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Chabad-Lubavitch (also known as Chabad, Habad or Lubavitch), is one of the largest branches of Hasidic Judaism and one of the largest Jewish movements worldwide. Chabad (חב"ד ) is a Hebrew acronym for "חכמה Chochmah, בינה Binah, דעת Da'at" ("Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge").

The Lubavitch movement took its name from Lyubavichi, the town that served as the movement's headquarters for over a century. According to Chadad there are over 200,000 adherents to the movement.

Its adherents are Orthodox Jews belonging to Hasidic Judaism according to Chabad traditions. They follow the philosophy of the Baal Shem Tov, also incoproting some Lurianic Kabbalah.

Founded by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi in the late 18th century, Lubavitch has had seven leaders or rebbes. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson succeeded his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn in 1950, becoming the seventh leader of the movement, a position he held until his death in 1994.

Chabad today runs thousands of centers around the world. These centers are called Chabad Houses. They are Jewish community centers synagogues and schools, providing outreach and educational activities for Jewish communities.

Philosophy of Chabad

"Chabad"

According to Liadi, the intellect consists of three interconnected processes - Chochma (wisdom), Bina' (understanding), and Da'at (knowledge). While Hasidism focused on the idea that "God desires the heart" Liadi argued that he also desires the mind, and that the heart without the mind was useless. With the Chabad philosophy he elevated the mind above the heart. He argued that:

". .understanding is the mother of. . .fear and love of God. These are born of knowledge and profound contemplation of the greatness of God."

According to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in Liadi's system Chochma represents "the creation in its earliest potentiality; the idea of a finite world as was first born in the divine mind. Binah is the idea conceived in its details, he result of contemplation. Da'at is, as it were, the commitment to creation, the stage at which the idea becomes an active intention." While in Kabala, there are clearly delineated levels of holiness, in Chabad philosophy these are grounded in the mundanities of peoples inner lives. So in reality - according to the Chabad analogy - Chochma is the birth of an idea in the mind, Bina is the contemplation, and Da'at is the beginning of the actualisation of an idea. Sacks argues that this provided a psychological formulation that enabled the hasid to substantiate his mystical thoughts. "This was an important advance because bridging the gap between spiritual insight and daily behaviour had always been a problem for Jewish mysticism."

Chabad philosophy argues that man is neither static nor passive nor dependant on others to connect to God. Liadi rejected all ideas of aristocratic birth and elitism - he argued for meritocracy where all were capable of growth, every Jew - in his view - was capable of becoming a Tzaddik.

Chabad can be contrasted with the Chagat school of hasidism. While all hasidim have a certain focus on the emotions, Chagat saw emotions as a reaction to physical stimuli, such as dancing singing or beauty. Liadi argued that this was wrong - the emotions must be led by the mind, thus Torah study and prayer rather than esotercism and song were to be the focus of Chabad thought. As a Talmudist, Rabbi Shneur Zalman endeavored to place Kabbalah and Hasidism on a rational basis. In his seminal work, Tanya, he defines his approach as "מוח שולט על הלב" ("mind ruling the heart").

The Tanya

The Tanya, Liadi's moral magnum opus, is "the first schematic treatment of Hasidic moral philosophy and its metaphysical foundations. Liadi made a point of grounding the esotericism associated with the early movement to practical issues - illustrating the meaning of complex kabbalistic thoughts by using everyday analogues.

Some have argued that Shneur Zalman's moderation and synthesis saved Hasidism from becoming a Jewsih breakaway movement, keeping it within the fold. Avrum Erlich writes:

Shneur Zalman was instrumental in the preservation of Hasidism within mainstream Judaism. It allowed for some of the mystically inclined Hasidim to reacquaint themselves with traditional scholarship and the significance of strict halakhic observance and behavior, concerning which other Hasidic schools were sometimes less exacting. Shneur Zalman also provided the opportunity for traditionalists and scholars to access the Hasidic mood and its spiritual integrity without betraying their traditional scholarly allegiances.

Torah study

Liadi raged against the tendency of some Hasidim to neglect the traditional study of Torah by focusing to heavily on mysticism and obscurantism. He argued that mysticism without Torah study was worthless - even dangerous. Without Torah, he argued, the mind could never be elevated - if the mind is not elevated the soul will starve. On the other hand he argued that while Torah was to be focus of all study, it was also important to integrate Torah into one's life. In a letter to Rabbi Joshua Zeitin of Shklow: "The hasidim, too, set aside time for study. The difference between them and the mitnagdim is this: the latter set time for study and they are limited by time, whereas the former make the Torah their path of life."

Torah must be studied joyously though - studying without joy is frowned upon. Liadi provided a metaphor: when a mitzvah is fulfilled an angel is created. But if the mitzvah was joyless then the angel too will be dispirited. Thus while Liadi renewed Hasidism, returning it to a focus on traditional Jewish scholarship rather than mysticism, he was emphatic that this must be done with the zeal and joy that Hasidism brought to Judaism.

Role of a Rebbe

In Chabad thought, as formulated by the Alter Rebbe the Rebbe was not an intermediary. The role of the rebbe was closer to that of a traditional community Rabbi, a supervisor rather than a superior. The Alter Rebbe's focus was on training his followers to become spiritually self-sufficient and to turn to their Rebbe for instructions rather than intercession with God, miracles or blessings.

Hasidic thought had elevated the Rebbe to a level above that of typical hasid. A rebbe was closer to God, his prayers were more amenable to Him, and a hasid should satisfy himself with attachment to the Rebbe and hence indirectly to God. A rebbe was to be a living example of perfection and would concern himself with intellectualism on behalf of the followers. According to Sacks, Chabad stressed the individual responsibilities of every Jew: "The rebbe. . .became more of a teacher and adviser, recognising the vocation of each of his followers, guiding them towards it, uncovering their strengths, and rejoicing in their achievements."

Role of a Hasid

Hasidism traditionally demanded that every Hasid personally participate in the dissemination of Torah and Judaism to one's surroundings and seek out the benefit of one's fellow Jew. Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn said: A Hasid is he who surrenders himself for the benefit of another. Beyond this, Chabad demands pnimiyut (inwardness): one should not act superficially, as a mere act of faith, but rather with inner conviction.

M. M. Schneerson's philosophy

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson took the Chabad movement in a radically different direction following his accession to become the seventh Rebbe. His views on the role of the Rebbe were drastically different from both normative hasidic thought and particularly with those of the originator of the Habad movement Shneur Zalman of Liadi.

While one of the primary strands of Liadi's Chabad philosophy had been to shift the focus of Hasidim away from the idea of a Rebbe as an intermediary, Schneerson reversed that position. Famously in his first sermon as the Rebbe he described his father-in-law the sixth rebbe, and Rebbes in general, as being "the essence and content of God, clothed in a body". This is brought down in his collected sermons Likutei Sichos He asks rhetorically: "How can one make a request of a rebbe - isn't that surely a problem of speaking to God through an intermediary?" (Which is anethmatic to Judaism.) He notes that while this answer is novel, and not found in other Hasidic sources one must answer that in truth "One cannot ask question. . . since Atzmus u'mehus alein vi er hat zich areingeshtalt in a guf" or " is the essence and substance of God enclothed in a body".

Schneerson writes many similar things elsewhere, arguing that the corollary of this is that it is permitted to pray to God through the medium of a Rebbe, something he terms hiskashrut - meaning connecting. He writes:

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

Thus Schneerson had reversed a central aspect of Chabad philosophy. Whereas before it alone amongst hasidism had deemphasized the centrality of the Rebbe in the lives of the hasidism that the movements opponents had most objected to - Schneerson had elevated the role of the Rebbe to a new level, which by his own admission was not seen before in Judaism or hasidism.

Schneerson continued the path of the path of Chabad philosophy in other areas, avoiding exesive obscurantism and emphasising the study of Torah.

He was politically right-wing, particularly in regard to the Israeli-Arab conflict. He vehemently opposed even discussion concerning concession of territories in the Land of Israel, or what he saw as otherwise strategically vital territories to Jews, even if technically outside the biblical borders of The Land. Quoting Jewish law, he maintained that such concessions endanger the lives of all the Jews in the Land of Israel.

Bringing the messiah

Schneerson became infused with a drive to "accelerate the coming of the messiah". he instructed his follwers to become active in kiruv - the conversion of non-orthodox Jews to Orthodoxy. To this end he stressed his slogan became Ufaratzta (from from Genesis 28:14), a Hebrew word meaning "you shall spread out" to implore his followers to bring the messianic times closer by "saving" Jewish souls from secularism.

Some have described Schneerson's messianic drive as a reaction to the holocaust. Rachel Elior argues that Schneerson was attempting to offer an explanation and purpose in the face of such destruction. He sought a philosophical response that offered "eschatological certainty and messianic purpose — what appeared to be the only rational response from a theological point of view."

Other have explained Schneerson's messianism as a tool to unite his followers behind a majestic common cause to spur them to devote thier lives to the dissemination of Chabad hasidism, messianism according to this view gave Habad a mystical and practical purpose, placing the movement at the center of the messianic redemption of world Jewry:

By involving his followers intimately in the bringing of the mashiach, Schneerson was not only able to unite the movement around a common ideology, but also gave it a powerful motivator for action. This was also a brilliant strategy for diffusing the possible failure of the messianic promises made by Schneerson: if the redemption did not occur as he had prophesied, it could be blamed on a lack of commitment by the Hasidim rather than a failure of vision or prophecy by their leader. This is a promise by which messianic movements have historically preserved their theological integrity despite the repeated failure of predictions of the specific time of the arrival of the mashiach.

The Rebbes of Chabad

The movement originated in Belarus in Eastern Europe, then part of Imperial Russia under the Tsars. Chabad traces its roots back to the beginnings of Hasidic Judaism. The founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov, started his nascent movement in Medzhybizh, Ukraine. His successor was Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch (d. 1772), his leading disciple, who was well-versed in the Lurianic Kabbalah and developed the movement further.

• Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), was the youngest student of Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch and founded the Chabad dynasty (he is known as the Alter Rebbe). He defined the direction of his movement and influenced Hasidic Judaism through his two most famous works the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav. Tanya is primarily mystical and expounds upon the Zohar. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav is an authoritative work on Jewish law amongst hasidim. The names "Schneersohn" and "Schneerson" began as patronymics by Rabbi Shneur Zalman's descendants. The first form of this name was "Shneuri" (Hebrew for "of Shneur"). This was later changed to "Schneersohn".
• Rabbi Dovber Schneuri (1773–1827), son of Rabbi Shneur Zalman. Known as the Mittler Rebbe. His most famous works codified and categorized mystical pursuits such as the various states of meditation within prayer. His magnum opus Sha'ar HaYichud aims to systematically explain the concept of God's unity with the Universe.
• Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1789–1866), grandson of Rabbi Shneur Zalman and son-in-law of Dovber, known for his responsa named Tzemach Tzedek. He was a major hasidic posek of his time. He also edited and annotated many of the Alter Rebbe's works as well as authoring his own mystical works. He was politically active in resisting the Haskalah in Russia, and to this end forged an alliance with Rabbi Yitzchok of Volozhin, a major leader of the misnagdim.
• Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn (1834–1882), youngest son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel, known as "the rebbe Maharash". His most famous saying is Lechatchile ariber — don't bother trying to go around or under obstacles, go right over them. He was politically active in defending Jewish interests against antisemitic elements in the Tsar's government.
• Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn (1860–1920), son of Shmuel, known as "the rebbe Rashab". He is known for founding the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva network and his opposition to secular political Zionism. His long essays on Chasidus (Ma'amorim) are classical Chassidic works studied in all Chabad yeshivas as introduction into Chasidus.
• Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn (1880–1950), only son of Sholom Dovber, known as the "the Rebbe Rayatz". He was the first Lubavitcher Rebbe in the United States. Following tradition of his father, he wrote ma'amorim, but also dedicated much time to shorter ma'amorim applicable to everyday situations. He also kept a diary in which he recorded stories he had heard; many excerpts of this diary have been published, and these are a major source of knowledge about Chabad history.
• Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994), sixth in paternal line from Menachem Mendel and son-in-law of Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn. He was successful in expanding the ranks of Chabad and spreading Hasidic Orthodox Judaism in general. Even after his death his personality occupies a central place in the movement's philosophy.

History of the Lubavitch Rebbes of Chabad

Shneur Zalman of Liadi was the founder of the Chabad school of Hasidism. He became involved in the early Hasidic movement. His background as a youth had been in traditional Talmud study rather than hasidism. He was a prominent and youngest disciple of Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch, the principle disciple of the founder of hasidism appointed the Rabbi in the town of Liadi he gradually built up a following as the Rebbe in the town of Liozna. Over time Chabad branched out into a number of dynastic groups in towns such as Lubavitch, Lyady, and Kapost. Doctrinal differences between these groups were minimal. Since the early 20th century, the other dynasties have ended and Lubavitch alone remains as a cohesive group, and the terms “Habad” and “Lubavitch” are now frequently used interchangeably both within the movement and without.

Shneur Zalman of Liadi

The Alter Rebbe became not only the leader of his own hasidic sect but a prominent figure in Hasidim in general through his writings. He was the first to codify the philosophy of Hasidism in a comprehensive way and the first to put the customs and halacha of hasidism into book form. He was the most prominent exponent of Hasidism throughout his life, and his influence on the movement was profound. He directed the movement away from obscurantism and towards more traditional forms of study. Chabad as a school of thought changed Hasidism, and this gave the Chabad movement prestige.

He was twice arrested by the Russian authorities of suspicion of sedition or spying - the exact details remain contended to this day, although the accusations against him were certainly false.

He supported the Tsar against Napoleon in French invasion of Russia (1812) arguing that the emancipation of the Jews would lead to laxity in observance. His death in 1812, while fleeing from Napoleon left the question of succession open.

Dovber Schneuri

Schneuri moved with the followers who preferred him to the small border town of Lyubavichi. He established a Yeshiva in Lubavitch, one of the earliest Hasidic yeshivas.

Like his father he was the subject of an arrest in 1828. DovBer began a campaign (in 1822, or 1823) to urge Jews to learn trades and skilled factory work. He continued in his father's philosophical path, encouraging the study of kabbalah alongside traditional halachic texts. He served as the Rebbe for 15 years dying in 1827.

Menachem Mendel Schneersohn

Menachem Mendel Schneersohn the grandson of the Alter Rebbe through a daughter, born in 1789, married a cousin, daughter of Dovber as became a prime candidate for succession on Dovber's death. Other candidates included Menachem-Nachum Schneuri son of Dovber, and Chaim-Avraham Boruchovitch son-in-law of Schneur Zalman. He took over as Rebbe in 1831 after a 3 year succession struggle, becoming known as the Tzemach Tzedek after his magnum opus. He was active in the dispute between the Haskalah (enlightenment Jews) and their opponents. he served as Rebbe for 25 years before dying in 1866.

Shmuel Schneersohn

Shmuel Schneersohn, the seventh son of Menachem Mendel, he took from his father following his death and served as Rebbe of the movement until his own death in 1882. As a leader of a prominent Hasidic grouping he became active in fighting Anti-Semitic decrees and pogroms in Russia and beyond. He traveled widely to places such as St. Petersburg, Kiev, France and Germany to this end.

Sholom Dovber Schneersohn

Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, as the younger son of Shmuel Schneersohn, was not expected to succeed his father, his brother Zalman Aharon being the heir presumptive. Sholom Dovber rose to prominence interceding on behalf of the Jews in a number of issues including the May Laws, and was selected as Rebbe in 1892. In 1897 he established the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva.

He was a fierce critic of Zionism and a proponent of Jews taking on factory work and farming. He kept the Lubavitch movement out of the World Agudath Israel when it formed in 1912. He died in 1920, after 30 years of stewardship of Lubavitch.

Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn

Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, only son of Sholom Dovber took charge of the movement on the death of his father and led it until his death in 1950. He fought the Bolsheviks attempting to preserve Jewish life in Russia. In 1927 he was arrested and imprisoned in the Spalerno prison in Leningrad, and sentenced to death for spreading Judaism. After international protests his life was spared and he went on a world tour in the early 1930s. He returned to Warsaw in 1934, disillusioned with the secularism of the United States. He stayed in Warsaw with his Hasidim through 1940 and the capture of the city by the Nazis. A desperate struggle to save his life ensued. Ultimately he was granted diplomatic immunity, and arrived in New York in March 1940, reputedly with the help of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. Most of the Chabad Yeshiva system was destroyed by Bolshevik governments and the Nazi invasion in 1941, and many of its students were killed.

His ten years in New York saw the seeds of Lubavitch emissary work, and its messianic drive that was later taken on by his son-in-law and successor Menachem Mendel Schneerson. In 1948, on his instruction Kfar Chabad was established in Israel.

Succession

He had three daughters, one married Mendel Hornstein, and died alongside him in the Holocaust. Another married Rabbi Shemaryahu Gurary and a third Chaya Mushka married Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Schneerson and Gurary became the candidates for succession on Yosef Yitzchak death. Schneerson was considered modern, while Gurary was problematic as his only son, Barry Gurary was not very religious at all. After a one year succsecion battle Schneerson was chosen and turned the movement from a fairly prominent Hasidic sect into a large organization with a presence throughout the world.

Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who had been living in Berlin and Paris, France, since 1933, escaped from Paris via Nice in 1941 and joined his father-in-law in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York City. The worldwide headquarters of the Chabad movement is at 770 Eastern Parkway in the neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and is referred to as "770" by Chabad adherents.

Menachem Mendel Schneerson

On Menachem Mendel Schneerson's accession to the post of Rebbe, a year after his father-in-law's death he began turning the movement into a powerful force in Jewish life. His policies led to the establishment of Chabad institutions in over 900 cities around the world. He inspired many of his followers to dedicate their life's work to Chabad by talking of the impending messianic redemption.

Since Schneerson's death

His regular talk of the coming of the messiah, and what some say are hints that he was to be the long promised saviour of the Jews led to the emergence of the idea that was going to reveal himself as the messiah. This belief - first openly professed by Shalom Dov Wolpo in a 1984 book became commonplace within the movement in the years leading up to his death.

Schneerson's lack of offspring or a clear primary student meant exacerbated the messainsim and his death in 1994 has led to a fundamental split in the Chabad movement between the messianists who believe that Schneerson is the messiah and the anti-messianists who either don't believe this, or believe that this should be a private belief.

The fragmentation in the movement from the top down into rival camps has not seriously impeded Chabad's activities around the world - indeed, it continues to open new institutions on a regular basis. However, the lack of the Rebbe's cenral authority has led to controversy within the movement as the competing faction vie for power and control. As of 2007 the Chabad directory listed over 1,300 institutions under their control in 65 countries.

Current activities

Chabad is currently thought to be one of the four largest hasidic sects in terms of numbers of adherents, with only the Satmar, Ger, and Belz dynasties having more followers.

Emissaries

Following the initiative of the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson spurred on the movement to what has become known as shlichus ("being emissaries ") after becoming Rebbe in 1950-1951. As a result, Chabad shluchim ("emissaries", sing. shliach) have moved all over the world with the stated mission of helping all Jews, regardless of denomination or affiliation. They assist Jews with all their religious needs, as well as with physical assistance and spiritual guidance and teaching.

The movement, motivated by Rabbi Schneerson, trained and ordained thousands of rabbis, educators, ritual slaughterers, and ritual circumcisers, who are then accompanied by their spouses to many locations around the world. Typically a young Lubavitch rabbi and his wife, in their early twenties, with one or two children, will move to a new location, and as they settle in will raise a large family who as a family unit, will aim to fulfill their mandate of bringing Jewish people closer to Orthodox Judaism and encouraging gentiles to adhere to the Seven Laws of Noah. All over the world Lubavitchers (including those not formally in the position of emissaries) assist and support the religious needs of hundreds of thousands of Jews.

Chabad Houses

A Chabad House or Center is a form of Jewish community center under their own religious auspices, often serving as the nerve center of all the educational and outreach activities of a shliach (emissary) rabbi and his colleagues or allies in any given community. Often until the community can support the building of its own building for a Chabad house, the "Chabad House" is located in the shliach's home, with the living room being used as the "synagogue". The term "Chabad House" originated in California with the creation of the first such outreach center on the campus of UCLA by Rabbi Shlomo Cunin.

The centers are informal in setup. They primarily serve both educational and observance purposes. Effort is made to provide an atmosphere in which the nonobservant will not feel intimidated by any perceived contrast between their lack of knowledge of Jewish practice and the advanced knowledge of some of the people they meet there.

According to the Chabad movement there are presently around 1,350 Chabad institutions around the world, when Schools and other establishments are taken into account. There are Chabad emissaries in 65 countries around the World according to their listings. In the USA there are over 600 establishments, 300 in Israel, 90 in Russia, 80 in France, 60, in Canada, 50 in the Ukraine, 40 in Australia and 30 in each of Argentina, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. There are around 15 each in Germany and South Africa; around 10 in Italy, Austria, Belarus and Belgium and Holland. There are 6 in China and Uzbekistan; 5 in Thailand and Kazakhstan. There are 3 in Spain and Sweden. Another 40 countries have a small Chabad presence. In total, according to their directory, Chabad have a presence in 950 cities around the world. 178 in Europe, 14 in Africa, 200 in Israel, 400 in North America, 38 in South America, and about 70 in Asia (excluding Israel, including Russia.) They are active in 70 countries serving the needs of the local Jewish communities.

Outreach activities

Mitzvah campaigns

Chabad aims to attract non-Orthodox Jews to become Orthodox, and believes this is part of the process of bringing the Messiah. This practice is called "mivtzoim" - meaning "campaigns" or "endeavors." At one time, Schneerson issued a call to every Jew: "Even if you are not fully committed to a Torah life, do something. Begin with a mitzvah - any mitzvah - its value will not be diminished by the fact that there are others which you are not prepared to do". Schneerson also suggested ten specific mitzvot that he believed were ideally suited for the emissaries to introduce to non-observant Jews. These were: lighting candles before Shabbat and the Jewish holidays by Jewish women; putting on tefillin; affixing a mezuzah; regular Torah study; giving charity; purchasing Jewish books; keeping kosher; kindness to others; Jewish education, and keeping the family purity laws.

In addition, Schneerson emphasized spreading awareness of preparing for and the coming of the Jewish messiah, in line with his philosophy. He wrote on the responsibility to reach out to teach every fellow Jew with love, and implored that all Jews believe in the imminent coming of the Messiah as explained by Maimonides. He argued that redemption was predicated on Jews doing good deeds, and that gentiles shoud be educated about the Noahide Laws. Chabad has been a prime force in the dissemination of awareness of these laws.

He was emphatic about the need to encourage and provide strong education for every child, Jew and non-Jew alike.

Camps

Chabad has set up an extensive network of camps around the world, most using the name Gan Israel, a name chosen by Rabbi Schneerson for the first overnight camp. There are 1,200 sites serving 210,000 children—most of whom do not come from Orthodox homes. Of these, 500 camps are in the United States.

Campus

In recent years Chabad has greatly expanded its reach on university and college campuses. Chabad Student Centers are active on over 100 campuses, and Chabad offers varied activities at an additional 150 universities worldwide. Professor Alan Dershowitz has said that "Chabad’s presence on college campuses today is absolutely crucial", and "We cannot rest until Chabad is on every major college campus in the world".

Publishing

Distribution of Jewish religious literature. Kehot Publication Society (the Chabad publishing house) has promoted this by translating books into 12 languages, giving discounts and hosting book-a-thon's.

Fundraising

Funds for activities of a Chabad center rely entirely on the local community. Chabad centers do not receive funding from Lubavitch headquarters. For the day to day operations, local emissaries do all the fundraising by themselves. Sue Fishcoff writes:

Emissaries in the field may sink millions of dollars into their center, synagogues and Mikvahs, but their own homes are modest, again patterned after their Rebbe's lack of personal ostentation.

According to Chabad scholar Avrum Erlich Chabad emissaries are therefore particularly keen on making connection with wealthy Jews:

The needs of fundraising, therefore, led to the development of a utilitarian streak in even the best and most loyal hasidim, and challenged the ability of the movement to publicly express more controversial elements of its ideology.

Influence

Chabad pioneered the post-World War II outreach movement which spread Judaism to many assimilated Jews worldwide, leading to a substantial number of baalei teshuva ("returnees" to Judaism). The very first Yeshiva/Rabbinical College for such "baalei teshuva", Hadar Hatorah was established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Chabad was also one of the first Jewish outreach organizations to use the World Wide Web as an outreach tool.

Chabad has had a notable influence on Jewish entertainment. Singing Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach began his outreach work as a representative of Chabad (he later moved away from the formal movement) and popular singers such as Avraham Fried and reggae artist Matisyahu attract sizable crowds on their tours and have popularized many melodies for various Jewish occasions. However, of all Chabad-affiliated entertainers, only Avraham Fried managed to attract large numbers of non-Chabad Haredim.

Chabad's ideology, according to some scholars, has dramatically influenced non-Hasidic Jews' practice as well, specifically with regard to Jewish outreach issues.

Customs

Chabad has specific minhagim ("customs") that distinguish it from other Hasidic groups. For example, they do not wear the fur hats common among other hasidim. Until the 1950s, most wore the Russian kasket; now most wear a black fedora. Almost all American Chabad Hasidim pronounce Hebrew according to the Lithuanian dialect. However, many native Israeli Chabad Hasidim pronounce Hebrew according to the Modern Israeli Hebrew dialect. Like many other Hasidic groups, Chabad attaches importance to singing Hasidic nigunim ("tunes"), usually without words, and following precise customs of their leaders.

Controversies

Shneur Zalman of Liadi was twice arrested by the Russians, but went on to oppose Napoleonic emancipation of the Jews. The conduct of the sixth leader, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn during the Second World War was been criticised by scholars and contemporaries. Its seventh leader, Menachem Mendel Schneerson's theology has been controversial especially in the light of its use by some followers to deify him; he sued his nephew over a theft stemming from an inheritance dispute; became active in Israeli politics and was criticised heavily by Elazar Shach for his messianic focus. Chabad messianism, the belief that Schneerson is the messiah and will return or that he never even died has become commonplace within the movement since the mid 1980s, and has led to a split within Chabad and a breakaway movement.

Since his death in 1994, and the failure to appoint a successor, the movement has fragmented into competing factions. Financial battles have been ongoing between these factions since 1995, and the contested control over the headquarters in Brooklyn has led to strife and rioting.

Messianism

The views of Lubavitch adherents regarding their Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson have been a source of controversy within the Jewish world over the past 20 years. Some followers have taken to describing Menachem Mendel Schneerson as the Jewish Messiah and claiming that his death in 1994 does not preclude him returning to life to be the Messiah. These views and the opposition to them have led to a fundamental fracture within the movement.

Neither Chabad headquarters nor Chabad centers around the world publish literature that proclaims the Rebbe as the Messiah, or that tries to persuade the general public that the Rebbe is the Messiah; but such literature is published and distributed by people who hold that belief. Chabad-Lubavitch leaders have repeatedly condemned the Meshichists in the strongest possible terms.

Naming

In the seminal Hasidic work, Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman defines "Chabad Hasidism" as "מוח שליט על הלב" ("mind ruling over the heart/emotions"). Chabad Chasidism considers this emphasis to make it fundamentally different from other forms of Hasidism, which are referred to as "Chagas"; this acronym refers to the emotional attributes of Chesed ("kindness"), Gevurah ("power"), and Tifereth ("beauty"), and implies that relatively speaking other Chasidic groups place a lesser emphasis on intellectual comprehension of Chasidic philosophy than that found in Chabad teaching.

Chabad

Chabad is sometimes written as Habad in English and in all the phonetic equivalents of the name in all the countries they operate in. Thus, as an example, Jabad is the Spanish form, particularly important to the Jews of Latin America, most notably Argentina, which has the largest concentration of Spanish-speaking Jews anywhere in the world and therefore has a large Lubavitch presence as well.

Lubavitch

Lubavitch is a small town now in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, (then Imperial Russia). The name of the town means "city of love," and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson taught that this name symbolises the warm, loving approach of the movement. The movement was founded in Liozna, and then moved to Liadi, but it moved to Lubavitch after the Napoleonic War, and was based there for 102 years. In Hasidic Judaism, a dynasty normally takes its name from the town in Eastern Europe where it was based.

Citations and notes

1. About Chabad-Lubavitch on Chabad.org
2. Wertheimer, Jack. A People Divided: Judaism in Contemporary America. New York: Basic Books (A Division of Harper Collins) (1993); pg. xiv-xv
3. The Tanya', Liadi, Chapter 13.
4. ^ The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, entry: Habad, Jonathan Sacks, pp.161-164
5. ^ Hasidism: The movement and its masters, Harry M. Rabinowicz, 1988, pp.83-92, Jason Aronson, London ISBN 0876689985
6. The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Chapter 2,
7. Sefer Hasichos 5700 p. 33
8. The Mystical Dimension v.3 by Jacob Emanuel Schochet. Kehot Publication Society 1995 p.198.(ISBN 0826605303)
9. Likutei Sichos VOl II, pp.510-511
10. in Igros Kodesh, vol. 3 pp. 419-420
11. "The Lubavitch Messianic Resurgence: The Historical and Mystical Background 1939-1996", Rachel Elior in Toward the Millennium: Messianic Expectations from the Bible to Waco ed. Peter Schäfer and Mark Cohen, 383-408. (Leiden: Brill, 1998)
12. ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Chapter 9,
13. Challenge ISBN 0-8266-0491-9
14. He dropped the second 'H' from his name.
15. The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Introduction, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
16. On learning Chassidus, Brooklyn, 1959, p.24
17. Kerem Habad, Kefar Habad, 1992, pp.17-21, 29-31 (Documents from the Prosecutor Generals archive in St. Petersburg
18. Should Napoleon be victorious...": Politics and Spirituality in Early Modern Jewish Messianism, Hillel Levine, Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought 16-17, 2001
19. Napoleon u-Tekufato, Mevorach, pp.182-183
20. ^ Leadership in the Chabad movement, Avrum Erlich, Jason Aronson, 2000 ISBN 076576055X
21. Altein, R, Zaklikofsky, E, Jacobson, I: "Out of the Inferno: The Efforts That Led to the Rescue of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch from War Torn Europe in 1939-40", page 270. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2002 ISBN 0826606830
22. Altein, R, Zaklikofsky, E, Jacobson, I: "Out of the Inferno: The Efforts That Led to the Rescue of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch from War Torn Europe in 1939-40", page 160. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2002 ISBN 0826606830
23. The Revelation of Melech HaMashiach (King Messiah), "Yechi HaMelech", Sholom Ber Wolpo, "The Committee for Fulfilling the Rebbe's Directives"
24. "The Lubavitch Messianic Resurgence: The Historical and Mystical Background 1939-1996", Rachel Elior in Toward the Millennium: Messianic Expectations from the Bible to Waco ed. Peter Schäfer and Mark Cohen, 383-408. (Leiden: Brill, 1998)
25. ^ The directory of Chabad Institutions throughout the world
26. The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich,ch.15, note 5. KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
27. The New York Times, December 16, 2005.
28. Passover Seders, Around the World, ‘‘The Associated Press’’, March 19, 2007
29. Note: Figures are rounded the one significant figure.
30. Mark, J, Kress, M: "Against All Odds", Jewish Week, June 2004
31. Directory of Chabad on Campus
32. Oxford Chabad website quoting Dershowitz
33. Fishkoff, Sue, ‘’The Rebbe’s Army’’, Schoken books 2003 (ISBN 08052 11381) pages 160-161.
34. ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlish, p.134,
35. Zaleski, Jeffrey P. (1997). The Soul of Cyberspace: How New Technology Is Changing Our Spiritual Lives. Harpercollins. ISBN 0062514512. Retrieved 2007-04-07. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
36. Weiss, Steven I. "Orthodox Rethinking Campus Outreach", The Jewish Daily Forward, January 20, 2006. Accessed April 7, 2007
37. Pinson, D: "Kabbalistic Music - The Niggun"
38. Freeman, T: "Nigun"
39. Hirshberg, Matthew (February 21, 2006). "After Rebbe's Death, Lubavitchers Continue to Spread His Word". The Columbia Journalist. Retrieved 2007-08-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
40. http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=9558
41. Tanya, ch. 12.
42. Reference of Rebbe Rayatz to Chassidei "Chagas"
43. Sefer Hazichronot, chapter 1
44. Sichos in English 11th Day of Nissan, 5744

Further reading

• Feldman, Jan L. Lubavitchers As Citizens: A Paradox of Liberal Democracy, Cornell University Press, 2003 (ISBN 0-8014-4073-4)
• A Faith Grows in Brooklyn, photographs and text by Carolyn Drake. National Geographic February, 2006. For the online version click here..
• Fishkoff, Sue. The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch, Schocken, 2003 (ISBN 0-8052-4189-2)
• Hoffman, Edward. Despite All Odds: The Story of Lubavitch. Simon & Schuster, 1991 (ISBN 0-671-67703-9)
• Jacobson, Simon. Toward A Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe, William Morrow, 2002 (ISBN 0-06-051190-7)
• Ehrlich, Avrum M. Leadership in the Habad Movement: a Critical Evaluation of Habad Leadership, History, and Succession, Jason Aronson, 2000. (ISBN 076576055X)
• Lessons in Tanya chabad.org
• Mindel, Nissan. The philosophy of Chabad. Chabad Research Center, 1973
• Schneerson, Menachem Mendel. On the Essence of Chasidus: A Chasidic Discourse by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad-Lubavitch. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2003 (ISBN 0-8266-0466-8)
• Weiss, Steven I. "Orthodox Rethinking Campus Outreach", The Forward Jan. 20, 2006.

See also

• Hassidic Judaism
• Menachem Mendel Schneerson
• Baal Shem Tov
• Hasidic philosophy

External links

• Chabad Lubavitch official website
• Chabad Lubavitch on the web
  • About Chabad-Lubavitch
  • Global Chabad-Lubavitch Centers and Institutions Directory
  • Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbes (leaders)
• Chabad on Campus
• The philosophy behind Chabad's outreach.
• Virtual library of Chabad books in Hebrew
• Lubavitch Archives - Chabad history on the web

News sites

• Official Lubavitch News Service
• Official Chabad News and Events Chabad.org

• Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism