qwerty613

To Flatbush Yid

I would agree with your assessment, but I would just question whether Chabad Kiruv really accomplishes anything. I do agree that when a couple goes out on Shlichis the entire family feels a joint sense of purpose and it tends to keep the kids on the Derech. Unfortunately, the Chabad derech leaves much to be desired. In your opinion is the OTD problem worse in CH than in other communities?

To the group

Does anyone know what LA boy is talking about? Who said that he isn’t part of Klal Yisrael?

To the group

Is it just my imagination or do you also think that “rescue” doesn’t like me? I probably remind him of the Rabbis who “made” him go off the derech. Let’s just add one point. YYA said that words in Loshon Hakodesh can have more than one meaning, but rescue disagrees. Only one way to settle this. Let’s bring in an unbiased third party the great band Led Zeppelin. In their classic hit, “Stairway to Heaven” the lead singer Robert Plant tells us, “Cuz you know sometimes words have two meanings.” I guess that settles it. Checkmate to rescue. I didn’t say he acts like a three-year-old, I said he writes like a three-year-old. He acts like, ….. ya know some things are better left unsaid. Good Shabbos.

To rescue

Fine. You’ve made your point. You don’t believe that there’s any such concept as fearing Hashem. You obviously also don’t believe that there was a Holocaust. But let’s not go there. I distinctly asked you to state whose opinion your follow. You ignored the question choosing instead to spout your nonsense that Yirah doesn’t mean fear. Now there’s a reason you didn’t answer the question. It’s because you don’t follow anyone which is why you make heretical statements. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not a follower of any particular Rabbi or sect, but I have very close relationships with several great Rabbis. You, on the other hand, rely on your own “oppion.” Not only are you arrogant, but you write on the level of a three-year-old. I would advise YYA to stop wasting his time with you. There’s no hope for a fool who’s wise in his own eyes. That was Shlomo Hamelech speaking. He also said in Koheles that there’s a time for every matter under Heaven and that includes fearing G-d. Not convinced. Check out Mishlei 9:10, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear (Yirah) of Hashem” But you think you’re smarter than Shlomo Hamelech because he didn’t know English. Checkmate dude.

To rescue

You question how Yirah can mean both awe and fear. So let me ask you a better question, “How could Dovid Hamelech write in one chapter of Tehilim, “Ivdu es Hashem Bisimcha” but in another “Ivdu es Hashem Biyirah?” Was he schizophrenic Chas Veshalom?” Shlomo Hamelech provides the answer in Kohelet,”there’s a time for fear and a time for joy etc.” Hashem gave human beings broad personalities and we’re expected to express that variety in our lives. Therefore. there’s a time to fear Hashem and a time to celebrate with Hashem. There’s no contradiction. Of course, you have to act properly at the proper time. That should answer your question. I await the answer to the query I posed to you. It doesn’t seem to me that you have inculcated Torah values and Hashkafah, but I will give you the opportunity to respond before I pass judgment.

To Yaakov Yosef A

Well said. When Yehoshua said that he heard the sound of war in the camp Moshe corrected him and said it was merely the sound of distress. LA boy and rescue are spouting nonsense and Kefirah but it should be understood that it’s just the rantings of distress. The problem is that Manis Friedman is giving such people a voice by endorsing their Kefirah.

To the group

Let me share a story. There was a Chassidishe Gadol who lived on the Lower East Side. I was his dentist until he passed away in 1995. In 1998 his grandson, who’s Bobov, took over his Shteller. We became friends. Occasionally, I spend Shabbos on the LES. When I do I go to that Shul for Mincha Maariv and the Rabbi speaks during Shalosh Seudos. Several months ago, I complimented him, “When you mention Litvish Rabbis like the Gaon you speak with the same reverence as you do when quoting Chassidishe Rebbes.” He responded, “Torah is Torah.” This is how I was raised. This concept of Chassidish Torah versus Litvish Torah is a canard. There is only one Torah for all Jews. Now I spend all my time on Gemara but when I was finding my way I focused on Mussar. I don’t recall ever reading a statement about hell. Mussar teaches a person to recognize how the Yetzer hora is playing with our heads and it presents strategies in dealing with him. That’s it.

To yankel berel

LA boy and rescue are lost souls. That’s why they’re siding with Chabad.

To ARSo

Why have you stayed away? Let me start by noting that the Lubavitchers no longer contribute. Initially, they were replaced by Shimon Katz and Yedl who are both decent guys. They wrote that the Chabad beliefs are all nonsense, but we should dismiss them because only a handful of Lubavitchers actually believe them which is total baloney. They realized that we weren’t buying that nonsense, so they disappeared to be replaced by LA Boy and rescue. To their credit, they don’t deny that Chabad as a whole, rejects the concept of punishment, but what they’re saying is that they think that this is a valid position within Judaism, which of course is insane.

To rescue

Could you elaborate on the contradictions and technicalities that I’m guilty of because it’s hard to address generalities. BTW, are you Shomer Torah Umitzvohs? From your posts, it seems like you do whatever feels right to you.

To philosopher

Thanks for the kind words. I like to think that the fact that I grew up only semi-frum gives me a different perspective which I use in my Divrei Torah. Of course, I agree with your take on Chabad. You’re simply telling the truth.

To yankel berel

You can’t get through to people who aren’t interested in the truth.

To LA boy

You don’t think that anyone in Chabad denies that Gehinnom exists. Let me quote the Rabbi of the Chabad shul I attend, “When the Rebbe became Moshiach he closed down Gehinnom.” He wasn’t joking. Of course that’s insanity, but it’s also insanity to suggest that the Rebbe is still alive and many Lubavichers subscribe to that theory. All the statements coming out of Chabad are lunacy, but they’re based on the central lie of Chabad which is Schneersohn’s Kefirah that all Jews will be redeemed by Moshiach. As for your question about my attending a Chabad shul, I’ve answered it numerous times on other threads, but I’ll repeat what I wrote. As yankel berel stated in an earlier post, there’s a difference between Halachic and Hashkafic idolatry, Kefirah etc. Until there’s a Psak, the Chabad religion is not officially idolatrous and therefore I am permitted to Daven there and eat their food. The reason I go there is because it’s the only shul in my neighborhood which fits my weekday schedule and I refuse to daven without a minyan. Moreover, I get along very well with the Rabbis. If you want to believe that I’m a hypocrite, you’re entitled to your incorrect opinion.

To rescue

You’re a “one-trick pony” reducing everything to differences of opinion. You remind me of something I read many years ago in the now defunct Jewish Week. A Reform Rabbi wrote an article in which he said, “I’m a Rabbi and Maimonides is a Rabbi why do people think that his opinion is more valid than mine?” Now you wouldobviously agree with him. You would also agree that Christianity is a valid form of Judaism; it just represents a different point of view. So let’s learn to take a Torah based approach. In fact, there is a principle of Eilu Veilu Divrei Elokim and it’s far reaching. Therefore, if one group within Orthodoxy has certain customs, they must be respected even if they are at odds with our own approach. Another example. Six days, 5786 and 6000 are not absolutes. There are respected authorities who think otherwise and therefore one is free to choose whichever side is to his liking. On the other hand, Manis Friedman’s statement that anyone can do any Aveirah and nothing will happen to him is against the basic belief system of Judaism and so he isn’t entitled to have his own opinion, just as Schneersohn had no right to reject the Gemara which said that only 1/300,000 Jews will be redeemed by Moshiach. If you want to discuss this further, I’m here, but if you want to simply make churlish atheistic statements, find someone else to play with.

To philosopher

Thank you for responding to the new fool on the block. He’s trying to “catch” me now. Paul McCartney wrote, “Life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friend.” If LA boy wants to be a Chabad lover that’s his right. I don’t care. I’m just here to set the record straight. My allegiance is to Hashem. If this dummy wants to support an idolatrous religion Gezunterheit. Baruch Hashem there are a number of clear minded thinkers on YWN and it’s to them that I’ll address my comments. This phony liar claims not to know who’s in charge of Chabad. It was Krinsky and Kotlarsky but the latter died. So why hasn’t Krinsky ever issued a public statement disavowing any and all of Chabad’s outrageous claims? Shtikah Kihodaah. Don’t waste your time with that lowlife. Some people have no interest in the truth, and you can’t get through to them.

To Shimon Nodel

Make aliyah if you’re so worried about the future. Why are you hocking us in cheinig?

To philosopher

You’re correct that Chabad Kiruv is essentially worthless. As an aside, almost all Kiruv is a waste of time and money. The reason we hear so much about it is because many superrich Jews think it’s a noble way to spend their Tzedakah money, but that’s not the point I want to make. The question we should consider is why Hashem gave His Haskama to all these Chabad Houses. One answer, no one has a right to suggest that he knows exactly why Hashem does anything, is because when the Mechallels that Chabad reaches out to come to the next world at 120 Hashem will ask them why they didn’t eat Kosher, as an example. They’ll answer, “How was I supposed to know about Kosher, my parents weren’t religious?” Hashem will say to them, “Didn’t you attend your Chabad Rabbi’s Purim Party?” They’ll answer yes. Then Hashem will nail them, “Didn’t the Rabbi offer to come and Kasher your home and do it for free?” They’ll have no choice but to answer yes and then Hashem will say checkmate and show them the down elevator. Always Ask wrote on February 26 that total non-observance makes one a Tinok Shenishba. That is not only a lie it’s absolute Kefirah. Only Hashem can decide who is a Tinok Shenishba. To “pasken” otherwise puts one in the same category as Manis Friedman who decided that a Jew can eat a ham and cheese sandwich on Pesach, on pumpernickel, and nothing will happen to him. “Always,” always finds some Rabbi to quote out of context and so he’ll cite the Chazon Ish, but we must know what he meant and when it can be applied, but again, Tinok Shenishba is not a get out of jail free card.

Now let me share my story. I went to Yeshiva for 12 years and in that time perhaps I learned for 12 days. That I now learn about 7 hours a day is Mamash a Nes. I will attribute it to three factors. First, Zchus Avos. My mother, AH, told me that on my father’s side I descend from great Galitziyaner Rebbes, including perhaps, Rav Meir Premishlan. Second, growing up on the LES, I saw many outstanding Rabbis and while I wasn’t fully frum, I was influenced in that I knew the difference between real and fake Judaism. Finally, I have a Middah for truth which I got from my parents. When I was about 15 my mother and I went to visit her father. When I got there, he gave me “Al Harosh” in his Yinglish. “Look vat kind grendson I got, I got a bum for a grendson. All de boys geien tze sheel in der free, but this bum geit never nish tze sheel.” I was so shocked by his outburst, because he was generally so sweet. Of course, I didn’t act, at the time, on what he said, but that changed about 15 years later. I was in a shul in my new neighborhood on Shabbos morning (that was the only time I went to shul.) Some old man heard that I was a dentist and he said, “You ah dentist, and you go to shul that’s beautiful.” At that moment I remembered my Zeide’s tirade and I said to myself, “You were right I was a bum and I’m still a bum.” It took me two years to straighten out, and the process continues. The point is that this is who I am. I don’t believe in Hashem, I know in Hashem and I know that Lubavitchers, and those who support them have no Sheiches to G-d. I know how much I’m hated online but I could care less. Someone has to stand up for the Torah which is being abused by ostensibly Orthodox Jews.

To always

You’ve repeated this Rabbi Soloveitchik mantra on numerous occasions, but now I’ll address it. First, I have never called for the abolition of the Chabad movement. Second, Rabbi Soloveitchik was discussing the Friediker Rebbe. Had he heard this Moshiach garbage, and even worse Manis Friedman’s Kefirah, you can be sure he wouldn’t have endorsed it. While I have the greatest respect for the Soloveitchiks, statements made seventy-five years ago are irrelevant to the current discussion. It’s like trying to cancel YU because Rabbi Gifter criticized it 90 years ago.

To always

Sorry, you’re missing the point. Lubavitchers, by definition, cannot do Kiruv, because the definition of Kiruv is bringing people closer to Hashem and Lubavitchers have no connection to Hashem. I’ll prove my point. In 2023, I started writing against Chabad, initially it was on VIN. I could be harsh and several Lubavitchers wrote to me, “Aren’t you afraid of what the Rebbe is going to do to you?” This is not an aberrant position. This is how they’ve been trained to think. Now I agree with you that Chabad should continue its work. I have seen numerous success stories in the shuls I attend, but there’s no disputing that the Chabad belief system is abhorrent to any true believing Jew.

To philosopher

My experience with Chabad is from the shuls I attend. There are about 10 Rabbis and their families so there’s well over a 100 Lubavitchers. I have not seen any deviation in their religious practices Tznius etc. What you may be describing are rank and file Lubavitch women. If you look at their websites people write in as follows, “How can you dress like that? Don’t you think it upsets the Rebbe?” Again, they have no concept of a G-d who’s keeping records. The Manis Friedman Kefirah is totally accepted.

To yuda the maccabi

You make an interesting point, but it needs clarification because Kefirah is in the eyes of the beholder. Please provide a few examples of statements on YWN that you view as heretical and we can discuss them.

To Anyone

I disagree with your thesis that there’s a disparity in how normative Jews view Chabad. Let me explain. First, all mainstream Jews agree that the following Chabad claims are false. That is, we reject that the Rebbe is Moshiach, was a Novi, is still alive, and we reject Manis Friedman’s contention that one can do any Aveirah of his choosing and nothing will happen to him. Second, we all agree that Lubavitchers, by and large, are very nice people and we encourage them to continue their fine Kiruv work. Where there is a difference is that one camp, of which I’m part, is troubled by Chabad’s distortions of our religion and so we address them, while the other camp overlooks the deviant Chabad belief system because they’re impressed by the good Chabad does.

To shlomo__frid

A synopsis in English please.

To rescue

Chazal say that the Jews will be redeemed if they’re totally meritorious or if they hit rock bottom so that puts a monkey wrench into your theory. Now on a personal note. You attacked me for no reason on two other threads. I asked you nicely to explain your position and you ignored my requests. You are a phony and a hypocrite. You can dish it out, but you refuse to discuss the issues like a human being. Checkmate dude. No one’s interested in your psychobabble. To borrow from the Bard, “Get thee to a Yeshiva and learn real values.”

To Haimy

A Rabbi whose opinions I trust also said that 6000 isn’t a sure thing. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal. We have a Torah to keep. That’s our responsibility. It’s Hashem’s decision as to when Moshiach will come.

To rescue

How would you address someone who is saying that G-d fathered a child by the name of Schneersohn? Would you show the same courtesy for a Jew for Cheeses?

To coffee addict

I just want to add some perspective. I’m not here to bash Rabbi Miller. I completely agree that he was a great man. My only point is that he wasn’t infallible, something which many of his followers believe. Let’s just review. You started the thread by asking why some people don’t eat Empire chickens. Shortly after, Shtreimelech 1 said it’s because they used to employ MO shochtim and people haven’t forgotten. This led to my challenging the notion that Modern Orthodox are less religiously trustworthy than Charedim. I’m fully aware that some believe this, but I don’t see any basis for it. A shochet is a professional who must abide by the standards of his profession, like any other professional, Jew and gentile alike. I used to have a patient who was a Rabbi at MTJ (he moved to Lakewood). One day he told me the following, “There used to be a butcher on Grand St named Goldberg. He was clean shaven, but everyone knew that he could be trusted.” We’re talking about a neighborhood which had Rav Moshe and many other luminaries. They all trusted him. This is how I was raised. Rabbi Miller had a different view. If you want to follow him, that’s your right, but I have my own valid Hashkafah. Now if you’re one of those people who think that Rabbi Miller never made a mistake, explain why he continued defending Chabad until the end.

To rescue

There’s definitely a materialism problem in the frum community. My point is that you’re making nebulous pseudo-academic statements which are too generic to lead to meaningful discussion. Are you upset with frum Jews in general or with its leadership? If you would clarify that point it would be a good place to start.

To somejew

You’re making a wrong assumption. Not every Mechallel Shabbos has the status of an Apikorus.

To DaMoshe

She showed up on a different thread. I agree with YYA that she should be ignored and that’s why I’m not challenging her. This is not to say that there aren’t Lubavichers who view the Rebbe as a deity. There certainly are.

To Koifer Bikur

What’s best is to work on yourself rather than trying to change the world. I understand your frustration, but the situation isn’t going to change until Hashem decides that He’s had enough of this rampant obsession with Gashmiyus.

mnkl;j/l;l;”;
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