Recently, as part of their shluchim convention PR extravaganza banquet, Chabad-Lubavitch unveiled a new gimmick, a siyum (completion ceremony) of thirty six Chabad Torahs, which they, in their typical PR mode, claimed was the largest in history.
On the surface it seemed like a pure spiritual thing, that no one could take issue with. Looking deeper into it, however, one saw something quite disturbing. Chabad-Lubavitch had managed to corrupt even such an event.
So how are those Torahs different? Well, they are different in more than one way, for example, the different way their texts are written, regarding which you can consult a competent non-Chabad halachic authority, but I am not referring to that in this post. What I am referring to is something that is prominent and out in the open, even before the klaf (the scroll) is uncovered and opened.
The covers of the new Chabad Torahs are identical. They all state that they are for the merit of נשיא דורנו, the leader of our generation, a term they use for their late Rebbe, as if he was still presiding at their Crown Heights headquarters. Despite the fact that even when he was alive he was not the accepted leader of the Jewish people, despite the fact that he passed away close to thirty years ago, they still claim and promote him as the leader of our generation, as if he were still walking the earth now (on the other hand, his wife, their late Rebbetzin, is referred to with the expression peace be upon her, an expression used when referring to deceased people).
They take what is considered our holiest object, the sefer Torah, and use it as an advertising billboard to promote their late Rebbe, and their brand, trying to infect others with their dangerous, delusional, messianic fantasies.
There is a very important lesson that should be learned from this.
Some people think that they know better than Rav Schach zt"l and the other gedolim that stood with him in speaking out and standing strongly against Chabad-Lubavitch. They may pay lip service to him, but are moreh heter, justify giving themselves permission, that it is nevertheless okay to support Chabad. They may acknowledge that Lubavitch does not follow the mesorah, the traditional way, but hey, not everyone is the same, yada, yada. But people do not realize that supporting Chabad in any way, even if for something that on the surface seems neutral, or mainstream Jewish, like a sefer Torah, a mikvah, one of their organizations dealing with disabled children, the incarcerated, food for the hungry, or other things, means that you are strengthening them in their confused and perverted ways. On the other hand, as Rav Schach zt"l taught us, we need to separate and distance ourselves from them. That is how the organization Lev L'Achim came about, as a replacement for the Chabad Yad L'Achim. One should be careful even with Chabad businesses, like the Charidy online fundraising business, which funds and promotes Chabad activity. Non-Chabad organizations should use a different platform for online drives.
In the zechus of distancing ourselves, and refraining from even partnering with them, even when anything problematic is not immediately visible, may we be zoche to coming of the true Moshiach, bikarov, speedily in our days.
You're absolutely right, but people are so confused today that they don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI know someone who married an ex Lubavitcher. Her father saw the light when the Rebbe died and told his kids to escape the cult. This guy asked his rebbi why most institutions struggle financially but Chabad is rolling in dough. He answered that Chabad is doing Satan's will so he supports them.
ReplyDeleteMr. L. you did an excellent job editing my last post. Please feel free to do this in the future. I try to tell the whole story for accuracy sake. By the way the wife's siblings remained in the cult and they're total zombies.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to share two posts both related to the great upcoming Yom Tov, of course I'm referring to Yud Tes Kislev. The FTJT had an ad for a Yud Tes Kislev. celebration at Rabbi Blumencraz' shul in Far Rockaway. Can someone in the group comment on this? I found it shocking.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you are shocked about. That it is in a non-Lubavitch place? They may have just rented the location.
DeleteI understand, but a Litvish stronghold shouldn't allow its place to be used to promulgate their Shtus. When I mentioned this to my son, he told me that Chabad has basically succeeded in convincing the masses that Yud Tes Kislev is a Yom Tov for all Jews.
ReplyDeleteThey daven nusach Sfard there, so to me that indicates that it is not as Litvish as you seem to think it is. I think the Shul's founder may have been of Hasidic descent, even though he was viewed as Yeshivish.
DeleteRe what your son said, I strongly disagree. Chabad Lubavitch targets the gullible, ignorant masses, the lost sheep of Israel, so yes, among them, perhaps it convinces some of that, but among knowledgeable Jews that contention is laughable.
He's not part of the Yehivish world so perhaps in the circles he travels this is what he sees. Baruch Hashem he also tells what he believes to be true.
ReplyDeleteDid you notice that the visit of hagaon Rav Shaul Alter to the USA recently was missing in the following weeks Yated. A friend of mine said that if Rubashkin had come to meet Rav Shaul then maybe it would have been considered newsworthy (edited).
ReplyDeleteYour friend is a sharp guy. Maybe make the connection next time Rav Shaul comes. Rav Shaul did interact with Lubavitchers at the airport I saw.
DeleteYochanan Gordon noted that Yud Tes Kislev is such an important Yom Tov that he felt compelled to devote two columns to it, that would be the last two weeks. This week he related that when the Baal Hatanya came out of jail he spent time with a fellow who was a Talmid of the Vilna Gaon and he said, "The three hours I spent with Notkin was worse for me then the entire period of my incarceration." In Chaim Miller's translation of the Tanya he writes that the Baal Hatanya blamed the Vilna Gaon's rhetoric for the deaths of countless Chasidim. This is supposedly from a personal letter which the "current" Rebbe was holding. I spoke to my Rav and he told me that the Baal Hatanya's Chassidim printed numerous forgeries in a town in Ukraine(I think Kherson) aimed at depicting Misnagdim as the enemy. The attack on this Notkin fellow seems to be in line with that attitude. It's interesting how much hate speech comes from a group that purports to love every Jew. They love every Jew who knows nothing, because they're easy prey for conversion.
ReplyDeleteIt is known that the Kherson genizah letters that Chabad Lubavitch accepts are considered a forgery by experts including academics, other Chasidim, and rabbinic scholars. Even the secretary of the sixth Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe claimed to have met their forger. The Kotzk blog discussed this a while back.
DeleteOn a more general note, Chabad-Lubavitch is quite skilled at playing victim. They have used the victim card to their advantage for many years. Hopefully, people will get wise to their act, smarten up, see past it, and react appropriately in the future.
Let me now submit the other post, which is also courtesy of the FTJT. Everyone enjoys Purim Torah. What Yochanan Gordon presented is Chanukah Torah a la Chabad and it wasn't funny as much as it was laughable. He basically tried to prove that Yud Tes Kislev has the same status as Briyas Haolam. It goes like this. According to the opinion that Rosh Hashanah was on the first of Tishrei the Creation began five days earlier on the 25th of Elul. Now according to Chassidic belief, Chanukah is the culmination of the judgment that began on Rosh Hashanah and so it follows that Yud Tes Kislev which is six days before Chanukah corresponds to Briyas Olam.The Gem AZ 17a says that it's basically impossible to repent from idolatry, and that's why I hold out little hope for any Lubavichers ever seeing the light. They call the Rebbe Nosi Hador, I call him ______ _____ (edited).
ReplyDeleteHe seems to want to have it both ways. On the one hand, he says that 19 Kislev is Rosh Hashanah, and now he is saying that Chanukah is Rosh Hashanah, and 19 Kislev is before that. Doesn't seem to compute. Perhaps he enjoys "Purim Torah" year round.
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