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Kabbalah

Kabbalah is the name applied to the whole range of Jewish mystical activity. While codes

of Jewish law focus on what it is God wants from man, kabbalah tries to penetrate

deeper, to God's essence itself.

There are elements of kabbalah in the Bible, for example, in the opening chapter of

Ezekiel, where the prophet describes his experience of the divine: "... the heavens opened

and I saw visions of God.... I looked and lo, a stormy wind came sweeping out of the

north-a huge cloud and flashing fire, surrounded by a radiance; and in the center of the

fire, a gleam as of amber" (1:1,4). The prophet then describes a divine chariot and the

throne of God.

The rabbis of the Talmud regarded the mystical study of God as important yet dangerous.

A famous talmudic story tells of four rabbis, Azzai, Ben Zoma, Elisha ben Abuyah, and

Akiva who would meet together and engage in mystical studies. Azzai, the Talmud

records, "looked and went mad [and] Ben Zoma died." Elisha ben Abuyah became a

heretic and left Judaism. Rabbi Akiva alone "entered in peace and left in peace." It was

this episode, the later experiences of individuals who became mentally unbalanced while

engaging in mystical activities, and the disaster of the false Messiah Shabbetai Zevi that

caused seventeenth-century rabbis to legislate that kabbalah should be studied only by

married men over forty who were also scholars of Torah and Talmud. The medieval

rabbis wanted the study of kabbalah limited to people of mature years and character.

The most famous work of kabbalah, the Zohar, was revealed to the Jewish world in the

thirteenth century by Moses De Leon, who claimed that the book contained the mystical

writings of the second-century rabbi Simeon bar Yochai. Almost all modern Jewish

academic scholars believe that De Leon himself authored the Zohar, although many

Orthodox kabbalists continue to accept De Leon's attribution of it to Simeon bar Yochai.

Indeed, Orthodox mystics are apt to see Bar Yochai not so much as the Zohar's author as

the recorder of mystical traditions dating back to the time of Moses. The intensity with

which Orthodox kabbalists hold this conviction was revealed to me once when I was

arguing a point of Jewish law with an elderly religious scholar. He referred to a certain

matter as being in the Torah, and when I asked him where, he said: "It's in the Zohar. Is

that not the same as if it was in the Torah itself?"

The Zohar is written in Aramaic (the language of the Talmud) in the form of a

commentary on the five books of the Torah. Whereas most commentaries interpret the

Torah as a narrative and legal work, mystics are as likely to interpret it "as a system of

symbols which reveal the secret laws of the universe and even the secrets of God"

(Deborah Kerdeman and Lawrence Kushner, The Invisible Chariot, p. 90). To cite one

example, Leviticus 26 records "a carrot and a stick" that God offers the Jewish people. If

they follow his decrees, He will reward them. But if they spurn them, God will "set His

face" against the people: "I will discipline you sevenfold for your sins...." and "I will

scatter you among the nations" (26:28, 33). At the chapter's conclusion, God says: "Yet,

even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or spurn

them so as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them, for I am the Lord, their

God" (26:44).

On this series of admonitions, the Zohar comments: "Come and see the pure love of the

Blessed Holy One for Israel. A parable: There was a king who had a single son who kept

misbehaving. One day he offended the king. The king said, 'I have punished you so many

times and you have not [changed]. Now look, what should I do with you? If I banish you

from the land and expel you from the kingdom, perhaps wild beasts or wolves or robbers

will attack you and you will be no more. What can I do? The only solution is that I and

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you together leave the land.' So . . . the Blessed Holy One said as follows: 'Israel, what

should I do with you? I have already punished you and you have not heeded Me. I have

brought fearsome warriors and flaming forces to strike at you and you have not obeyed. If

I expel you from the land alone, I fear that packs of wolves and bears will attack you and

you will be no more. But what can I do with you? The only solution is that I and you

together leave the land and both of us go into exile. As it is written, 'I will discipline you,'

forcing you into exile; but if you think that I will abandon you, Myself too [shall go] along

with you."'

There are many strands of teaching in the kabbalah. Medieval kabbalists, for example,

were wont to speak of God as the En Sof (That Which Is Without Limit). The En Sof is

inaccessible and unknowable to man. But God reveals Himself to mankind through a

series of ten emanations, sefirot, a configuration of forces that issue from the En Sof . The

first of these sefirot is keter (crown) and refers to God's will to create. Another sefira,

binah (understanding), represents the unfolding in God's mind of the details of creation,

while hesed (lovingkindness) refers to the uncontrolled flow of divine goodness. Most of

the sefirot are regarded as legitimate objects for human meditation; they represent a way

in which human beings can make contact with God. Through contemplation and virtuous

deeds, human beings can also bring down the divine grace to this world.

The greatest scholar and historian of kabbalah in this century was the late Professor

Gershom Scholem of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Scholem, himself a nonobservant

Jew, was fond of explaining how he became attracted to so esoteric a discipline: "My

decision to study Jewish mysticism came the day I visited the home of a famous German

rabbi, a person with a reputation for scholarship in the kabbalah.... Seeing on his shelf

some mystical texts with intriguing titles, I had, with all the enthusiasm of youth, asked

the rabbi about them. 'This junk,' the rabbi had laughed at me. 'I should waste time

reading nonsense like this?' It was then . . . that I decided here was a field in which I

could make an impression. If this man can become an authority without reading the text,

then what might I become if I actually read the books?"

As a rule, mekubbalim (people who actively study and practice kabbalah) are skeptical of

men like Scholem, who studied kabbalah as a university discipline and not from a

personal conviction of its truth. One mekubbal, Rabbi Abraham Chen, declared on one

occasion before a seminar of Scholem's students: "A scholar of mysticism is like an

accountant: He may know where all the treasure is, but he is not free to use it."

A precisely opposite view on the value of kabbalah was taken by the late Professor Saul

Lieberman, the great Talmud scholar of the Jewish Theological Seminary. In an

introduction to a lecture Scholem delivered at the seminary, Lieberman said that several

years earlier, some students asked to have a course here in which they could study

kabbalistic texts. He had told them that it was not possible, but if they wished they could

have a course on the history of kabbalah. For at a university, Lieberman said, "it is

forbidden to have a course in nonsense. But the history of nonsense, that is scholarship."

Lieberman's caustic comment aside, kabbalah has long been one of the important areas of

Jewish thought. Ideas that many contemporary Jews might think of as un-Jewish

sometimes are found in the kabbalah, most notably, the belief in reincarnation (gilgul

neshamot). Between 1500 and 1800, Scholem has written, "kabbalah was widely

considered to be the true Jewish theology," and almost no one attacked it. With the

Jewish entrance into the modern world, however-a world in which rational thinking was

more highly esteemed than the mystical-kabbalah tended to be downgraded or ignored.

In recent years, there has been an upsurge of interest in kabbalah, and today it is

commonly studied among Hasidic Jews, and among many non-Orthodox Jews who are

part of the counterculture.

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Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov (Besht)

(1698 – 1760)

The early life of Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer, also known as the Baal Shem Tov (Besht), is

surrounded by mystery. As founder of what is possibly the single most important

religious movement in Jewish history, Chassidus, many legends have grown around him

and it is difficult for us to know what is historical fact. Even the year of his birth is a

matter of controversy, some sources say it was 1700.

Rabbi Yisrael was born in Okop, a small village in the Ukraine on the Polish Russian

border (Podolia). His parents, Eliezer and Sarah, were quite old when he was born and

they passed away when he was a still a very young child. Many legends are told about

Eliezer, the father of the Baal Shem Tov. We are told that his last words to his son were

"Fear nothing other than God."

The young orphan was cared for by the community and presumably received the same

education most children received. Nevertheless, he was different from most children. He

would wander in the fields and forests surrounding his home and seclude himself,

pouring out his heart to God. Young Yisrael had an unusually strong emotional

relationship with God. This relationship was perhaps the defining characteristic of the

religious approach he would ultimately develop and which came to be known as

Chassidus.

When he entered his teens the community's responsibility to support him ended and he

was given a job as a teacher's assistant (bahelfer). One of his tasks was to escort the

children to and from school, a task which he performed in his own unique way, leading

the children in song and praise to God.

His next job was as a caretaker in the local synagogue. This provided the young Yisrael

with the opportunity to study and develop. During this period he attained an outstanding

level of knowledge in the entire body of Jewish knowledge, including eventually, the

mysteries of Kabbalah. Nevertheless, he publicly maintained an image of simplicity, and

the townspeople were completely ignorant of his stature.

According to legend, during this period Yisrael developed a relationship with other

hidden tzadikim (righteous men). Most significant was a tzadik named Rabbi Adam Baal

Shem, who bequeathed his writings to Yisrael.

He also apparently married during this period, but his wife passed away. At some point

after the death of his first wife he moved to a town near Brody where he was hired as a

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teacher for young children. He became acquainted with Rabbi Ephraim of Brody, who

somehow discovered that Yisrael was not the simple fellow he appeared to be. He was so

impressed with Yisrael that he offered his daughter, Leah Rochel, to Yisrael for a wife.

However, Rabbi Ephraim passed away a short time later, so when Yisrael went to Brody

to marry his wife, he met the bride's brother, Rabbi Gershon Kitover, also a major

scholar. When Yisrael presented himself as the groom, Rabbi Gershon was shocked, since

Yisrael was dressed in the manner of an ignorant peasant. However, Yisrael produced a

letter of engagement and Rabbi Gershon begrudgingly agreed. Leah Rochel however, was

apparently more perceptive and saw that there was more to Yisrael than appeared on the

surface. After their marriage, Rabbi Yisrael and his wife moved to a small town in the

Carpathian Mountains. Supported by his wife, he spent this period in study and worship.

Finally, when he was thirty-six years old in the year 1734, Rabbi Yisrael revealed himself

to the world. He settled in Talust and rapidly gained a reputation as a holy man. He

became known as the Baal Shem Tov, Master of the Good Name. (The title Baal Shem

(Master of the Name) was used for holy men who were known as miracle workers since

they used the power of the Name of God to work miracles.) He was also known by the

acronym of "Besht." Later he moved to Medzeboz in Western Ukraine, where he lived for

the rest of his life.

Rabbi Yisrael's fame spread rapidly. Many important scholars became his disciples. It

was during this period that the movement, which would eventually be known as

Chassidus (piety), began. The Baal Shem Tov's teachings were largely based upon the

Kabalistic teachings of the AriZal (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-72) but his approach made

the benefits of these teachings accessible even to the simplest Jew.

He emphasized the profound importance and significance of prayer, love of God, and love

of one's fellow Jews. He taught that even if one was not blessed with the ability or

opportunity to be a Torah scholar, one could still reach great spiritual heights through

these channels. It is important to note that while the Baal Shem Tov taught that Torah

study was not the only way to draw close to God, he did not teach that Torah study was

unimportant or unnecessary. On the contrary, he emphasized the importance of having a

close relationship with a rebbe, a great Torah scholar who would be one's spiritual mentor

and leader. Furthermore, it should also be noted that while Chassidus was (and

continues to be) of great benefit to the unsophisticated, it is a very sophisticated system

of thought. As anyone with any experience in Jewish studies can attest, the many major

Chassidic works were written at a very high level of scholarship by men who had reached

the pinnacle of Torah knowledge.

There is no way that this essay can really do proper justice to the teachings of the Baal

Shem Tov. Let us simply conclude that while there was no particular element in his

teachings that could be viewed as new to Judaism, nevertheless his teachings

revolutionized the Jewish world. At the time of his death the Chassidic movement had

grown to approximately ten thousand followers and after his death it grew to include a

significant portion of European Jewry.

The Baal Shem Tov felt a powerful love for the land of Israel and his entire life he wanted

to immigrate there. Many times he attempted to do so, once even reaching

Constantinople, but always something prevented him from fulfilling his dream. Despite

his personal inability to move to the land of Israel, the Baal Shem Tov succeeded in

inspiring many of his disciples and followers to do so.

The Baal Shem Tov did not write down his teachings, and today we only know them

through the writings of his disciples. Much of what we know is from the writings of the

Baal Shem Tov's foremost disciple, Rabbi Yakov Yosef of Polonoye, the author of the first

Chassidic work ever published, Toldos Yakov Yosef. He also published Ben Poras Yosef,

Tzafnas Paneach, and Kesones Pasim. Together these works contain literally hundreds of

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direct quotes from the Baal Shem Tov. Other major sources for the teachings of the Baal

Shem Tov are Keser Shem Tov, Tzavaas HaRiva'sh, Magid Devarav L'Yakov (written by

the Mezericher Maggid, the Baal Shem Tov's succesor), Degel Machaneh Ephraim, and

Ohr HaMei'ir.

In 1759, about a year before the Baal Shem Tov passed away, there was an incident that

illustrated his immense love for his fellow Jew. At that time there was a heretical sect led

by a man named Jacob Frank. These Frankists had begun agitating amongst the

Christian authorities against the Jews with specific emphasis against the Talmud. (In a

previous "debate" in 1757, the Frankists had succeeded in causing the Talmud to be

burnt in Lvov.) The bishop of Lemberg decreed that a debate should be held between the

Jews and the Frankists. The Baal Shem Tov was a member of the three man delegation

that represented the Jews. They were successful in averting this evil decree, and the

Talmud was not burnt. At the same time however, the defeated Frankists were then

forced to convert to Christianity.

While most of the Jewish leaders were happy at the downfall of these evil men, the Baal

Shem Tov was not. He said. "The Divine Presence wails and says, 'So long as a limb is

attached to the body there is still a hope that there can be a cure, but once the limb is cut

off there is no cure forever.' And every Jew is a limb of the Divine Presence."

The Baal Shem Tov passed away on the second day of Shavuous, in the year 5520 (1760).

He left behind a son and daughter and a movement which continues to be significant

force in the Jewish world today. He was succeeded as leader of the Chassidic movement

by Rabbi Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezritch.

Hasidism

The Hasidic movement started in the 1700's (CE) in Eastern Europe in response to a void

felt by many average observant Jews of the day. The founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Israel

Baal Shem Tov (referred to as the "Besht," an acronym of his name) was a great scholar

and mystic, devoted to both the revealed, outer aspect, and hidden, inner aspect of Torah.

He and his followers, without veering from a commitment to Torah, created a way of

Jewish life that emphasized the ability of all Jews to grow closer to God via everything

that we do, say, and think. In contrast to the somewhat intellectual style of the

mainstream Jewish leaders of his day and their emphasis on the primacy of Torah study,

the Besht emphasized a constant focus on attachment to God and Torah no matter what

one is involved with.

Early on, a schism developed between the Hasidic and non Hasidic (i.e., Misnagdim, lit.

"opponents") Jewish movements, primarily over real or imagined issues of halachic (legal

matters discussed in the Talmud) observance. The opposition was based on concern that

the Hasidim were neglecting the laws regarding appropriate times for prayer, and

perhaps concern about the exuberance of Hasidic worship, or a concern that it might be

an offshoot of false messiahs Shabbtai Zvi or Jacob Frank. Within a generation or two,

the rift was closed. Since then, many Hasidic practices have influenced the Misnagdim,

while the Misnagdim, in turn, moderated some of the extremes of early Hasidism.

Nevertheless, the dispute between particular groups of Hasidim and Misnagdim

continues to this day, especially in Israel.

Today, Hasidim are differentiated from other Orthodox Jews by their devotion to a

dynastic leader (referred to as a "Rebbe"), their wearing of distinctive clothing and a

greater than average study of the inner aspects of Torah.

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There are perhaps a dozen major Hasidic movements today, the largest of which (with

perhaps 100,000 followers) is the Lubavitch group headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. Other

groups include the Bobov, Bostoner, Belzer, Gerer, Satmar, Vizhnitz, Breslov, Puppa,

Bianer, Munkacz, and Rimnitz. In Israel, the major Hasidic groups besides the Lubavitch

include: Gor (Gerer), Viznitz and Bealz (Belzer).

Hasidim And Mitnagdim

Although contemporary Jews often use the word "Hasid" as a synonym for ultra-

Orthodox, Hasidism, a religious movement that arose in eighteenth century Eastern

Europe, was originally regarded as revolutionary and religiously liberal. Its opponents,

known as Mitnagdim, were themselves Orthodox Jews. More than any thing else, the

stories that each group told about its rabbinic leaders exemplify the differences among

them. The Mitnagdim were proud of the fact that their leader, the Vilna Gaon, had

delivered an advanced discourse on the Talmud when he was only seven years old, and

that he studied Jewish texts eighteen hours a day.

The founder of Hasidism, Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, was the hero of very different sorts of

tales. The Hasidim told of how he spent his teenage years working in a job with low

status, as assistant in a Jewish elementary school, a cheder. He would round up the

students from their homes each morning and lead them to school singing songs. Later,

after he married, he and his wife went to live in the faroff Carpathian Mountains. There,

the Ba'al Shem Tov worked as a laborer, digging clay and lime, which his wife then sold

in town. The couple later kept an inn.

During these years, the Ba'al Shem Tov spent much time in the nearby forest in

meditation and solitude. His Hasidic followers subsequently likened this period to the

years of isolation and meditation that Moses spent in Midian, tending the flocks of his

father in law.

Around 1736, the Ba'al Shem Tov revealed himself as a healer and a leader. His last

name, which literally means "Master of the Good Name," was one that was frequently

applied in Jewish life to miracle workers and healers. In 1740, he moved to Meziboz, a

town near the borders of both Poland and the Ukraine, and not far from Lithuania.

Disciples started coming to him from the surrounding countries, but the talks delivered

by the Ba'al Shem Tov differed dramatically from lectures offered at a yeshiva (a

rabbinical school); they focused far more on an individual's personal relationship with

God and with his fellowman than on the intricacies of Jewish law. The stories Hasidim

later told about the Ba'al Shem Tov — usually referred to by his acronym, the Besht —

invariably depict him with a pipe in hand, telling seemingly secular tales with deep

religious meanings. He died in 1760, leaving behind Dov Baer Maggid of Mezrich as his

successor. Shortly before his death, the Besht told the people standing near his bed: "I

grieve not at my death, for I can see a door opening while the other is closing."

Many of the dominant themes in the Besht's teachings became the central emphases in

the Hasidic movement that his followers developed. There were statements of the Besht,

not entirely innovative, which placed great stress on aspects of Judaism that the

Mitnagdim generally ignored: the heart, for example. The Besht was particularly fond of

a talmudic statement, "God desires the heart" (Sanhedrin 106b), which he interpreted as

meaning that for God, a pure religious spirit mattered more than knowledge of the

Talmud.

It is told of the Besht that one Yom Kippur a poor Jewish boy, an illiterate shepherd,

entered the synagogue where he was praying. The boy was deeply moved by the service,

but frustrated that he could not read the prayers.

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He started to whistle, the one thing he knew he could do beautifully; he wanted to offer

his whistling as a gift to God. The congregation was horrified at the desecration of their

service. Some people yelled at the boy, and others wanted to throw him out.

The Ba'al Shem Tov immediately stopped them. "Until now," he said, "I could feel our

prayers being blocked as they tried to reach the heavenly court. This young shepherd's

whistling was so pure, however, that it broke through the blockage and brought all of our

prayers straight up to God."

Another ancient Jewish doctrine that was given particular emphasis by the Ba'al Shem

Tov was based on a verse in Isaiah: "The whole world is full of His glory" (6:13). If the

whole world is full of God's glory, the Besht reasoned, then the Mitnagdim and the

ascetics were wrong in thinking that one had to turn one's back on the pleasures of the

world. "Don't deny that a girl is beautiful," the Besht would say. "Just be sure that your

recognition of her beauty brings you back to its source-God." If one could do that, then

even physical pleasures could bring about spiritual growth.

Because the world was full of God, the Besht believed that a person always should be

joyful. Indeed, the greatest act of creativity comes about in an atmosphere of joy: "No

child is born except through pleasure and joy," the Besht declared. "By the same token, if

one wishes his prayers to bear fruit, he must offer them with pleasure and joy." This

doctrine was a strong challenge to many ideas current among Jews in the Besht's time.

Many religious Jews, particularly among the kabbalists, preached asceticism, and

advocated that Jews fast every Monday and Thursday. The Ba'al Shem Tov warned

people against such practices, fearing that they would lead to melancholy, not joy.

To outsiders, unaccustomed to the Besht's teachings, Hasidic prayer services sometimes

seemed undignified, even chaotic. In fulfillment of the Psalmist's ecstatic declaration, "All

my bones shall say, Lord, who is like You?" (Psalms 35:10), worshipers were capable of

performing handstands. Characteristically, the Besht defended such practices at Hasidic

services with a story. A deaf man passed by a hall where a wedding reception was being

celebrated. When he looked through the window, he saw people engaged in exultant and

tumultuous dancing. But because he could not hear the music, he assumed they were

mad.

The Besht also taught that the Tzaddik (the religious leader of the Hasidim) should serve

as a model of how to lead a religious life. However, he did not emphasize the doctrine of

the Tzaddik nearly as much as some of his successors, particularly Dov Baer of Mezrich,

who made it central to Hasidism. Dov Baer, the leader of the Hasidim after the Baal

Shem Tov's death, taught that God revealed Himself through the Tzaddik's most trivial

actions; one of Dov Baer's followers said, "I didn't go to him to learn Torah, but to see him

unbuckle his shoes." Dov Baer taught that the ideal Tzaddik had a closer relationship to

God than the average Jew, and could bestow blessings on people. In return, it was

understood that the Hasidim must bring their Tzaddik gifts.

The belief in the power and greatness of the Tzaddik became one of Hasidism's strongest-

and most controversial-ideas. Hasidism's opponents charged that the Tzaddikim (plural)

often enriched themselves at the expense of their followers. In the generation after Dov

Baer, numerous new Hasidic groups were formed, each with its own Tzaddik, referred to

as a rebbe. These rebbes became a kind of Jewish royalty. When one died, he was

succeeded by either his son or son in law. Those Hasidic groups that established eminent

family dynasties became successful. Many Hasidic groups, however, went into decline

when their rebbe died and left behind less capable successors.

The best known group of Hasidim in the United States are the Lubavitcher, who are

headquartered in Brooklyn. Their current rebbe is Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the

seventh leader since the movement was founded in the late 1700s. But though Lubavitch

is the one Hasidic group non Orthodox Jews are most apt to meet-because of the

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movement's various outreach programs-there are dozens of other Hasidic dynasties in the

United States (many of them located in Brooklyn) and in Israel.

In their early years, the Hasidim were actively persecuted by the Mitnagdim, who feared

they would become another heretical sect, similar to that of Shabbetai Zevi. But in its

formative stages, Hasidism wisely put its primary emphasis on personal religious growth

rather than on national salvation, and it downplayed the messianic element. This was

not enough, however, to appease the Mitnagdim. Other Hasidic traits, such as their

laissez faire attitude toward the appropriate hours for prayer, bitterly provoked their

opponents. The Hasidim answered that they couldn't legislate precise hours for reciting

each of the three daily prayer services; they prayed with such intensity (kavannah) that

they couldn't do so while looking at a watch.

The Israeli historian Jacob Katz has documented how other practices provocatively

separated the Hasidim from their neighbors. For example, Hasidim advocated using a

sharper knife when slaughtering animals than the one used by the Mitnagdim's

slaughterers. Such stringency had a socially divisive effect: The Hasidim no longer could

eat at the Mitnagdim's houses. The Hasidim also adopted a different prayerbook, so that

their synagogue service differed somewhat from that of other Jews and had to be

conducted separately. Their most brilliant act of "public relations" was labeling

themselves Hasidim, the Hebrew word for both "pious" and "saintly," while calling their

adversaries Mitnagdim, Hebrew for "opponents." These terms made the Hasidim seem

like the more dynamic and positive of the two groups.

With the passage of time, the Hasidim and Mitnagdim recognized that their differences

were increasingly inconsequential, particularly after both groups found themselves facing

a common enemy: the nineteenth century Haskala, or Jewish Enlightenment. Jewish

parents who once feared that their Hasidic or Mitnagdish child might go over to the other

camp, were now far more afraid that their child might become altogether irreligious.

An additional factor that lessened the HasidicMitnagdish split was nineteenth and

twentieth century Hasidism's increasing emphasis on Talmud study. As the movement

expanded, it put less emphasis on meditation and communing with God, and more on

traditional Jewish learning. As a result, Hasidim today are no longer regarded as

revolutionaries; in fact, they are the conservative stalwarts of Orthodox Judaism, easily

recognized by the eighteenth and nineteenth century black coats and hats worn by most

of their male adherents.

Nonetheless, the Hasidic approach to Judaism significantly differs from that of the

Mitnagdim. Hasidism generally places a much greater stress on simcha shel mitzvah —

the joy of performing a commandment.

Lubavitch and Chabad

Lubavitch Hasidism, most commonly presented through its organizational arm, Chabad,

is an international movement with headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York.

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement formed from the writings of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of

Liadi, who published the Tanya, in 1796. The Tanya contains the key to Jewish mystical

and spiritual awareness, according to Chabadnicks. Following Schneur Zalman, there

have been seven other Lubavitcher Rebbes, each designated by his predecessor.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was chosen as the seventh Lubavitcher rebbe in

1950. Schneerson, known as the Rebbe, served as the heart and soul of Chabad for 44

years, he was the spiritual leader, as well as, intellectual and organizational leader of the

movement. In 1994, Schneerson, at the age of 91, died childless and with no designated

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successor. Chabad leadership decided that he would be the final rebbe, this decision

sparked much speculation and expectation that Schneerson was the Messiah. Many felt

that the Chabad movement would dwindle and collapse after his death, but just the

opposite occurred.

The Lubavitch movement's infrastructure has expanded almost 30 percent since the

Rebbe's death. It has become a world-wide Jewish outreach movement. More than 3,700

emissary couples work in more than 100 countries worldwide. Since 1995, more than 400

shlichim (emissaries) were assigned to new posts and more than 500 new Chabad

institution have been established, bringing the total to nearly 2,600 institutions

(seminaries, day camps, schools, etc) worldwide. According to headquarters, almost one

million children participates in Chabad activities worldwide in 1999.

The movement's major thrust focuses on observing for one's self and transmitting to

others the beauty, depth, awareness and joy inherent in the Torahtrue way of life. By

doing so, it strives to revitalize Jewish life by intensifying the individual's relationship to

Gd, and deep sense of devotion and love towards one's fellow man.

The name Chabad (Chochmah, Binah, Daat) refers to the three intellectual sephiros

(Divine Emanations). The philosophy of the founder, the Alter Rebbe, stressed the use of

the intellect to guide the emotions. Thus, each individual hasid had to work on

himself/herself, rather than simply rely on the Rebbe/Tzaddik's saintliness. Another

name used in Lubavitch Hasidism is ChaGat (Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferes), which refers to

the first three of the seven emotional sephiros/character attributes that derive from

Chabad. The emphasis in Chagat Chassidus is on emotional fervor and devotion.

Consequently, a hasid must attach himself/herself to the Rebbe and let his righteousness

carry the hasid along.

The Lubavitch Rebbe, as Nasi HaDor (leader of the generation) has the responsibility of

setting the direction of the generation.

ChabadLubavitch operates an extensive outreach effort to encourage Jews to return to

traditional practices. As part of this effort, Chabad operates the Mitzvah Campaigns to

encourage Jews to perform 10 specific mitzvot, the intention being that through their

fulfillment, the individual and the family will come to experience a deeper and more

fulfilling relationship with their Jewish heritage. These mitzvot are:

1. Ahavas Yisroel: The love of one's fellow Jew.

2. Chinuch: Torah Education.

3. Torah Study.

4. Tefillin: The donning of Tefillin, every weekday, by men and boys over 13.

5. Mezuzah: The Jewish sign on a doorpost.

6. Tzedakah: Giving charity every weekday.

7. Possession of Jewish Holy Books.

8. Lighting Shabbat and Festival Candles.

9. Kashrut: The Jewish dietary laws.

10. Taharas Hamishpocho: The Torah perspective on married life.

Chabad also urges that efforts be made to inform the public at large about the nature and

meaning of the Seven Laws of Noah.

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The Seven Noahide Laws

While Jews are commanded to observe hundreds of laws, non-Jews are expected to follow

seven that are presumed to date from the time of Noah. Judaism regards any non-Jew who

keeps these laws as a righteous person who is guaranteed a place in the world to come.

1. Not to deny God.

2. Not to blaspheme God.

3. Not to murder.

4. Not to engage in incestuous, adulterous, bestial or homosexual relationships.

5. Not to steal.

6. Not to eat a limb torn from a living animal.

7. To set up courts to ensure obedience to the other six laws.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

(1902-1994)

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the leader -"the Rebbe"- of the Lubavitch

movement of Chassidic Judaism for forty four years, was a paradoxical man. While he

barely set foot outside his neighborhood during his entire leadership, his influence was

felt worldwide. While he was considered one of the worlds foremost religious scholars, he

was also recognized as a brilliant scholar in mathematics and science. While he appeared

to be an Old World leader whose community was somewhat cloistered, he was thoroughly

knowledgeable about the modern world and reached out enthusiastically to society at

large, to Jew and non-Jew alike, encouraging the pursuit of virtuousness education, and

unity.

Menachem Mendel Schneerson was born on April 18, 1902 (the eleventh day of Nissan,

5662), in Nikolayev, a town in the southern Ukraine. His father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchock

Schneerson, was a renowned scholar, his mother, Rebbitzen Chana Schneerson, was an

aristocratic women from a prestigious rabbinic family. He had two younger brothers,

Dovber and Yisroel aryeh Leib.. When Menachem Mendel was five years old, the family

moved to Yakaterinoslav, now Dnepropetrovsk, where his father was appointed chief

rabbi.

From early childhood, Menachem Mendel displayed prodigious mental acuity, leaving

school for private tutoring. By the time he reached bar mitzva, he was considered a Torah

prodigy, and during his teenage years, he immersed himself in the intricacies of Torah

study. In 1923, he met Rabbi Yosef Yitzchock Schneerson - then the Lubavitcher Rebbe-

11

who drew him into his inner circle giving him various responsibilities; five years later, in

Warsaw, he married the Rebbe's second eldest daughter, Chaya Mushka (1901-1988).

A short while later, the couple moved to Berlin, where Rabbi Menachem Mendel had

already begun studying mathematics and science at the University of Berlin.

Because of the Nazi rise, the young Rabbi and his wife left Berlin in 1933 for Paris, and

he continued his studies at the Sorbonne. Primarily, however, he immersed himself in

prayer and religious study, and was referred to by his father-in-law on various matters,

including the preparation of Lubavitch publications. He also served as his father-in-law's

private secretary and traveled on his behalf to visit various Jewish leaders in Europe.

When the Nazis occupied Paris, the couple was forced to escape the city. On June 23,

1941 they arrived in New York, where Rabbi Yosef Yitzchock Schneerson appointed his

son-in-law head of Lubavitch's educational arm, as well as the movements social-service

organization and its publishing house.

In 1950, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchock passed away. Although Rabbi Menachem Mendel was the

obvious successor, he was initially reluctant to accept the mantle of leadership. A year

later he formally assumed the title of Rebbe, explaining to members of the movement

that while he would be devoted to his work as leader, each man and women was

ultimately responsible for his or her own actions, and for his or her pursuit of Godliness.

The ensuing forty-four years of the Rebbe's leadership saw Lubavitch grow from a small

movement nearly devastated by the Holocaust to a worldwide community of 200,000

members. The Rebbe, recognizing the unique needs of the current generation and

anticipating the societal needs of the coming decades, began to establish education and

outreach centers, offering social-service programs and humanitarian aid to all people,

regardless of religious affiliation or background. He established a corps of Lubavitch

emissaries (shluchim) and sent them out to build Chabad - Lubavitch centers worldwide,

to serve the spiritual and material needs of the local communities. Today there are more

than fourteen hundred Chabad-Lubavitch institutions in thirty-five countries on six

continents.

By blending his intense religious and secular training with deep compassion and insight,

the Rebbe quietly became a leader to whom other leaders - those in politics, business, and

religion - turned for advice. Beginning in 1986, he would personally greet thousands of

visitors each Sunday, distributing dollar bills that were meant to encourage the giving of

charity; many people saved the dollar bills as a memento of their visit with the Rebbe, a

testament to being moved by his presence.

With the fall of communism and the miracles during the gulf war, the Rebbe stated that

these are heralding a time of peace and tranquillity for all mankind, the time of Moshiach

(messiah). To this end the Rebbe placed much emphasis on the traditional Jewish

teachings regarding the time of Moshiach, placing great emphasis in the studying of

these concepts. The Rebbe also oft repeated the statement of our sages that through

doing just one good deed we can usher in the era of Moshiach. May it be speedily in our

days.

In 1992, at the age of ninety, the Rebbe suffered a stroke; he passed away two years later,

on June 12, 1994. Shortly thereafter, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of

Representatives by Congressmen Charles Schumer, John Lewis, Newt Gingrich, and

Jerry Lewis to bestow on the Rebbe the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill passed both

Houses by unanimous consent, honoring the Rebbe for his "outstanding and lasting

contributions toward improvements in world education, morality, and acts of charity".

12

Breslov Hasidism

The Breslov movement was founded by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), who was

the greatgrandson of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. Breslover Hasidim

usually refer to him as "Rebbe Nachman" or simply "the Rebbe" (different from the

Lubavitcher Rebbe). Rebbe Nachman is buried in Uman in the Ukraine.

Each year, Breslover Hasidim travel to Uman to celebrate Rosh Ha-Shanah near the

gravesite. Plans are currently under way to build a Breslov synagogue there.

The name "Breslov" comes from the town of Breslov, also located in the Ukraine, where

Nachman spent most of the last eight years of his life. Some people also see the name as

a play on words in Ashkenazic Hebrew: "Bris lev" means "covenant (or circumcision) of

the heart." The Breslov approach places great stress on serving Gd with joy and living life

as intensely as possible. "It's a great mitzvah always to be happy," Nachman taught.

One distinctive Breslov practice is hisboddidus (hitbadedut), a personalized form of free-

flowing prayer and meditation. In addition to the regular daily services in the prayer

book, Breslover Hasidim try to spend an hour alone with Gd each day, pouring out their

thoughts and concerns in whatever language they speak, as if talking to a close personal

friend.

Rebbe Nachman stressed the importance of soulsearching. He always maintained that

his high spiritual level was due to his own efforts, and not to his famous lineage or any

circumstances of birth. He repeatedly insisted that all Jews could reach the same level as

he, and spoke out very strongly against those who thought that the main reason for a

Tzaddik's greatness was the superior level of his soul. "Everyone can attain the highest

level," Nachman taught, "It depends on nothing but your own free choice... for everything

depends on a multitude of deeds."

Although Rebbe Nachman died almost 200 years ago, he is still considered to be the

leader of the movement through the guidance of his books and stories. Breslover Hasidim

today do not have a "Rebbe in the flesh," and each Hasid is free to go to any guide or

teacher with whom they feel comfortable. No single person or council of elders is "in

charge" of the Breslov movement, and no membership list is kept.

Most of the information in this handout came from “The Jewish Virtual Library”. The

contact details are:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/index.html

Mitchell G. Bard, Ph.D.

Executive Director,

American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise

Email. mgbard@aol.com