Ysiegel

Rational:
Since you care to deferentiate between Chabad and Chabadniks, please kindly share with me what of Chabad philosophy (not Chabadniks) you do not like?

I honestly want to know what is bad about it — as far as I’m concerned it is purely based on Torah. And especially coming from someone who is “very familiar” with it!! (I mean, I can tell you that most Chabadniks aren’t even VERY familiar with Chabad philosophy, so hearing of someone who is CRITICAL of Chabad and who is knowledgeable is news to me!)

In fact, how about this: to show you how sincere I am in my purr interest as to what you have to say, I bli neder take upon myself to not respond to your comments on the matter unless you (not anyone else) request or allow me to. How’s that??

I use Netspark for Android, which is on the one hand excellent for the purposes it is built for, but on the other hand can get slightly buggy at times. It works with a VPN, which is a huge advantage, I think, over others…and I use the Chabad beis din as admins so it keeps the device fairly choked up to the minimum (with the extended plan still offering plenty to work with). I found a loophole that works on my phone, and they fixed it for a while but recently they removed the fix, which is annoying but I won’t make a fuss about it again…

I was seriously considering getting the version of Gentech for Android phones which basically erases all of your apps except for a few pre-selected ones that are essential, but they don’t include essential apps for Israel, and therefore I can’t do with it.

On my PC I have Gentech, which is excellent and had several advantages, with one weakness (in my opinion) being that it doesn’t use VPN like Netspark does (which means that it is open to loopholes…). But it does the job wonderfully, all in all.

I used K9 for a while, but found that it is ridiculously easy to bypass. I have heard in the passed of a very expensive, yet absolutely top-of-the-line filter, which works better than even Rimon (which isn’t enough to stop the absolute tech-savy obsessive from bypassing). There was this site which went through every single possible loophole for a filter, and why they, as professionals, were able to develop a filter which is indestructible.

Anyways, because of its price I quickly forgot about it…

I didn’t even bother reading the rest of this thread, beyond the original question. I’ll try and answer, as one who has immersed relatively deep in Chabad teachings over the course of a number of years.

I will just say one disclaimer: there have been shifts in focus over the years. Every three years in the history of Chabad Chassidus, the target/goal attained a new depth. For instance, the three generations before the last Rebbe ZY”A, the emphasis was on Kabbalas Ol. Then the last generation was about a deeper level of Mesirus Nefesh.

You ask for only a couple of sentences, but it is VERY difficult to mention in so few words concepts which heavily rely on jargon — in other words, predefined, and previously explained topics and concepts which build up to a more essential theme. But I guess I’ll have a go at it, though I am not at all an official voice in Chabad teachings today (some notable examples of official voices, so to speak, might be Manis Friedman, YY Jacobson, YY Gurevitch, Yitzchak Goldberg, and of COURSE R’ Yoel Kahn and R’ Gopin, the latter two at the top of the list). People study these Chassidim’s teachings (obviously there are many more, but these are some who I am acquainted with personally) for many years before really grasping the quintessential objective of Chabad, and on the contrary there are many who can learn for years without really grasping anything but what their own imagination compels…

So here goes! (I’ll purposely try and avoid the jargon I mentioned above)

I would succinctly summarize the main goal of Chabad Lubavitch, that through the learning and deep understanding (and connection to) the study of Chassidus, the entire Earth should have an awareness of a superior, divine aspiration and ambition originating from a Superior Being (G-d), to be a relevant and inseparable part of physical life within it. This awareness should be so manifest in our conscience that it will affect us to practical actions to enact and make practical this ambition of G-d, in such a manner that it will become more important to us than any part of our own selves. (Or, to end in another fashion: it will become so important to us, that it will reach our inner core, at such a level that the only thing that really matters is to make this happen).

I would succinctly summarize the philosophy of Chabad, that at the very basic core of all existence is a simple unity which connects us to our Creator, Who in turn desires in us an intimate relationship, and of us to reveal this unity in every single aspect of our lives. This in turn inundates every aspect of every individual’s life with deep meaning, all as a result of indulging fully in the teachings that Chabad’s Chassidus has to offer, in a manner of TRUE understanding and connection

Very nice thread! Are additions from others welcome?

Has no one thus far made note of the fact that a user whose username is made up of random numbers and letters (suspicious), with *no* other posts prior to this one (very suspicious), is asking if anyone wants to carry out a monetary transaction online (extremely suspicious), especially in a way which warrants the exchange of private details (i.e. in order to find out more about what he’s selling)(red flags abound!)???

As a Lubavitcher I and a plethora of *serious* Chabad rabbis am/are adamant about bochurim tucking in their shirts. My Rosh Yeshiva (and mashpia for that matter–that’s Chabad jargon for the Lubavitchers in the house) will often stop bochurim even as they walk into the zal and ask them why their shirt is untucked.

When my own hat started looking old and worn out (I simply did not have money for a new one), my hat somehow “disappeared”. I went berserk looking for it, but in the end I was left with no choice but to ask my parents to help me pay for a new one (over a year later I found the hat in the teachers’ lounge while helping a rav with something there…).

Yes, a Lubavitcher bochur needs to look appropriate *especially* when travelling around outside of yeshiva. The Rebbe’s chassidim need to present themselves with respect.

But the tie thing I think will fall into what some people are saying here about being too “megusham”–that is, making too big a deal over physical appearance.

That being said, I strongly hold that in the right circumstances, it would be absolute shtus (d’leumas zeh –more Chabad jargon…) not to wear even a tie if it were deemed appropriate to the bochur or chossid’s role thereof.

A shliach I know wears a tie, and even asks one of the chassidim in his kehilla to do so to make sure that the mekuravim there don’t feel out of place amongst the other chaassidim who don’t wear one.

One last example: JJ Hecht was a secretary of the Rebbe, and one whose role involved dealing with the most high-class officials; essentially he was like the Rebbe’s embassador/spokesperson. Well, the guy was poor like no other, yet he took enormous sums of money as loans in order to buy the most expensive top-hat (as was considered high class at the time–you can see it in the videos) and most high class suit. He reasoned (correctly) that as someone representing the Rebbe he has to look accordingly.

Now how is it that he allowed himself to wear such expensive clothes as a chassid? Isn’t it megusham??? So if you wear it with your own appearance in mind then that would be true. But he was clearly doing so for a higher purpose and therefore did not fall into risk…

Thus is it that I assert, that indeed Lubavitchers need to look as dignified as possible, within the appropriate boundaries, especially in the eyes of those to whom we are representing the Rebbe.

*Standing ovation*

Doesn’t the religious community in America have Dor Yesharim? In Israel it’s something that NO ONE goes on shidduchim before doing. They basically test you for all these diseases, keep the results secret, and you can ask to match up the results of any couple, (usually it’s done even before the first meeting) and see if there is a significant risk in any of these diseases…

Aside from Borer, what issue could there be with a filter being turned on?

You’re not causing it to work harder (lichora) by using the mikveh. I can think of no other svara that would cause it to render the mikveh unfit for use for Shabbos…

The frozen ones still need a hechsher, and may generally be used only for blending (as it often states on the hechsher).

The fact itself that they are frozen is not what makes them allowed to be eaten.

I have a lot to say on this subject, but for now I’ll share a story I heard from R’ Manis Friedman, dean of Beis Chana (for Baalei tshuva girls).
Basically there was a girl learning there once who was totally unkept; she very much neglected herself and it was crudely obvious.

Well she had a lot of issues that she needed to discuss with someone so finally one day she arranges to speak with the rav. Upon entering his office, she makes to close the door behind her, but of course R’ Manis says to her to leave it open. She looks at him questioningly, and he explains that “a man and a woman shouldn’t be in a room together alone.”
When she heard that she began crying uncontrollably, explaining to him once she regained her composure that this was the first time she remembered being treated like a woman…