBLEM is: DO NOT bring your russian mentality here too! THAT is inhuman which destroys yiddishkeit and neshamos!
Kop DR
Lots of talk. Which makes no sense
No wonder you don’t put your name to this.
Dumb artical.
Confused
The article swings from stating a bunch of undeniable axioms, to suddenly asserting without reason that the author’s way is the only acceptable path, without explaining who or what this is about. There has been Machlokes for thousands of years of what was passed down, and the Chachomim debated with Torah and Seichel which is correct. This article unfortunately uses neither.
Levy
A very stupid article! It seems like the whole point is just to bring out hate and machlokes! This article is not lubavitch! Lubavitch is ahead yisroel
Farting out of your mouth
Ahavas Yisroel doesn’t mean we pretend that “everything goes“. We have a Torah. What it means is that even those people who aren’t following it, whether they subtract or add, still deserve to be loved as Jews while simultaneously rejecting their falsehoods.
Hello?? Duh!!
The author is obviously talking about the Israeli BT guys wearing the yellow pin who from being hippie backpackers to Yeshiva Bochurim and in 6 months believe that their ability to translate a Israeli newspaper authorizes them to say Pshat in a Sicha from 5751/5752 which goes against the accepted understanding. And they introduce new conduct in 770 and get offended if you’re not on board with it
Surly
I really don’t see any problem putting on 4 pairs of teffilin ! It’s not against halacha
Michoel
By the way rabbi zalman landau is a highly respected mashpia and is also gezeh and a very chassidishe yid his father was the rav of bnei brak, he is all on favor of people putting on 4 pairs of teffilin.
Nosson
I have never seen such a dumb article, seems like however wrote the article has nothing better to do with their time!
Absolutely true
the long gatchkes people are absolutely not in our mesorah and should be distanced from us very well said
with the old breed
The Rebbe instructed that now is a time to have an individual ROV…..Masser Ho HaEicher…..the act is number ONE…….this is the test today of who is up to speed and who is not……..and such.
Amm Ha’aretzim
This article is a basic no-brainer to anyone who understands the ABCs of the fundamentals of Orthodox Judaism. It’s sad to see how many ignorant people Lubavitch has produced. I guess this is why we have the reputation in the Torah world that we do. (perhaps those of us who don’t have a clue can keep their mouth shut and stop giving a bad name to the rest of us.)
Yossi
And I thought this guy was talking about the likes of a Riki Rose concert in Crown Heights. Chevras Ahavas Yisroel. Silly me its about the Meshichistim. They are the BIG problem today in Chabad right?
R T C
The writer keeps alluding to allude the alluding. It’s ok if he doesn’t want to spell it q