- Yitz... said...
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(kodem kol, like Yitz above, I am not chabad. I do learn a lot of chabad chassidut though.)
rather than:
That Chabad Chassidus is the ideal
I think you should say: "Chabad Chassidut is vital to every Jew."
ideals confuse reality.
I think, if the Shaliach is doing their job, being a true shining example of what it is to be a Jew, then he will always focus his 'flock' on Torah and Mitzvot, and the step to being Lubavitch/wearing the uniform will happen naturally on its own, at the right pace for each person. When that Shaliach sees people focusing on the exterior/uniform, it's his duty to refocus his congregants.
I also think this point is obvious and talking about it is only productive in aiding people in pointing fingers. (just as a uniform is primarily helpful in causing people to point fingers)
This whole issue only comes up when Shlichim stop thinking of Jews as individuals and seek to 'assembly line' the process of hafatzat hamaayanot, something that really cannot be industrialized. How can someone ask the question: "What should be the goal of shlichut?" How could the goal ever have become blurred to begin with??? It's so pashut. Jews doing mitzvot and learning Torah.
this is my l'chatchilah ariber response to your question.
ps. it goes without question that when I say Torah and Mitzvot, I mean Torah and Mitzvot infused with the intensity of Chabad Chassidut..otherwise, what's the point? - yitz said...
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To Yitz...[the one WITH the dots], who wrote: Chabad Chassidut is vital to every Jew.. Oh really? Was it vital to Moshe Rabbeinu, Rashi, Rav Yosef Karo, Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch, the Baal Shem Tov? Is it vital to HaRav Ovadiah Yosef, the Amshinover Rebbe, Rav A.L. Steinman, the Gerer Rebbe, etc. etc.? Methinks not!
I would perhaps at the most say, "Chabad Chassidut OR ITS EQUIVALENT is vital to every Jew," AND there are many equivalents!
The main focus of Lubavitch is hafatzos hachassidus b'chlal and a Chassidus Chabad b'frat.
Why? Because in order to truly reach the chutza, the outer limits of the world, one must also be able to to reach the outer limits of the mind . . . Chassidus Chabad with its stress on arichus habiur and havana v'hasaga is what is able to accomplish this goal.
This is not to negate the intrinsic ma'alos of other chasddusin . . .
The only catch is that in order to have hafatzos hamayonos, we need hafatzos hayahadus first. Chassidus is great, but a person who thinks chassidus, but is m'chalel shabbos afterwards is missing the point. (This does not negate the teaching of chassidus to those who are not yet religious, only that the teaching must bring to ma'aseh b'poel)
In other words, the Rebbe wants every Jew to grow. A person who doesn't eat matzo on Pesach should eat Matzo, one who does it it should put on tefillin from time to time . . . someone who only goes to a shiur gemara once a week should go twice . . . someone who doesn't learn mussar should. Someone who learns mussar should learn chassidus etc. etc.
Someone once asked the Rebbe if he should change his hat to a Lubavitcher one. The Rebbe told him that a person who wears my hat is not a chossid. A person who wants to grow I am happy to call my chossid.
The Rebbe doesn't want everyone to start shaking Lulav the way we do, or rap the retzuas of his tefillin around his hands as we do.
But Chassidus must be learned!
My question is slightly different.
There is no doubt in my mind that a m'kurav should be taught chassidus. My friends father makes more then sure that his congregants learn. The question is, as Chabad Chassidim, do we try to bring others that extra step forward.
I could have ended up a stam Orthodox guy, with a love and respect of Chabad . . . but with out the nafshius'dike farbund tzum Rebbe'n.
As to your remark "Was it vital to . . ."
There are a couple of points to keep in mind.
1. Before hisgalus hachassidus there was no need for it. I assume that you feel chassidus haklolis is important to every Jew. The same question you ask on Chassidus Chabad is the one asked on Chassidus haklolis . . . the answer is the famous moshel of the Alter Rebbe (The crown with the diamond etc.)
Those that didn't have chassidus available didn't need it.
Now that it's here . . .
Rebbetzin Sussia Schochet (the mother of all the Schochets -Emanuel, Ezra (the Rosh) etc.) Once asked the Rebbe why her sons needed to grow beards. Growing up around Yekkishe Yiddin, there were many choshuvei yirei shomayim with out the yud gimel tikunnie dikna.
The Rebbe told her (if my memory serves me exactly) that these days a beard is needed to to have yirei shomayim (Would you rather eat from a shochet (The job, not the name) with a beard or with out?
2. Those alive today, therefore, do need Chassidus Chabad. The Gerrer Rebbe should still be the Gerrer Rebbe. He needs to teach his chassidus, follow his customs etc. But Tanya darft er eichet lernin . . .
(Of note, the Beis Yisroel, z"l, once said that a person who doesn't learn the first 12 chapters of Tanya can't be a yirei shomayim.)
I love the story you bring by the way!
L'chaim Yidden.
Technorati Tags: Shlichus, Kiruv, Chabad, Judaism, Kapote, Teshuvah
First, let me state at the outset that I am not a Lubavitcher, although I owe a personal debt of Hakaras HaTov to the movement for some of its work decades ago, which helped me on my path to Yiddishkeit.
I think the most important thing is to help bring a Jew to Torah mitzvos, pure, unadulterated version. Let him then choose his minhagim, if he wants to try to trace his own roots, join Chabad, join YU, become a Sefardi, or whatever. Anything else, IMNSHO, is not kiruv, but rather selling an agenda; which, unfortunately, too many people are guilty of.
My 2 agorot!