CS

Then there were other chassidim who said look, the Rebbe never lied to us. The Rebbe predicted things the seemed nuts, and they all came true, such as the outcome of the Gulf war on a global level, and hundreds or maybe thousands of personal accounts of the Rebbe’s ruach hakodesh.

So maybe it seems a bit illogical but why should we distrust what the Rebbe said now? Everything else came true, this will as well.

These are the Meshichistim.

Most do not run around with a yellow flag. In fact the ones who do run around with the yellow flag are mostly not yet mature bochurim from tzfas who act a bit crazy but then again, I’d much rather my teen be doing that and normalize but still be a fiery chossid when he gets older, than get into movies or other things teens do when they go a little extreme.

To continue:)

After that first Maamar, the Rebbe stopped speaking about our mission and Moshiach, for the most part, and stared doing. The new ten twenty years the Rebbe spoke how we can’t be satisfied with just sitting in the beis medrash and worrying about our own spiritual growth when there is a fire of assimilation consuming our fellow Jews. We need to get out there and bring those Jews in. Instead of cutting ourselves off from the world e need to bring other Yidden back to yiddishkeit. That was the message the Rebbe pounded into his chassidim amongst many other important ones, such as how yiddishkeit is the true feminism- that one’s close to my heart:)

Then in the tof shin mems- 80s the Rebbe started sending lots of shluchim out and starting mitzvah campaigns like giving out Shabbos candles to women, it putting on Tefillin with men. Which was unheard of by the time. The idea was every mitzvah is precious no matter what came before or follows

@avik and @chaimeliezer if you stick around to the end and follow the discussion, I think you won’t be left with these questions. If you are I’ll be happy to answer.

@WTP:
1. You called these concepts “chassidus 101” which means that they are true for all chassidus, and are not just Chabad/tanya tenets?

what is unique about Chabad chassidus and why it is termed this, is because the Rebbeim too these lofty neshama and Elokus concepts, some of which we have been discussing, and made it understandable to the laymen. All other chassidus groups follow the ways of chassidus such as having a Rebbe, but don’t have a systematic understandable path of how the layman can grow in his avodas Hashem without the tzaddiks direct influence. So when I say chassidus 101 I am referring to Chabad chassidus.

Presumably, every group will believe that their Rebbe is a tzaddik.

There were more tzaddikim before the war, but it seems train now are in short supply as per a conversation I had with the granddaughter of another Rebbe.

You stated that the tzaddik has the neshama of Moshe Rabbeinu, and every generation has one. But if every group has a tzaddik, then every group has its Moshe Rabbeinu? Or are some Rebbes/Tzaddikim bigger than others, and the rest are just imposters (no disrespect to any Rebbe meant, just trying to understand how this fits the bigger picture).

Neither. Just like by Moshe Rabbeinu, there were many leaders- the 70 judges, the Princes of the Shvatim etc. who we all leaders and tzaddikim, but there was only one Moshe Rabbeinu, so to in every generation…

Along a similar vein, when you quoted from the Rebbe that he was the 7th generation, implying that like the Avos, each Rebbe brought the shechina down one level, with the last Rebbe having the mission to complete the process and bring Mashiach, my question is: what about all the other great Tzaddikim/Rebbeim thru the generations outside of the chain of Chabad- they were not capable of this too? why exclude the Besht and the Maggid of Mezeritch and Rav Shmelke and the Noam Elimelech, just to name a famous few?

Firstly it wasn’t just the Avos, it was the leaders of seven generations from the Avos through Moshe. Amram was one as well, I can look up the medrash or maybe seven hayashar or anyone else can fill in the others. I think it was Levi Kehas Amram, Moshe.

2. I think you are saying that being a tzaddik is not a process a person can do himself, as you call it a gift from Hashem. It is not that someone worked on himself to get to this level, but that Hashem chooses a leader in each generation and bestows on him the level of Tzaddik. Would that be correct?

Sort of. A person does all within his power, and once he reaches the level of beinoni and tries to also feel disgust for bad like a tzaddik, then Hashem will bestow the madreiga of tzaddik upon him.

Does that explain the Rebbe hierarchy (in any chassidus)- how automatically a son/son-in law/ nearest relative takes over from the previous Rebbe and becomes a Tzaddik, no matter what his age or level of Torah learning?

Firstly, it doesn’t always work that way, the Maggid of Mezritch was not physically related to the Baal Shem Tov and neither was the Baal HaTanya related to the Maggid for two examples.

But if the son/in law merits the title he comes before everyone else.

Secondly, I’m not sure if this is unique to Chabad, but the chassidim have to approve and accept the new Rebbe- one of the reasons no one became the new Rebbe- we haven’t found anyone of the Rebbe’s caliber or a tzaddik, to replace him.

Hope that answers and I really enjoyed these questions

“@chabadshlucha, I agree with most of want you’re saying besides one thing. “Moshiach Shebador” isn’t a halachic concept, it’s not based on the Rambam, so it’s not the greatest point to bring in an argument.”

Correct me if I’m wondering but I don’t recall saying it is from Rambam, I said the other two are. It comes up allot in chassidus and I’ve read stories of the Baal Shem tov to that effect as well, so it is not a recent concept.

Also I’m not arguing. I think the Litvishe world has the right to understand what we are thinking and where we disagree so I’m educating, not arguing. I feel there is a real interest for the most part as you can judge for yourself by the feedback.

“Secondly, nowhere does it says that the משה שבדור is משיח שבדור.”

Please look up the phrase “Nassi Hador hu haMoshiach shebador.” Nassi Hador is another way of saying Moshe Rabbeinu of the generation, just shorter:). If you still can’t find it, I’ll Google it myself and tell you an exact source, although as a fellow Lubavitcher I’d be surprised if you haven’t come across it yet.

“Saying it will not help you prove you point. I don’t understand why you are seemingly trying to validate or legitimise beliefs that are based on emotion, not intellect through logic.”

Certainly everything we do as Yidden is it most certainly should be sourced in emuna which is an emotion. However, especially especially as Chabad chassidim, we endeavor to bring this emuna down into the rational would so our mind can agree with it as well. And this is very very important. If you believe you are a butterfly, people will think you are crazy because that is not their experience. Some extreme people may even label you an apikoris:) but if you can prove how you are, you won’t seem silly anymore.

I’m just giving over what I’ve taught and seen for myself. I think the world has the right to know it especially as there some people running around looking crazy because they don’t bother explaining how they got there. To the uninitiated eye btw, all Jews can look crazy too. So it’s not about how why look it’s about why. You’re welcome to disagree with me and explain how you draw a different conclusion. But I think it is high time that all lubavitchers as all Jews, should stick together, because people don’t differentiate, and if you label meshichistim crazy to the oilam you come in contact with, they’ll in turn ok at you as bring crazy for being a lubavitcher. So pirud doesn’t help anyone, achdus helps everyone. That’s what I believe and that’s why I’m here. And I know this is a Torah value, not just my belief.

If I were trying to defend or explain it, I would simply say, that Chassidim believe that their Rebbe was the most worthy of being Moshiach, were he to come in his time. Such belief is no novelty, it’s seen in the Gemara, and in past generations there were other Chassidim who believed this about their Rebbe, (such as Vizhnitz).

This is true. Another point to bring in eventually. But you do yo see we are a bit different, no one else goes to the lengths we do and are as passionate about it. So I though I’ll just give the inside scoop.

To conclude, never ever, not even once did the rebber ever declare or otherwise insinuate that he was Moshiach. ( Once, Rabbi L Groner, a secretary of the Rebbe handed the Rebbe a letter which had been received and was addressed to “Moshiach”, the Rebbe said “I’ll give it to him when he comes”.

I haven’t addressed that yet.

That said, if someone chooses to believe that the Rebbe or any Rebbe is Moshiach, that doesn’t make him a Kofer or anything. It may be foolish to believe so after his passing, but definitely isn’t assur in any way, shape or form.

See above as to why I think this attitude ruins things for everyone.

Exciting to see this great feedback! Keep it coming! Looking forward to addressing all questions before moving on.

To be a wife. A woman risks losing much more when she gets married, and a man had only to gain. She’s the one who gets pregnant, she’s the one who is more vulnerable, and she needs her husband’s support and protection. Therefore, under every chuppah the husband had to obligate himself towards her in the kesuba, while she doesn’t write one for him, because she’s already giving him everything by marrying him

Yes I will get to that iyh

Concept number three: Moshiach shebador, bchezkas Moshiach, Moshiach vadai

Moshiach shebador means that in every generation there is an individual, (actually this individual is also the Moshe Rabbeinu of the dor) who, if the generation is worthy, will be revealed as Moshiach. Ie he has the potential to become Moshiach if that generation merits it, an if they do, he will merit the neshama of Moshiach.

Bchezkas Moshiach: this is straight up Rambam, hilchos melachim prakim 11-12 if I’m not mistaken. The Rambam defines who can be a candidate to be Moshiach, ie bchezkas Moshiach, ie if he fulfills the four criteria the Rambam states, then he is considered “Moshiach elect”

If he fulfills a further four conditions then we can be certain he is Moshiach, hence the term Moshiach vadai.

This is important to understand because a litvak will hear a lubavitcher mention Moshiach and automatically assume he means Moshiach vadai, when he could have just as easily meant Moshiach shebador or bchezkas Moshiach.

For the girls even more, you are the one who effects how much Parnassa is brought down from the spiritual to the physical for the whole family! On another note, once you get married you have a husband to support you and take care of you and buy you things you wouldn’t buy yourself

I do because all financial brachos are in the merit of the wife, so if you get married and are a mentch of a husband, you have allot more money available to you:):)

@midwesterner as for your first question of yitzro gadol heimenu” I haven’t yet seen that addressed inside. My thoughts would be that it is addressing people who have not yet reached the level of tzaddik. As even a beinoni is a very lofty level. According to the Tanya definitions, if someone does only one aveira, it even doesn’t prevent someone else (if they were able) they are still classified as arasha vtov lo. If they have no regret at all, CVS, they’d be a rasha vra lo. A beinoni is a person who struggles inside but is always in control of themselves, and with the hello of Hashem, always makes the right decision. All we can get to with our own efforts is to a Beinoni. And that is probably what that maamar chazal is referring to. The level of tzaddik is a gift from Hashem, as we cannot control our feelings, only our thought, speech and action, and as it is a gift, he doesn’t need to contend with his yetzer anymore, as Dovid hamelech said, vlibi cholol bikirbi.

As there have so far been no questions on the first term- tzaddik, I’ll move on to the next one- the Zohar says, “Ispashtusa dMoshe bchol Dara vdara,” there is an extension of Moshe Rabbeinu in every generation.

Chassidus explains this in many places to mean that every generation has a tzaddik (see above) who is the Moshe Rabbeinu for that generation. Just like the original Moshe Rabbeinu, all the needs, physical and spiritual, come through this tzaddik.

There is another intertwined concept that all the neshamos are like a body. The neshamos not affected at all on their journey down to the world are the head and brain of klal Yisrael- our tzaddikim and leaders. The lowest neshamos, or the ones most affected by their journey, become the least spiritually in tune Jews- they have a hard time connecting to their neshama and connecting to Hashem. They are compared to the feet. Following this ever neshama has it’s place in the “body” of knesses yisrael, and just like the brain directs the body our leaders for. Just as the brain is the same essence as the father’s brain- the head neshamos are the ones most similar to Hashem’s Chochma.

And it is through these neshamos that everyone else gets their spiritual life force.

This and more is explained in perek beis of Tanya, the tzaddik concept is in perek aleph.

So far nothing controversial, this is like chassidus 101 and well known to I would think all lubavitchers. Any questions?

@thelittleiknow

Agreed. But I funny think they’re putting in an act, I think that it just adds to the hard character etc. work they’re already doing but making it easier to make the right choices as it constantly reminds them who they are and what they represent. Not that I know that much about Rebishe children honestly, but that’s what would seem to make sense to me

@aheimishemom

A slave?! Wow I find that sad. So much depends on connotation and attitude. Who would you think the below definition applies to?

Slaves of the rest of the Jews who spend their days washing bloody floors, chopping up their meat, and offering their animals?

Yeah Kohanim. But no, so not Kohanim. Get my drift?

I have a neighbor who I could see this working for. Personally my husband and I wouldn’t take that approach because in a sensitive topic, you have to be very careful with how you say things or you are less likely to be effective and more likely to be lashed out at.

In this case, the attitude I feel coming across is I am perfect and you need to work on yourself and I’m willing to pay you for it. See how generous I am?

I think this is usually wrong and that’s why I’d find it offensive. As has been brought up before, usually people marry a spouse with a compatible level of yiddishkeit, so if he found her less than tzniusdik look attractive, then he is part of the problem and shouldn’t be playing tzaddik now.

What would be taken much better by me, would be something like, “Chanale, I know when we got married, this is how you dressed and I was fine with that. However, you’ve helped me grow so much that now, your way of dress bothers me. I know it would be hard for you to change so can we make a deal? I will stop watching movies/non Jewish entertainment, or some other comparable kabbala, and you will go shopping, and buy a new tzniusdik wardrobe?

Here I would feel motivated because a) we are in this together and if it gets hard for me, I know he is working hard as well.

B) he is not making himself look good at my expense.

C) I get the zechus of helping him improve as well.

Disclaimer 1: I dress tzniusdik and my husband doesn’t watch movies or sports

Disclaimer 2: HaRav Miller said you have to know who you are talking to so I am not in any way negating what he said, as this is included within that, I am simply giving another approach/example.

@zahavasdad

I’m pretty sure a shliach will only settle in a place that has enough Jews to sustain his family. That’s policy. Now you don’t see them all in shul (at least in the beginning) because some of them don’t even know what shul is. Like both my parents never heard of Yom Kippur before they met a shliach.

Many shluchim start off with enough money to last a year, either savings, or now I think there may be grants available. After that they need to fundraise locally. So many shluchim don’t start off renting- they’ll give classes from their house and house the shul there as well. As time goes on and more people hopefully get involved and support their activities, they’ll expand, and keep on expanding with Hashem s help.

@Syag lachochma- I’m sorry if I struck a personal nerve. I should clarify that many of my own friends yell at me that there should not be any such thing as family consideration aka gezhe/ffb vs bt background in shidduchim, and many of the gezhe people believe so as well. Personally it makes sense to me but I should clarify that that’s my personal opinion.

For example the shluchim who mkareved my own father, and are well known and respected throughout the chareidi world, the husband is from a very gezhe family of chassidim from the chassidishe town of nevel, while the wife is herself a baalas tshuva who became one with her on when she was 12 years old.

*Tof kuf zayin

Yeah it’s very sad when the yetzer hara gets in the way. My teacher showed us a handwritten note of the Rebbe when I was in high school, that said (in yiddish) “The yetzer hara saw that Moshiach is almost here so he laid himself across the threshold of the doorway, and sought to create machlokes… And rachmona litzlan he succeeded.”

Although interesting you mention the small breakaway kinus because just this year, I saw a video going around on WhatsApp that looks like the main speaker was calling for an end to this foolishness and that chassidim should all learn the sichos (talks) of the Rebbe together, and work together to discuss the best way to implement it.

As long as it’s kosher, it’s kosher, so of course we can be yotze. The reason we prefer using a Lubavitch mikva is because of the hiddurim involved which basically make it that a woman toivels within the bor itself. This is accomplished by it being built bor Al gabei bor, and the bottom one is cold, and 80 seah, so no chashash of the original 40 being whittled to less than the shiur. Also the water filled in on top is hot, while the bottom is cold, so that avoids mixing.

This avoids many problematic issues involved with other kosher mikvaos such as the one that’s next to the bor with a hole in between, kept apart with a plug- let’s say the mikva lady forgets to remove the plug CVS, then the woman didn’t toivel in a mikvah because it wasn’t connected to the bor… There are other issues with the other prototypes, and this model was developed to avoid all issues

Sure. As mentioned, I think, gezhe refers to Chabad chassidim who are part of a family chain (geza) of chassidim going way back. Usually used in comparison with terms of ffb, bt, yichus.

All Chabad children go to the same schools, seminaries, yeshivos etc, and can go on shlichus, depending on how badly they want to go, without distinction. The only time it really comes up is with shidduchim, and that is fair.

There is an advantage to families being compatible, if I would’ve married into a gezhe family, I wouldn’t feel my parents are on equal footing with my supposed in laws and that can get awkward.

My parents are amazing incredible people who turned their whole lives around to because frum and that is their advantage because they passed over to me the conviction that yiddishkeit is the best thing out there and the goyishe world is so empty, it has nothing substantial to offer me.

Otoh, I can’t compare their aidelkeit to the aidelkeit of a gezhe family…

There is also a difference in upbringing: gezhe people mainly raise their kids to toe the line of their ancestors, whereas BTs focus on rebelling against or revolutionizing the secular world…

But many gezhe people are open to their kids dating bts kids, just the bt background is understandably not seen as a plus in family compatibility.

As far as other differences, no unique minhagim other than family minhagim like what they can eat on pesach.

Hope this clarifies

Hi, I decided syaglachochma is right and happy to take any questions. I’ve been following this forum for a bit, must say Joseph’s comments are mostly entertaining:) anyhow, happy to answer any questions. Both my parents are BTs and I’m married, on (chinuch) shlichus. Happy to join as love interacting with the greater chareidi world.