Oct 21 2007
I take a certain amount of flack for being a member of a Chabad shul. The few friends I have who are engaged enough with their Judaism to care about such things don’t understand it and I don’t blame them. I don’t totally understand it myself and I get very uncomfortable when we talk about it. They put forth good and cogent criticisms of the Orthodox in general and Chabad in particular, and what can I say? For the most part I agree with them. Which leads to the question, why do I affiliate with them? This we will get to in a future post. But first I want to review some of these criticisms, and add a few observations of my own.
The most frequent criticism I hear is that Chabad is a cult. They have (had) a central religious figure whom they consider(ed) to be the Messiah. They feel that ours is the last generation and that soon, very soon, Messiah will come to make a new world. In the meantime, the schluchim are out there day and night inspiring the unaffiliated to do Torah and Mitzvot, because, who knows, the very next mitzvah may well be the one to tip the balance of the whole universe…
Friends, I am sad to say that this is all true. Not that any of the black hats would admit to it, at least not so baldly as stated above. The few times I broached the question with my Rabbi or the many yeshiva boys who drop into the shul, they all get cagey, pooh-poohing the importance of the Rebbe being the Messiah, sidestepping the issue but not altogether discounting it. This, I think, is a due to two things: 1) it may be indicative of a real split in the Lubavitcher movement as to how to interpret the Messiah’s no-show after the Rebbe’s death and; 2) the disinclination of the Chabadniks to risk scaring off their non-Orthodox, secular supporters. But whatever the reason, you can take this to the bank: there is not one old family Lubavitcher who doesn’t think that somehow, someway, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (of blessed memory) is not closely linked with the imminent coming of Messiah. Not too long ago I heard with my own ears one of the highest ranking members of Chabad Lubavitch in Southern California make a speech in which he confidently predicted the imminent return of the Rebbe as Messiah to complete the world. This, as you could imagine, gave me pause.
Then there is the criticism of the Orthodox in general, or at least the black hat portion of the Orthodox world. That criticism says that they are out of touch with modern life and modern thought. This of course is true. They are religious fundamentalists who believe that God created the world and all the universe in seven days 5768 years ago, that Adam and Eve were the parents of mankind, and that things like carbon dating, prehistoric fossils, the archeological record etc etc etc, are (deliberately?) misunderstood and can all be explained in ways consistent with Torah.
The black hat and Orthodox community is criticized for only caring about themselves, and not at all about the larger world or even the larger Jewish community. Once again, this seems to be true. Sure they’re great at raising charity, but that charity is only for themselves. Only rarely will they involve themselves in larger Jewish charities and never, that I ever saw, with charities and causes involving the non-Jewish world. When questioned about this I’ve never heard a denial. They all say we’ve got to take care of our own before we can take care of the larger world. Yes, this is true. But they never get around to taking care of that larger world, Jewish or non-Jewish. They just aren’t oriented that way.
Then of course, there is the whole Neshamah thing, and this is the issue I find most distressing. The Tanya is a central text of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It was written by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, Schneer Zalman of Liadi in 1797, and is the central text of Chabad-Lubavitch spirituality. The Tanya has many deep and lovely things in it. But a central aspect of Tanya is the belief that Jews have unique souls. The souls of Jews are directly connected to God in a way that the souls of other people are not. Thus Jews have a special connectedness with God that other peoples do not and cannot have. This is the deepest meaning of being the “Chosen People.” That God placed in us a unique Jewish soul, and it is this unique Jewish soul that makes it possible for us to serve God in the way he chose us to serve him.
According to this belief, when a Jew does a mitzvah the universe changes fundamentally. Some darkness in this lower world is transformed to light by a Jew’s performance of a mitzvah. Now, a gentile could perform the same mitzvah, go through the same actions, say the same prayer, but nothing in the universe will change because the gentile lacks the God-given quality of soul to effect a transformation. In this way and only is this way does the light of God reach this lowest and most gross of all worlds. The logic of this leads them to the conclusion that all the blessings in the world, for all the peoples of the world, are brought into the world solely by the act of Jews performing mitzvot, and if Jews were to stop performing mitzvot, all the blessings of the world would soon disappear. If only they knew, the black hats muse, if only they knew how we help them, they’d send armies to us to protect us, instead of to kill us…
In my opinion, this belief is ugly and shameful. I’ve discussed my feelings about this in no uncertain terms with my Rabbi. He understands how I feel but what can he do? My feelings are my feelings, but Tanya is Tanya.
Of course this doesn’t begin to exhaust the list of criticisms that could be leveled against the black-hat Orthodox. There’s the whole role of women thing, mechitzas, ordination, reading from the Torah, obtaining divorces, and all the rest. There’s the issue of gays and their general exclusion from that world. Then there’s the widespread disdain the black hat community has for the non-Orthodox Jewish community, especially for Reform. (The Reform movement should not take it personally. I’ve heard stories about the wars between the Satmars and the Lubavitch that would curl your beard.) I could go on and on with this and if I’ve missed your particular pet peeve please forgive me, but in this area there is an embarrassment of riches. Feel free to write me about yours if you like.
So that is a partial list of criticisms that have been leveled against Chabad and the black hat world. Even as a partial list it’s pretty damning and you may well be asking yourself, if Yankel believes it’s all true, why, in the name of God, does he affiliate with those people?
That answer will come in future posts.
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Yankel, I appreciated this post, especially the last paragraph - it shows the tension well - and I look forward very much to your future posts on this topic. I sort of have a love/hate relationship to Chabad…. as I wrote in an earlier comment, I deeply admire their commitment to Jews of all stripes, their depth of knowledge, their accessibility, and lots of other things. If I were a Jew by birth, I would associate with them more. The reason I don’t do so regularly now is that it is painful to know I am not only not technically Jewish in their eyes, but so much less than that, per the Tanya stuff you mentioned. I do NOT have a “Behemishe Neshoimeh,” no matter what Shneur Zalman of Liadi wrote, and so having my hard work, commitment, and experience invalidated is difficult. And having said that, thank G-d for Chabad, because they are doing more to reach unaffiliated Jews than ANYONE, without compare. Anyway… I look forward to your future posts on this topic!
kol tuv,
Yair
PS—> I notice you have a Chabad tallit on in your pic…. I’ve always liked that design
Nice post!
You said:
“I take a certain amount of flack for being a member of a Chabad shul. The few friends I have who are engaged enough with their Judaism to care about such things don’t understand it and I don’t blame them.
I certainly hope you aren’t referring to me with the above. Because I for one am very glad that you belong to a Chabad shul. Yes you see, with you as a member I can rest assured that at least one person at that place considers me a JEW! LOL!
Anyhow, looking forward to next installment in your series!
Ha ha, very funny Avi. I too consider you a Jew
Yankel, this was a good read. One of the most welcoming, warming moments I’ve had as a Jew (and this was before I converted!) was at a Chabad house. The post-service meal was the most lively, welcoming, friendly, comfortable experience I’ve had with any Jewish community.
While I admit some ignorance about Chabad (of which you, I imagine, will enlighten me on), I get so much of my study material, holiday information, Jewish stories, etc. from Chabad.org.
Chaviva and Yankel of course, it seems to me that many of us have this love/hate (though hate is a strong word) relationship with Chabad. Chaviva, my experiences are similar to your’s. They are a big part of what got me reconnected with my own Judaism. Not Chabad as a group but a wonderful family of Chabadniks. I too love their web site and find it a great first or second source as I love my book: “How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household. Anywho…they do so much good and at the same time that good is for the most part only for those they consider “real” Jews (i.e. born to a Jewish mother or Orthodox converts). That is a part of Chabad that has really gotten to me this year. However, I love Yankel’s little community, I know it well and also consider the people there my community though the rabbi isn’t “my” rabbi. The community is not a black hat one and is quite diverse, which is something I’m sure Yankel will cover in another edition of the post.
I thank you all for your kind words about my post.
I hope I didn’t leave the impression that I was slamming Chabad. I am, after all, a member of a Chabad shul and wouldn’t be if I thought the various critiques I outlined in my post was the last word I had on the organization. It’s just that I realize how strongly many feel about Chabad, and I wanted to get my views on some of the more controversial aspects of the movement out front. I am a secular Jew, not a true-believer Lubavitcher, and I wanted my views clearly stated to establish a context within which subsequent posts can be understood.
Yair, I understand your sensitivities around the neshamah issue. I find the issue shameful and disgusting, but it is a whole different issue for a convert and rightfully painful. But I want you to know that Chabad is not averse to conversion or converts. My Rabbi told me, in fact, that one explanation for the continuation of the Exile is that it gives an opportunity to expand conversion. Chabad gladly accepts converts, and will work diligently to help a potential Jew through the process. But they will accept converts only on their terms, which are Halachic conversations as laid down by Orthodox tradition.
The thing is, for these guys and the whole black-hat world, Halacha is not a matter of choice. In their view, what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false, was laid down and explicated for all time centuries ago by guys who were a lot smarter than we’ll ever be. They believe that to go against what the sages say about Halacha is to go against the will of God, and for them that is not an option. They will accept any earnest convert, but only on their terms, and on those terms they will not compromise.
Hi Yankel,
Thanks for your comments. I know that Chabad does accept converts, but for several reasons at this point a haredi conversion is not an option for me. I certainly respect them, as I said - hell, in Israel I gave some of my tzedakah through Chabad of the Kotel. Some days I can deal with the fact that I don’t count at their place, other times its harder. But I certainly get the fact that they are committed to a certain Halakha regarding converts (although, my conversion meets all Halakhic requirements, and other than the sponsoring rabbi being non-Orthodox, it’s identical to what Chabad would do), and, as the saying goes, if you want to play with their ball, you’ve gotta play by their rules.
Anyway, I hope it didn’t sound like I was ripping on them too much, as I have lots of respect for them. And I am glad you have a warm and inclusive shul to daven in!
Yair
Yair you said
“Some days I can deal with the fact that I don’t count at their place, other times its harder.
To that I say, dito!!!!
I think you understate the split among Chabad Lubavitchers with regards to the Rebbe as Moshiach. There is a sizable chunk–let’s call them Chabadniks–of those among CLs who do not concern themselves with this idea. Whereas, indeed, especially in Crown Heights, there is probably a bigger portion–let’s call them Lubavitchers–of CLs who are adamant that the Rebbe was and is Moshiach.
I am a member of a Conservative shul (with whom I converted), and a somewhat frequent visitor to an Orthodox shul with a Chabad rabbi and heavy Chabad affiliation.
I was hesitant to visit them at first, but it is much better to daven with a minyan. I lay tefillin every morning, and it seemed to me that I ought to at least try the closest weekday morning minyan when possible.
My welcome there was warm. The second visit I was given 3rd aliyah to the Torah. The third visit the rabbi invited my wife and I to dinner. Every time I set foot there the rabbi goes out of his way to talk to me, and to encourage me. It doesn’t hurt to meet a rabbi while you are wearing tefillin, but I’m confident they’d be just as warm if I’d walked in wearing jeans and a ball cap.
There are portions of Chabad ideology that are problematic to me, but on a practical level I love to be there.
The Ortho/Chabad shul is unabashedly Jewish. Proud of who they are, proud to do what they do, and happy to have company. My Conservative “home” shul can be standoff-ish and sometimes a bit fuzzy about the importance of mitzvot. Institutionally they are firm, but most of the membership are not shomer shabbos, let alone shomrei mitzvot.
It’s a hard position for me to be in. I’d love to be able to pick qualities from both shuls and combine them into an ideal middle. I feel very fortunate to have access to both places, I am thrilled to be able to be part of both communities.
Interesting comments Akiva!
Now, I have a question for you. Does your Chabad Rabbi know that you are a non-Orthodox JBC? I getting feeling he doesn’t but if he does, well then I’m impressed and have a few more questions I would like to ask!
Avi,
Yes, he does. I made very sure that he knew it the first time we talked. I have to admit that I was curious to see what the reaction would be, and I was surprised by his “open-mindedness”.
I don’t consider myself to be a Conservative Jew, just a Jew. I accept the yoke of the commandments completely. It’s gratifying to see that at least one Chabad rabbi sees it the same way I do. I’d still go to minyan if they didn’t count me, but to my relief they do.
My wife uses their mikva and I am there wearing tefillin on a regular basis. It may lessen his discomfort with my “origin” to see where I’ve gone with it. I am not a typical Conservative convert (based on my observations, no offense meant towards anyone.) I am after all often there at 7:30am for weekday shacharit (and counted in the minyan.) I’m equally comfortable with a Siddur Sim Shalom and Artscroll Complete RA Edition, and I wonder if that has something to do with it.
I’m thinking that at some point he’ll make more of an issue out of it than he does at the moment. As one friend put it to me, it’s not as if I’m asking to marry his daughter.
Shabbat Shalom!
Akiva:
Let me make sure I understand you. You went through a non-Orthodox, Conservative conversion, and you are accepted as part of the minyan by a Chabad Rabbi in a Chabad shul? Is that right?
Yup, Yankel! That’s what he is saying!
I too am suprised by this. I wonder if my local Chabad rabbi knows this dude? Perhaps he can pass some of that openness this way.
See … that’s when I begin to wonder if it’s important to identify one’s self as a convert. But it sounds like the Chabad rabbi KNOWS he’s a conservative convert?
“See … that’s when I begin to wonder if it’s important to identify one’s self as a convert.”
I had several long conversations with a good friend who is an extremely knowledgeable person with a rock solid jewish education about this.
He said (not that this is a Halakhic opinion, just advice) that on most levels the important thing is how you view yourself and how you internalize it. You are the thing you accept yourself to be proceed to be. I am a Jew. All day long. At every meal. First thing in the morning, and last thing at night. I wasn’t born a Jew, but I will be buried in my tallit when my time comes.
There are times when it’s important to make your status as a convert known, but for the most part it’s enough to know that you are a Jew. If you got into the mikva and took on the mitzvot, and make the effort required of anyone who is on the derekh, then you have nothing to apologize to anyone about.
I’m sure I wouldn’t have to travel far to find another Chabad rabbi who would treat me differently. That’s ok, I’m comfortable with who I am.
If I ever spend the majority of my time in that community I will probably need to think about another conversion. This was one of the things my wife and I talked about during our conversion process. We have a daughter who also went to mikva. If she falls in love with a tall dark Chasid, she’ll probably be fine with doing whatever she needs to do to be accepted fully in that community.
I suspect that my particular Chabad rabbi is more lenient than most. His shul is a diverse place. (Within that part of the spectrum.) He has congregants who park their cars around the corner from the shul on shabbat, along with all of the Chabadniks in shtreimels on yom tov. At some point there is probably something of a “recruitment pitch” coming my way. It’ll be delivered with a hug and a dinner invitation though.
Akiva:
I would love to email this guy. Is that a possibility?
Yankel,
I’ve refrained from mentioning any details, as I’d not want to put the rabbi (or myself) in any position of discomfort.
I mentioned my situation originally because I wanted to point out that there is apparently some latitude that specific Chabad rabbi’s have within the context of their shul.
I would NOT expect to have my conversion accepted there in the context of marriage, or being a witness, or most other life cycle events. At 7:45 on a Weds. morning though, I’m Jewish enough to enable a minyan to be completed.
Akiva-
Kol Ha Kavod on your obviously solid confidence and connectedness to your identity as a Jew, and it must be really nice to have that kind of relationship with the local Chabad community as a Conservative convert. That’s really great for you, and I am pleased to see that there is a place where Orthodox Jews will count Conservative converts in a minyan. That gives me some hope for the future ;)!
Also, I was glad to read that you are laying tefillin daily. It’s important for gerim to be serious about living an “observant” life (not that any two people have the same definition of that phrase…), IMO, and tefillin are such a great way to do that. At least for me, laying tefillin makes me feel connected to our Tradition in a way that few other things do, and then there are the spiritual aspects of it as well… I lay them daily too, but usually on my own at my house before heading to work.
Anyway, thanks for your comments!
Yair
Oct 21st, 2007 at 11:05 pm
[…] JewsByChoice.Org wrote an interesting post today on My Little Shul - Part 1Here’s a quick excerptMy Little Shul - Part 1 Filed under Chabad, Culture, Judaism, Orthodoxy I take a certain amount of flack for being a member of a Chabad shul. The few friends I have who are engaged enough with their Judaism to care about such things don’t understand it and I don’t blame them. I don’t totally understand it myself and I get very uncomfortable […]
Dec 31st, 2007 at 10:09 am
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