Rabbi Moti Koenig of Chabad in Modi’in Illit has grown accustomed to the fact that many residents would prefer if he and his Bet Chabad would vanish. Nevertheless, he remains determined in his mission, to bring Chabad chassidus to the predominately Litvish torah community.
On Monday, the Chabad library was targeted by an arsonist. He was summoned during the early hours Monday morning (Sunday night to Monday morning) and told to come to the building, horrified to find that the site used to deliver shiurei torah and spread chassidus was targeted by arson. Anti Chabad graffiti was also visible at the site along with graffiti against the planned Lag B’Omer event sponsored by the children of the community later in the week.
Rav Koenig explained that this was not the work of “children or shabavnikim”, but by those who label themselves “avreichim” and “bnei torah”, questioning how they can set such a site ablaze, a location containing so many sifrei kodesh.
Rav Koenig added that he remains more committed to make this year’s Lag B’Omer event in the city the biggest ever, hoping to double the number of children taking part.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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16 Responses
The more resistance – the more dark it is over there. Just a little bit of light dispels the darkness. Hatlacha Rabbi. This I guarantee, they are not avreichim nor Bnei Torah no matter what they think they are.
Although setting buildings on fire may not be the way, we must be aware of the danger of this movement which insists that there leader is the Moshiach (whether explicitly or implicitly) thereby making a mockery of our true beleif in Moshiach, a decendant of Dovid who will unite the entire Jewish people to follow the Torah and will be recognized by the entire world.
#2:
Agreed. Although most Shlichim are not Moshichistim, there is the real danger once you become Lubabs under their influence you might become a Moshichist.
Let them go to secular neighborhoods. To my knowledge, there is no Chabad House in Yerusholayim, Bnei Brak, Stamford Hill, Boro Park, Flatbush, Lakewood, etc.
#2, First of all, how do you know they’re not right? Second, even if they’re wrong how is it dangerous? If they believe a particular person is Moshiach, then they clearly do believe in Moshiach, whereas you, who deny that that person is the one, will there ever be a person you will believe? Or is Moshiach to you some ethereal concept, always to be in the future and never in the present?
Number 2,
Not only what you say is untrue about chabad, what it shows is your sines chinom,,,
Is there a movement that has done more for connecting all jews , bring more Jews back to torah ,than Chabad
You call yourself ‘old fashiion jew,,, the name suites, just like the ones the Gemara in Gittin speaks about…
Lets show love to each other,,how about the name of number 1
YECHI.
Your very name proves Number 2 right.
Milhouse:
Even if believing a particular person Moshiach is just foolhardy, in Lubavitch it brings heresy.
Calling the Rebbe Boireinu, publicly eating 10 Teves, praying while holding a picture of the Rebbe in front of your face, is just a few examples.
Being convinced a dead person is alive and awaiting his 2nd coming, is in itself part of christianity and has no place in Judaism.
“Although most Shlichim are not Moshichistim”
Wrong; 99%-100% are.
They love to go where they are not wanted nor needed.
HELLO GUYS & GALS,
Arson, destruction, vile behavior is a NO NO according to Toras hashem. Fires cause injuries (like in New Square), death and tremendous destruction of valuables and even sifrei torah. Figure out another way to ask the group to leave.
#3 There is a Chabad house in Flatbush BTW.
As #2 and #3 say. These guys are just looking for trouble.
Which, however, does NOT justify arson. These people should be ignored, maybe a protest is justified – but arson?! That is another level altogether, and one way across the line of the acceptable.
There are great Chabad people, I myself have met several really good shluchim. However it cannot be denied that the majority of Chabad are nowadays Meshichistim and some are “Boreiniks” or whatever they are called. I once met someone at a previous job who believed in “the Rebbe boreinu yotzreinu elokeinu”…. שר”י
There is one little mistake in the article: you write they “spread chassidus”. That, exactly, is one of my main objections to Chabad.
*They* *are* “chassidus”, they claim. They, and nobody else.
Combined with the whole “nasi doreinu” lunacy. Leaving aside the fact that their Rebbe was niftar 18 years ago – do Litvaks claim Rav Eliashiv, or Rav Shach are/were “nasi doreinu”? Do Mizrachim claim Rav Ovadia is “nasi doreinu”? Do Dati Leumim claim Rav Metzger is “nasi doreinu”? Do followers of the Edah claim the Gavad, Rav Weiss, is “nasi doreinu”? Do any other chassidim claim their (DEAD) Rebbe is “nasi doreinu”?! NO! It is such a chutzpah, such an incredible insult to all other gedolim, to proudly ‘announce’ to the entire world that THEIR *dead* Rebbe is the leader of the entire Jewish people.
These two things (the “nasi doreinu” superiority thing, and the “we *are* chassidus” thing) are in fact what drove me away from Chabad.
#2,#6,#7 Please get your facts straight before you make statements. Most Chabad is not Meshichist and chabad Does Not eat on 10 Teves! And yes chabad does learn chassidus and they do teach it to others. LEarn it for yourself and you’ll see what it’s all about. It really gives a feeling to the what we do, learning torah, doing Mitzvos.
And what about the whole Ahavas Chinum thing? We all can learn a thing or too from chabad!
Wow – there is a group you dislike more than you dislike the MO’s
Oddly enough, there are enough wrong things I can find about every other sect in Judaism, yet its Chabad that always seems to be the justified place for the brunt of sinas chinam – while they seem to be the ones with the most to be proud of. Unless halachically there is something wrong with calling someone Moshiach – exactly where is the harm? It seems to me the only chassidus besides breslov these days, who takes spreading chassidus seriously, as the movement is supposed to do from the holy Baal Shem, has been Chabad. There is no room for argument if one is to be completely honest with themselves. #9 you ask why people dont call their own rabbis nasi doreinu? what has that got to do with Chabad? are you implying that there can never be a nasi doreinu unless Moshiach comes? There is a very real sina against Chabad which would imply to me how right they really are- those who understand, will understand and for those in the dark…youll have to enlighten yourselves.
I have seen a lot of vile hate in my life, but there is something about the hatred of Chabad which shows no bounds. It’s almost like the ס”מ has taken full control and the individual is just doing his bidding. How sad! I have met all kinds of Chabad in my life, but I have never met what some have described above. Frankly, I don’t believe it. What I do believe is as follows – There are some very good people in the various sects that make up our world. May Hashem give us vision that we shall see the goodness of each other and not our shortcomings.
“No! wer’e not Meshichists…Hey, but how do you know he’s not Moshiach…”
Cut it out with all this fake.
Ahavas Chinam – What a nice name part of Ahava is to be concerned that Jews should serve Hashem the proper way. Smiling and telling everyone who’se on your side that they are great is not Emes and it’s also not Ahava.
#3, yes, there are Chabad centres in all of those places. Moshiach told the Baal Shem Tov that he will come “when your springs have spread outside”, and Chabad works to do that. Since the beginning Chabad has actively recruited Bnei Torah, and spread its message in the yeshivos and botei medrash. The Baal Hatanya himself traveled around to recruit for chassidus, and succeeded in attracting some of the greatest ge’onim of his time. In all the Litvishe yeshivos there are Tanya classes, usually underground, and they attract those who are looking for the pnimiyus hatorah.
If someone doesn’t want their illuyim going over to Chabad, they need to give them an alternative that they’ll find equally attractive. But what can you do if you don’t have anything like that to offer? What can you do when the young people can see that what Chabad is offering is the real deal, and they want to hear it? All you can do is beat people up and burn bulidings down.
Being convinced a dead person is alive and awaiting his 2nd coming, is in itself part of christianity and has no place in Judaism.
Where exactly is this written?