There are multiple, or should I say many, problems with Chabad-Lubavitch, ranging from the realm of thought and theology to the realm of practice and action. Of course, their messianism is a central and often discussed issue nowadays, but it is by no means the only major problem with the group.
A recording of a recently aired Jewish radio program in NY, by the name of Levin at Eleven, was sent to me via e-mail, in which a member of Chabad-Lubavitch, evidently someone living in Crown Heights, slammed his own people, for terrible breaches in this area. Interestingly, while the (non-Lubavitch) hosts of the program tried to soften the criticism of Chabad, the Lubavitcher, an insider who knows the group from up close, spoke very strongly about the appalling situation.
Chabad is trying to do the impossible, practice Judaism without any concept of Hashem. It might look like it's working to outsiders who don't look past the beards, but there's nothing going on inside of them. What will bring Chabad down I can't say, but it's only a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that until the time of the Rayatz and the last Rebbe, Chabad was not much different from any other chassidus. I think they did stress an inward approach to Avodas HaShem focusing on the intellect. However, with the Rayatz, and even much more so with the last Rebbe, they went off the rails. The problem is that when you want to talk about this issue you encounter opposition because (and this is a very debatable point) "they do so much good and bring people to Torah".
DeleteJust to be fair, the Rayatz became Rebbe in the Soviet Union, during the terrible persecution of that time, followed by the Holocaust. Perhaps he felt that the terrible times required some changes.
DeleteWhat the guest says is of course true, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he is in fact not a Lubavitcher. His dialect and lingo carry no trace of it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comment. I could see that he may not have sounded like a stereotypical modern Lubavitcher to you, e.g. mentioning his Rebbe every other sentence, mentioning Moshiach over and over, and so on. However, it is obvious that he is from Crown Heights, so him being non-Lubavitch would be difficult to imagine. Maybe he is just like an anachronism, an old-fashioned Lubavitcher, who cares about old-fashioned Yiddishkeit, and things like tznius, instead of just being busy with his Rebbe, PR, Moshiach, mivtzoim, and the internet, all day. There are some of those that still exist, believe it or not.
DeleteYears ago (not in america) among others, american shleuchoynim in (lovley) small kosher restaurant, I am tzniut ('my' style which is halachic although not in line with their 'fashion'), nobody speaks with me (they don't need to and by no I'm really not interested), On my left sits a women at a small table who is dressed extremely immodestly behind a computer, Since I'm a woman I have compassion on her and I'm used to something, but..in a kosher restaurant that felt somewhat weird to me. Not to the sleuech (sorry I can't pronound the name which they appropriate them-selves) who seemed to find this another situation for triangulation namely he 'knew' me alright, never thought (as others) about actually beginning a conversation, but went outside with her to smoke a cigarette right in front of everyone to see because the restaurant has big windows and is tiny. It shortly gave me another strange feeling. It was as if he wanted to say 'she can dress like that and I will have compassion not on you nurd'. Well I don't feel like a 'nurd' at all and I was not personally 'affected' (besides know my psychological make-up quite well, I'm not from a 'frum' home and have loads of 'experience' (shush). It felt like another 'one upmanship' with this trianguation business. That is narcissistic (not implying that he is a narcissist by definition) among so many other instances in different settings and mannerisms. They need to feel 'superior' it seems which expresses itself in some instances more than in others which I'm constantly dealing with, without initializing the situation in any way shape or form. On the contrary I would say. I'm just me, myself, and my surroundings have no problems therewith, the contrary is mainly the 'case' because I am empathically inclinded, communicative regardless of whom I communicate with, and easily accessible. It's just some 'things' to them (that is what I experienced but I don't want to generalize) about my background, personality, gifts and Neshamah which 'offends' them personally and theologically. So I made this protocol I will not spend more emotional energy. And this incident is merely the tipe of the ice-berg. One of the last things is to get me back they do weird things without realizing that it makes me feel inhibited (boundary-crossing behavior not respecting my space even if it is in a public place like supermarket). This is not l.h. and I'm trying to forgive but my naive trustful behavior tw them has gone. So the macho stances (one upmanships) are 'dynamics' but what enables it is their theology combined with 'if you stand up to solve a problem proberly then that means you did it, have to account for it and who knows if it was condoned by the 'superiors' (?), besides, maybe a culture of 'who exerts himself is less than who doesn't because he solves the problem for them' except when it's about something 'exceptional' (like pick up the phone when x is calling, sorry was a joke because too serious is never good enough). They create an impossible atmospherre for some (I'm not the only one have spoken with some others whose complaints are shoved under the rug or they try to appease the situation depends..). 'Well seriously' You see it was already there in Sefer Shmuel when Eli did not say anything about the mis-conduct of his sons. Eli was the Cohen Gadol who served in the Mishkan. Maybe this had to be revealed for similar type situations to be compared although this was a 'once pattern setting' in place and time in Sefer Shmuel and although he was a Cohen Gadol. Eli thought his sons to be taken seriously instead of understanding that the Torah was not in his pocket and that he was appointed for Mitzvot which are too high to not be observed for the good of the nation.
ReplyDeleteMay H' find His Ways in order for 'fragile souls' to still keep growing spiritually
The speaker is a shakran. There is a place like this in CH, but it’s for men only.
ReplyDeleteThere are separate locations for women.
Who do you think you are fooling? You are saying sheker. (For those who may not know and might be fooled by such "Chasidic" charlatans) In Chabad's own media it is stated clearly as the radio caller in the recording stated. E.g. https://collive.com/rubashkins-tishrei-hospitality-sukkah-going-up/ (see comments), https://collive.com/rubashkins-hospitality-sukkah-already-going-up/
DeleteGo sell your lies elsewhere (maybe where someone will give you what you deserve for such brazen falsehood), we are not interested.