@Syag,
“I am trying to understand why you link the fruit eating with Tuesday, we understood the importance of fruit but there was no mention of eating it on Tuesday.”
What part of CS’ philosophy is equal to the Tuesday in your analogy?
@All,
It seems to me, that as soon as one issue is refuted, you find a second. When that’s refuted, you find a third, and so on and so forth. In my humble opinion, there’s something deeper to this, not just your concerns that I worship Avodah Zara. (Yes, I have a buddah in my bedroom. All Lubavitchers worship idols.) There’s something else that just bothers you about Lubavitch and our Rebbe zy”a. I’m not 100% sure what it is, but I have my suspicions that’s jealousy is at least a small factor. While we’re on the subject, I’d like to share some “facts” about Lubavitch that I’ve heard from non Lubavitchers over the years.
“Chabad Bochurim are given a car and drive around doing “shlichus” all day”. This is one of the popular ones, while in reality, we actually sit and learn in Yeshiva all day, just like everyone else.
“Chabad Yeshivas learn only Tanya” another popular one, but of course, we learn Gemara like all other Yeshivos (Bava Kama this year) while learning Chassidus as well, for a smaller part of the day. Also, Chassidus isn’t limited to Tanya.
There are many more such nonsensical ideas you have about us which aren’t founded in reality.
Now for some jokes about “Misnagdim”:
(After all the hate we’ve gotten here, I’m entitled…)
How does a misnaged know that Hashem exists? Well, the Rambam paskens that there’s a Motzui Rishon, and the Raved and Nosei Kelim don’t argue…
A misnaged turns to his friend and shares a horrible dream he has, “I dreamed that Hashem was dead” says the misnaged, “Nu”, says his friend, “you dream about what you think during the day”, and the misnaged replies, “impossible – I haven’t thought of Hashem in years!”.
Before you freak out, “see, the always think they’re better!” these jokes were told about the long extinct misnagdim of yesteryear.
I have to say, that I’ve spent time in Lakewood, (the town, not the Yeshivos) and I haven’t seen these attitudes expressed there, I’ve only encountered friendly welcoming people. I begin to wonder if theses negative people only exist on the internet…
I think a model Litvak, who’s went to the finest Litvishe Yeshivos, and is an accomplished Talmid Chochom, is Reb Dovid Lichtenstein, of the “Halachic Headlines” show. I’m sure he knows Hilchos Avodah Zara, and he knows very well what Chabad Hashkofos are, yet he holds us in high regard, as I hold your communities and Yeshivos. We can have disagreements – אין דעותיהם שוות, but we can still be friends – חברים כל ישראל. In davening we ask, ברכינו אבינו, when does that come? When we are כולנו כאחד. Achdus isn’t accomplished through פירוד הלבבות. Achdus is when we recognize that we are ערבים זה בזה, for הלא אב אחד לכולנו.
As Shlomo Hamelech said, כמים הפנים לפנים כן לב האדם לאדם. You feel that we hate because you hate us. We feel you hate us because we hate you. It’s a vicious cycle, which, we can snap right out of, if we only wanted to. We need to realize that just because we don’t understand someone else’s Derech, that doesn’t make it wrong. It should be enough that Gedolei Yisroel throughout the years held the Rebbe and Lubavitch in high regard, if you aren’t able to do your own proper unbiased research into our legitimacy.
I think I’m going to stop responding here and now, as whatever I will say will just be used as fodder to fuel new and creative hatred.
With hope that we can live alongside each other in mutual respect and love עד ביאת גואל צדק בב”א.