Response to Mr. Anonymous on Chabad Chayus and Spirit after Gimmel Tammuz
By Yossi C.
1. The vitality of Chabad has not diminished after the Gimmel Tammuz – on the contrary.
Ask anyone who was around both before and after, and they will tell you that today’s yeshiva Bochurim are far more alive, less satisfied with just “having a Rebbe” without it demanding anything of them.
Even more so, look at the exponential growth of the Shlichus network after the 3rd of Tammuz – not only in technical numbers because time has passed, but many times over in percentages.
Chabad was never a Chassidus of “adventure,” but one of seemingly “boring” Avodas Hashem (as you defined it). The goal was never excitement or angels – only sincere Avodas Hashem based on an understanding of what He expects of us, and that alone being our motivation.
Thus, when a break in routine is called for – we break. When maintaining a routine is the demand – we maintain it.
Again, all of it driven by the same purpose: To fulfill Hashem’s will.
2. One Mission, One Rebbe, One Generation
True, there may appear to be a gap between the generation that saw the Rebbe and the one that came after – the generation that yearns versus the one that hopes, but the goal remains the same, the Rebbe remains the same, and the work remains the same.
The Rebbe demands from us to spread the wellsprings of Torah and make a dwelling for G-d in this world in order to bring Moshiach.
There is no such thing as “if not a general Geulah then at least a personal one.” There is what the Rebbe wants, and that mission remains as valid after the 3rd of Tammuz as it was before.
The younger generation believes in the same Rebbe, strives to fulfill his directives just as much, and longs to see him (albeit more as a hope than a longing, as noted above).
3. The Rebbe Remains Our Authority
There is no need for new authorities to be appointed. The Rebbe’s authority remains with him, and what he chose to delegate, he did.
This idea is not disconnected from reality – it is a direct result of the Rebbe’s own teachings over the years (unless, of course, one wants to claim the Rebbe himself was out of touch).
There is no such thing as “updating” the chassidus. The Rebbe knew what he was doing, and what he established is what remains.
We definitely have no need to appoint new spiritual authorities. Doing so undermines the entire meaning of Rebbe and the unique identity of Chabad Chassidus.
Other Chassidic groups are communities that need leaders. Chabad is the exact opposite: we are centered around the Rebbe, and from that, a community naturally forms. But the moment the Rebbe is replaced – the entire foundation of the Chabad community is lost.
(It’s a bit like how the Zionists forgot that what makes us unique is G-d, Torah, and Judaism, and tried to replace it with nationalism.)
And most importantly, the Rebbe is not some magician giving us external energy.
The Rebbe – and the connection to him – is primarily through his teachings, his values, and what he instilled in us throughout the years.
He is not just the foundation – he is the essence. Everyone else may interpret his words, but Chas V’sholom, anyone should try to replace him.
4. You Can’t Keep the Name and Erase the Core
Statements of faith and trust in G-d and His Tzaddikim are among the most basic foundations of the Jewish people. Denying them doesn’t make anyone smarter or more rational – it just reflects a desire to satisfy oneself with baseless “feelings of intelligence.”
Of course, we need to do more, and clearly we haven’t done enough – as the Rebbe himself said: we’re still in exile, so evidently we haven’t worked hard enough.
To say that the “solution” to avodas Hashem is to declare “the Rebbe won’t return,” and “let’s try to deal with reality on our own,” reducing the Rebbe to merely a conceptual foundation for our way of life – that stems either from heresy or a complete misunderstanding of what a Rebbe is, and especially what a Chabad Rebbe is.
The Rebbe connects us to G-d. He is the one who gives us the strength to serve Him and fulfill our purpose.
To say “let’s try to live without the Rebbe” is a laughable argument. I would better understand someone saying, “Let’s leave Chabad.” But to stay in Chabad, yet try to dismantle everything that makes us Chabadniks – that’s a paradox.
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