Avodah Mailing List

Volume 02 : Number 092

Monday, December 28 1998

• Re: Avodah V2 #89
• [none]
• Re: Avodah V2 #91; Bais-Shammai/bais-Hillel; Lubavitch
• Re: Avodah V2 #90
• Re: Avodah V2 #89
• Re: chasid vs misnagad
• dreams
• Re: Sheer Curiousity!
• Re: Bas Kol & Bais-Hillel/Bais-Shammai
• Rav Keller on some rather extreme Meshichtzin

YGB wrote:

"I try as much as possible to avoid giving grown men with gray beards that
wear yechi
yarmulkes (a uniquely Lubavitcher phenomenon, along with the annoying bumper
stickers) aliyos."

Why?

Sincerely,
NW

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"This is very intriguing. I cannot respond since the "internal issues" =
are=20
not described. I personally believe that a strong challenge from outside =

would galvanize the "institutional and rabbinic leadership" into a =
public=20
repudiation of the meshichists, a repudiation which would then allow me =
and=20
many more like me to feel comfortable once again davening in a =
Lubavitcher=20
minyan."

The instituional and rabbinic leadership has gone on the public record. =
The umbrella organization of Lubavitch, Agudas Chassidie Chabad as well =
as the central Rabbinical body, Vaad Rabboni Lubavitch. These efforts =
where done in major media outlets, Jewish on non Jewish-including the =
New York Times.  As for our credibility, the leadership of the major =
Orthodox organizations are well aware-and have been informed on the =
internal dynamics. One of the reasons they have stayed away from the =
issue is that they understand what we are doing. We have had extensive =
discussions with them. I have personaly particpated in some of these =
conversations. Nor does  Lubavitich need to prove itself to anyone.  We =
are today the largest Jewish organization in the world. Our =
accomplishments in Torah and Yidddishkiet  speak for themselves.=20

"I disagree strongly. They are a major threat to Yahadus today. Shabsai=20
Tzvi's followers were also "shomer Torah and Mitzvos to the highest=20
degree". They moved away from normative Yiddishkeit because people like=20
Rabbi Yaakov Emden promulgated the view that they were a deviant sect.=20
Meshichists are no less deviant, and until I can tell the difference =
betwen=20
responsible Lubavitchers such as yourself and the meshichists, I will =
not=20
allow my son to step foot into a Lubavitcher school, shul, or =
Renaissance=20
Fair."

Your choice and your loss. The are many more important threats to =
Judaism today. I could list a long series of problems in the Frum world =
that are more important. As for the Renassiance Fair-which is in New =
Jersey, the Yeshiva there fired members of the Hanhalah that pushed =
Moshichist  viewpoints on the talmidim.=20

"I maintain, however, that Lubavitch has become so insular that it's =
leaders=20
have misapprehended the profound alienation that many if not most of us =
now=20
feel when we encounter the movement. Until the leadership publically=20
repudiates the meshichists, and stops implying that the existence of the =

meshichists are "none of our business", this alienation will continue, c =
=20
ulminating in a "passuling" of Lubavitch a la Dr. Melech Press."

We are far from insular. The issue is not that it is not your business. =
But you don't understand what the dynamics of the problem are and what =
needs to be done to solve. It has a lot more to do with politics than =
Moshiach. You may think you know what to do however unless you will =
spend time to develop an understanding of the internal dynamics of =
Lubavitch you will not accomplish anythin. Then again you can as a =
recent writer of an article for the Jewish Observer, with a long history =
of animus for Lubavitch and use this issue as another arrow in their =
quivers in which to attack.=20

The point is simple. For those who really want to know, and care about =
Lubavitch. the public record is clear. Still  anyone can buy an ad in =
the New York Times-and we cannot stop them in printing meshugas.  =
However as much as thier actions pains us, we will not write off our =
brothers and sisters. We will  apply the same approach of kiruv to our =
fellow Chassidim as we do to the outside world. Their numbers, and =
influence is dropping, much to the credit of painstaking efforts of =
convincing one after another that this is not the way.=20

Dovid Eliezrie






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<DIV><BR>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><BR>&quot;This is very intriguing. I cannot respond since the=20
&quot;internal issues&quot; are <BR>not described. I personally believe =
that a=20
strong challenge from outside <BR>would galvanize the =
&quot;institutional and=20
rabbinic leadership&quot; into a public <BR>repudiation of the =
meshichists, a=20
repudiation which would then allow me and <BR>many more like me to feel=20
comfortable once again davening in a Lubavitcher <BR>minyan.&quot;</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The instituional and rabbinic leadership has gone on the public =
record. The=20
umbrella organization of Lubavitch, Agudas Chassidie Chabad as well as =
the=20
central Rabbinical body, Vaad Rabboni Lubavitch. These efforts where =
done in=20
major media outlets, Jewish on non Jewish-including the New York =
Times.&nbsp; As=20
for our credibility, the leadership of the major Orthodox organizations =
are well=20
aware-and have been informed on the internal dynamics. One of the =
reasons they=20
have stayed away from the issue is that they understand what we are =
doing. We=20
have had extensive discussions with them. I have personaly particpated =
in some=20
of these conversations. Nor does&nbsp; Lubavitich need to prove itself =
to=20
anyone.&nbsp; We are today the largest Jewish organization in the world. =
Our=20
accomplishments in Torah and Yidddishkiet&nbsp; speak for themselves.=20
<BR><BR>&quot;I disagree strongly. They are a major threat to Yahadus =
today.=20
Shabsai <BR>Tzvi's followers were also &quot;shomer Torah and Mitzvos to =
the=20
highest <BR>degree&quot;. They moved away from normative Yiddishkeit =
because=20
people like <BR>Rabbi Yaakov Emden promulgated the view that they were a =
deviant=20
sect. <BR>Meshichists are no less deviant, and until I can tell the =
difference=20
betwen <BR>responsible Lubavitchers such as yourself and the =
meshichists, I will=20
not <BR>allow my son to step foot into a Lubavitcher school, shul, or=20
Renaissance <BR>Fair.&quot;</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Your choice and your loss. The are many more important threats to =
Judaism=20
today. I could list a long series of problems in the Frum world that are =
more=20
important. As for the Renassiance Fair-which is in New Jersey, the =
Yeshiva there=20
fired members of the Hanhalah that pushed Moshichist&nbsp; viewpoints on =
the=20
talmidim. <BR><BR>&quot;I maintain, however, that Lubavitch has become =
so=20
insular that it's leaders <BR>have misapprehended the profound =
alienation that=20
many if not most of us now <BR>feel when we encounter the movement. =
Until the=20
leadership publically <BR>repudiates the meshichists, and stops implying =
that=20
the existence of the <BR>meshichists are &quot;none of our =
business&quot;, this=20
alienation will continue, c&nbsp; <BR>ulminating in a =
&quot;passuling&quot; of=20
Lubavitch a la Dr. Melech Press.&quot;</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3>We are far from insular. The =
issue is not=20
that it is not your business. But you don't understand what the dynamics =
of the=20
problem are and what needs to be done to solve. It has a lot more to do =
with=20
politics than Moshiach. You may think you know what to do however unless =
you=20
will spend time to develop an understanding of the internal dynamics of=20
Lubavitch you will not accomplish anythin. Then again you can as a =
recent writer=20
of an article for the Jewish Observer, with a long history of animus for =

Lubavitch and use this issue as another arrow in their quivers in which =
to=20
attack. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3></FONT></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3>The point is simple. For those =
who really=20
want to know, and care about Lubavitch. the public record is clear. =
Still&nbsp;=20
anyone can buy an ad in the New York Times-and we cannot stop them in =
printing=20
meshugas.&nbsp; However as much as thier actions pains us, we will not =
write off=20
our brothers and sisters. We will&nbsp; apply the same approach of kiruv =
to our=20
fellow Chassidim as we do to the outside world. Their numbers, and =
influence is=20
dropping, much to the credit of painstaking efforts of convincing one =
after=20
another that this is not the way. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3></FONT></FONT><FONT=20
size=3D3></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Dovid Eliezrie</DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3></FONT></FONT><FONT=20
size=3D3></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D3><BR></FONT><BR><BR>&nbsp;</DIV></BODY></HTML>

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My sincere apologies to every reader for ruining AVodah #91. I used the
"Reply to Author" function, which copies the original message and then hit
some thing that just sent the whole thing off.

However, because I have some unanswered questions, I shall repeat them here:

1) M. Berger wrote:

"Beit Shamai however refused to accept the authority of the Sanhedrin
because they maintained that, because of their greater wisdom, their opinion
should
prevail."

How could that be the correct p'shat? If Bais Shammai were the minority and
a duly constituted Sanhedrin had issued a psak, why were Bais Shammai not
therefore zkainim mamrim?

2)  Would somebody please articulate publicly for this non-Lubavitcher what
"pasuls" a "mashiach-Lubavitcher" chasid's minyan, school, shul, shechita,
wine, Rennaissance Fair, etc.

Do those anti-Lubavitcher's also no longer consider Lubavitchers, those who
think the Rebbe is mashiach and those who do not, as "achicha" for the
purpose of several mitzvos?

Are they moridin v'ain ma'alin, ain moridin v'ain ma'alin, or neither?

Sincerely,
NW

On 12/27/98 21:17:12 David Riceman wrote:
>

>
>When I saw Dr. Press's comment that one traditionally wastes one's
>entire time learning until after high school I became somewhat nervous
>about my son.

This is a rather dramatic distortion of what I said.  I said that most people in the US do not begin serious learning until
the age of 17 or 18.  I did not say that they wasted their time nor did I say anything about the quality of the educational
system.  I merely said that the intense devotion to a subject that any area requires for mastery, much less Torah, does not begin 
for most American boys until they finish high school.  I do believe that our educational system has many demonstrated 
shortcomings, but that is far from saying that one wastes one's entire time.

>  Having read a few more Avoda issues, I was also shocked at Dr. Press's
>tentative suggestion that Roshei Kollel encourage the bulk of their
>students to desist from earning a living to provide a more encouraging
>atmosphere for the minority.
>
Here again is a statement that Mr. Riceman made, not I.  

Melech Press



M. Press, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Deputy Chair, Touro College
1602 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY 11230
718-252-7800, ext. 275

On Sun, 27 Dec 1998, Noah Witty wrote:

> YGB wrote:
> 
> "I try as much as possible to avoid giving grown men with gray beards
> that wear yechi yarmulkes (a uniquely Lubavitcher phenomenon, along with
> the annoying bumper stickers) aliyos." 
> 
> Why?
> 

Oh.

You thought I had a profound, defintive reason. The truth is, I don't. 
I.e., me'manafshach, if I hold they are truly Ovdei Avoda Zara (as one
Avodah member contended to me off-line) then I probably should not be
metzaref them for a minyan. 

The reason is more quasi-halachic - kind of similar to why we attempt not
to give people who are intermarried etc. aliyos even if they are ma'aminim
- so as not to give kavod to people who are not role-models. I believe R'
Moshe has a teshuva on this topic - instead of me going to my Yad Moshe,
perhaps yadmoshe@netvision.net.il can note where it is!

YGB

Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Cong. Bais Tefila, 3555 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago, IL, 60659
ygb@aishdas.org, http://www.aishdas.org/baistefila

On Sun, 27 Dec 1998, Cheryl Maryles wrote:

> Two points-first in response to RYGB is it really impossible to be both
> davek like a chasid and still be a talmid chochom, is it a conceptual
> thing that you can't have both goals or is it a reality (if it's a
> reality it will answer many questions you have about me:)) please
> elaborate I think the list will find it interesting

I'm sorry.

I don't think I can justify your existence for you here (but you are
welcome to do so yourself).

I think that the Misnagdic Kabbalistic schools - the Gr"a, R' Chaim
Volozhiner et al, believed that dveykus is not contingent on Emuna
Peshuta.

I think they defined dveykus as cognitive.

I think the Rambam's definition of Nevu'ah - and the Madreiga of the Avos,
discussed here on a previous occasion - defines this form of dveykus.

In fact, in R' Klonymos Kalmish Shapiro's definition of Chabad Chassidus,
he makes the point that Chabad pursues intellectual dveykus, while other
Chassidus (including Piaczesna) pursues emotional dveykus.

Chabad themselves noted this distinction, noting that they are Chabad and
the other Chassidus is *Chagas* (chesed, gevura, tiferes - ve'duk).

But, as my uncle said to me once, the problem is that the Chabad Chassidim
that the previous Rebbe found in America were of the Polish School, not
the classic White Russian School - and that ruined Chabad (producing what
I defined yesterday as the 70's theology).  

YGB

Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Cong. Bais Tefila, 3555 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago, IL, 60659
ygb@aishdas.org, http://www.aishdas.org/baistefila

> the Ben Ish Chai poskened that women should say brochas over mitzvos
> oseh she hazman gramman (against the position of the Shulchan Aruch) on
> the basis of a dream quoted by the Chida, in which the relevant talmid
> chacham (I don't think it was the Chida himself)  asked Hashem (directly
> or indirectly, I don't know) on the subject and was told that they
> should >>

In a shiur from Rav H. Schachter that I just attended he stated that the
Gemara says that a bet medrash does not need a mezuzah. However, the
prevelant custom is to put one on based on a dream of the maharam
mi-rotenberg. Rav Schacter added that the Gemara states that one does
not rely on dreams. In practice the Shulchan Arukh sometimes goes along
and sometimes dismisses an idea on the grounds that we don't follow
dreams. He said that he knew of no rules in this area.

To the best of my knowledge "Teshuvot mi-hashamayim" is not very accepted.

Since according to Sephardim it is a bracha le-vatala for a woman to
say a beracha over mitzvos oseh she hazman gramman  how could one
override this based on a dream?

Eli Turkel

YGB asked:

>Now that he is in the news so much, does anyone know if Amnon
>Lipkin-Shachak, possibly Israel's next PM, is a descendant of R' Yisroel
>Salanter, whose last name was Lipkin?



Great-nephew, I believe.


---sam

In v2n91, Noah Witty <nwitty@ix.netcom.com> attributes to me the quote:
"Beit Shamai however refused to accept the authority of the Sanhedrin because
they maintained that, because of their greater wisdom, their opinion should
prevail."

These are not my words, but rather those of David Glasner <dglasner@ftc.gov>.

I personally would not put the longevity of the debate on Beis Shammai's
shoulders, or assert that they thought they could overrule the Sanhedrin.
Instead, I would have assumed that the question was Sanhedrin's, in trying to
decide how they themselves should concretize the law.

I also mentioned in passing more than once that we should realize where
Sanhedrin "was holding" at the time. They just exiled themselves from the
Lishkas haGazis. This would mean that while they -- for the first time -- have
to decide between intellect and plurality external to their walls, they were
also trying to figure out their new role now that those walls have changed.

-mi

-- 
Micha Berger (973) 916-0287    Help free Yehuda Katz, held by Syria 6018 days!
micha@aishdas.org                         (11-Jun-82 - 28-Dec-98)
For a mitzvah is a lamp, and the Torah its light.
http://www.aishdas.org -- Orthodox Judaism: Torah, Avodah, Chessed

G-d - Centered or Rebbe/Messiah - Centered:
What is Normative Judaism?(1)
by Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller
Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe Chicago

In an article in the Summer '97 issue of The Jewish Observer, I wrote of
'a movement... of active messianism which has lately taken a frightening
turn towards avoda zara.' As is quite obvious to anyone who read the article
carefully, I took great pains not to level this charge at the whole Lubavitcher
movement, but against one faction - the group popularly known as 'Meshichisten'
(Messianists). To quote the article,

"We have seen a highly respected Chassidic movement, with great accomplishments
for Torah and Yiddishkeit to its credit, torn apart by a machlokes (dispute)
that touches ikrei emunah - the fundamentals of our faith.

"The Rebbe progressed in the eyes of ONE FACTION WITHING THE MOVEMENT [emphasis
added] from being a navi to being the most probable candidate for Moshiach,
to being 'bechezkas' Moshiach, to being Melech HaMoshiach, to being a dead
Moshiach who has not died, to being 'omniscient', 'omnipotent' and being
'the Essence and Being [of G-d] enclothed in a body!' (2)

"More recently, a full-page ad featured in The New York Times advised readers:
'The Rebbe, no longer bound by physical limitations, is accessible to all of
us, everywhere. Anyone, however great or humble, can turn to him with their
innermost thoughts and deepest prayers. There are no barriers. There is no
need to make pilgrimage or stand on line to receive his blessing.' (3)

"The Orthodox world looks for guidance; the non-Orthodox world impugns us
with guilt by association; those in Lubavitch who are opposed to all this
look for support."

A response to my article was circulated by Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz, regional
director of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois. He does not repudiate the offensive
statements as the opinions of a small minority - a lunatic fringe - as I
have heard from some of my Lubavitch friends. Instead he defends the whole
movement from the charge avoda zara by writing that 'these statements are
well within the mainstream of Torah thought as recognized by the non-Chassidic
world.' He then proceeds to cite chapter and verse from a number of sources -
Zohar, Yerushlami, Chassidus and even Nefesh Hachaim - to 'prove' that they
'do not indicate any turn away from normative Yiddishkeit.'

This to me is extremely disturbing, because Rabbi Moscowitz, whether his
hashkafos are normative Judaism or not, should, as the regional director of
Chabad Lubavitch of Illinois, certainly represent normative Lubavitch thinking.

Let us look at what we are being asked to believe is 'normative Yiddishkeit'
and 'well within the mainstream of Torah thought':

1. The Rebbe is not dead but still lives (so that we cannot celebrate his
Yahrzeit) and is present everywhere.

2. One may pray to the Rebbe, who also knows our innermost thoughts.

3. The Rebbe is omniscient - which in simple English means he knows everything
- a quality which is possessed only by HaShem Himself.

4. The Rebbe is omnipotent - meaning all powerful - kol yachol - which is
also the exclusive attribute of the Creator.

5. The Rebbe is the Essence and Being of G-d enclothed in a body. This,
together with the idea of the second coming of a dead Messiah, has heretofore
been recognized as standard Christian - certainly not Jewish - theology.

That there is a machlokes (dispute) within Lubavitch in these matters is
well known and was clearly demonstrated by the fact that a day after the
publication of the above mentioned full-page ad entitled 'The third of Tammuz
is not the Rebbe's Yahrzeit', there appeared another full page ad in the Times
published by American Friends of Lubavitch, entitled 'Finding Love and Unity
Across the Jewish Spectrum.' It contains not one word about him being alive,
or being Moshiach, or Being and Essence of G-d. In fact, it speaks of Jewish
communities the world over commemorating the third Yahrzeit of the Rebbe
on the third of Tammuz. One only commemorates Yahrzeits of dead people. So
there is obviously another faction. Which leads us to two possibilities:

A. That Rabbi Moscowitz, by virtue of his position, speaks as a spokesman for
the 'official' view of Lubavitch - and the non-Messianists are the minority.

Or

B. That the Meshichistin are the minority, but have taken over a significant
part of the Movement's official machinery - at least in Illinois.

I do not intend to respond to Rabbi Moscowitz. But I believe that a broader
discussion is in place at this time.

A CALL FOR BROADER DISCUSSION

In the first ad in The New York Times ('The Third of Tammuz is not the
Rebbe's Yahrzeit'), besides a perfunctory 'by the grace of G-d' written
in small letters at the top right hand of the ad, there is no mention of
HaShem. We are told that 'the Rebbe continues to inspire and direct the
drive towards the redemption in ways beyond our limited human vision.'

It is not Hakadosh Baruch Hu who directs, but the Rebbe. Moshiach is not a
shaliach of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, but the director of Redemption.

'We are absolutely certain the Rebbe will lead us to our ultimate and
eternal redemption' the ad tells us. VeHu yolicheinu komemius le'artzeinu -
'He will lead us proudly to our land' which all Jews recite referring to
Hakadosh Baruch Hu, is recited by the Messianists in reference to the Rebbe.

The ad does not tell us to turn to Hakadosh Baruch Hu with our innermost
thoughts and deepest prayers, but to the Rebbe.

A box on the side of the ad tells us: 'A single righteous act can tip the
balance and make all the difference. In honor of 3 Tammuz, I hereby commit
myself to the following improvements in my lifestyle in order to hasten the
arrival of Moshiach and redemption for all mankind.' This is followed by a
checklist of mitzvos.

                                * * *

Normative Yiddishkeit is a G-d-centered religion. We believe in an omniscient,
omnipotent, and omnipresent Creator to Whom we pray and Whose mitzvos we
fulfill because He has commanded us to do so.

What we are being asked by the Messianists to accept as normative Yiddishkeit
is a deified Rebbe/Messiah-centered religion. We are told to believe in an
omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Rebbe, who is the physical incarnation
of G-d, to whom we should direct our prayers, and that the mitzvos should
be performed in order to bring about his second coming.

What we have seen developing slowly over a number of years is finally
being publicly proclaimed. In simple words: Worship of the Rebbe has been
substituted for worship of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

                                * * *

The Meshichisten are quite apt at producing 'sources' for all their
theology. But let us ask a question: Did the theology and the resultant agenda
evolve from 'the sources,' or were the sources dug up to justify the theology
and the agenda? I have reason to believe that the latter is true. First,
because all of the above-mentioned statements now represented as normative
Yiddishkeit have been historically foreign to Jewish thought. Not only the
average Jew, but even Gedolei Torah who reviewed this article were not aware
of such Torah hashkafos based on these sources.

Second, the Messianists among Lubavitch are notorious for picking and choosing
'sources' which fit the current state of affairs, and then doing theological
and scholarly flip-flops when the situation changes. The obvious case-in-point:
when the Rebbe was alive, they brought 'proofs' from a number of sources
that there has to be a live person in every generation who is most fit to be
Moshiach. Because if he is not alive, how can we expect him to come every
day? When the Rebbe lay deathly ill, reporters asked Lubavitch spokesman
if they were preparing their children for the Rebbe's possible demise.
'Impossible,' was the answer: 'this doesn't even come into question.
Should we tell them the sun will not rise tomorrow?'

And then the Rebbe died!... Whereupon sources were immediately found that
there could be a dead Moshiach, even sources that Moshiach had to appear and
then disappear - meaning that he would die. But then there seems to be some
disagreement on this point even among the Meshichisten. Some got around the
problem by saying that he never died.

'Since the Third of Tammuz (5754-1994), we are no longer able to physically see
the Rebbe King Moshiach. The Rebbe remains physically alive just as before,
it is only to our eyes that he is concealed. Therefore, we call this a day
of concealment, and many refer to this as the "last test." Just as we know
that there is a G-d though we may not see him (sic), so too the Rebbe King
Moshiach is here even though we do not see him.'(4)

The ad in The New York Times seems to want to cover all bases. We are told
there: "Three years ago today (3 Tammuz 5754) the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi
Menachem M. Schneerson was liberated from the limitations of corporeal
existance.' He is not alive in a physical sense - which makes him even
greater. And therefore, 'the third of Tammuz is not the Rebbe's Yahrzeit.' Yet
the ad tells us, 'We believe with complete and uncompromising faith in
Moshiach and the resurrection of the dead.' They obviously hope for his
resurrection from the dead.

To address and refute point by point all of the Messianists 'proofs' does
not come into question. We are not going to enter into theological debate on
unquestionable ikrei emuna and dignify with a response that which should not
even be heard. Wagon loads of so-called 'proofs' will not make the Lubavitcher
Rebbe into what the Messianists would have us believe, and will not convert
Christian theology into normative Judaism.

Besides, I do not believe that it will make any difference to the
Messianists. They will remain steadfast in their faith. For most others, it's
not necessary, because the fallacies are obvious. But for those who may be
confused, I will address the issue in a general manner and begin by making
one quite universally accepted observation: Any serious student of Torah
knows that there are statements in Tenach and in the words of the chachamim
to be taken literally, and those to be understood metaphorically. Whosoever
confuses the two is guilty at times of outright kefira (heresy).

Of Literal Meaning and Allegory

If one would take every pasuk in the Torah literally, for instance, he could
'prove' that HaShem has hands and feet and eyes and a mouth, which any cheder
child knows is not true. These pesukim are obviously not to be understood
kepshutan - literally - but metaphorically.

Similarly, if we take pesukim such as 'You shall tie them as a sign on your
hand and they shall be an adornment between your eyes,' or 'and you shall
write them on the doorposts of your house' allegorically we will have (Chas
v'shalom) eliminated the mitzvos of tephillin and mezuza.

The Messianists 'sources' for 'equating Tzaddikim with HaShem' are obviously
not to be taken literally, but are to be understood as referring to certain
attributes of HaShem which apply to the Tzaddikim, or as speaking of HaShem's
spirit resting on the tzaddikim. If we say that these sources 'prove' that
HaShem's 'Being and Essence' is clothed in a body, we are guilty of the same
idolatrous error as saying that the Creator has hands and feet. (5)

But perhaps the Messianists are also using the term 'Being and Essence' in
an allegorical sense? This is obviously not so. The article (6) I quoted in
my original essay leaves nothing to the imagination. Let me quote more fully:

"So being stuck with Moshe Rabbeinu means being stuck with the Rebbe, which
means being stuck with the absolute truth of their statements, including
those statements about what is Rebbe. For example, that Rebbe is the
'Essence and Being [of G-d] enclothed in a body,' that a Rebbe is by nature
'omniscient,' and 'omnipotent', that all material and spiritual blessings
flow from the Rebbe.

"These are radical statements that many would like to sweep under the rug of
normative Judaism. However, they are neither wild exaggerations nor poetic
parables. Rather these ideas are facts of life which help us understand how a
'human being' like the Rebbe can foresee and control and coordinate the finest
details of someone's personal life effecting his powerful blessings over many
years and many miles removed. In other words, there is nothing shocking about
the Rebbe's power given that his nature is above the limitations of nature."

The article concludes as follows

"What can we learn from all of this? See G-dliness! These is someone
controlling the workings of this world and therefore everything is governed
according to Particular Divine Providence. Moreover, this Particular Divine
Providence operates not only when we see how it all comes together but
also when we don't. We know this to be true because the 'punchline' Divine
Fingerprint event must be known in advance by someone drafting the plan
and coordinating various unrelated factors long in advance of the climatic
glorious moment when it all comes together.

"But who is that someone pulling the strings and dispensing all Particular
Divine Providence, revealed and otherwise? Our Sages say 'A Tzaddik decrees
and the Holy One Blessed Be He fulfills.' They also say 'The Holy One Blessed
Be He decrees and the tzaddik tears it up.'

"So who Elokeinu? Who Avinu? Who Malkeinu? Who Moisheinu? Who Yoshianu
V'Yigaleinu Shaynis B'Korov? The Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach. That's who."

In other words, not only is there an equation between G-d and the Rebbe,
the Rebbe possessing of HaShem's attributes, but the Rebbe dictates to
HaShem, and he, the Rebbe, is running the show, not HaShem. So the Rebbe is
Elokeinu. (Chalilah)

The avoda zara of these statements is so obvious, that there is nothing more
to discuss.

From Faith to Realm of Action

Of course, this does not remain with faith alone, but is translated into
action by directing prayers TO the Rebbe. All of the 'sources' that indicate
one can ask tzaddikim to intercede for him with their prayers to HaShem have
no bearing on praying TO the tzaddik. Praying to the tzaddik, upon whom one
has conferred the qualities of omniscience and omnipotence, is avoda zara.

To cite sources from Zohar that the souls of departed tzaddikim are found in
all worlds more then in their lifetime and that they shield the world after
their death, to justify an ad that is entitled "The Third of Tammuz is not
the Rebbe's Yahrzeit" is absurd.

The Zohar is referring to dead tzaddikim, whose yahrzeits are observed. The
Messianists, however, still consider the Rebbe alive - even call him the
Rebbe Shlita and speak of him in the present tense. Moshe Rabbeinu died,
Avraham Avinu died - but the Rebbe lives on! This may not be avoda zara per
se, but it is surely not normative Yiddishkeit, and is the door that opens
to avoda zara. Once a hero has been immortalized, the process of deification
is not far behind.

The ad tells us: 'We believe with complete and uncompromising faith in Moshiach
and the resurrection of the dead.' To that, we say, 'So do we.' But these
are but two of the Rambam's Thirteen Principles of Faith. There are eleven
others, also codified in the Ani Maamin accepted by faithful Jews all over
the world - among them: 'I believe with perfect faith that the Creator,
blessed be His Name, creates and rules all creatures and He alone made,
does make and will make all things.' - 'I believe with a perfect faith that
the Creator, blessed be His name, is not a body, and nothing pertaining to
physical bodies pertains to him.' - 'I believe with perfect faith that to
the Creator, blessed be His Name, alone is it proper to pray, and that it is
wrong to pray to any other.' - I believe that the Creator knows all the actions
of man and all their thoughts'; and this is the exclusive property of HaShem.

Of course, the Meshichistin in their fantasies believe that once they have made
the Rebbe into the Being and Essence of G-d, there is no problem with any of
this. But the Rebbe is not the first man to have been made into a god. History
is replete with them. The Torah tells us in Parshas Bereishis in regard to
the generation of Enosh: 'Az huchal likro beshaim HaShem' (Bereishis 4.26)
Rashi explains that HaShem's Name was profaned by calling men and idols
with the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu - Nimrod, Pharoah, Nevuchadnetzar,
the Nazarene, and the Emperor of Japan, are just a few examples. But this
is not normative Judaism.

A Plethora of New and Bizarre Practices

All sorts of new and bizarre practices have arisen. A new declaration has
evolved, which is at once a proclamation of faith and, to some, a form
of worship recited three times in unison after davening and at simchos or
public gatherings: 'Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu Verabbeinu Hamelech Hamoshiach
l'olam va'ed - Long live our master, our teacher, our Rebbe, King Moshiach
forever and ever.' (7) Eye witnesses report that this slogan is embroidered
on the paroches of the Aron Kodesh of Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern
Parkway. (It should be noted that this was, and continues to be, a source
of internal controversy.)

To 'connect to the Rebbe' (hiskashrus im HaRebbe) - Chasidim close their
eyes and conjure up the image of the Rebbe (8). School children are being
taught to kiss the Rebbe's picture just as they kiss the mezuza.

People are submitting their questions and problems to the Rebbe, and requesting
his blessings by writing letters to him and placing them at random in the
Rebbe's volume of correspondence, 'Igros Kodesh.' Whatever letter of the
Rebbe happens to be on that page is considered to be an answer from the
Rebbe. The Rebbe's mikvah water has become a new wonder cure for whatever
ails you. Drink it or apply it locally and with a substantial contribution to
tzeddaka, miracles will happen. If all this sounds strange to most Jews, to the
Messianists it is all mainstream Judaism. And a 'source' can be found for it.

The supreme tragic irony, however, is that the whole messianic movement -
even with the inevitable elements of avoda zara removed - has not strengthened
belief in Moshiach, but as with all false messianic movements of the past,
has ultimately weakened it. It has become an object of ridicule among Jews
and non-Jews alike, who look askance at the whole concept of Moshiach, which
has been trivialized by the ads, billboards, bumper stickers and petitions. (9)

From Literal Meaning to Allegory

The Meshichisten are not only guilty of taking literally that which was never
meant to be taken literally, but have also turned that which was certainly
meant to be taken literally into allegory.

The Rambam is quite clear in describing the prerequisites for one to be
called Melech Hamoshiach: 'If a king will arise from the House of David who
learns Torah and engages in mitzvos like his father David, according to the
written Torah and the Oral Torah, and compels ALL OF ISRAEL to follow it,
and strengthens and repairs its breaches, and FIGHTS THE WARS OF HASHEM -
this person is BECHEZKAS SHEHU (can be assumed to be) MOSHIACH. If he did
this and was successful and BUILT THE MIKDASH IN ITS PLACE AND GATHERED
THE DISPERSED OF ISRAEL, he is definitely Moshiach.' (10) (The emphasis is
added intentionally)

ALL of Israel have not been brought to follow the Torah. No wars were
fought. The Beis Hamikdash has not been built, and the Jewish people is
still dispersed to the four corners of the earth. But none of this fazes
the Messianists who use this very Rambam to prove that the Rebbe is not only
bechezkas (presumed to be) Moshiach - he is vadai (definitely) Moshiach.

To them 'ALL of Israel' means the unknown numbers of those who have been
brought closer to the Rebbe's shluchim. There may be a considerable number,
but by no stretch of the imagination are they all - or even a significant
percentage (11) - of the world's Jews. The bloodless revolution that brought
down the Communist regime in the Soviet Union is the success in the 'Wars
of HaShem' referred to by the Rambam - which were spiritual wars fought by
the Rebbe's emissaries to Russia. The aliya from the former Soviet Union is
the gathering of the exiles, which of course the Rebbe as Moshiach effected.

What about the Beis Hamikdash? There the allegorical ingenuity (and confusion)
knows no bounds.

'Moshiach builds the Temple in his place where he lives at the time of
exile. This Temple is the building at 770 Eastern Parkway, the synagogue
from which the Rebbe teaches the Torah, and from where the 'light bursts
forth to the rest of the world.' The future Temple will be revealed first
in the place where Moshiach builds his Temple in exile, and from there it
will be moved to Jerusalem.' (12)

And the Jewish people is supposed to accept this as mainstream Judaism!

More than the Rambam's Moshiach

The Messianists have even gone further then the Rambam requires in qualifying
the Rebbe as Moshiach. They attribute all sorts of miracles to him.

'Amazing stories keep pouring in from all corners of the globe. People are
experiencing miracles large and small. Lives are being transformed. The
sick are being healed. Broken families are being reunited. Livelihoods are
being restored. And all this because of a profound personal connection to
the Rebbe who is with all of us.' (13)

The Rambam says:

'And let it not enter your mind that the Melech Hamoshiach must perform signs
and wonders and bring about new things in the world or bring the dead back
to life or other things of the sort. This is not so. For Rabbi Akiva was
a great chacham among the sages of the Mishna, and he served the King Ben
Koziba (Bar Kochba), and he said about him that he was Melech Hamoshiach,
and he and all of the sages of his generation thought he was the Melech
Hamoshiach, until he was killed because of our sins. Once he was killed,
it was known to them that he was not. And the chachamim had not asked of
him any signs or wonders.' (14)

In short, according to the simple, true pshat in Rambam, Moshiach is not
required to do miracles but he is required to produce certain results. If
he dies before he has produced, he is not Moshaich! But according to the
Messianists, dying does not disqualify the Moshiach. Judging by their
standards, Rabbi Akiva was not a true believer - for nothing stands in the
way of true faith. Rabbi Akiva and all of the sages should have believed in
the second coming of Bar Kochba; or better still, they should have believed
that he never died.

SOME VERY BASIC QUESTIONS

Our present day Meshichisten are much stronger in their faith, and therefore
have after his death gone far beyond what they dared to do in the Rebbe's
lifetime. Which brings us to a very basic question: Who is now setting the
tone in Lubavitch? Who has promulgated all of the new beliefs that have come
since the Lubavitcher Rebbe's demise? When the Rebbe was alive and well,
his was the final word. Since then, who has decided all of this? Who said
that the Rebbe is Moshiach after he died? Or that he still lives in the
physical sense, except that our human eyes cannot see him; or that he was
liberated from all limitations of corporeal existance and is everywhere? Who
instituted all the strange practices referred to above?

If the Rebbe is indeed Moshiach and 'the Being and Essence, 'etc., why is
it necessary to prove so in full page ads in The New York Times?

Why has the Torah community not risen up against these aberrations and allowed
matters to deteriorate so far without any more vigorous protest? I suspect that
it is because these Meshichisten are not taken seriously. People consider them
odd and shrug them off with a smile. But this is not a laughing matter. We
are living in an age of tshuva. Young people are seeking spirituality and
many of them are being drawn into this. What is perhaps more pitiful, a whole
generation of children in those schools controlled by the Meshichisten are
being educated into false messianism and avoda zara.

There is no question that the Lubavitcher Rebbe created the world's largest
Jewish outreach organization and one of the largest educational networks. It
is indeed sad to see a movement with so much good to its credit and so much
mesiras nefesh being dragged down and discredited by tragically misguided
people.

The responsible elements in Lubavitch must face up to the question: what will
become of this movement? Will it be set back on a true course to reach out and
bring Jews closer to HaShem and His mitzvos, or evolve into a huge messianic
cult whose purpose is to propagate the divinity and worship of the Rebbe?

NOTES:

1. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article, as well as the quote from my previous article
cited below, were reviewed, before they were published, by several widely
respected Gedolei Torah - both Chassidic and non-Chassidic - who urged
their publication.

2. These are direct quotes (including the words in brackets) from 'The Rebbe's
Answer: A Dream Come True', by Aryeh A. Gotfryd, Beis Moshiach, Elul, 5756

3. The advertisement, entitled 'The Third of Tammuz is Not the Rebbe's
Yahrzeit', sponsored by Shofar Association of America Inc, 820 Eastern Parkway,
Brooklyn, appeared in the Times on July 8, '97.

4. Published in a brochure entitled "Chasidim Proclaim to the Lubavitcher
Rebbe: Long Live our Master, our Teacher, our Rebbe King Moshiach Forever
and Ever," compiled in the 'Merit of the Righteous Women'/433 Kingston
Avenue/P.O. Box 35/Brooklyn, NY 11225

5. In his letter, Rabbi Moscowitz writes, "It is possible that Rabbi Keller's
ire is aroused by the words 'Essence' and 'Being' [used in reference to the
Rebbe], but the basic issue is identical, whether we speak of the Shechina,
spirit of G-d, the Essence of G-d, Being of G-d, or any other term for HaShem
as being enclothed in a body."

I find this confusion and equation of 'Being and essence' - atzmus u'mahus
- with Shechina, nothing short of amazing. There is a basic elementary
difference between Shechina - the manifestation of kavod HaShem, which may
be limited in time and place - and the Being and Essence of Ein Sof, which
has no limitation. The Being and Essence of HaShem is such that it is above
time and place - v'les machshava tefisa bay klal - no human thought can at
all have any grasp of it.

6. 'The Rebbe's Answer: A Dream Come True,' by Aryeh A. Gotfryd, Ph.D.,
Beis Moshiach, Elul 5756.

7. In 1996, in Sichos Hage'ula, weekly published in Israel, the word
'Boreinu (Our Creator)' was substituted for 'Our Rebbe.' This, of course,
created quite a stir, even among Meshichisten, and its use in print has been
discontinued, to the best of my knowledge. It is still used orally, however,
by some extreme elements.

8. The Rema in the first Sif in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim tells us that
shivisi HaShem lenegdi tamid is a great principle in the Torah and in Maalos
Hatzaddikim. The Mishna Berura explains this to mean that a person should
always think that he stands in the presence of the Ribbono Shel Olam because
the world is filled with the glory of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. He writes in the
name of the Ari Z'L that a person should conjure up before his mind's eye
the name of HaShem, which helps greatly in acquiring Yiras Shamayim. For
this the Messianists have substituted the Rebbe's picture!

9. On Feb 6, '98, there appeared a half page ad in the Jewish Press entitled:
'You can help bring Moshiach closer' - with a copy of a declaration
addressed: 'To our revered teacher and Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson,
melech hamoshiach, may you live for ever,' and declaring acceptance of
his leadership: 'We request, pray, and demand that Moshiach be immediately
revealed for all to see...' - to be signed and returned to: Yechi Hamelech,
1715 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY.

10. Hilchos Melachim 11:4

11. The most extravagant claims of Lubavitch put the total number belonging
to the whole movement at 200,000 out of 14,000,000 Jews worldwide - less
then 1.5%. (More conservative professional estimates put the number at a
fraction of that figure.)

12. Quoted in full from the above mentioned pamphlet, 'In the Merit of
Righteous Women.'

13. Ad in the New York Times - 'The third of Tammuz, etc...'

14. Hilchos Melachim 11:3

********************


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