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Encyclopedia > Controversies of Chabad
Part of a series on
Chabad Hasidism

Rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch
1. Shneur Zalman of Liadi
2. Dovber Schneuri
3. Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
4. Shmuel Schneersohn
5. Sholom Dovber Schneersohn
6. Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn
7. Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Chabad history
770 Eastern Parkway · 19 Kislev · Ohel
Chabad library · Crown Heights Riot
Brooklyn Bridge Shooting
Organisations
Agudas Chasidei Chabad · Chabad on Campus
Chabad.org · Kehot Publication Society
Gan Israel · Sheloh · Jewish Relief Agency
Children's Museum · Ohr Avner · Colel Chabad
Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch · Kinus Hashluchim
Notable figures
Hillel Paritcher · Yehuda Chitrik · C. M. A. Hodakov
Itche Der Masmid · Manis Friedman · Yoel Kahn
Leib Groner · C. M. Schneerson· Shemaryahu Gurary ·
Levi Yitzchak Schneerson · S. D. Wolpo · Berel Lazar
Yehuda Krinsky · Z. M. HaYitzchaki · Nissan Neminov
Herman Branover · Zalman Serebryanski
Chabad communities
Crown Heights · Kfar Chabad
Chabad texts
Hayom Yom · Igrot Kodesh · Tanya · Likkutei Sichos
Tehillat HaShem · Shulchan Aruch HaRav
Chabad schools
Bais Rivka · Hadar Hatorah · Yeshivah College
Oholei Torah · Tomchei Temimim · Ohel Chana
Yeshivah Gedolah Zal · Beth Rivkah Ladies College
Rabbinical College · Ohr Avner · Mayanot
Chabad outreach
Mitzvah Campaigns · Chabad house · Tefillin
Noahide laws · Shliach · Mitzvah tank
Chabad terminology
Chitas · Mashpia · Meiniach · Farbrengen
Nusach Ari · Choizer · Chabadnitze
See also
Messianism · Strashelye · Controversies · Malachim
v  d  e
Main article: Chabad

Chabad-Lubavitch is a branch of Hasidism. Its founder Shneur Zalman of Liadi was arrested by the Russians on trumped up charges of treason, but later cleared and released. He opposed the Napoleonic emancipation of the Jews. Some interpretations of its seventh leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's theology has been controversial[1] and were criticised heavily by Rabbi Elazar Shach. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Chabad (disambiguation). ... Shneur Zalman of Liadi (‎) (September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S.), was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia. ... Dovber Schneuri (1773-11-13 - 1827-11-16 OS) was an Orthodox rabbi and the second Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. ... Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (or Menachem Mendel or Tzemach Tzedek) (1789 - 1866) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi of the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic Judaism movement that was based in the town of Lubavitch in present-day Belarus. ... Shmuel Schneersohn (or Rabbi Shmuel or Maharash) (1834–1882), was an Orthodox rabbi. ... Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn Sholom Dovber Schneersohn (or Sholom Dovber or Rashab) (1860 - 1920) was an Orthodox rabbi and the fifth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic Judaism movement. ... Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok (Joseph Isaac)[1] Schneersohn (1880 - 1950) was an Orthodox rabbi and the sixth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. ... For the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty see Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994), known as The Rebbe[1], was a prominent Hasidic[2] rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. ... Lubavitch world headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway 770 Eastern Parkway, commonly abbreviated to 770 or Seven-seventy is the street address of the central headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, located in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York in the United States of America. ... Portrait of Shneur Zalman of Liadi 19 Kislev refers to the 19th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. ... Ohel (Chabad) is the name of a religious shrine in Queens, New York, to which thousands of people make a pilgrimage each year. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Agudas Chasidei Chabad. ... The Crown Heights Riot was a three-day riot in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... The Brookly Bridge Shooting was an incident that took place on March 1, 1994, when Lebanese-born Rashid Baz, armed with a Glock 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol and a 9-millimeter Cobray machine gun, shot on a van carrying members of the Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish sect on the... Agudas Chasidei Chabad is the umbrella organization for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. ... -1... Chabad. ... The logo of Kehot Publication Society. ... GAN ISRAEL CAMPING NETWORK There are hundreds of them around the world, with tens of thousands of campers. ... Logo of the Sheloh organization Jewish Released Time, also known as Sheloh (an abbreviation for Shiurei Limud Hados (Classes for Learning the Religion)), is an organization promoting released time for the Jewish education of Jewish children learning in public schools. ... A Project of Guideline Services, Lubavitch House 125 Montgomery Avenue, Suite A3 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 610-660-0190 Donate Online Who are we? The Jewish Relief Agency is an organization whose aim is to identify and feed needy Jewish families. ... The Jewish childrens Museum in Brooklyn The Jewish Childrens Museum is a brand-new museum open to the public all about jewish life, its history and averything associated with orthodox judaism. ... Official logo of the Ohr Avner Foundation Ohr Avner Foundation is a philanthropic foundation that was established in 1992 by the Israeli billionaire and emigre from the former Soviet Union, Lev Leviev, to be run by rabbis of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to which Lev Leviev belongs. ... Colel Chabad is the oldest continuously operating charity of its kind in Israel. ... Merkos LInyonei Chinuch (lit. ... The Kinus Hashluchim is the annual gathering of Chabad Shluchim held in the fall, each year. ... Rabbi Hillel HaLevi Malisov of Paritch, commonly known as Reb Hillel Paritcher (1795-1864) was a famous Orthodox Jewish Rabbi in Russia. ... Rabbi Yehuda Chitrik (1899-2006) was a leading scholar, author, and Mashpia in the Chabad community. ... Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov (1902-1993) was the chief of staff of the secretariat of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson for more than 40 years. ... Biography of Reb Itche der Masmid Yitzchok Horowitz, more commonly known as Reb Itche der Masmid, was a famous Orthodox Jewish Rabbi in pre-war Europe. ... R Manis Friedman at the wedding of his niece in March 2007 Rabbi Manis Friedman (born 1946) is a Chabad Lubavitch Hassid. ... Rabbi Yoel Kahn Rabbi Yoel Kahn (or Kahan) is a senior, Chabad rabbi, Mashpia, and community leader. ... Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner Rabbi Leib Yehuda Groner (born 1932) was the secretary to the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson for over 40 years. ... Chaya Mushka (Moussia) Schneerson (March 16, 1901-February 10, 1988) referred to by Lubavitchers as The Rebbetzin was the wife of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, (1878-1944), was a Hasidic rabbi in Russia. ... Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpo adressing a crowd Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpo, also Sholom Ber Wolpe[1], (born 1948) is a senior Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi and community leader in Israel. ... Rabbi Berel Lazar is the Chief Rabbi of Russia, and is the chairman of the rabbinical alliance of the CIS. Education A native of Milan, Italy, Rabbi Lazar was born in 1964 to parents who were among the first emissaries of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. ... Rabbi Chaim Yehuda (Yudel) Krinsky (born 1933) is a Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. ... Shneur Zalman Moishe HaYitzchaki, usually known familiarly as Reb Zalman Moishe, (c. ... Rabbi Nissan Neminov, known familiarly as Reb Nissan, was a famous Orthodox Jewish Rabbi. ... Professor Herman Branover is known in the Jewish communities of Israel, Russia, and the West as an inspiring author, translator, publisher, and educator. ... Rabbi Yehoshua Shneur Zalman Serebryanski, known familiarly as Reb Zalman, (Dec 1904-1991-06-15) was an Orthodox rabbi and Mashpia belonging to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. ... Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... Kfar Chabad is a Chabad-Lubavitch community of about 400 families located near Tel Aviv. ... Hayom Yom (Hebrew: היום יום, Today is day . ... Igrot Kodesh (literally Holy Epistles but more commonly known as Letters of the Rebbe} is a collection of the seventh Rebbe of Lubavitch, Menachem Mendel Schneersons correspondence and responsa. ... Note: Tanya Rabbati, a 16th century Italian code of Jewish law, is an unrelated work with a similar name. ... Likkutei Sichos, lit. ... A popular Sidur (prayer-book) in the Chabad-Lubavitch community. ... Shulchan Aruch HaRav, or Shulkhan Arukh HaRav, (Code of Jewish Law by the Rabbi) is a codification of halakha by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, known during his lifetime as HaRav (The Rabbi). At a young age, Rabbi Shneur Zalman was asked by his teacher, Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch to... Bais Rivka (or Beth Rivkah) is the name used for the Bais Yaakov-type private girls schools of the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic movement. ... Rabbi Yisroel Jacobson giving a class in Hadar Hatorah in 1962 Yeshiva Hadar Hatorah is the worlds first Baal Teshuva Yeshiva For men rediscovering their Jewish roots. ... Yeshivah College is a Jewish school on Hotham Street in Melbourne, Australia run by the Chabad-Lubavitch movements Yeshivah Centre. ... Oholei Torah is the common name of the Lubavitch schools Educational Institute Oholei Menachem and Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah. ... Tomchei Temimim is the central Yeshiva (Talmudical school) of the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic movement. ... Dormitory Ohel Chana is an Orthodox Jewish girls seminary on Balaclava Road in Melbourne, Australia run by the Chabad-Lubavitch movements Yeshivah Centre. ... Yeshiva Gedolah Zal, Yeshiva Gedolah, or colloquially, YG is a yeshiva, an academy for young Orthodox Jews to devote themselves to full-time rabbinical studies. ... Beth Rivkah Ladies College is an Orthodox Jewish day-school on Balaclava Road in Melbourne, Australia run by the Chabad-Lubavitch movements Yeshivah Centre. ... The Rabbinical College of America is one of the largest Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic Yeshivas in the world. ... Ohr Avner Chabad Day School refers to a network of Jewish day schools founded and supported by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, under the auspices of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, located in the areas of the former Soviet Union Ohr Avner Chabad Day School (Tashkent) Ohr Avner Chabad Day School (Volgograd... Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies is a Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva for men located in Makor Baruch, Jerusalem, Israel. ... For other uses, see Orthodox Judaism outreach (disambiguation). ... Mitzvah Campaigns, or Mitvtzoim (Heb. ... A Chabad House is a centre for disseminating Orthodox Judaism by the Chabad movement. ... The Tefillin Campaign refers to a campaign by Orthodox Jews to influence all male Jews, regardless of their level of religious observance, to don the Tefillin (phylacteries) daily. ... The Noahide Campaign refers to a campaign by Orthodox Jews to influence all non-Jews to follow the Noahide Laws. ... Shaliach (Hebrew: שָלִיחַ; plural שְלִיחִים, shlichim or Shliach plural Shluchim), in Judaism, is the concept of an emissary. ... A Chabad Lubavitch Mitzvah tank A Mitzvah tank is a large vehicle, usually a big van, travel trailer, recreational vehicle or campervan, sometimes even a pickup truck with a Sukkah on it, that is utilized by the Orthodox Jewish practitioners of Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism as portable educational and outreach centers... ChiTaS is a Hebrew acronym for Chumash (The five books of Moses), Tehillim (Psalms) and Tanya (Kabbalistic work by Schnuer Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe). ... Mashpia (Heb. ... Meiniach (Heb. ... A Farbrengen (from the Yiddish פארברענגען, meaning joyous gathering) is a Hasidic gathering. ... Nusach Ari means, in a general sense, any prayer rite following the usages of Rabbi Isaac Luria, the AriZal, in the 16th century, and, more particularly, the version of it used by Chabad Chasidim. ... Choizer (Heb. ... A Chabadnitze (Yiddish: ) is a small side room required for a Chabad synagogue. ... In Jewish messianism and eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during... Strashelye, is a branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism, named after the town Strashelye in the Mohilev Province of present-day Belarus, where its leader lived. ... The Malachim are a barely extant quasi-Hasidic group with strong Miami and Williamsburg connections. ... For other uses, see Chabad (disambiguation). ... Hasidic Judaism (Hebrew: Chasidut חסידות) is a Haredi Jewish religious movement. ... Shneur Zalman of Liadi (‎) (September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S.), was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia. ... For the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty see Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994), known as The Rebbe[1], was a prominent Hasidic[2] rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. ... Elazar Menachem Man Shach (אלעזר מנחם מן שך) (or Rav Leizer Shach, at times his name is written as Eliezer Schach in English publications) (January 22, 1898 - November 2, 2001), was a leading Haredi rabbi in modern Israel. ...


Since Rabbi Schneerson's death in 1994, and the decision not to appoint a successor, the contested control over the headquarters in Brooklyn has led to some friction within the Chabad community.

Contents

Shneur Zalman of Liadi

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi

Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the movement, was arrested by Tsar Paul I on two occasions on trumped up charges but released both times. In the face of Napoleonic invasion, Shneur Zalman sided with the Tsar, believing that emancipation and freedom would lead to spiritual malaise. Very old accepted public image of Schner Zalman of Liadi of Lubavitch. ... Very old accepted public image of Schner Zalman of Liadi of Lubavitch. ... Paul I of Russia (Russian: ; Pavel Petrovich) (October 1, 1754-March 23, 1801) was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. ...


During his life, the controversies between the Hasidim and Mitnagdim intensified in many ways. Some issues involved in the disagreements were the rules for ritual slaughter as well as the conduct and phrasing of prayers. [2] As a result, Rabbi Schneur Zalman and his followers were subjected to bans, though in part due to the changes made to Hasidic thought this lessened during the lives of his son Dovber Schneuri and grandson Menachem Mendel Schneersohn. Although Schneur Zalman once attempted to see the Vilna Gaon to persuade him to legitimize the Hasidim, the Vilna Gaon refused to speak with him. [3] Mitnagdim or misnagdim is a Hebrew word (מתנגדים) meaning opponents; this term was used to refer to European religious Jews who opposed Hasidic Judaism. ... Dovber Schneuri (1773-11-13 - 1827-11-16 OS) was an Orthodox rabbi and the second Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. ... Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (or Menachem Mendel or Tzemach Tzedek) (1789 - 1866) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi of the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic Judaism movement that was based in the town of Lubavitch in present-day Belarus. ... Elijah Ben Solomon, the Vilna Gaon The Vilna Gaon (April 23, 1720 – October 9, 1797) was a prominent Jewish rabbi, Talmud scholar, and Kabbalist. ...


Shneur Zalman of Liadi and Napoleon

There were rabbis and Chassidic rebbes who eagerly awaited liberation by Napoleons armies. This would free the Jews from the persecution and poverty that had characterized Jewish life in Europe. Other voices in the Jewish community feared a Napoleonic victory. They maintained that while Napoleon would free the Jewish body, he would destroy the Jewish soul. Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi openly and vigorously supported the Tsar. While fleeing from Napoleon, Rabbi Shneur Zalman wrote a letter explaining his opposition to Napoleon to a friend, Rabbi Moshe Meizeles:[4] Shneur Zalman of Liadi (‎) (September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S.), was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia. ...

Should Napoleon be victorious, wealth among the Jews will be abundant. . .but the hearts of Israel will be separated and distant from their father in heaven. But if our master Alexander will triumph, though poverty will be abundant. . . the heart of Israel will be bound and joined with their father in heaven. . . And for God's sake: Burn this letter. [5]

Alan Dershowitz argues that Shneur Zalman was clear about his intent - suffering was good for the Jews. Suffering would inspire asceticism and bolster the Hasidic cause. Dershowitz goes on to take issue with what he interprets as a view that Judaism requires suffering to survive. [6] Alan Morton Dershowitz (born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and criminal law professor known for his extensive published works, career as an attorney in several high-profile law cases, and commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict. ...


Others defend Rabbi Shneur Zalman, arguing that Napoleon had been attempting to arouse a messianic view of himself in Jews, opening the gates of the Ghettos and emancipating their residents as he conquered. He established an ersatz Sanhedrin, recruiting Jews to his ranks, and spreading rumors about his conquest of the Holy Land to make Jews subversive for his own ends. [7] Thus his opposition was based on a practical fear of Jews turning to the false messianism of Napoleon as he saw it.[4] For the tractate in the Mishnah, see Sanhedrin (tractate). ...


Still others argue that Dershowitz's interpretation is correct, but that Rabbi Shneur Zalman's "fears were borne out by the events of the next two centuries. When emancipation did come to European Jewry, it came as a gradual process, and the traditional Judaism had by then developed an array of intellectual and moral responses (most notably, the Chassidic and Mussar movements). Still, the spiritual toll of freedom was high: traditional Jewish life was all but wiped out in France and Germany by the upheavals spearheaded by the French Revolution, and while it persevered in Eastern Europe until the eve of the Holocaust, many fell prey to the winds of anti-religious "enlightenment" blowing from the west. We can only imagine what the toll might have been had Napoleon conquered the continent in the early years of the nineteenth century."[8]


The Rebbe Rashab

The Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn (1860–1920), writes in a letter:


"Yud-Tes Kislev,...the festival on which `He redeemed our soul in peace,' and the light and vitality of our souls were given to us, is the New Year for Chassidus - which our saintly forebears, [the Rebbeim of their respective generations,] have bequeathed to us - i.e., the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov.[9]


Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner was opposed to the term "Rosh Hashana Le-Chasidus", which Chasidim had coined for Yud Tes Kislev (the day that Reb Schneur Zalman of Liadi was released from prison). He felt that the term, used in the Mishna and the Talmud, should be reserved for the four Rosh Hashanas mentioned there, and that Chabad has no right to invent a new one...[10] Yitzchok (Isaac) Hutner (1906 - 1980) was an Orthodox rabbi born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidim and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jews in their origins. ...


The Rebbe Rashab, in the year 1907, said " that this is the generation of Moshiach without a doubt ". [11]


The fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe said in 1908: "We are now in the last generation...now is the generation of Moshiach...the present generation is the generation of Moshiach without any doubt." [12]


Joseph Issac Schneersohn

The response of the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, to the Holocaust has been condemned from a number of quarters. Bryan Mark Rigg wrote his PhD thesis on the subject at Cambridge University. He quotes Rabbi Alex Weisfogel, secretary of Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz of the Vaad Hatzalah as saying that Kalmanowitz and Aaron Kotler were appalled at Schneersohn's focus on "bringing the messiah" while the war continued.[13] Rigg argues that while "he employed every means possible to escape Europe, when he arrived in the US, "he did not approach those very same people to help rescue those who had to remain in Europe. However, he did approach those people in the government to rescue his library, which he did get out in 1941. Also he started condemning people who were organizing amazing rescue efforts like rabbis Kotler and Kalmanowitz of the Vaad-Hatzala." It is countered that Schneersohn did not condemn rescue efforts, which would have been totally out of character, but was condemning the fact that Kotler's Vaad Hatzala, in charge of sending desperately needed funds to numerous Yeshivas in China, would send money for all Yeshivas except Tomche Temimim, the Chabad Yeshiva. This caused two of the students there to starve to death. It is thus totally logical that Schneersohn did not contact this organisation upon his arrival in the US. He forbade his followers from leaving Russia in the 1920s and 30s, declaring that those who did were "deserters". Avrum Erlich, a scholar of Chabad, writes: Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok (Joseph Isaac)[1] Schneersohn (1880 - 1950) was an Orthodox rabbi and the sixth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... Founded in November 1939 by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (Agudat haRabbanim)[1] Originally named Emergency Committee for War-Torn Yeshivas Often referred to as the Rescue Committee also formally named: Vaad ha-Hatzala // Recognizing that following the law would lead to greater numbers... Aharon (or Ahron, Aaron, Aron) Kotler (1890s - 1962) was a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States of America. ... This article is about the Jewish male educational system. ...

In Yosef Yitzhak’s case, the consequences of staying in the Soviet Union were disastrous for the obedient Hasidim; moreover, as there was little for those who stayed to do, their sacrifice was largely in vain. While he prevented his followers from leaving Russia, Yosef Yitzhak himself eventually migrated to the United States, long after it became impossible for many of his followers to escape Communist persecution.[14]

Others note that Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok did attempt relief work and succeeded in helping many Jews. Additionally, defenders of his campaign to bring Messiah after arriving in America and insistence on maintaining Jewish communities in the Soviet Union note that they were focused largely on strengthening religious observance among the religiously weak commmunities there - a goal equally important to saving lives in the mind of Orthodox Jews. Furthermore, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok set up a relief organisation to assist the survivors of the holocaust in 1945.


When the Previous Rebbe initiated the "La-Alter Le-Teshuva, Le-Alter Le-Geulah" campaign (a campaign to awaken Jews to repent that would bring the immediate redemption of the Jews from exile), Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner was against it. At the time, in the 1940's, the Lubavitcher Yeshiva had only an elementary school and no high school. Lubavitcher students of high school age were sent to Yeshiva Chaim Berlin, where Rabbi Hutner was the Rosh Yeshiva. Once, as Rabbi Hutner was walking down the hall, he noticed a flyer announcing the "La-Alter Le-Teshuva, Le-Alter Le-Geulah" campaign. Rabbi Hutner ripped it off the wall and called Lubavitch headquarters, warning that if he found even one more poster in his school, he would expel all the Lubavitcher boys. [15] Yitzchok (Isaac) Hutner (1906 - 1980) was an Orthodox rabbi born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidim and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jews in their origins. ... Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin (also known as Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin) (MYRCB) or as Chaim Berlin, is a major Orthodox Judaism yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. ...


The Previous Rebbe said in 1927: "We are entering a new era in our time...and I do not mean spiritual revelations, I mean actually greeting Moshiach. I am not giving an extended period of time for this, it will be in my lifetime." [16]


Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Sixth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn (1880-1950) left, with his son-in-law and successor Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), right, the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, in a painting.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Chabad leader, took the reins of the movement shortly after World War II and became the Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty following the death of his father-in-law in 1950. At the speech where he accepted leadership, he proclaimed the defining theme of his tenure. He stated that his purpose as the seventh Rebbe and the Chasidim as the seventh generation, was to complete the work of bringing the Shechina back into this world and bringing the Jewish Messiah. He further stated that the previous Rebbe had not finished this work, but because of the unusual character of his self-sacrifice was still present to lead the charge in bringing about the Messianic Age: 6th and 7th Lubavitch Rebbes. ... Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok (Joseph Isaac)[1] Schneersohn (1880 - 1950) was an Orthodox rabbi and the sixth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. ... For the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty see Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994), known as The Rebbe[1], was a prominent Hasidic[2] rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. ... For the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty see Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994), known as The Rebbe[1], was a prominent Hasidic[2] rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shekinah (שכינה - alternative transliterations Shechinah, Shekhina, Shechina) is the English spelling of the Hebrew language word that means the glory or radiance of God, or God resting in his house or Tabernacle amongst his people. ... In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during...

Beyond this, the Rebbe will bind and unite us with the infinite Essence of HaShem [God]... When he redeems us from the exile with an uplifted hand and the dwelling places of all Jews shall be filled with light... May we be privileged to see and meet with the Rebbe here is this world, in a physical body, in this earthy domain - and he will redeem us. [17]

The soul as "the essence of God"

In 1950 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson delivered a Passover sermon - actually, it was said before he formally accepted the title of Rebbe - in which he described his father-in-law the sixth rebbe, and Rebbes in general, as being "the essence and content of God, as He put Himself in a body". This is recorded in his collected sermons Likutei Sichos[18] He asks: "How can one make a request of a rebbe - isn't that surely a problem of speaking to God through an intermediary?" (Which is antithetical to Judaism.) He notes that while his answer is novel, and not found in other Chabad Hasidic sources one must answer that in truth "One cannot ask [this] question. . . since Atzmus u'mehus alein vi er hot zich areingeshtalt in a guf" or "[a Rebbe]is the essence and content of God as He put Himself in a body". Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...


In recent years some critics, Rabbi Dr. David Berger and Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, expressed their concern that this is a major innovation by Schneerson that "deifies" the Rebbe, which is contrary to Orthodox Judaism. Chabad writers counter that these reactions are based on misunderstandings of Kabbalistic terminology used by Rabbi Schneerson, and that similar expressions can be found throughout non-Chabad Hasidic and Kabbalistic literature. [19][20] Accordingly, the meaning of Rabbi Menachem Mendel's teaching is that the Rebbe, by virtue of his great devotion and spiritual refinement, becomes nothing less than a direct reflection of the Divine will. Bergers most famous work Rabbi Dr. David Berger is a professor of history at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and a visiting professor at Yeshiva Universitys Bernard Revel Graduate School. ... Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller is the Rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago. ...


Defenders point to similar statements attributed to the Baal Shem Tov and the Ohr ha-Chaim. They point to a quote from Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi that "He who breathed life into man, breathed from Himself". Therefore a person's soul is "truly a part of HaShem above". [21] They argue that in the light of these statements Schnnerson's 1951 comments are not a departure from normative Jewish thought. This article incorporates text from the public domain 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Israel ben Eliezer Rabbi Israel (Yisroel) ben Eliezer (about 1700 Okopy Świętej Tr jcy - May 22, 1760 Międzyborz) was a Jewish Orthodox mystical rabbi who is better known to most religious Jews as... A commentary on the Torah written by Rabbi Haim Ben-Attar (1696-1743) revered by Hasidic and Sefardic Jews. ... Shneur Zalman of Liadi (‎) (September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S.), was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia. ...


It is interesting to note that Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, the prime student of the Vilna Gaon, writes in his book Nefesh HaChaim[22]: "This is the meaning of the Scriptural verse "And you shall know today and impress upon your heart that God is the Lord."(Deuteronomy 4:39). That is, a person should not intend to serve or to cling by any form of worship to any power in general or in particular, in heaven or on earth below, but only to direct his entire intention to the essential and unique Divine Name Y-H-V-H, may His name be blessed, the all-inclusive Source from which all forces derive their existence. Even to make oneself subservient and to attach oneself through any manner of service to the aspect of ruach ha-kodesh within any [authentic] Prophet or anyone else who possesses ruach ha-kodesh -- this, too, is called actual idolatry. We find that Nebuchadnezzar, when he prostrated himself before Daniel, did not consider Daniel to be the Deity and Creator of the universe, but only intended by means of his prostration to worship and cling to the ruach ha-kodesh within him. So it is written in the Book of Daniel (2:46-47)... [The Midrash Tanchuma] gives the same reason for Jacob's refusal to be buried in Egypt. Hence, we see that our Sages called this idolatry, even though the worship was meant to exalt the ruach ha-kodesh within the Prophet..."[23] Chaim Volozhin (or Chaim Volozhiner or Chaim of Volozhin) (1749-1821) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Talmudist, and ethicist. ... Elijah Ben Solomon, the Vilna Gaon The Vilna Gaon (April 23, 1720 – October 9, 1797) was a prominent Jewish rabbi, Talmud scholar, and Kabbalist. ...


Importance of 770 Eastern Parkway

"and we may explain, according the above, that as regards Bais Rabeinu shBeBavel in this generation - it means the house - the Bais Hakneses and Bais Hamedrash - of my holy father-in-law, the Nasi of our generation. In this generation, the last generation of exile and the first generation of redemption ... through the lowest place on earth we will elevate together with it all other places in the world - this will happen through the "Bais Rabeinu" ... from which light emanates to the entire world, making the entire world into Eretz Yisroel ... where all the Shuls and Yeshivos in the entire world will be connected to the Bais Hamikdosh, in the true and complete redemption through Moshaich Tzidkeinu, the Nasi Hador, who is also the Moshiach - the redeemer of Yisroel -of the generation - and also, and this is key, he is also the Nasi of Chasidus, through the dissemination of whose wellsprings accomplished the coming of King Moshiach ... and with this we can understand the magnitute of the loftiness of Bais Rabeinu - the priamry Mikdash M'at in this last exile ... which is "the place of the future bais hamikdash itself", and not only that, but there will be revealed the future Bais Hamikdash, and from there is will go to Jerusalem, as we stated. And we may add, that this idea is suggested in the name of "The House of Rabbeinu" in our generaiton: ... for the "house" of Rabbeinu - its number is 770, and this number is the established way that the house is referred to in the mouths of all of Klall Yisroel, for they refer to Bais Rabeinu as "770", which is Gematria "foratztah", as in "uforatzta yama v'kedmah etc." ... and according to all we have said about the loftiness of the House of our Teacher in Bavel, that it is the place of the Bais Hamikdash in the future, and that in it will be revealed the Bais Hamikdash and from there it will return to Jerusalem -- we understand what a great merit it would be for each and every member of Klall Yisroel to give of his energy and money - and whoever gives more, is all the more so praised - as a preparation for the coming down if the revelation of the future Bais Hamikdash immediately and right away, mamesh!"[24]


References to his father-in-law as "leader of the generation" etc.

"and according to the announcement of my father-in-law, the Nasi of our generation ... the only moshiach of our generation that everything is already prepared, ..."[25]


"there is a [halachic] ruling as per the above, that we must publicize to every person in this generation: that we have had the merit that G-d chose and designated a being with free-will, who by his own right is infinitely greater than the people of his generation, that he should be 'your judges' and 'your instructors', and the prophet of the generation, who will give rulings and instructions relevant to the avodah of all Jews, and all people in this generation, in all issues of Torah and Mitzvos, and also about general day to day living, and also about "all your actions" (being lshem shamayim)" [26]


"May we actually merit (the Redemption) immediately [miyad] with all the meanings of 'miyad.' This also includes the acronym of the leaders of generations in a general sense, Moshe, Yisroel (the Baal Shem Tov), and Dovid (King Moshiach)."


In footnote 148, the Rebbe inserts: "And more specifically pertaining to our generation, the acronym of 'MiYaD' indicates the three eras of the Rebbe, my father-in-law, leader of our generation, from the most recent in order: Moshiach (whose name is Menachem), Yosef Yitzchok, Dovber (the second name of the Rebbe Rashab)."[27]


Hiskashrus

"A person must, from time to time, think about himself and his position and situation, but the rest of the time it's better to think about the Rebbe, how he is constantly with his mekusharim and how he leads them through every step.


"And this thought alone, even without any especially deep thought, should strengthen all one's kochos ha'nefesh so that they are used in accordance with the will of the Rebbe...


"And lest thoughts that are opposite to this occur to you, you need to know that this is the atzas ha'yetzer who seeks various ways to confuse you from (learning and performing) Torah and avoda.


"From this it is apparent that you must be strong in your trust in the brachos of the tzadik, the Rebbe, who stands by you and leads you on the right path ...and the main thing is that it should be absolute and obvious that the Rebbe is with you, and you can rely on him that everything will be good, because atzmus u'mehus ein sof boruch hu is the ultimate good, and the Rebbe is the memutza ha'mechaber with atzmus u'mehus ein sof boruch hu, and firt durch dem ratzon so it will all be good and ultimately it should be (a) visible and revealed good ..." [28]


Elazar Shach [29]

Rabbi Elazar Shach was involved in a number of public disputes with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson the Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement from the 1970s through Rav Schneerson's death in 1994. Rav Shach accused his followers of false Messianism. When once asked which religion was theologically closest to Judaism, Shach responded "Habad".[30] He objected to the call for "forcing" the Messiah's appearance, an idea avocated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. When certain elements in Chabad actually identified Rabbi Schneerson as the possible Messiah, Rabbi Shach advocated a complete boycott of Chabad, its institutions and projects by its constituents. [31] Pointing to an assertion by the Rebbe in a passage dealing primarily with his predecessor that a rebbe is ‘the Essence and Being [of G-d] placed into a body,’ Rabbi Schach spoke of nothing less than Avodah Zara [idol worship]. His followers refused to eat meat slaughtered by Lubavich shochetim or to recognize Chabad Hasidim as adherents of authentic Judaism.[32]Rabbi Shach also compared Chabad and Rabbi Schneerson to the followers of the 17th-century false messiah Sabbatai Zevi. Chabad representatives dismissed the comparisons, noting that whereas the Sabbateans deliberately violated religious laws on the assumption that a "new Torah" would emerge during messianic times, Chabad preached that only strict adherence to tradition would bring the redemption and that its veneration of the rebbe was not at odds with Jewish tradition.[33] Elazar Menachem Man Shach (אלעזר מנחם מן שך) (or Rav Leizer Shach, at times his name is written as Eliezer Schach in English publications) (January 22, 1898 - November 2, 2001), was a leading Haredi rabbi in modern Israel. ... For the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty see Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994), known as The Rebbe[1], was a prominent Hasidic[2] rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. ... For the tanna, see Judah HaNasi. ... Chabad Lubavitch, or Lubavich, is one of the largest branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi . ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


Shach once described Schneerson as "the madman who sits in New York and drives the whole world crazy."[34]


In addition to Rabbi Shach's objections to some Chabad members venerating Rabbi Schneerson as the Messiah (both before and after his death), the two also disagreed on various issues of Jewish law and philosophy, but particularly politics. Chabad strongly opposed peace talks with the Palestinians or to relinquishing any Israeli territory under any circumstance, while Rabbi Shach alternately supported both left and right-wing parties in the Israeli elections. During the 1988 elections, Schneerson encouraged Israeli Haredim to vote for Agudat Israel over Rabbi Shach's newly-formed Degel HaTorah party. In response, Shach's newspaper, Yated Ne'eman, ran several articles documenting various Chabad writings and statements that supported Shach's contention that Lubavitch was becoming a breakaway sect of Judaism focused around Schneerson as the Messiah. Categories: Organization stubs | Israel-related stubs | Israeli political parties | Orthodox Judaism ... Degel HaTorah (or Degel haTorah) (דגל התורה Hebrew for Flag/Banner [of] the Torah) is an Israeli mostly Ashkenazi Haredi Judaism political party with a small number of seats (2-3) in the Knesset, Israels national parliament. ... This article is about religious groups. ...


Chabad characterized Rabbi Shach's opposition to Rabbi Schneerson as being personal in nature, and stemming from private disagreements between the two leaders.


It should be noted that in spite of his pitched battle against Lubavitch, Rabbi Shach nevertheless recited Tehillim when Rabbi Schneerson became sick. At the time he was asked for an explanation, and he obliged, “My battle is against his erroneous approach, against the movement, but not against the people in any personal way. I pray for the Rebbe’s recovery and simultaneously, also pray that he abandon his invalid way.” [35]


Rabbi Shach often clarified his stand, both in speech and in writing, that the slander spread against him about his persecution of chassidim was something he could never forgive, for it had transformed him into a baal machlokes, a hate-monger, at a time when he loved peace and pursued it to the nth degree.[36]


Other Charedi Rabbi's

Rabbi Aharon Kotler (1892-1962), founder of the Lakewood Yeshivah in New Jersey, was severely critical of Lubavich, in part because of the extreme emphasis on messianism evident even at that time.[37] Aharon (or Ahroyn, Aaron, Aron) Kotler (1890s - 1962) was a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States of America. ...


Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetsky expressed concern in the early 1980s that Lubavitch's nascent personality-centric thinking could morph into something more objectionable. He advised Bezalel Landau not to publish a few chapters in a book he had written on the Vilna Gaon that dealt with his opposition to Hasidism as such material could split families, pitting husband against wife. He noted that he should keep them in reserve in case "someone [yener] was to do an ugly thing [a mi'usse zakh]" a reference that Kaminetsky's son says[38]refers to the Chabad movement." [39] Two 20th century Lithuanian-American Talmudic Rabbis: Yaakov Kamenetsky (left) and Aharon Kotler (right) Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky (1891-1986), was a prominent rosh yeshiva, posek and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community. ... Elijah Ben Solomon, the Vilna Gaon The Vilna Gaon (April 23, 1720 – October 9, 1797) was a prominent Jewish rabbi, Talmud scholar, and Kabbalist. ...


Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner was opposed to the personality cult built up around the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and to the public projection of both the Rebbe and the Lubavitch movement, by the movement, through public media—print and broadcast journalism, books, film, and the like. [40] When the Previous Rebbe initiated the "La-Alter Le-Teshuva, Le-Alter Le-Geulah" campaign (a campaign to awaken Jews to repent that would bring the immediate redemption of the Jews from exile), Rabbi Hutner was against it. At the time, in the 1940's, the Lubavitcher Yeshiva had only an elementary school and no high school. Lubavitcher students of high school age were sent to Yeshiva Chaim Berlin, where Rabbi Hutner was the Rosh Yeshiva. Once, as Rabbi Hutner was walking down the hall, he noticed a flyer announcing the "La-Alter Le-Teshuva, Le-Alter Le-Geulah" campaign. Rabbi Hutner ripped it off the wall and called Lubavitch headquarters, warning that if he found even one more poster in his school, he would expel all the Lubavitcher boys. Rabbi Hutner was also bothered by various new ideas instituted by Chabad. He was opposed to the term "Rosh Hashana Le-Chasidus", which Chasidim had coined for Yud Tes Kislev (the day that Reb Schneur Zalman of Liadi was released from prison). He felt that the term, used in the Mishna and the Talmud, should be reserved for the four Rosh Hashanas mentioned there, and that Chabad has no right to invent a new one....[41] Yitzchok (Isaac) Hutner (1906 - 1980) was an Orthodox rabbi born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidim and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jews in their origins. ... Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin (also known as Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin) (MYRCB) or as Chaim Berlin, is a major Orthodox Judaism yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. ...


Rabbi Aharon Feldman, dean of the Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Yeshivas Ner Yisroel) penned a public response to a question from a student asking how orthodox Jews should relate to chabad messianists in 2003. He made a clear distinction between what he termed the "Mishichists" and the "Elokists". He rules that it is forbidden to associate with Elokists under any circumstances due to their heresy and they cannot be counted for a Minyan. He rules it is also forbidden to support the Meshichists in any way that lends credence to their messianic beliefs though they are not strictly heretics. He adds that even a messianist should not be given any public office since their judgement is compromised by their false beliefs. [42] Rabbi Aharon Feldman is the Rosh Yeshsiva (Dean) of the Ner Israel Rabbinical College (also known as NIRC) an Orthodox yeshiva in Baltimore, Maryland and one of the premier yeshivas in the world. ... Yeshivas Ner Yisroel (Ner Israel Rabbinical College) (also known as NIRC) is an Orthodox yeshiva in Baltimore, Maryland founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman who was a key disciple of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, dean of the famous Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. ... A minyan (Hebrew: plural minyanim) is traditionally a quorum of ten or more adult (over the age of Bar Mitzvah) male Jews for the purpose of communal prayer; a minyan is often held within a synagogue, but may be (and often is) held elsewhere. ...


Rabbi Elya Svei, one of the rosh yeshivas of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, said in his eulogy for Rabbi Elazar Shach, "Another area in which Rav Shach took the sole initiative and responsibility was in the less than popular task of protesting Messianic proclivities within Lubavitch. Rav Shach assumed the responsibility of decrying this perversion. Rav Shach started to fight this battle alone. He illuminated the truth so that others could also see the posed threat and follow his lead." [43] Rabbi Elya Svei is one of the Rosh Yeshivas of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, although he is unwell and retired. ... The Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, usually referred to simply as Philly,is one of the preeminent Haredi Litvish Yeshivas in the United States. ...


A senior American Posek, Rabbi Yehuda Henkin, in a responsa to Gil Student ruled that messianists are merely foolish and need not be shunned.[44] Posek (Hebrew פוסק, IPA: , pl. ... Rabbi Yehuda Herzl Henkin was born in 1945 and currently lives in Jerusalem. ... Rabbi Gil O. Student (born August 8, 1972) is an ordained but non-pulpit serving American Orthodox rabbi. ...


Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, a rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, told an enquiring student (even before the Rebbe's death) that he should pray alone rather than in a Chabad synagogue because 'they pray to a different deity[eloah]'.[45] Yeshivas Ner Yisroel (Ner Israel Rabbinical College) (also known as NIRC) is an Orthodox yeshiva in Baltimore, Maryland founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman who was a key disciple of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, dean of the famous Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. ...


Following Schneerson's death, the Rebbe of Satmar was said to have commented "Now we have to wait for the real Messiah.[46] Satmar is the largest Hasidic group in existence today. ...


In the biography of the Satmar Rebbe called "Moshian Shel Yisroel" we have the following: "So too did the Rebbe ZT"L [learn] the Seforim of Chabad, mentioning often in his Torahs material from the Tanya and the Sidur HaRav...Once , he borrowed from someone the Kuntres Hispalus of the holy rabbi RD"B of Lubavitch ZY"A... the Rebbe spoke with awesome respect for the holy Rebbe Rashab ZY"A, of his amazing holiness and his exceptional wisdom ... once, a chosid asked the Rebbe why, when he quotes the Rebbe Rashab he uses more titles on him than he usually uses [on others]. The rebbe answered,” The Rashab was a burning fire!" ... when bochurim from the Yeshiva asked him about learning Sifrei Chabad he said ... nowadays we have to be very careful because there are among the Lubavitchers today those who twist the Torah, and we have to be careful not to fall into their trap ... and therefore, you should learn Tanya only as much as other Chassidishe Seforim, and not make a unique project of it." [47]


Chabad messianism

Main article: Chabad messianism

Chabad messianism is a belief by some within the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement that believe that the late Rabbi and leader of that movement Menachem Mendel Schneerson will be the Jewish Messiah. Adherents to this belief are termed Mishichist in Yinglish. Chabad messianism[1] is a term used to describe the beliefs of many followers of Chabad who believe that their late leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson will be the Messiah. ... Chabad Lubavitch, or Lubavich, is one of the largest branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi . ... Hasidic Judaism (Hebrew: Chasidut חסידות) is a Haredi Jewish religious movement. ... For the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty see Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994), known as The Rebbe[1], was a prominent Hasidic[2] rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. ... In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during... Yinglish words are neologisms created by speakers of Yiddish in English-speaking countries, sometimes to describe things that were uncommon in the old country. ...


Before Schnerrson's death in 1994 a significant body of Chabad Hasidim believed that he was soon to be crowned as the Messiah - an event that would herald the Messianic Age and the construction of the Third Temple. Books and pamphlets were written containing purported proofs for the Rabbi's status as Messiah, some of which Schneerson opposed. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Messianic Age is a theological term referring to a future time of peace and brotherhood on the earth, without crime, war and poverty. ... A drawing of Ezekiels Visionary Temple from the Book of Ezekiel 40-47 Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, religious Jews have prayed that God will allow for the rebuilding of a Third Temple. ...


During the later years of his life Rabbi Schneerson's teachings were interpreted by many to mean that he was claiming to be the Messiah. In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during...


His death in 1994 did not completely remove the messianist fervor. Some believers soon developed new rationales to justify the belief the Schneerson was the Messiah despite being dead. Some argued that he had in fact not died at all and was still physically present. Others argued that though he was dead Judaism did not rule out the possibility of the Messiah returning from the dead.


Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch started a split-off Chassidus, Anshei-Liozna. A group of dissident Chabad followers crowned him as their Rebbe in a ceremony on December 5, 1996 at their synagogue on 45th Street in Brooklyn.[48] Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch, Liozna Rebbe Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch, the Liozna Rebbe (born 1969), is a rabbi and author from New York City. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ...


Public Menorahs

In 1989, the County of Allegheny with the support of Chabad defended itself in court all the way to the United States Supreme Court from the ACLU in County of Allegheny v. ACLU over the display of a public Menorah owned by Chabad. Pittsburgh skyline The Allegheny County Courthouse Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a non_governmental organization devoted to defending civil rights and civil liberties in the United States. ... In County of Allegheny v. ...


The city of Burlington, Vermont denied the local Chabad chapter, headed by Rabbi Yitzchok Raskin permission to erect a Menorah in the city's main park during Hanukkah.[49] Raskin appealed the decision on two occasions after an initial hearing 1987 found the display to be unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The ACLU assisted the city of Burlington in a final appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1991, and the Menorah ban was upheld.[50][51] A similar case occurred in Chicago in 1990, and the court found the same way, [52] as did a court in Iowa in 1986.[53] Another a similar case in Cincinnati had the same judgement, [54] as did a case in Georgia.[55] Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and is the shire town of Chittenden County, Vermont. ... This article is about the seven branched candelabrum used in the Temple in Jerusalem. ... Grand Rabbi Israel Abraham Portugal of Skulen Hasidism lighting Hanukkah lights Hanukkah (‎, also spelled Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may fall anytime from late November to late December. ... The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion Together with the Free Exercise Clause, (or prohibiting the free exercise thereof), these two clauses make up what are commonly known as the religion clauses. ... The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a non_governmental organization devoted to defending civil rights and civil liberties in the United States. ... The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: District of Connecticut Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York District of Vermont The Second Circuit hears argument at the Thurgood Marshall U... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Largest metro area Des Moines metropolitan area Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ...


A similar case in White Plains led to the Common Council unanimously rejecting the display of a Menorah in a public space in the town with the support of many Jews, affirming a local tradition of keeping parks free of religious and political displays.[56] White Plains is the name of some places in the United States of America: White Plains, Georgia White Plains, Kentucky White Plains, Maryland White Plains, New York White Plains, North Carolina White Plains, New York was the site of the American Revolutionary War Battle of White Plains. ... Common Council may refer to: Buffalo Common Council, the legislative branch of the Buffalo, NY City Government Los Angeles Common Council, the predecessor of the Los Angeles City Council which serves the City of Los Angeles, California today Category: ...


In 1988, the American Jewish Congress produces a 28-page report, entitled "The Year of the Menorah", criticising Chabad's Menorah campaign and the litigation that went with it. It complained of the increase in the number of menorahs placed on public lands arguing that it was causing tension both within the community and with non-Jews.[57] The American Jewish Congress is a civil rights body formed both to protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans, as well as to act as a conduit for pro-civil rights activities in the American Jewish community. ...


Satmar-Chabad disturbances

On a number of occasions through the 1980s, Chabad and Satmar Hasidim became involved in violent brawls over various issues.[58] In 1983 tensions were elevated and rioting ensued. Chabad spokesman Yehuda Krinsky blamed that Satmars saying that the attacks were "definitely Satmar. Lubavitch is a victim of brutal attacks by Satmar. Their record of terrorism goes on."[59] In a letter to Time magazine he repeated his allegations, arguing that it was false to claim that both groups were guilty.[60] Rabbi Chaim Yehuda (Yudel) Krinsky (born 1933) is a Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...


Control of 770 Eastern Parkway

Lubavitch world headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway

In recent years violence and legal suits have surrounded the question of who controls the main synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway.[61] The synagogue is currently being run by a team of Gabaim who are elected by members of the Crown Heights community every three years. For many years these people have been exclusively messianist and have set the tone for of the building. Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, as the financial head of many of chabad's power-structures - has taken the Gaboim to court be regain control over the building for the anti-messianist strand. In March 2007 Krinsky lost his case, as the gaboim demonstrated to the Judges satisfaction that they were indeed maintaining the synagogue.[62] This partially overturned a 2006 ruling that Agudas Chasidei Chadad had complete control of the building.[63] However the judge ordered that the case would have to go to a full trial to determine the true status.[61] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 722 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1412 × 1173 pixel, file size: 582 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) 770 Eastern Parkway, headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 722 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1412 × 1173 pixel, file size: 582 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) 770 Eastern Parkway, headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. ... Eastern Parkway is a street that runs through a portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... Lubavitch world headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway 770 Eastern Parkway, commonly abbreviated to 770 or Seven-seventy is the street address of the central headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, located in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York in the United States of America. ... Rabbi Chaim Yehuda (Yudel) Krinsky (born 1933) is a Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. ...


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  1. ^ See Kuntres Ha'emes at http://identifyingchabad.org/kuntress_haemes.pdf
  2. ^ see The Hasidic Movement and the Gaon of Vilna by Elijah Judah Schochet.
  3. ^ Nehora: Jewish Online Bookstore's Entry on Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
  4. ^ a b Should Napoleon be victorious...": Politics and Spirituality in Early Modern Jewish Messianism, Hillel Levine, Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought 16-17, 2001
  5. ^ Napoleon u-Tekufato, Mevorach, pp.182-183
  6. ^ The vanishing American Jew: In search of Jewish identity for the next century, Alan Dershowitz, Boston, 1997, vi-vii
  7. ^ Napoleon and the Jews, Kobler, F., New York, 1976.
  8. ^ "Is Judaism a Theocracy?" by Yanki Tauber
  9. ^ Kuntreis U'Maayan (Heb. edition only), p. 17
  10. ^ Larger Than Life, Volume 2, by Shaul Shimon Deutsch (page 121)
  11. ^ Toras shalom P.73-74
  12. ^ Toras Shmuel 5667, pp. 73-74.
  13. ^ Rescued from the Reich, Bryan Mark Rigg, Cambridge University Press, 2005
  14. ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Chapter 13, notes, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
  15. ^ Larger Than Life, Volume 2, by Shaul Shimon Deutsch (page 121)
  16. ^ Sefer ha-Sichos 5687, pp. 121-122.
  17. ^ Basi L'Gani 1951
  18. ^ Likutei Sichos Vol. 2, pp.510-511. Can be seen at http://identifyingchabad.org/utzmus%20sicha%20510.jpg and http://identifyingchabad.org/utzmus%20sicha%20511.jpg
  19. ^ Pavzener, Avraham. Al HaTzadikim (Hebrew). Kfar Chabad. 1991
  20. ^ Frumer, Assaf. Kol Hanikra Bishmi (Hebrew)
  21. ^ Tanya, Likutei Amarim chapter 2
  22. ^ Certain parts put in bold by wikipedia editor
  23. ^ An Inquiry into the Role of the Tzaddik, Rabbi Gedaliah Aharon Kenig, Translated by David Zeitlin and David Sears, Pages 6-7, Agudas Sha'arei Tzaddik, Tzefat,Israel , 2005 The Breslov Center. PDF version can be seen at http://www.nachalnovea.com/breslovcenter/articles/Chayei_Nefesh_Part_I.pdf
  24. ^ Kuntres b'inyan mikdash m'at zeh bais rabeinu shbabavel", 5752, pg.465
  25. ^ Sefer HaSichos, 5752, pg.97
  26. ^ Sefer HaSichos, Shoftim, 7 Elul 5751 (August 17th 1991)
  27. ^ Sefer HaSichos, Shabbos Mishpatim, 5752 - February 1, 1992
  28. ^ Igros Kodesh vol. 3, pages 419-420. [Can be seen at http://identifyingchabad.org/igros%203-419.jpg and http://identifyingchabad.org/igros%203-420.jpg] Parts were put in bold by wikipedia editor
  29. ^ See Mechtavim v'Ma'amorim [Letters and Speeches of Rabbi Shach in Hebrew. Bnei Brak, Israel. 03-574-5006]: Volume 1, Letter 6 (page 15), Letter 8 (page 19). Volume 3, Statements on pages 100-101, Letter on page 102. Volume 4, letter 349 (page 69), letter 351(page 71). Volume 5, letter 533(page 137), letter 535 (page 139), speech 569 (page 173), statement 570(page 174)
  30. ^ Rabbi Shach's political legacy (Jerusalem Post) November 7, 2001.
  31. ^ Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jewish People in the 20th century, Berel Wein, 2001 by Shaar Press. pg. 340
  32. ^ The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger, 2001, published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization of Portland. Page 7.
  33. ^ Summer of the Messiah (Jerusalem Report) February 14, 2001.
  34. ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Chapter 10, notes, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
  35. ^ http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5766/eikev/olubvlornczekv66.htm
  36. ^ http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5766/eikev/olubvlornczekv66.htm
  37. ^ The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger, 2001, published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization of Portland. Page 7.
  38. ^ "He was referring to messianic fantasies simmering in a hasidic circle - in Israel, the adherents of that group had fomented a political feud along hasidic-misnagdic lines - and my father felt that the eventual publication of these chapters would help the general hasidic public shake off the messianics should their fantasy get out of hand. As it turned out, my father's concerns were well founded: a large segment of that hasidic cult did declare its leader to be the Messiah."
  39. ^ The making of a Godol, Nosson Kamenetsky, pp. xxvii-xxviii.
  40. ^ From Berlin to Slobodka by Rabbi Dr. Hillel Goldberg, KTAV 1989 (pages 187–188)
  41. ^ Larger Than Life, Volume 2, by Shaul Shimon Deutsch (page 121)
  42. ^ http://moshiachtalk.tripod.com/feldman.pdf See also Rabbi Feldman's letter to David Berger:http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/feldman_berger_sm_2.jpg
  43. ^ http://www.tzemachdovid.org/gedolim/ravshach2.html
  44. ^ http://moshiachtalk.tripod.com/henkin.pdf
  45. ^ The Rebbe, The Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference, David Berger, The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2001. pg 105.
  46. ^ "Robert Eisenberg, Boychiks in the Hood: Travels in the Hasidic Underground (HarperCollins, 1995), pp. 14-15, 232.
  47. ^ Moshian Shel Yisroal, vol.1, pg. 320
  48. ^ "Dissidents Name 'Rebbe'," The Forward, December 6, 1996
  49. ^ Mark A. Kaplan v. City of Burlington and Robert Whalen (12/12/89)United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, No. 89-7042; 891 F.2d 1024
  50. ^ Chabad-Lubavitch of Vermont v. City of Burlington, 936 F.2d 109 (C.A.2 (Vt.), 1991)
  51. ^ New Twist to Old Fight: Menorah in Vermont Park, Sally Johnson, New York Times, December 20, 1987
  52. ^ Lubavitch Chabad House, Inc. v. City of Chicago, 917 F.2d 341 (C.A.7 (Ill.), 1990)
  53. ^ Lubavitch of Iowa, Inc. v. Walters, 808 F.2d 656 (C.A.8 (Iowa), 1986)
  54. ^ Congregation Lubavitch v. City of Cincinnati, 923 F.2d 458 (C.A.6 (Ohio), 1991)
  55. ^ Chabad-Lubavitch of Georgia v. Miller, 5 F.3d 1383 (C.A.11 (Ga.), 1993)
  56. ^ White Plains Council Blocks Electric Menorah for Park, Lisa W. Foderaro, December 3, 1991
  57. ^ Menorah displays stir Jewish rift, Miami Herald, June 14, 1987
  58. ^ Jew cleared in beard-cutting case, Philadelphia Daily News, May 25, 1984
  59. ^ Attack on Rabbi brings anguish to Borough Park, Ari L. Goldman, New York Times, June 22, 1983
  60. ^ Letters to the editor, Time Magazine, August 01, 1983
  61. ^ a b Lawsuit Over Chabad Building Puts Rebbe’s Living Legacy on Trial, Nathaniel Popper, The Forward, March 16, 2007
  62. ^ Court Accepted The Claim of The Gaboim, Chabad News Online, March 8, 2007
  63. ^ Who controls Lubavitch headquarters?, David Berger, Jerusalem Post, April 22, 2006
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