| Revision as of 10:15, 28 October 2017 editדברי.הימים (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers20,044 edits More general history of Hasidism than a specific Chabad controversy. Moving to Rabbi Shneur Zalman's pageTags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 02:22, 29 October 2017 edit undoדברי.הימים (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers20,044 edits ←Redirected page to Chabad#Controversies | ||
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| ''']''' is a branch of ]. During its nearly 300-year history, a number of controversies, though mostly unrelated to one another, have arisen. Some incidents have centered on religious beliefs and practices of the Chabad movement and the reaction of other ] communities. | |||
| '''Criticisms of Chabad''' have occurred throughout the movement's history where religious leaders from other Jewish groups opposed Chabad positions on religious, social and political matters. | |||
| ==Major controversies== | |||
| ===1810s: Chabad and Strashelye=== | |||
| Rabbi ], the son and successor of Rabbi Shneur Zalman, was challenged by a friend and senior disciple of his father, ], on the matter of Rabbi Dovber's succession as rebbe of Chabad. The differences between the two led Rabb Aaron to form the ] movement. | |||
| When Rabbi Schneur Zalman died, a number of chasidim chose to follow Rabbi Aharon HaLevi of Strashelye, a close disciple of Rabbi Shneur Zalman. The majority of the movement, however, remained followers of Rabbi Dovber. | |||
| One of the main points the two rabbis disagreed on was the place of spiritual ecstasy in prayer. R' Aharon supported the idea while Rabbi Dovber emphasized genuine ecstasy can only be a result of meditative contemplation (]). Rabbi Dovber published his arguments on the subject in an compilation titled ''Kuntres Hispa'alus'' ("Tract on Ecstasy").<ref>Ehrlich, Leadership in the HaBaD Movement, pp. 160–192, esp. pp. 167–172.</ref> | |||
| ===1860s: Aftermath of the death of Tzemach Tzedek=== | |||
| Following the death of the third rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi ], the ''Tzemach Tzedek'', followers of the Chabad movement split their allegiances among the third rebbe's sons who had each become Rebbes in their own right. The sons were Rabbis Yehudah Leib of Kopys, Chaim Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Yisroel Noach of Nizhyn, Yosef Yitzchak of Ovruch and Shmuel Schneersohn of Lubavitch. | |||
| ===1980s: The Chabad Library=== | |||
| {{Main|Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad}} | |||
| The ownership of the ] was the subject of a dispute which ultimately led to the filing of a ], resulting in the ruling that the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, represented by ], were the rightful owners of the Chabad Library. | |||
| The dispute occurred when ], the grandson of ] (the sixth ]), removed books from the Chabad Library and began selling them for personal profit. Gurary claimed the books as part of his inheritance from his late grandfather. According to Gurary, the Chabad Library belonged to his grandfather's estate. | |||
| Following the directives of Rabbi ] (the seventh ]), the ], the Chabad movement's central organization, filed a civil lawsuit to prevent Gurary from removing or selling any additional books. The Chabad movement argued that the library was the "communal property" of the Lubavitch Hasidim and not the "personal possessions" of the late Rebbe. They cited a letter written by the late Rebbe himself, supporting this notion. | |||
| The court ruled in favor of the Chabad movement, and the ruling was upheld on appeal.<ref>Agudas Chasidei Chabad of U.S. v. Gourary, 833 F.2d 431 (C.A.2 (N.Y.), 1987)</ref><ref></ref> In the Chabad community, the ruling is celebrated on ]; the day is called "Didan Notzach" ("our ruling was victorious"). | |||
| === 1990s: Chabad messianism === | |||
| {{Main|Chabad messianism}} | |||
| A few years before the seventh Rebbe's passing, members of the Chabad movement expressed their belief that the Rabbi ] is the ]. These beliefs have been termed "Chabad messianism", and those subscribing to the beliefs have been termed ''Meshichists'' (messianists). A number of Jewish leaders have publicly voiced their concerns and/or opposition towards certain aspects of Chabad messianism. | |||
| A mantra recited by a number of Chabad messianists proclaiming Schneerson as the messiah is the "Yechi".<ref>The full text is "''Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v'Rabbeinu Melech haMoshiach l'olam vo'ed''" ("Long Live our Master, our Teacher, and our Rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever).</ref> Customs vary among messianists as to when the phrase is recited. | |||
| Messianic beliefs concerning Schneerson vary a great deal. Controversy exists over whether he actually died and will be resurrected as the messiah, or whether he is simply "in hiding" until his final advent. To date, no study reports the number of Chabad Chasidim who hold these beliefs.<ref name="Identifying Chabad-p30">{{cite book|title=Identifying Chabad : what they teach and how they influence the Torah world.|date=2007|publisher=Center for Torah Demographics|location=Illinois|isbn=978-1411642416|page=30|edition=Revised|url=https://books.google.de/books?id=-_4eAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA13&dq=|accessdate=29 June 2016}} ( "]")</ref> | |||
| ==Major criticisms== | |||
| ===1940s: World War Two=== | |||
| Rabbi ], the sixth Chabad Rebbe, escaped Nazi occupied Poland, and settled in ]. Some time after his arrival in New York, Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchok issued a call for repentance, stating ''L'alter l'tshuva, l'alter l'geula'' ("speedy repentance brings a speedy redemption"). This campaign was opposed by Rabbis ] and ] of the '']''. In return, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok was critical of the efforts of Rabbis Kalmanowitz and Kotler based on the suspicion that Kalmanowitz and Kotler were discriminating in their use of funds, placing their yeshivas before all else, and that the ] and ] withdrew their support of the Vaad after they discovered this fact.<ref>Rigg, Bryan Mark. ''Rescued from the Reich''. Cambridge University Press. 2005.</ref> | |||
| ===1960s: Tefillin campaign=== | |||
| During 1967, prior to the ], the seventh Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi ] launched a "Tefilin campaign" which encouraged the Jewish commandment (]) of the donning of ] especially by non-affiliated Jews. Within the ] community, criticism of the campaign was voiced at the ] convention of 1968. However, following the incident, Rabbi ], a prominent Orthodox rabbi who had corresponded with Schneersohn in the past,<ref>Igros Kodesh, M.M. Schneerson, Kehot 1998 Vol. 7, pp. 2,49,192,215; Vol. 12, pp. 28,193; Vol. 14, pp. 167,266; Vol. 18, p. 251; Vol. 25, pp. 18-20; and Vol. 26, p. 485.</ref> wrote to Schneerson privately, distancing himself from the convention. Hutner wrote that he had not been at the convention and asked forgiveness for any pain his earlier letters (discussing halachic issues regarding the tefillin campaign) may have caused.<ref>Mibeis Hagenozim, B. Levin, Kehot 2009, p.89.</ref> | |||
| ===1980s: Public menorahs=== | |||
| During the 1980s, the Chabad movement initiated a large number of ] lightings celebrating the Jewish holiday of ]. These actions resulted in a number of court cases and city council decisions involving such public displays. While some cases resulted in a ban on menorah display, most court decisions, including one by the ],<ref></ref> upheld Chabad's display of public menorahs.<ref>Mark A. Kaplan v. City of Burlington and Robert Whalen (12/12/89)United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, No. 89-7042; 891 F.2d 1024</ref><ref>Chabad-Lubavitch of Vermont v. City of Burlington, 936 F.2d 109 (C.A.2 (Vt.), 1991)</ref><ref>''New Twist to Old Fight: Menorah in Vermont Park'', Sally Johnson, ''New York Times'', December 20, 1987</ref><ref>Lubavitch Chabad House, Inc. v. City of Chicago, 917 F.2d 341 (C.A.7 (Ill.), 1990)</ref><ref>Lubavitch of Iowa, Inc. v. Walters, 808 F.2d 656 (C.A.8 (Iowa), 1986)</ref><ref>Congregation Lubavitch v. City of Cincinnati, 923 F.2d 458 (C.A.6 (Ohio), 1991)</ref><ref>Chabad-Lubavitch of Georgia v. Miller, 5 F.3d 1383 (C.A.11 (Ga.), 1993)</ref><ref>"White Plains Council Blocks Electric Menorah for Park", Lisa W. Foderaro, December 3, 1991</ref><ref>"Menorah displays stir jewish rift", ''Miami Herald'', June 14, 1987</ref><ref name="lkl">"Christmas trees put back at SeaTac airport", Gene Johnson, Associated Press, December 13, 2006</ref> | |||
| ===1980s: Rabbi Elazar Shach=== | |||
| Rabbi ], considered the leading ] rabbi in ] at the time, raised a number of criticisms of the ] and the Chabad movement.<ref>See ''Michtavim u'Ma'amarim'' : Volume 1, Letter 6 (page 15), Letter 8 (page 19). Volume 3, Statements on pages 100-101, Letter on page 102. Volume 4, letter 349 (page 69), letter 351 (page 71). Volume 5, letter 533 (page 137), letter 535 (page 139), speech 569 (page 173), statement 570 (page 174); see </ref><ref>]. ''The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference'', Littman Library of Jewish Civilization (Portland), 2001, p. 7.</ref> During the 1980s, Shach publicly criticized Chabad's ] parades.<ref>Michtavim U'maamarim, volume 1, edition 2, p. 49, Letter of Protest signed by Rabbis Shach and Kanievsky</ref> Shach, a vocal critic, compared Schneerson to the 17th-century false messiah ],<ref> ('']'') February 14, 2001</ref> and labeled Schneerson a "false messiah" (''meshiach sheker'').<ref name=Nadler>Allan Nadler. </ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
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| {{Jews and Judaism}} | |||
| {{Orthodox Judaism}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 02:22, 29 October 2017
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