Reply To: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe

HaLeivi,

“ CS, I must say, something is very odd. Lubavitch has spoken this talk in earlier years, how Peilischer Chasidim make it all about the Rebbe but in Lubavitch the Chasidim do the work and the Rebbe is just the teacher.

But now you have the whole Chasidus more Rebbe-centric than anyone else. And you constantly hear about his greatness and status. But if you’re putting him up there—way more than Peilischer Chasidim—how can you also say that his influence is limited?

Which is it?”

Great question:). I think it’s unfortunate that Chabad is known for being Rebbe centric- because of how it reflects on other groups. We regard The Rebbe and his word as kodesh kodoshim, and that is both a natural outcome of relating to a Rebbe of our Rebbes caliber, and also a result of the Rebbes tremendous hiskashrus to the Frierdiker Rebbe, and farbrengens about hiskashrus to the FR, both before he undertook the nesius and the year afterwards. But within that same time period, in the opening maamar of The Rebbe, he emphasized that he’s only there to assist us and we need to do our own work.

I think it used to be quite common that when any Rebbe of any kreiz instructed any chossid, it would be viewed the same way. Unfortunately, it seems in other kreizen , maybe not all, but based on the people I’ve met and interacted with on this, they see the Rebbe as someone to admire, but they can tell he isn’t say, a tzadik of Tanya.

So for example, when someone asked Rav Lau why he associates with crazy lubavitch, he asked the fellow what he would do if his Rosh Yeshiva asked him to go to a forsaken place to spread Yiddishkeit. The fellow said he would ask about chinuch? Mikvah? Local kosher stores? Etc. Rav Lau responded none and again asked what he would say. The fellow answered he would tell his Rosh Yeshiva to go himself!

In Chabad, we know that the Rebbe was connected above in a way different than the average. There was clear ruach hakodesh/ mind reading etc on a regular basis. And therefore if he asks me to go on shlichus, or not to go (sometimes harder), that this is my personal mission in this world from Hashem, spoken through the Rebbe.

So because of the awe this generates, unfortunately we have this name of being Rebbe centric, when really this is exactly how the Rambam describes how one should treat his Rebbe.

Yet, the Rebbe can give treasures of sichos on how to live in a mindset and lifestyle ready for geula, and how to prepare the world etc. All very clear. But if I don’t take that and implement it, The mission isn’t happening and all the Rebbes efforts are cvs להבל ולריק.

Of course, The Rebbe set tremendously high goals and standards and not everyone has found their way there yet. But they know that it’s not the Rebbes issue, the Rebbes words are as relevant as ever, but they’re not holding there yet Mitzad their Nefesh habehamis etc.

Hope this clarifies.

disclaimer: apologies to those whose kavod to their rav were misrepresented