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Intro
Certain patterns congregated in the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth during the late 17th century that led to the emergence of Hasidic Judaism. Including the spread of mysticism in Jewish belief, such as Kabbalah, and the decline of authority figures in mainstream Judaism, with noblemen having such a sway over the power of a rabbi that many mainstream Jews lost trust in their ability to act unbiased in acts of arbitration, so turning to Hasidic charismatic leaders filled the gap left from these untrustworthy rabbis. Following this period, the Chabad Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Fundamentalism was born (Loewenthal, 2010). But how does this, as a Hasidic group, differ from mainstream Judaism both in the 17th and 18th centuries and today? This essay will explore Chabad Lubavitch as a fundamentalist, Hasidic subset of Judaism, and compare its beliefs and practices, such as messianism, Zionism, and leadership structures.
The first Rebbe of Chabad Hasidism was Shneur Zalman of Liady. Early in his life, he was known for his work Likute amarim (1797), which is commonly referred to as Tanya today, which provided an outline for Chabad Hasidism. The name Chabad was chosen for this movement because it is a Hebrew acronym for the attributes Chochma (wisdom), Bina (understanding), and Daat (knowledge), as these three cornerstones of intellectual study encouraged one to keep learning and growing, perfecting ourselves while developing our inherent talent (Schloss, 2002). According to Loewenthal, many of the writings of Tanya act as an ideological basis for modern Chabad. During prayer, he emphasised the importance of establishing a deep, emotional relationship with the divine, while practically, he expounded the importance of hands-on action on social issues matching with the Chabad social values, such as being kind, giving to charity, and reaching out to other (Loewenthal, 2010).
Outreach
It wasnt until the seventh (and final) Rebbe of Chabad Lubavitch that Shneur Zalmans concept of outreach was fully implemented as one of the key points of the movement. Menachem Mendel Schneerson firmly believed in outreach as a primary goal of Chabad Lubavitch. In 1961, in conversation with a group of Young Israel intercollegiate students, the Rebbe shared the following thought:
A question that is often asked is: How can we hope to establish the malchut Shadai (kingdom of God) on this earth with so few observant Jews? The Jewish race is a minority among all the nations of the world, and Torah-observant Jews are an even smaller minority. It seems impossible that the vast and great majority should be influenced by the ways and teachings of the minority. And yet, Jews are still waiting for the coming of the Messiah, even though they have been a minority throughout history.
Years ago, the country with the larger army and greater manpower was always the victorious one. Today this is no longer so. If one person can invent a super atom-bomb, he would have the power to rule the earth. In the same way, if a person teaches about a state of spiritual perfection, he can positively impact the entire world and current order of existence.
Kalmenson sees this speech as proclamation of the dream of Rebbe Schneerson he wants to see the world become devoid of suffering and pain, and he desires to share this vision with other Jews, but to do so, he needs to reach out to them to spread his message (Kalmenson, 2013). In order to spread this message, Chabad Lubavitch utilises emissaries that make it their goal to reach out to those with Jewish heritage and educate them on the importance and impact of faith. Lubavitcher emissaries emphasise getting Jews to abide by the mitzvot (commandments), as each practicing Jew that abides by the mitzvot could be the one to tip the scale and bring upon Earth the messiah, which comes with utopia, peace, rebirth and the end of Jewish suffering (Wigoder, 2002, p. 522 526).
Because of Schneersons effort, the Chabad outreach program grew in numbers and influence a considerable amount at the end of the 20th century. In major Lubavitch areas, Chabad members are chosen at a relatively young age to wander the streets in order to find Jews and convince them to take part in Jewish rituals, such as the aforementioned mitzvot. These men are known as Shaliach and their wives are known as Schluca. As well as scouting the immediate area, these young Lubavitcher emissaries go to both nearby localities and far away locations to open Chabad houses that host services and programs to educate and attract nearby Jews and visiting Jewish tourists, these programs can include summer camps, nursery schools and Jewish education (Levy, 2014). Some Shaliach choose to go to areas that are deemed by Chabad to be in need of the influence of Hasidic Judaism. Many Chabad houses are in towns and cities that have universities, Berman argues that this is to target the Jewish youth that might still be turned orthodox (Berman, 2009).
Unlike mainstream Judaism, Schneerson addressed women and men equally in his campaigns for outreach. Establishing a Chabad womens organisation in Israel in 1951, his primary aim for this was to engage women and girls of all ages, turning them to the Hasidic Chabad movement with effort equal to that directed towards men and boys. Traditionally, education on Judaism and the Torah as a whole on an intermediate or advanced level is reserved for men (Furstenberg, 2000), so this intentional withdrawal from the customs of mainstream Judaism marks a distinct difference between Chabad Lubavitch as a Hasidic group, and Judaism as an established world religion. Furthermore, Furstenberg goes on to state that many talmidot hachamot, female authorities on the Talmud and scripture, are primarily from an orthodox orientation, which creates further distinction between mainstream Judaism and orthodox groups like the Hasidic Chabad Lubavitch.
Zionism
Zionism originates from the early 19th century as a liberation movement for the Jewish population, referring to the belief that a state in their homeland of Israel should be dedicated to the Jews, and thusly should be retaken. Only in this homeland could the Jews feel secure from anti-Semitism while embracing their culture (Laqueur, 1972).
Historically, Chabad Lubavitch has been an adversary of the Zionist movement, treating its attempts to create a Jewish state with disfavour. Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, the fifth Chabad Rebbe, campaigned against the movement, and made it clear that Chabad Lubavitch is an anti-Zionist Hasidic group. According to Kolb & Mezvinsky (2013), in a letter in June 1899, Sholom Dovber Schneersohn referenced Talmudic observation on the Bible, in which God commanded that the Jewish people must not try to force the redemption of the Holy Land themselves, especially not with physical strength. Schneerson went on to claim that the idea of Zionism directly contradicted the baseline Jewish belief that God alone will bring upon redemption, especially since all previous attempts at people forcing the redemption of man had failed, so only God could bring about this change, and the ideas of Zionists were all political delusions, spurred by leaders who only selfishly cared for power and influence. Furthermore, the Rebbe communicated in his letters and teachings that the people who followed pro-Zionist leaders were blinded by ignorance, as they are exchanging political nationalism and devout faith freely, allowing these people to be damaging to the word of God.
Rebbe Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson, the sixth Chabad Lubavitch Rebbe, carried on his predecessors legacy of anti-Zionism, making sure to emphasize his opposition throughout his time as the Rebbe. As stated by Kolb & Mezvinsky (2013), the sixth Rebbe saw Zionism as false messianism , while urging Jews to follow the actual commandments of God, making it so the coming of the messiah, and therefore the redemption, arrives sooner.
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook put forward the idea of Religious Zionism, which claims that the mitzvah of cultivating the land of Israel refers to the Zionist approach of settling Israel, making Zionism Gods direct will. The sixth Rebbe was outspoken in his opposition of this.
The final Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, saw the current social and political climate of Israel as a threat. When Menachem Mendel Schnnerson (19021994) assumed leadership as the seventh and last Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1951, he considered the state of Israel a threat to Gods plan and this heresy. From his perspective, secular Zionists had established their state in order to promote the idea that Jews were basically the same as Gentiles and thus deserved to have a normal state. Schneerson, hereafter referred to as the Rebbe, asserted that God had cho¬sen and made the Jews his special people and that as such they at the time of redemption would have their governing status in the Holy Land deter-mined and their temple restored. Like his predecessors, the Rebbe also rejected the position of Rabbi Kooks religious Zionism, which posited that the coming into existence of the state of Israel constituted askhalte digeule, the beginning of the redemptive messianic age. In rejecting religious Zion¬ism, the Rebbe pointed out that the Israeli Declaration of Independence omitted any mention of God. He strongly criticized Israeli politicos for this omission. He distinguished between the Holy Land and the imperfect state, created by secularists.
Leadership
Menachen Mandel Schneerson was last the charismatic leader of Hasidic Lubavitch, he acts as a Rebbe. This role is deeply different to that of a Jewish Rabbi, as he not only acts as the lead and religious elder, but he is seen to have a personal connection with God, being viewed by many Lubavitchers as a prophet (Berman, 2009, p. 73).
The followers of a Rebbe assign to them profound spiritual powers and qualities given directly from God, with the ability to call upon miracles from the highest power. He may even be able to reverse decrees of a divine nature, (Feldman, 2003, p. 27) interprets the Talmud passage I rule man; who rules me? [It is] the righteous: for I make a decree and he [may] annul it. (Moed Katan 16b), in a way that suggests that the Rebbe has the authority to change the status of divine decrees. In the past, some Rebbes have declared their powers openly, while others havent addressed their miracles. However, all emphasize the power of individual worship, such as prayer, over the power of a miracle. Because of this, many Hasidic Jews will come to a Chabad Rebbe with a kvitl (note to God), often hoping for God to heal or aid a loved one (Sharot, 1987). Much of this Godliness attributed to the Rebbe is related to his enlightened form of deveikuth (dedicated and individual connection with God).
Reference List
- Berman, E. (2009). Voices of outreach: The construction of identity and maintenance of social ties among chabad-lubavitch emissaries. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 48(1), 69-85.
- Loewenthal, N. (2010). Lubavitch Hasidism. Retrieved from http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Lubavitch_Hasidism
- Feldman, J. (2003). Lubavitchers as citizens: A paradox of liberal democracy. New York: Cornell University Press.
- Schloss, C. (2002). A Chassidic journey. Israel: Feldheim Publishers.
- Sharot, S. (1987). Messianism, mysticism, and magic: A sociological analysis of Jewish and religious movements. North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press.
- Kalmenson, M. (2013). The Rebbe’s dream – Chabad outreach Retrieved from https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/1566795/jewish/The-Rebbes-Dream-Chabad-Outreach.htm
- Wigoder, G. (2002). The new encyclopedia of Judaism. New York: New York University Press.
- Levy, F. (2014). Young Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries: Who they are, where theyre going. Retrieved from https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/2767338/jewish/The-Young-Chabad-Lubavitch-Emissaries-Who-They-Are-Where-Theyre-Going.htm
- Furstenberg, R. (2000). The flourishing of higher Jewish learning for women. Retrieved from http://www.jcpa.org/jl/jl429.htm
- Laqueur, W. (1972). A history of zionism. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
- Kolb, J. & Mezvinsky, N. (2013). Eyes upon the land: Chabad Lubavitch on Israel. doi:10.1558/rsth.v32i1.7
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