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{{about|Chabad|the Kabbalistic sefirot of [[Chochmah]], [[Binah]], and [[Da'at]]|Sefirot}}
{{warn|This article contains material copied from Wikipedia. Please edit the style to match the standards of Chabadpedia}}
[[File:רבי שניאור זלמן.jpg|left|thumb|[[Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe)]], founder of Chabad Chassidus]]
{{Infobox
[[File:העיירה_ליובאוויטש.jpg|left|thumb|A painted map of the town of [[Lubavitch]], home to four Chabad leaders for over a century, after which the movement continues to be named to this day]]
| name = Chabad
[[File:חבד.jpg|left|thumb|A painting depicting the Chabad Rebbes and elders near [[770]]]]
| image = [[File:770 Eastern Parkway.jpg|200px]]
'''Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidus''' ([[acronym]] for ''Chochmah, Binah, Da'at'' — Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge) is a Chassidic movement founded approximately two hundred and fifty years ago by Rabbi [[Schneur Zalman of Liadi]] in 1771.<ref>According to the [[chain of tradition]].</ref> In 1812, Rabbi Schneur Zalman's son, Rabbi [[DovBer Schneuri]], relocated to the town of [[Lubavitch]] (in modern Hebrew spelling: Lubavitz), where four successive leaders of the movement made their home for over a century — and after which the movement continues to be named to this day. Chabad Chassidus is distinguished from other Chassidic movements by its intellectual approach: it grounds a Jew's [[faith]] in the Creator, and the desire to [[serve Him]], in a rational appreciation of His greatness and transcendence. This is also the source of the movement's name — an acronym of [[Chochmah]] (Wisdom), [[Binah]] (Understanding), and [[Da'at]] (Knowledge), which according to Kabbalah and Chassidus are the three components of human intellect.
}}


'''Chabad-Lubavitch''' is the Chassidic movement founded by [[the Alter Rebbe]], Rabbi Schneuri Zalman of Liadi in Tsarist Russia, and is a main offshoots of the general Chassidic movement founded by [[the Baal Shem Tov]], Rabbi Yisrael ben Elizer and his successor, [[the Maggid of Mezritch]], Rabbi Dovber ben Avraham.  
Chabad Chassidus numbers tens of thousands of Chassidim, most of them concentrated in dozens of communities in Israel and around the world, along with over five thousand [[shlichus|emissaries of the Rebbe]] active across the globe.


The name "Chabad" (חב״ד) is an acronym formed from the three Hebrew words [[Sefiras HaChochma|Chochmah]] (חכמה "Wisdom") , [[Sefiras HaBinah|Binah]] (בינה "Understanding"), [[Sefiras HaDaas|Daas]] (דעת "Knowledge") which are the first three of the [[Ten Sefiros]]. These three aspects of the intellect represent the focus of [[Toras HaChassidus|Chabad teachings]].<ref>"About Chabad-Lubavitch" Chabad.org.</ref> The name [[Lubavitch]] derives from the town in which the Alter Rebbe's son and successor, [[the Mitteler Rebbe], Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, relocated the movement after the war between Napoleon and Russia. The succeeding Rebbes of Chabad resided in the town until the First World War. Following the rise of Communism in Russia, the sixth Rebbe of Chabad, [[the Rebbe Rayatz]], Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, moved the center of the Chabad movement from Russia to Poland. After the outbreak of World War II, he moved the center of the movement to [[770 Eastern Parkway]] in the [[Crown Heights]] section of Brooklyn (New York, [[United States of America|USA]]). There, following the ''[[histalkus]]'' of the Rebbe Rayatz in 1950, [[the Rebbe]], Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson became the leader of the worldwide Chabad movement exactly one year later. In the following decades, the Rebbe transformed the Chabad movement into one of the most widespread Jewish movements in the world. Under his leadership, Chabad established a large network of institutions to [[spread the wellsprings]] of the teachings of Chassidus, as well as to provide for the religious, social and humanitarian needs of Jews across the world. Chabad institutions provide outreach to unaffiliated Jews and humanitarian aid, as well as religious, cultural and educational activities. The impact of the Chabad movement on non-Chassidic Jews is widely recognised. In a 2020 study, the Pew Research Center found that 16% of American Jews from different backgrounds participated in Chabad services or activities at least semi-regularly.<ref>Pew Research Center, "Jewish Americans in 2020", pewforum.org.</ref> The Rebbe's focus on the immediate coming of the [[Moshiach]], a foundational Jewish belief, was made very clear in many teachings and writings, and which continue to inspire his Chassidim until this very day.
The current leader of the movement is [[Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe)|Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson]], the seventh in the dynasty of Chabad leaders.


== History ==
==The Founding of Chabad Chassidus==
The Alter Rebbe was born in 1745 in the city of Liozna. He soon became a student of the Maggid of Mezritch, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. Following the histalkus of the Maggid and the departure of Rabbi Meachme Mendel of Vitebsk and other Chassidic leaders to [[Eretz Yisroel]], the Alter Rebbe became the leader of the Chassidim in Russia, later moving to the town of Liadi. The Alter Rebbe developed the teachings of Chabad in the book of [[Tanya]] which emphasised the use of one's intellectual faculties. This distinguished the Chabad movement from other branches of the Chassidic movement (and are often referred to the Rebbes as Chagas, after the emotive faculties). Following the war between Napoleon and Russia, and the histalkus of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe settled in Lubavitch. His son-in-law and successor, [[the Tzemach Tzedek]] led the Chabad movement for many years. His son, [[the Rebbe Maharash]], continued to lead in Lubavitch. His son, [[the Rebbe Rashab]], founded [[Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim]] and fought to strengthen Chassidus Chabad during a time of mass secularization. At that time, many Chassidim moved away from Russia, and many settled in the United States where they soon created Agudas Chasidei Chabad ("Association of Chabad Hasidim"). His son, [[the Rebbe Rayatz]], fought to preserve Judaism under the rule of the Communists. In 1927, the Rebbe Rayatz was arrested by the Russian Secret Police and was sentenced to death. The sentence was averted and the Rebbe Rayatz left Russia, visiting Latvia, America, Eretz Yisroel, before relocating to Poland. With the start of the Second World War, the Rebbe Rayatz was saved from the hands of the Germans and arrived in America.<ref name=Altein>Altein, R, Zaklikofsky, E, Jacobson, I: ''Out of the Inferno: The Efforts That Led to the Rescue of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch from War Torn Europe in 1939–40''. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2002.</ref> After the histalkus of the Rebbe Rayatz, the Rebbe became the seventh leader of Chabad-Lubavitch.
The founder of the Chabad approach, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, was born on [[Chai Elul]] 1745 in the town of [[Liozna]] in [[White Russia]] to his father [[Rabbi Boruch (father of the Alter Rebbe)|Rabbi Boruch]], who belonged to the "hidden circle" and was among the Chassidim of the [[Baal Shem Tov]].


The Chabad movement was subjected to governmental oppression in Russia. The Russian government, first under the Czar, later under the Bolsheviks, imprisoned all but one of the Chabad rebbes. The Bolsheviks also imprisoned, exiled and executed many Chabad Chassidim. And many were sent to Siberia for years of hard labor. During the Second World War, many Chabad Chassidim evacuated to the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Tashkent where they established small centers of Chassidic life, while at the same time seeking ways to emigrate from Soviet Russia due to the government's suppression of religious life.<ref>Estraikh, G. (2018). Escape through Poland: Soviet Jewish Emigration in the 1950s. Jewish History, 31(3-4), 291-317.</ref> The reach of Chabad in Central Asia also included earlier efforts that took place in the 1920s.<ref>Levin, Z. (2015). 1 "The Wastelands": The Jews of Central Asia. In Collectivization and Social Engineering: Soviet Administration and the Jews of Uzbekistan, 1917–1939 (pp. 7–26). Brill.</ref> Following the war, and well after the center of the Chabad movement moved to the United States, the movement remained active in Soviet Russia, aiding the local Jews known as Refuseniks who sought to learn more about Judaism.<ref>Beizer, M. (2007). The Jews of struggle: the Jewish national movement in the USSR, 1967–1989.</ref> And throughout the Soviet era, the Chabad movement maintained a secret network across the USSR.<ref>Gitelman, Z. (2007). Do Jewish Schools Make a Difference in the Former Soviet Union?. East European Jewish Affairs, 37(3), 377–398.</ref> Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, state persecution of Chabad ceased, and the Chabad movement openly leads the rebuilding of Judaism in Russia.
He came to the world of Chassidus between the ages of eighteen and twenty, traveling to the town of [[Mezeritch]], where the Baal Shem Tov's disciple and successor — Rabbi Dovber, known as "[[the Maggid of Mezeritch]]" — led the Chassidic movement, and he quickly became one of his foremost disciples.


Chabad's influence among world Jewry has been far-reaching since [[World War II]]. The Chabad movement pioneered the effort to lead to ''baalei teshuva'' ("returnees" to Judaism). The very first Yeshiva/Rabbinical College for such baalei teshuva, [[Hadar Hatorah]], was established by the Lubavitcher rebbe. It is reported that up to a million Jews attend Chabad services at least once a year.<ref name="Slater Page 279" /><ref name="winnipegfreepress.com">Chabad Lubavitch centre set for River Heights area. 5 August 2007. Sharon Chisvin. Winnipeg Free Press.</ref>
Following the Maggid's passing in 1773, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was appointed to oversee the conduct and network of activities of the Chassidim. Three years later, at a general gathering of the Maggid's disciples, it was decided to appoint Rabbi Schneur Zalman as the leader of Chassidus in the region of Lithuania — where [[opposition to Chassidus]] was stronger than anywhere else — as his colleagues considered him best suited for the role, also on account of his intellectual approach, which aligned with Lithuania's scholarly character. Rabbi Schneur Zalman succeeded greatly in his work, and many leading Torah scholars of the region joined the Chassidic movement.


[[Chassidus|Chabad Chassidus]] focuses on religious and spiritual concepts such as the creation of the world, the soul, and the meaning of Torah and mitzvos. The [[Zohar]] and the [[Kabbalah]] of the Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, form the basis for the teachings of Chabad Chassidus.
This year — 1776 — was also, it appears, the year in which Rabbi Schneur Zalman's leadership began to take on an increasingly distinctive Chabad character. Over the following years this direction came to be recognized as something wholly unique, and before long it became known that within the Chassidic world a new current had emerged — the Chabad current.


=== Tanya ===
Chabad Chassidus now became the primary target of attack by the [[opposition to Chassidus|Misnagdim]] and, later, by the [[Haskalah|Maskilim]] (adherents of the Jewish Enlightenment movement). Rabbi Schneur Zalman suffered greatly as a result, and in 1799 was [[Imprisonment and liberation of the Alter Rebbe|arrested]] by the Czarist authorities following denunciations by the Misnagdim and Maskilim. He was held for fifty-three days, with the death penalty — reserved for those accused of sedition against the crown — hanging over him. In the end, however, he succeeded in proving his innocence and was released with great honor and triumph. The day of his liberation, [[Yud-Tes Kislev]] (the 19th of Kislev), has since become the "Festival of Liberation" among Chabad Chassidim and those close to them.
The [[Tanya]] (Sefer Shel Benunim) is a book by [[the Alter Rebbe]] first published in 1797. It is the first schematic treatment of [[Hasidic philosophy|Hasidic moral philosophy]] and its metaphysical foundations.<ref name="sacks" />


In Tanya, the intellect is described as three interconnected processes: [[Chochma]] (wisdom), [[Bina]] (understanding), and [[Da'at]] (knowledge). While other branches of Hasidism primarily focused on the idea that "God desires the heart," Shneur Zalman argued that God also desires the mind, and he also argued that the mind is the "gateway" to the heart. With the Chabad philosophy, he elevated the mind above the heart, arguing that "understanding is the mother of fear and love for God".<ref>''Tanya'', Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Chapter 13.</ref>
==The Nature of the Chabad Approach==


The {{transliteration|he|Tanya}} has five sections. The original name of the first section is {{transliteration|he|Sefer Shel Beinonim}}, the "Book of the Intermediates". It is also known as {{transliteration|he|Likutei Amarim}} ("Collected Sayings"). {{transliteration|he|Sefer Shel Beinonim}} analyzes the inner struggle of the individual and the path to resolution. Citing the biblical verse "the matter is very near to you, in your mouth, your heart, to do",<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|30:14|HE}}</ref> the philosophy is based on the notion that the human is not inherently evil; rather, every individual has an inner conflict that is characterized by two different inclinations, the good and the bad.<ref name="sacks tanya">''The Encyclopedia of Hasidism'', "Tanya", Jonathan Sacks, pp. 475–477 (15682–11236)</ref>
The Chabad approach holds that while faith in G-d is the foundation of Jewish life, that faith must be grounded in intellectual understanding.<ref>18 Adar 5720. [http://he.chabad.org/391627 Questions and Answers with the Rebbe of Lubavitch], for student questions: "Feeling alone is not enough, nor is faith on its own, nor understanding alone — for then completeness is lacking. There must be an integration of all of them."</ref> Likewise, Jewish life cannot be built on spontaneous emotions alone, which may come and go. Such emotions can even amount to "vain imaginings,"<ref>Tanya, ch. 3.</ref> and anything built upon them will dissolve and dissipate. For this reason, the true foundation of a complete Jewish life according to the Chabad approach is deep intellectual engagement through the study of [[Chassidic philosophy]]. According to Chabad, even the emotions — love of the Creator and awe of Him — will be stable and enduring only if they are grounded in intellectual contemplation and internalization, which occur primarily during [[prayer]]. The goal of this process is to bring a person to full mastery over his thoughts, speech, and actions, directing them entirely toward Heaven.


Chabad often contrasted itself with what is termed the {{transliteration|he|[[Chagat]]}} schools of Hasidism.{{efn|{{transliteration|he|Chagat}} is an acronym for {{transliteration|he|Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet}} (kindness, severity, beauty), the Kabbalistic terms for the three primary emotions. Schools of Hasidic thought stressing emotive patterns of worship have been termed {{transliteration|he|Chagat}} in the Chabad philosophy.}} While all schools of Hasidism put a central focus on the emotions, {{transliteration|he|Chagat}} saw emotions as a reaction to physical stimuli, such as dancing, singing, or beauty. Shneur Zalman, on the other hand, taught that the emotions must be led by the mind, and thus the focus of Chabad thought was to be [[Torah]] study and prayer rather than [[Western esotericism|esotericism]] and song.<ref name="sacks" /> As a Talmudist, Shneur Zalman endeavored to place Kabbalah and Hasidism on a rational basis. In Tanya, he defines his approach as ''moach shalit al halev'' ("the brain ruling the heart").<ref>''Tanya'', ch. 12</ref>
Chabad emphasizes the need for "[[hisbonenus]]" (contemplative meditation) — a technique that comes only after deep study and reflection, whose purpose is to internalize what has been learned and, in a second stage, to cause it to arouse the appropriate emotions. For example: contemplating the greatness of G-d is meant to give rise in a person's heart to love and awe of G-d. Contemplating the intrinsic worth of every Jew is meant to cultivate feelings of love for every Jew. Contemplating G-d's individual Providence over every detail of creation is meant to awaken a feeling of joy.


== Community ==
Chabad Chassidic philosophy is characterized by its depth and by its drive to penetrate the innermost meaning of the concepts explained in [[Kabbalistic]] teaching, as they relate to the service of G-d. This approach is rooted in the teachings and path of the Baal Shem Tov, but continues primarily along the path of the Maggid of Mezeritch, with certain expansions. For this reason, some have described the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezeritch, and the Alter Rebbe — the founder of Chabad — as corresponding to the three higher intellectual faculties known as [[Chochmah]], [[Binah]], and [[Da'at]], whose acronym is the word "Chabad."
Although the Chabad movement was founded and originally based in Eastern Europe, various Chabad communities span the globe, including [[Crown Heights]], [[Brooklyn]], and [[Kfar Chabad]], [[Israel]]. The movement has attracted a significant number of Sephardic adherents in the past several decades, and some Chabad communities include both [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] and Sephardic Jews. For example, in [[Montreal]], close to 25% of Chabad households include a Sephardi parent.
Estimates for Chabad and other Hasidic groups are often based on extrapolation from the limited information available in US census data for some of the areas where Hasidim live. A 2006 estimate was drawn from a study on the [[Montreal]] Chabad community (determining average household size), in conjunction with language and other select indicators from US census data, it is estimated that Chabad in the [[United States]] includes approximately 4,000 households, which contains between 22,000 and 25,000 people. In terms of Chabad's relation to other Hasidic groups, within the New York metropolitan area, Chabad in the New York area accounts for around 15% of the total New York Hasidic population. Chabad is estimated to have an annual growth of 3.6%:<ref name=comenetz/>
* '''United States of America:'''
** [[Crown Heights]] – The Crown Heights Chabad community's estimated size is 12,000 to 16,000.<ref name=shaffir34>Shaffir, William. [jewishjournalofsociology.org/index.php/jjs/article/viewFile/36/34 "The renaissance of Hassidism."] [web.archive.org/web/20161106195854/jewishjournalofsociology.org/index.php/jjs/article/viewFile/36/34 |date=2016-11-06}} ''Jewish Journal of Sociology'' 48, no. 2 (2006).</ref>  It was estimated that between 25% and 35% of Chabad Hasidim in Crown Heights speak [[Yiddish]]. This figure is significantly lower than other Hasidic groups and may be attributed to the addition of previously non-Hasidic Jews to the community. It was also estimated that over 20% of Chabad Hasidim in Crown Heights speak Hebrew or Russian.<ref name=comenetz>Comenetz, Joshua. "Census-based estimation of the Hasidic Jewish population." ''Contemporary Jewry'' 26, no. 1 (2006): 35.</ref> The Crown Heights Chabad community has its own Beis Din (rabbinical court) and the Vaad Hakahal (Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC)).
* '''Israel:'''
** [[Kfar Chabad]] – Kfar Chabad's population was placed at 6,489 in 2024; all of the residents of the town are believed to be Chabad adherents, with this number being based on figures published by the [[Israeli Census Bureau]].<ref>[ |title=Regional Statistics |url=cbs.gov.il/he/publications/LochutTlushim/2020/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%99%D7%942020.xlsx |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> Other estimates place the community population at around 7,000.<ref name=shaffir34/>
** [[Tzfat]] – The Chabad community in Tzfat originated during the wave of Eastern European immigration to Palestine from 1777–1840. The Chabad community established synagogues and institutions in Safad. The early settlement declined by the 20th century but it was renewed following an initiative by the seventh rebbe in the early 1970s, which reestablished the Chabad community in the city.<ref name=tzefatcoil>[ |url=safed.co.il/chabad-in-tzfat.html |title=The Chabad Hassidic Community in Tzfat |publisher=Safed.co.il |access-date=September 14, 2014}}</ref> Rabbi Yeshaya HaLevi Horowitz (1883–1978), a Safad-born direct descendant of Rabbi [[Isaiah Horowitz|Yeshaya Horowitz]], author of the Shnei Luchot HaBrit, served as the rabbi of the Chabad community in Safad from 1908 until his immigration to the U.S. during World War I.<ref>[kedem-auctions.com/content/sefer-hazohar-%E2%80%93-including-glosses-rabbi-yeshaya-horowitz-safed-and-his-son-rabbi-shmuel "Sefer HaZohar – Including Glosses by Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz of Safad and His Son Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz Author of 'Yemei Shmuel.'" Judaica Auction no. 27- Books and Manuscripts] [web.archive.org/web/20161006013938/kedem-auctions.com/content/sefer-hazohar-%E2%80%93-including-glosses-rabbi-yeshaya-horowitz-safed-and-his-son-rabbi-shmuel |date=October 6, 2016}}. ''[[Kedem Auction House]]''. Retrieved September 14, 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016</ref> Members of the Chabad community run a number of outreach efforts during the Jewish holidays. Activities include blowing the [[shofar]] for the elderly on [[Rosh Hashana]], reading the [[Book of Esther|Megilla]] for hospital patients on Purim and setting up a [[Sukkah]] on the town's main street during the [[Sukkot]] holiday.<ref name=tzefatcoil/>
** Nachlat Har Chabad in [[Kiryat Malakhi]] is home to 2800 residents, with institutions including a yeshiva and a girls' school.
* '''France''' – The Chabad community in France is estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000. The majority of the Chabad community in France are the descendants of immigrants from North Africa (specifically Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) during the 1960s.<ref name=shaffir34/><ref name=chabadfrance>Gutwirth, Jacques. 2005. Hassidim in France today. ''Jewish Journal of Sociology 47''(1–2). pp.5–21.</ref>
* '''Canada:'''
** [[Montreal]] – The estimated size of the Chabad community of Greater [[Montreal]] is 1,590. The estimate is taken from a 2003 community study.<ref>[ |title=Chabad of Montreal: Here's the stats!!! |publisher=The Chabad Sociologist |date=October 13, 2013 |url=chabadsociologist.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/chabad-of-montreal-heres-the-stats-chabad-montreal-chabadsociology/ |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>Shahar, Charles. "Main Report: A Comprehensive Study of the Ultra Orthodox Community of Greater Montreal (2003)". Federation CJA (Montreal). (2003): pp. 7–33.</ref> The Chabad community in [[Montreal]] originated sometime before 1931. While early works on Canadian Jewry make little or no mention of early Hasidic life in [[Canada]], later researchers have documented Chabad's accounts in [[Canada]] starting from the 1900s and 1910s. [[Steven Lapidus]] notes that there is mention of two Chabad congregations in a 1915 article in the ''[[Canadian Jewish Chronicle]]'' listing the delegates of the first [[Canadian Jewish Conference]]. One congregation is listed as Chabad of Toronto, and the other is simply listed as "Libavitzer Congregation". The sociologist [[William Shaffir]] has noted that some Chabad Hasidim and sympathizers did reside in Montreal before 1941 but does not elaborate further. Steven Lapidus notes that in a 1931 obituary published in ''Keneder Odler'', a Canadian Yiddish newspaper, the deceased Rabbi [[Menashe Lavut]] is credited as the founder of Anshei Chabad in [[Montreal]] and the Nusach Ari synagogue. Thus the Chabad presence in [[Montreal]] predates 1931.<ref>[ |last=Lapidus |first=Steven |title=The Forgotten Hasidim: Rabbis and Rebbes in Prewar Canada |journal=Canadian Jewish Studies |year=2004 |volume=12 |url=pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/cjs/article/viewFile/22624/21095 |access-date=January 13, 2014}}</ref>
* '''United Arab Emirates:'''
** [[Dubai]] – The [[Jewish Community Center of UAE]] has a [[synagogue]] and a [[Talmud Torah]]. 1,000 [[Kashrus|kosher]] chickens per week are provided to the community by local kosher [[shechita]]. The community is headed by Rabbi [[Levi Duchman]].<ref>[|date=2020-06-11|title=A robust Jewish life exists in the U.A.E.|url=ynetnews.com/article/HkuTEWg6I|access-date=2020-06-18|website=ynetnews|language=en|last1=Salami|first1=Daniel}}</ref><ref>[|title=Baltimore Jewish Life {{!}} A New Talmud Torah Opens in Dubai|url=baltimorejewishlife.com:443/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=3&ARTICLE_ID=131802|access-date=2020-06-18|website=baltimorejewishlife.com}}</ref><ref>[|title=Kiddush, Torah learning, and gefilte fish in Dubai – Jewish World|date=11 June 2020 |url=israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281713|access-date=2020-06-18|publisher=Arutz Sheva|language=en}}</ref>


== Customs and holidays ==
===Chassidic Philosophy===
=== Customs ===
{{main|Chassidic Philosophy}}
Chabad adherents follow Chabad [[minhag|traditions]] and [[Nusach Ari|prayer services]] based on [[Lurianic Kabbalah]].<ref>[ |author=Nissan Mindel |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm |title=Rabbi Isaac Luria – The Ari Hakodosh |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> General Chabad customs, called [[minhagim]] (or [[minhagei Chabad]]), distinguish the movement from other Hasidic groups. Some of the main Chabad customs are minor practices performed on traditional [[Jewish holidays]]:
Chassidic philosophy is an approach to the service of G-d founded by the [[Baal Shem Tov]], which continued as a general Chassidic tradition until it was internalized in its deepest form through the teachings of [[our Rebbes and leaders]] — the [[Chabad]] Rebbes. Chassidic philosophy represents a new illumination of Divinity, shedding new light on all dimensions ([[Pardes]]) of the [[Torah]] — from the deepest reaches of its mystical dimension down to the straightforward meaning of the Torah and its practical [[commandments]].


* [[Passover]] – It is customary in Chabad communities, on Passover, to limit contact of ''[[matzah]]'' (an unleavened bread eaten on Passover) with water. This custom is called [[gebrokts]] ({{langx|yi|געבראָכטס}}, lit. 'broken'). However, on the last day of Passover, it is customary to intentionally have matzah come in contact with water.<ref>[ |url=chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/265990/jewish/Gebrokts-Wetted-Matzah.htm |title=Gebrokts: Wetted Matzah |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
One of the foundations of Chassidic philosophy is [[ahavas Yisrael]] (love of one's fellow Jew) and the recognition that within every Jew there is a [[divine soul]] united with G-d. Because of this bond, every Jew has the capacity to reach the highest levels of [[divine service]]. Chassidic philosophy also represents the preparation for the coming of [[Moshiach]], as is known from the Baal Shem Tov's encounter with Moshiach, who replied to the question "When will you come?" with the words: "When your wellsprings spread outward."
* [[Chanukah]] – It is the custom of Chabad Hasidim to place the Chanukah [[Menorah (Hanukkah)|menorah]] against the room's doorpost (and not on the windowsill).<ref name="sichoscustom">[|url=chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting_cdo/aid/6226/jewish/Shabbat-Candle-Lighting-Times.htm|title=Shabbat Candle-Lighting Times|website=chabad.org}}</ref><ref>Schneersohn, Shalom Dovber. Tanu Rabbanan: Ner Chanukah ''Sichos In English'', N.Y., 1990.</ref><ref>[ |date=November 24, 2013 |url=crownheights.info/something-jewish/412805/laws-and-customs-chanukah/ |title=Laws and Customs: Chanukah |publisher=CrownHeights.info |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
* Prayer – The founder of Chabad wrote a very specific liturgy for the daily and festival prayers based on the teachings of the Kabbalists, primarily the [[Isaac Luria|Arizal]].
* The founder of Chabad also instituted various other [[Halakha|halachic]] rulings, including the use of stainless steel knives for the slaughter of animals before human consumption, which are now universally accepted in all sects of Judaism.


=== Holidays ===
The [[Tanya]] is the Written Torah of Chassidic philosophy, and the other Chassidic works of our Rebbes and leaders are its Oral Torah.
There are a number of [[Chabad holidays|days marked by the Chabad movement as special days]]. Major holidays include the dates of the release of the leaders of the movement, the ''rebbes'' of Chabad, from prison, others corresponded to the leaders' birthdays, anniversaries of death, and other life events.


The days marking the leaders' release, are celebrated by the Chabad movement as "Days of Liberation" ([[Hebrew]]: {{Lang|he|יום גאולה}} ({{Lang|he|Yom Geulah}})). The most noted day is {{Lang|he|[[Yud Tes Kislev]]}}—the liberation of Rabbi [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]], the founder of the Chabad movement. The day is also called the "New Year of Hasidism".<ref name="sichoscustom"/>
===Torah Study===


The birthdays of several of the movement's leaders are celebrated each year including {{Lang|he|[[Chai Elul]]}}, the birthday of Rabbi [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]], the founder of the Chabad movement,<ref name="Elul customs">[ |date=September 6, 2012 |url=shmais.com/chabad-news/latest/item/chabad-elul-customs |last=Dalfin |first=Chaim |title=Chabad Elul Customs |publisher=Shmais.com |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name="ChaiElul">[ |author=Menachem Mendel Schneerson |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/155859/jewish/Chai-Elul.htm |title=Chai Elul: Breathing New Life Into Our Divine Service |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> and {{Lang|he|[[Yud Aleph Nissan]]}}, the birthday of Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]], the seventh rebbe of Chabad.<ref>"Dade Jews throw birthday party for New York Rabbi", David Hancock, ''The Miami Herald'', April 14, 1992</ref>
In Chassidic philosophy in general, and in Chabad Chassidus in particular, special emphasis is placed on the study of the revealed dimension of Torah — the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He. Studying the reasoning behind the laws as they appear in the revealed Torah is a form of unique closeness to G-d, achieved by the fact that the person's thoughts are united with G-d's wisdom, which is — together with G-d Himself — one. At the same time, the writings of Chassidic teachers stress the obligation to study "for its own sake" — for the sake of the Creator, to cleave to G-d, in holiness and with proper reverence, and out of [[humility]] and [[self-nullification]].


The anniversaries of death, or {{Lang|yi|[[yartzeit]]}}, of several of the movement's leaders are celebrated each year, include {{Lang|he|[[Yud Shvat]]}}, the {{Lang|yi|yartzeit}} of Rabbi [[Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn]], the sixth rebbe of Chabad,<ref name="YartzCust">[ |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/82245/jewish/Yahrtzeit-Observances.htm |title=Yahrtzeit Observances |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> {{Lang|he|[[Gimmel Tammuz]]}}, the {{Lang|yi|yartzeit}} of Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]], the seventh rebbe of Chabad,<ref name="YartzCust"/><ref>[ |url=chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/528345/jewish/A-Brief-Biography.htm |title=A Brief Biography |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> and {{Lang|he|[[Chof Beis Shvat]]}}, the {{Lang|yi|yartzeit}} of [[Chaya Mushka Schneerson]], the wife of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.<ref>[|url=chabadinfo.com/index.php/jq/css/ui-lightness/jq/js/?url=newsnew_en&string=tag_Chof%20Beis%20Shvat|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20131216191431/chabadinfo.com/index.php/jq/css/ui-lightness/jq/js/?url=newsnew_en&string=tag_Chof%20Beis%20Shvat|url-status=dead|title=Chof Beis Shvat. ''Chabad.info''.|archive-date=December 16, 2013}}</ref>
Every Jew, in every situation, is obligated to study Torah — as stated in the verse: "You shall contemplate it day and night" (Joshua 1:8). The mitzvah of Torah study is equal in weight to all other commandments combined.


== Organizations ==
===The Rebbe's Place in Chassidus===
{{Main|Chabad affiliated organizations}}
{{main|Rebbe|Nasi HaDor}}
Unlike most Chassidic courts of that era, the Chabad movement did not accept the view that the primary burden of divine service rests with the [[Rebbe]] or [[tzaddik]], while the Chassidim need only cleave to him and remain [[hiskashrus|bound to him]].<ref>{{quote|Now listen, Jews! In Chabad the demand has always been that every person must do his own work and not rely on the Rebbes. This is the difference between the Polish approach and the Chabad approach. The Polish approach is "the tzaddik shall live by his faith" — do not read ''yichyeh'' (he will live) but ''yechayyeh'' (he will give life to others). But we, Chabad, must all work ourselves, with the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of the body, and with the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of the soul. "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven." I do not, Heaven forbid, remove myself from helping — helping as much as possible — but since everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven, if one does not do the work oneself, what good will it do to submit written requests, sing niggunim, and say l'chaim?… One must oneself transform the foolishness of the other side and the inner fire of the animal soul into holiness.}} From the Rebbe's address immediately following his first [[maamar|Chassidic discourse]], [[Basi LeGani]] 5711, upon which he [[The Rebbe's acceptance of leadership|formally accepted the Chabad leadership]]. Toras Menachem 5711, [http://chabadlibrary.org/books/admur/tm/2/26/index.htm#_ftnref_1196 p. 212, address 12].</ref><ref>[[Likkutei Diburim]], vol. 1, p. 2. [[Sefer HaSichos (Rebbe Rayatz)|Sefer HaSichos]] 5704, p. 133, and elsewhere.</ref> This stance initially generated controversy among other disciples of [[the Maggid of Mezeritch]], who argued that it represented a departure from the Chassidic path laid down by the Maggid and the Baal Shem Tov — foremost among them Rabbi [[Avraham of Kalisk (disciple of the Maggid)|Avraham of Kalisk]], who opposed the approach sharply. Rabbi Schneur Zalman replied, however, that his path integrates the approach of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid with the individual's own obligation to serve G-d.<ref>See also the essay by Rabbi [[Shlomo Yosef Zevin]], [http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/shana/zevin-1.htm "The wondrous personality of the author of the Tanya"], on the Daat website — from ''Shana BeShana'' 5724.</ref><ref>[[Shalom DovBer Levin]], [[History of Chabad in the Holy Land]], [http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=30493&pgnum=51 p. 24].</ref> It is also recounted that Rabbi [[Shlomo of Karlin]] sought from the Alter Rebbe permission to settle within his area of activity<ref>Which had been granted by the other disciples of the Maggid, led by Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk]]. {{citation needed}}</ref> — and the Alter Rebbe agreed, on three conditions. Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin accepted the first two, but would not accept the third: "that he not teach that the tzaddik must carry the flock."<ref>[[Beis Rebbi]], Part 1, ch. 25, p. 128. See also the letter of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi to Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk on this subject in [[Igros Kodesh of the Alter Rebbe]], letter 55.</ref>


[[File:Chabad 2023.png|alt=Map of Countries with Chabad Shluchim|thumb|Map of countries with Chabad Shluchim]]
These disagreements did not, for the most part, cause a rift between Chabad and other Chassidic movements. Thus even tzaddikim whose path in Chassidus differed greatly from Chabad's — such as Rabbi [[Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev]] and Rabbi [[Mordechai of Chernobyl]] (who even expressed his differing view from the Chabad leaders' approach) — became related by marriage to the Chabad Rebbes.
Chabad's central organization representing the movement at large, [[Agudas Chasidei Chabad]], is headed by Rabbi [[Abraham Shemtov]]. The educational, outreach and social services arms, [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]] and [[Machneh Israel (Chabad)|Machneh Israel]] are headed by Rabbi [[Yehuda Krinsky]], as well as the Chabad-Lubavitch publishing house, [[Kehot Publication Society]].


Local Chabad centers and institutions are usually incorporated as separate legal entities.<ref name="PBurstein">[ | last1 = Burstein | first1 = Paul | year = 2011 | title = Jewish Nonprofit Organizations in the U.S.: A Preliminary Survey | journal = Contemporary Jewry | volume = 31 | issue = 2| pages = 129–148 | doi = 10.1007/s12397-010-9028-5| s2cid = 144478093 }}</ref>
At the same time, even according to Chabad, the tzaddikim are the head and mind of the community, and the community draws its spiritual — and even material — strength from them, cleaving to and connecting with Divinity through them. As Rabbi Schneur Zalman himself wrote:


=== Institutions ===
{{quote|In every generation there are leaders of the thousands of Israel, whose souls are in the category of head and mind relative to the souls of the multitude and the common people… The nurture and vitality of the soul, spirit, and neshamah of ordinary people comes from the soul, spirit, and neshamah of the tzaddikim and sages — the leaders of Israel in their generation… Through cleaving to Torah scholars, the soul, spirit, and neshamah of the common people are bound and united with their original essence and root in the supernal Wisdom.|source=[[Tanya]], ch. 2}}
As of 2020 there were over 3,500 Chabad centers in 100 countries.<ref name="drake">[|url=www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0602/feature4/index.html|last=Drake|first=Carolyn|title=A Faith Grows in Brooklyn|work=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]|date=February 2006|access-date=2006-01-23|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20060203030144/www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0602/feature4/index.html|archive-date=2006-02-03|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[|url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2346206/jewish/Facts-and-Statistics.htm|title=Facts and Statistics - Chabad.org}}</ref> The Chabad movement's online directory lists around 1,350 Chabad institutions. This number includes schools and other Chabad-affiliated establishments. The number of Chabad centers vary per country; the majority are in the [[United States]] and [[Israel]]. There are over 100 countries with a Chabad presence.


In total, according to its directory, Chabad maintains a presence in 950 [[cities]] around the world: 178 in Europe, 14 in Africa, 200 in Israel, 400 in North America, 38 in South America, and about 70 in Asia (excluding Israel, including Russia).<ref name="popo">[ |url=chabad.org/centers/default_cdo/jewish/Centers.htm |title=Chabad-Lubavitch Directory |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
In keeping with this idea, the [[Rebbe]] occupies a central place in the Chabad community,<ref>[http://chabad.org.il/Articles/Article.asp?ArticleID=88&CategoryID=199 The Rebbe — the central axis of Chassidus]</ref> and every Chassid aspires to be "bound" to him — a state known as [[hiskashrus]] (spiritual connection), which is achieved primarily through studying the Rebbe's Torah teachings and following his directives. Many Chassidim accordingly would not take a significant step in their lives without seeking the Rebbe's counsel and blessing.


==== By geographic region ====
===Paths of Divine Service===
{{main|Divine Service|Avodah and Haskala|Mind Over Heart|Bittul|Atkafya|Athaflya|Inner|Outer|Effort}}
According to the Chabad approach to divine service, all sadness must be pushed aside — even sadness arising from remorse over sins and spiritual failings.<ref>See [[Tanya, ch. 26]] and following.</ref> Emphasis is placed on deep contemplation during prayer, so as to connect intellectual understanding with internalized feeling throughout the day.


{{Further|Chabad affiliated organizations#Chabad institutions by geographic region}}
Among the important foundations of divine service in Chabad is the principle of [[moch shalit al halev]] — "the mind rules over the heart" — meaning a state in which the [[intellect]] governs the [[emotions]] of the heart. That is, a state in which the intellect of the mind is the guiding and directing force in a person's life, since the [[brain]] is the seat and dwelling place of the divine soul.<ref>[[Tanya]], ch. 11.</ref>
Chabad presence varies from region to region. The continent with the highest concentration of Chabad centers is North America. The [[continent]] with the fewest centers is Africa.<ref name="LubavNorthAmerica">[|url=lubavitch.com/centers/region.html|title=Chabad Lubavitch Brooklyn New York NY World Headquarters|first=Chabad|last=Lubavitch|website=lubavitch.com|access-date=2013-11-06|archive-date=2013-09-01|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20130901111827/lubavitch.com/centers/region.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="LubavAfrica">[|url=lubavitch.com/centers/region.html?id=1&f=c|title=Chabad Lubavitch Brooklyn New York NY World Headquarters|first=Chabad|last=Lubavitch|website=lubavitch.com|access-date=2013-11-04|archive-date=2015-10-16|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20151016221727/lubavitch.com/centers/region.html?id=1&f=c|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
[[File:Vladimir Putin, Berl Lazar, Alexander Boroda (2016-12-28).jpg|thumb|Russia's Chief Rabbi [[Berel Lazar]] (left) speaks with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], 28 December 2016]]
There are also two central paths of divine service:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
* '''Avodah''' (service) — a term for the work of prayer and contemplative meditation during prayer on the unity of G-d and its particulars as taught in Chassidus. Chassidim who invest themselves in bringing these matters into actual practice, with particular emphasis on prayer and working on their character traits, are called ''ovdim'' (practitioners).
|-
* '''Haskala''' (intellectual study) — the study and deepening of Chassidic philosophy; the divine inquiry found within the discourses and teachings of Chabad Chassidus; and the understanding of Kabbalistic topics that appear within them. Chassidim who focus on this are called ''maskilim'' (scholars).
! style="width:110px;"| Geographic location !! data-sort-type="number" | Chabad institutions
 
|-
The true and correct path is Avodah. While it can only be realized through the prior engagement of Haskala, Haskala alone and of itself is not the goal.
| style="text-align:left;"|North America ||2,894
 
|-
==Chabad Literature==
| style="text-align:left;"|Europe ||1,133
 
|-
To explain the Chabad approach, the founder of Chabad — the [[Alter Rebbe]] — composed the [[Tanya]],<ref>Igros Kodesh, Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 4, p. 261.</ref> which is considered the Written Torah of [[Chassidic philosophy]]. On this basis, the [[Chabad Rebbes]] have delivered and written [[maamar|maamarim]] (Chassidic discourses) — known by the acronym ''Da"Ch'' (''Divrei Elokim Chayyim'', "Words of the Living G-d") — exploring and expanding the system, discussing such themes as: the nature of G-d and the meaning of His being "infinite"; the purpose of creation; the relationship between G-d and man; why G-d concerns Himself with human deeds; the nature of Torah; the nature of the commandments; what a soul is and why it descended into the world; the essence of Jewish identity; and more. Chabad literature comprises hundreds of volumes engaging these themes at great depth.
| style="text-align:left;"|Asia ||615
 
|-
==The Chabad Rebbes==
| style="text-align:left;"|South America ||208
 
|-
===The Alter Rebbe===
| style="text-align:left;"|Oceania ||67
{{main|The Alter Rebbe}}
|-
Rabbi Schneur Zalman Boruchovich<ref>So called after his father "Boruch," as was customary in that era — to append the father's name as a surname.</ref> of [[Liadi]] — the [[Alter Rebbe]] (in [[Yiddish]]: '''Der Alter Rebbe''', "the Old Rebbe"). He is also referred to as "the Rav"<ref>Following the Maggid of Mezeritch's description of him to his other disciples as "the Lithuanian Gaon."</ref> or as the author of the [[Tanya]] and the [[Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe|Shulchan Aruch]].<ref>This title became associated with him through the wide dissemination of his two major works, the [[Tanya]] and the [[Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe|Shulchan Aruch]]. The Rebbe frequently uses this form of reference, and on one occasion explained its significance: "Author of the Tanya" — decisor in the inner dimension of Torah; "author of the Shulchan Aruch" — decisor in the revealed dimension of Torah. There is also an additional connection between the two works: the four parts of the Tanya correspond to the four parts of the [[Shulchan Aruch HaRav]].</ref> He is the founder of the Chabad approach and the first of the seven [[Chabad Rebbes]]. He authored the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch. He was born on [[Chai Elul]] 1745 in the town of [[Liozna]] in the [[Mohilev Governorate]] of [[Belarus]], to Rabbi [[Boruch (father of the Alter Rebbe)|Boruch]] (a descendant of the [[Maharal of Prague]]<ref>See [[chain of tradition]].</ref>) and [[Rivka (mother of the Alter Rebbe)|Rivka]]. He resided first in Liozna and later in the city of [[Liadi]]. He [[histalkus|passed from this world]] on the [[motzaei Shabbos]] (Saturday night) of Parshas Shemos, the 24th of Tevet 1813, and his resting place is in the city of [[Haditch]].
| style="text-align:left;"|Africa ||55
 
|- class="sortbottom"
===The Mitteler Rebbe===
| '''Total''' || '''4,972'''
{{main|The Mitteler Rebbe}}
|}
Rabbi DovBer Schneuri — the [[Mitteler Rebbe]]<ref>The title "Mitteler Rebbe" (Middle Rebbe) became associated with him after his [[histalkus]] and the ascension of the [[Tzemach Tzedek]] as his successor. Rabbi DovBer's relatively brief tenure created a situation in which many Chassidim personally knew all three Rebbes — the [[Alter Rebbe]], Rabbi DovBer, and the Tzemach Tzedek — and Rabbi DovBer, being the middle one, came to be called "the Mitteler Rebbe."</ref> (in Yiddish: '''Der Mitteler Rebbe''') is the second Rebbe in the [[Chabad]] dynasty and the successor to his father, the [[Alter Rebbe]]. He was born on the 9th of Kislev 1773 to the Alter Rebbe and [[Sterna]]. He established the Chassidic court in the town of [[Lubavitch]], and passed from this world on the 9th of Kislev 1827; his resting place is in the [[ohel of the Mitteler Rebbe]] in the city of Nezhin.


=== Chabad house ===
The Mitteler Rebbe founded a Chabad community in [[Hebron]] in 1845, under the leadership of his son-in-law Rabbi [[Yaakov Kuli Slonim (son-in-law of the Mitteler Rebbe)|Yaakov Slonim]] and his daughter [[Menucha Rochel Slonim (daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe)|Menucha Rochel]], supported by donations from Chassidim in Russia.
{{Main|Chabad house}}
A Chabad house is a form of [[Jewish community center]], primarily serving both educational and observance purposes.<ref>[ |author=Marcelle S. Fischler |title=Is It a Home or a House of Worship? |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 16, 2005 |url=query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00EEDC1F31F93BA25751C1A9639C8B63 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2015}} Often, until the community can support its own center, the Chabad house is located in the {{Lang|he|[[shaliach]]}}''<nowiki/>'s'' home, with the living room being used as the "synagogue". Effort is made to provide an atmosphere in which the nonobservant will not feel intimidated by any perceived contrast between their lack of knowledge of Jewish practice and the advanced knowledge of some of the people they meet there.<ref>[ |title=Passover seders, around the world |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=March 23, 2007 |newspaper=Kentucky New Era |page=28 |url=news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=20070323&id=UAgsAAAAIBAJ&pg=5379,7656059 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> The term "Chabad House" originated with the creation of the first such outreach center on the campus of [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] by Rabbi [[Shlomo Cunin]].<ref>''Challenge''<!-- author? date? page? URL? --></ref> A key to the Chabad house was given to the Rebbe and he asked if that meant that the new house was his home. He was told yes and he replied, "My hand will be on the door of this house to keep it open twenty-four hours a day for young and old, men and women alike."<ref>[|title=Chumash Devarim|publisher=Kehot Publication Society|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8266-0194-0|location=New York|pages=vii}}</ref>


Followers of Chabad can be seen attending to [[Tefillin campaign|tefillin booths]] at the [[Western Wall]] and [[Ben Gurion International Airport]] as well as other public places and distributing [[Shabbat]] candles on Fridays. Chabad rabbis and their families are sent to various major cities around the globe, to teach college students, build day schools, and create youth camps. Many of these efforts are geared towards secular or less religious [[Jews]]. Additionally, unmarried rabbinical students spend weeks during the summer in locations that do not yet have a permanent Chabad presence, making housecalls, putting up [[mezuza|mezuzot]] and teaching about Judaism. This is known as Merkos Shlichus.
===The Tzemach Tzedek===
[[File:אדמור הצמח צדק - תמונה קטנה.jpg|left|thumb|180px|A portrait of the Tzemach Tzedek]]
{{main|The Tzemach Tzedek}}
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn — the [[Tzemach Tzedek]] — is the third leader in the [[Chabad]] dynasty. He was born on Sunday, the 29th of Elul 1789,<ref>Additional versions: 1788 or 1790.</ref> in the city of [[Liozna]], to [[Shalom Shachna Altschuler (father of the Tzemach Tzedek)|Shalom Shachna]] and [[Devorah Leah (daughter of the Alter Rebbe)|Devorah Leah]] Altschuler. He was both a grandson of the [[Alter Rebbe]] and a son-in-law of the [[Mitteler Rebbe]]. He passed from this world on the 13th of Nissan 1866, and his resting place is in Lubavitch in the [[ohel of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Maharash]].


Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson also initiated a Jewish children's movement, called [[Tzivos Hashem]] (lit. "Army [of] God"), for under [[B'nai Mitzvah|bar/bat mitzvah]]-age children, to inspire them to increase in [[Torah study|study of Torah]] and observance of [[613 Mitzvot|mitzvot]].
Over the years, the Tzemach Tzedek worked to rescue children from the [[cantonist decrees]], [[Rabbinical Conference of 1843|fought for the pure Jewish education of Jewish children]],<ref>See at length in [[Kuntres: The Tzemach Tzedek and the Haskalah Movement]].</ref> founded the town of [[Shchedrin]] and settled some three hundred Chassidim there, and was known for his rulings freeing [[agunos]] (women chained to a missing or refusing husband) who were brought to him in Lubavitch.<ref>See stories on this in the journal "[[HaAch]]," issue 31 and following; "[[Reshimos]]," [http://www.lahak.org/templates/lahak/article_cdo/aid/2967322 booklet 187].</ref> One of his well-known teachings is the maxim [[Think good and it will be good]], which expresses the profound influence of thought even on actual events.<ref>[[Sefer HaMaamarim (Rebbe Rayatz)|Sefer HaMaamarim 5687]], p. 236, and elsewhere.</ref>


Rabbi Schneerson also encouraged the use of modern technology in outreach efforts such as [[Mitzva tank]]s, which are mobile homes that travel a city or country.<ref>{{Citation|title=N.Y. / Region: 'Are You Jewish?'|work= The New York Times|date= 27 April 2011|url=youtube.com/watch?v=k2agom-o8Ds |archive-url=ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/k2agom-o8Ds| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Chabad website, [[chabad.org]], a pioneer of Jewish religious outreach on the [[Internet]], was started by Rabbi Yosef Y. Kazen and developed by Rabbi D. Zirkind. In 2023, it was reportedly the largest faith-based website, with 52 million unique visitors and 102,129 content pages covering all facets of [[Judaism]].<ref name="chabad.org">[|website=Chabad|url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2346206/jewish/Facts-and-Statistics.htm|title=Facts and Statistics}}</ref>
===The Rebbe Maharash===
{{main|The Rebbe Maharash}}
Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn — the [[Maharash]] — is the fourth Rebbe in the [[Chabad]] dynasty. He was born on the 2nd of Iyar 1834 in the town of [[Lubavitch]], to [[Rabbi Menachem Mendel]] (the Tzemach Tzedek) and [[Chaya Mushka Schneersohn (wife of the Tzemach Tzedek)|Chaya Mushka Schneersohn]]. He passed from this world on the 13th of Tishrei 1882, after enduring a serious illness; his resting place is in Lubavitch, beside his father the Tzemach Tzedek, in the [[ohel of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Maharash]].


In June 1994, Rabbi Schneerson died with no successor. Since then, over two thousand couples have taken up communal leadership roles in outreach, bringing the estimated total number of "Shluchim" to over five thousand worldwide.<ref>[|url=kinus.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/4051934|title=Banquet/Partner |publisher= Kinus Hashluchim|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref><ref>[|url=chabad.org/multimedia/video_cdo/aid/4560827/jewish/Shluchim-Roll-Call.htm|title=Shluchim Roll Call - International Conference of Chabad Emissaries (2019)|website=Chabad.org|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref>
The Maharash coined the celebrated maxim [[Lechatchila Ariber]] — "from the outset, leap over obstacles" (the principle of tackling difficulties head-on rather than working around them).


In the [[2008 Mumbai attacks]], the local Chabad house was targeted.<ref>[ |author=Ralph Blumenthal |date=November 29, 2008 |url=nytimes.com/2008/11/29/nyregion/29chabad.html |title=Jewish Center Is Stormed, and 6 Hostages Die |newspaper=The New York Times |page=A13 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>[ |author=Joshua Runyan |date=November 30, 2008 |url=chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/775065/jewish/Funeral-Preparations-Under-Way.htm |title=Funeral Preparations for Chabad House Victims Under Way |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref> The local Chabad emissaries, Rabbi [[Gavriel Holtzberg]] and his wife Rivka, and four other Jews were tortured and murdered by Islamic terrorists.<ref>[ |url=telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3539171/Mumbai-attacks-Jews-tortured-before-executed-during-hostage-crisis.html |archive-url=ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3539171/Mumbai-attacks-Jews-tortured-before-executed-during-hostage-crisis.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Mumbai attacks: Jews tortured before being executed during hostage crisis |author=Damien McElroy |date=December 1, 2008 |access-date=February 8, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Chabad received condolences from around the world.<ref>[ |url=jta.org/news/article/2008/12/04/1001351/obama-sends-condolences-to-chabad |title=Obama sends condolences to Chabad |publisher=Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA) |date=December 4, 2008 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>[|title=Israeli Chabad couple to be expelled from India 'for spying' {{!}} The Times of Israel|url=timesofisrael.com/israeli-chabad-couple-to-be-expelled-from-india-as-mossad-agents/amp/|access-date=2021-06-10|website=The Times of Israel}}</ref>
===The Rebbe Rashab===
[[File:א.jpg|left|thumb|180px|The well-known photograph of the Rebbe Rashab]]
{{main|The Rebbe Rashab}}
Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn — the [[Rebbe Rashab]] — is the fifth Rebbe in the [[Chabad]] dynasty. He was born on the 20th of Cheshvan 1860 in the town of [[Lubavitch]], to Rabbi Shmuel (the [[Maharash]]) and [[Rivka Schneersohn (wife of the Maharash)|Rivka]] Schneersohn. He passed from this world on the 2nd of Nissan 1920; his resting place is in the city of [[Rostov]].


=== Fundraising ===
The Rebbe Rashab founded the [[yeshiva]] [[Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch]] — the mother of all [[Chabad yeshivos]] worldwide — established the distinctive Chabad method of [[mikveh]] construction known as [[Chabad mikveh|bor al gabei bor]] (a pit built over a pit), and worked vigorously in many other areas, including the founding of [[Agudas Yisrael]] (from which he ultimately withdrew before it was formally established), and more.
Funds for activities of a Chabad center rely entirely on the local community. Chabad centers do not receive funding from Lubavitch headquarters. For the day-to-day operations, local emissaries do all the fundraising by themselves.


Chabad emissaries often solicit the support of local Jews.<ref name="ert">[ |author=Mark Avrum Ehrlich |title=The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present |location=Jersey City, N.J. |publisher=KTAV |year=2004 |page=134 |isbn=978-0881258363}}</ref> Funds are used toward purchasing or renovating Chabad centers, synagogues and {{Lang|he|[[mikveh|mikvahs]]}}.<ref>Fishkoff, Sue, ''The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch'', Schocken Books 2003 ({{ISBN|08052 11381}}) pages 160–161.</ref>
===The Frierdiker Rebbe===
[[File:אדמור הרייץ.jpg|left|thumb|180px|The well-known photograph of the Frierdiker Rebbe]]
{{main|The Frierdiker Rebbe}}
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn — the [[Frierdiker Rebbe]] (the Previous Rebbe; in Yiddish: '''Der Frierdiker Rebbe''') — is the sixth Rebbe in the [[Chabad]] dynasty and the father-in-law of [[the Rebbe]] of Lubavitch. He was born on the 12th of Tammuz 1880 to [[Rabbi Shalom DovBer]] (the [[Rebbe Rashab]]) and [[Sterna Sara Schneersohn (wife of the Rebbe Rashab)|Sterna Sara]] Schneersohn. From the Soviet Union, the Frierdiker Rebbe moved to Latvia and then to Poland; when World War II broke out, he left Poland and returned to Latvia, and from there traveled to the United States, establishing the center of Chabad at [[770 Eastern Parkway]] in the [[Crown Heights]] neighborhood of [[Brooklyn]], New York.


== Activities ==
In the United States, the Frierdiker Rebbe worked to rebuild Jewish life in general and Chabad Chassidus in particular, fighting the drift and assimilation of Jewish immigrants from Europe. To this end he established numerous institutions, including many [[Tomchei Temimim]] yeshivos — among them [[Tomchei Temimim Central at 770|the central Tomchei Temimim]] — the [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]] (the central educational body), [[Kehot Publication Society]], [[Machne Yisroel]], and more.
The Chabad movement has been involved in numerous activities in contemporary Jewish life. These activities include providing Jewish education to different age groups, outreach to non-affiliated Jews, publishing Jewish literature, and summer camps for children, among other activities.


=== Education ===
He [[Passing of the Frierdiker Rebbe|passed from this world]] on [[Yud Shevat]] 5710 — the 10th of Shevat 1950 — which fell on Shabbos, and his resting place is at [[the Ohel|the Ohel]] in the [[Montefiore Cemetery]] in the [[Queens]] borough of [[New York]].
Chabad runs a number of educational institutions. Most are [[Jewish day school]]s; others offer secondary and adult education:


* The Chabad operates more than 1,000 schools, preschools and other educational institutions around the globe.<ref name="chabad.org" />
===The Rebbe===
* Day schools – In the [[United States]], there are close to 300&nbsp;day schools and supplementary schools run by Chabad.<ref name="CS1">[ |publisher=The Chabad Sociologist |date=August 6, 2013 |title=Comparing Full Time and Part Time Numbers at Chabad Schools |url=chabadsociologist.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/comparing-full-time-and-part-time-numbers-at-chabad-schools/ |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Schick"/> The report findings of studies on [[Jewish day school]]s and supplementary Jewish education in the [[United States]] show that the student body currently enrolled in some 295 Chabad schools exceeds 20,750, although this figure includes Chabad Hasidic children as well as non-Chabad children.<ref name="Schick">[ |last=Schick |first=Marvin |title=A Census of Jewish Day Schools in the United States 2008–2009 |publisher=Avi Chai Foundation |date=October 2009 |url=avichai.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Census-of-JDS-in-the-US-2008-09-Final.pdf |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Wertheimer">[ |last=Wertheimer |first=Jack |title=A Census of Jewish Supplementary Schools in the United States: 2006–2007 |publisher=Avi Chai Foundation |date=August 2008 |url=avichai.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Supplementary-School-Census-Report-Final.pdf |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
{{main|The Rebbe}}
* Secondary schools – Chabad runs multiple secondary education institutions, most notable are [[Tomchei Tmimim]] for young men, and [[Beth Rivkah|Bais Rivka]] for young women.
[[File:הרבי מליובאוויטש.jpg|left|thumb|200px|[[The Rebbe]] receiving supporters of the [[shlichus|Shluchim mission]] and the [[institutions affiliated with Chabad Chassidus]] worldwide, in the framework of the [[Keren L'Mifal Machne Yisroel]]]]
* Adult education – Chabad runs adult education programs including those organized by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute<ref>[|last1=Wertheimer|first1=Jack|title=Why the Lubavitch Movement Thrives in the Absence of a Living Rebbe|url=ou.org/jewish_action/06/2014/lubavitch-movement-thrives-absence-living-rebbe/|access-date=30 September 2014|work=JA Mag in Jewish World|agency=Orthodox Union|date=June 16, 2014|quote=Among the latter is the Jewish Learning Institute, the largest educational program for Jewish adults in the world (with the possible exception of the Daf Yomi enterprise), which currently enrolls over 66,000 teens and adults at some 850 sites around the world, each following a prescribed course of study according to a set timetable.}}</ref><ref>[ |editor-last=Dashefsky |editor-first=Arnold |editor-last2=Sheskin |editor-first2=Ira |title=American Jewish Year Book |volume=113 |date=2014 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3-319-01657-3 |pages=447–597 |edition=Volume 113 |chapter=National Jewish Organizations |quote=... is currently the largest provider of adult Jewish learning. JLI's mission is to inspire Jewish learning worldwide and to transform Jewish life and the greater community through Torah study. Its goal is to create a global network of informed students connected by bonds of shared Jewish experience. JLI's holistic approach to Jewish study considers the impact of Jewish values on personal and interpersonal growth. (The authors of the book are Professor Ira Sheskin of Department of Geography and Regional Studies, The Jewish Demography Project, The Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, University of Miami, and Professor Arnold Dashefsky, Department of Sociology, The Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Connecticut.)|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-01658-0_10|s2cid=154745222 }}</ref> and the [[Jewish Learning Network]].


=== Outreach activities ===
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn — known as "the Rebbe of Lubavitch" or simply "the Rebbe" — is the seventh [[Nasi]] (leader) of the [[Chabad]] movement and a central spiritual leader for the world at large and for the Jewish people in particular. He was born in [[Nikolaev]] on the 11th of Nissan 1902 (April 18, 1902) to his father, the [[Kabbalist]] Rabbi [[Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn]], and his mother, [[Rebbetzin Chana|Rebbetzin Chana]].
[[File:Chabad5.jpg|thumb|Chabad [[Hasidic Judaism|chassidic Jews]] offer help with laying [[tefilin]] on the street]]
Many of the movement's activities emphasize outreach activities. This is due to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson encouraging his followers to reach out to other Jews.<ref>''Hayom Yom'', p. A38</ref> Chabad outreach includes activities promoting the practice of Jewish commandments ([[Chabad mitzvah campaigns|Mitzvah campaigns]]), as well as other forms of Jewish outreach. Much of Chabad's outreach is performed by Chabad emissaries (see [[Shaliach (Chabad)]]). Most of the communities that Chabad emissaries reach out to are other Jewish communities, such as [[Reform Judaism|Reform Jews]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Heilman |first=Samuel C. |title=ChaBaD Lubavitch |date=2017-06-06 |url=dx.doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520277236.003.0006 |work=Who Will Lead Us? |publisher=University of California Press |doi=10.1525/california/9780520277236.003.0006 |isbn=9780520277236 |access-date=2022-04-26}}</ref>


Rabbi [[Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn]], 6th leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of [[Hasidic Judaism]], and then his successor, Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]] were responsible for focusing Chabad's activities on outreach. Rabbi Schneerson was a pioneer in the field of [[Orthodox Judaism outreach]] (''Kiruv'').
Upon assuming the leadership, the Rebbe launched campaigns to publicize the observance of [[Torah]] and [[Chassidic philosophy]] under the banner of "U'faratzta" — "And you shall spread out" — drawn from the verse "You shall spread out to the west, east, north, and south" (Genesis 28:14).<ref>Genesis 28:14.</ref> As part of this, the Rebbe called upon his Chassidim to reach out in every possible setting to every Jew,<ref>And also to non-Jews through such campaigns as the [[Seven Noahide Laws]], [[Education Day in the United States]], [[A Moment of Silence]], and others.</ref> encouraging the observance of Torah commandments and Torah study — including by going out to public places and enabling the broader community to fulfill these mitzvos. His directives and instructions on these matters developed into full-scale campaigns, giving the ten central campaigns he announced the collective name [[the Ten Campaigns]]<ref>[[Tefillin Campaign]], [[Torah Campaign]], [[Mezuzah Campaign]], [[Tzedakah Campaign]], [[Home Full of Jewish Books Campaign]], [[Shabbos Candles Campaign]], [[Kosher Food and Drink Campaign]], [[Family Purity Campaign]], [[Jewish Education Campaign]], and [[Ahavas Yisrael Campaign]].</ref> — alongside many additional directives,<ref>[[Shabbos Gatherings]] • [[Shofar Campaign]], [[Lulav Campaign]], [[Chanukah Campaign]], [[Purim Campaign]], [[Matzah Campaign]], [[Lag BaOmer Parade]], [[Ten Commandments Campaign]], [[Letter in the Torah Campaign]], [[Torah Scroll for IDF Soldiers]], [[Hakhel Campaign]], [[Welcoming Moshiach Campaign]], [[Birthday Campaign]], [[Community Gathering Campaign]], and [[Printing the Tanya Campaign]]. See many further directives and instructions [[Template:The Rebbe's Directives|here]].</ref> chief among them the [[Rambam Study Campaign]], which has in our time spread beyond Chabad Chassidus to additional streams and circles.


Each sent out large numbers of rabbinic emissaries, known as "[[Shaliach (Chabad)|Shluchim]]", to settle in places across the world for outreach purposes. The centers that these [[Shaliach (Chabad)|Shluchim]] established were termed "[[Chabad houses]]".
On the 3rd of Tammuz 1994, he became concealed from our eyes. Among Chabad Chassidim there is a range of views on how to understand this day; most Chabad Chassidim believe that the situation that arose represents a further stage in the process of the complete revelation of [[Moshiach]] (the Messiah). This view is also based on the words of [[Rashi]] at the end of the Book of Daniel, on the verse concerning Moshiach<ref>Chapter 12, verse 12.</ref> — "Fortunate is he who waits and reaches" — where Rashi writes: "…our Moshiach is destined to be concealed after he is revealed, and will then be revealed again" — that is, Moshiach [[is concealed and revealed again]].


Chabad has been active in reaching out to Jews through its synagogues, and various forms of more direct outreach efforts. The organization has been recognized as one of the leaders in using free holiday services to reach out across denominations.<ref>Fishkoff, Sue. [texasjewishpost.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=2635&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1128&hn=texasjewishpost&he=.com "‘Praying without paying’ becoming a more popular option among shuls"]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Texas Jewish Post''. Accessed September 22, 2007. "Many people credit Chabad-Lubavitch with spearheading the movement for free holiday services across the denominational spectrum."</ref>
==Characteristics of Chabad Chassidus==


Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, had a core of dedicated Hasidim who maintained underground [[yeshivah|yeshivos]] and [[mikveh]]s, and provided [[shechitah]] and [[Brit milah|ritual circumcision]] services in the [[Soviet Union]].
===The Shluchim and Chabad Houses===
{{main|Shluchim of the Rebbe|Chabad House}}
[[File:כינוס השלוחים תשפה.jpg|thumb|The Rebbe's shluchim (emissaries) in the traditional photograph (5785 / 2024)]]
In the [[seventh generation]], under the Rebbe's leadership, the concept of [[shlichus]] (emissary mission) became a central demand — from [[Chabad Chassidim]] in particular, and from every Jew in general — to leave one's place and dedicate oneself to spreading Judaism and Chassidus in distant locations that need it. As part of this call, the Rebbe built the shlichus enterprise by appointing his Chassidim as emissaries throughout the world and establishing [[Chabad Houses]] across the globe, which provide material and spiritual support to every Jew: running schools that offer Jewish education, synagogues, Torah and Chassidus classes, mikvehs, and other communal services. Over the years the shlichus enterprise has expanded to encompass nearly every city and settlement in the world where Jews are found, and today numbers approximately six thousand shluchim (emissaries).


==== Mitzvah campaigns ====
===The Movement's Center===
{{Main|Chabad mitzvah campaigns}}
{{main|Lubavitch|770 — Chabad World Headquarters}}
The Rebbes of Chabad have issued the call to all Jews to attract non-observant Jews to adopt Orthodox Jewish observance, teaching that this activity is part of the process of bringing the ''[[Jewish messianism|Messiah]]''. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson issued a call to every Jew: "Even if you are not fully committed to a Torah life, do something. Begin with a [[mitzvah]]—any mitzvah—its value will not be diminished by the fact that there are others that you are not prepared to do".<ref>[ |url=chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/62228/jewish/10-Point-Mitzvah-Campaign.htm |title=The Rebbe's 10-Point Mitzvah Campaign |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>
[[File:770 Eastern Parkway.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The facade of the building known as "770 — Chabad World Headquarters"]]
The town of [[Lubavitch]] served as the center of the Chabad movement from the era of the [[Mitteler Rebbe]], who established his court there; it was subsequently home to the Tzemach Tzedek, the Maharash, and the Rebbe Rashab.


Schneerson also suggested ten specific {{Lang|he|mitzvot}} that he believed were ideally suited for the emissaries to introduce to non-observant Jews. These were called {{Lang|he|mivtzoim}}—meaning "campaigns" or "endeavors". These were lighting candles before [[Shabbat]] and the [[Jewish holiday]]s by Jewish women, putting on {{Lang|he|[[tefillin]]}}, affixing a {{Lang|he|[[mezuzah]]}}, regular [[Torah study]], giving {{Lang|he|[[tzedakah]]}}, purchasing [[Sefer (Hebrew)|Jewish books]], observing {{Lang|he|[[kashrut]]}} (kosher), kindness to others, [[Jewish education|Jewish religious education]], and observing [[niddah|the family purity]] laws.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
During World War I, at the beginning of 1915, as the German army approached the Lubavitch region, the Rebbe Rashab decided to leave Lubavitch — bringing to an end 102 years in which Lubavitch had served as the capital of the movement.


In addition, Schneerson emphasized spreading awareness of preparing for and the coming of the {{Lang|he|[[Messiah in Judaism|moshiach]]}}, consistent with his philosophy. He wrote on the responsibility to reach out to teach every fellow Jew with love, and implored that all Jews believe in the imminent coming of the {{Lang|he|moshiach}} as explained by [[Maimonides]]. He argued that redemption was predicated on Jews doing good deeds, and that gentiles should be educated about the [[Seven Laws of Noah|Noahide Laws]].
Today the center of Chabad Chassidus is [[770]] (Seven-Seventy) — the Chabad World Headquarters, more widely known simply as "[[770]]" — the Rebbe's beis midrash (study hall and synagogue). The center is located at 770 Eastern Parkway in the [[Crown Heights]] neighborhood of [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]].


Schneerson was emphatic about the need to encourage and provide strong education for every child, Jew and non-Jew alike. In honor of Schneerson's efforts in education the [[United States Congress]] has made [[Education and Sharing Day]] on the Rebbe's Hebrew birthday ([[11 Nissan]]).
===Institutions of the Movement===
Chabad Chassidus has thousands of institutions worldwide. The central organization is [[Agudas Chassidei Chabad]] (the World Chabad Chassidic Federation). [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]] is the supreme body overseeing the shluchim. [[Kehot Publication Society]] is the movement's official publishing house (though numerous private publishers also exist). The network of Chabad yeshivos is called "[[Tomchei Temimim]] Lubavitch." Chabad has a youth movement called [[Tzivos Hashem]], the [[Machne Yisroel]] organization, [[Neshei uBnos Chabad]] (women's and girls' organization), and the "Beis Rivkah" institution — a network of girls' schools.


==== {{Lang|he|Shluchim}} (Emissaries) ====
The main institutions in Israel are: [[Chabad Rabbinical Court]] — the supreme rabbinical and halachic body; [[Agudas Chassidei Chabad in Israel]] — the principal organization and umbrella body for all institutions; [[Tzeirei Agudas Chabad]] — the executive arm of the movement, also responsible for shluchim in Israel; [[Kollel Chabad]] — a charitable organization; [[Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Network]] — a network of kindergartens and Torah schools; [[Tomchei Temimim]] — the yeshiva network; the Neshei uBnos Chabad organization; "Beis Rivkah" elementary schools; the "Beis Rivkah" college in [[Kfar Chabad Beis]]; a central branch of [[Tzivos Hashem#The Movement in Israel|Tzivos Hashem]]; and a central branch of [[Kehot Publication Society]].
In 1950, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson urged Chabad to begin {{Lang|he|shlichus}} ("serving as an emissary [performing outreach]"). Since then, Chabad {{Lang|he|shluchim}} ("emissaries", sing. {{Lang|he|shliach}}) have moved all over the world to encourage non-observant Jews to adopt Jewish observance. They assist Jews with all their religious needs, as well as with physical assistance and spiritual guidance and teaching. The stated goal is to encourage Jews to learn more about their Jewish heritage and to practice Judaism.<ref name="ReferenceA">Fishkoff, Sue, ''The Rebbe's Army'', Schocken books 2003 ({{ISBN|08052 11381}}){{page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref>


Thousands of rabbis, educators, ritual slaughterers, and [[mohel|ritual circumcisers]] have been trained and [[Semikhah|ordained]] to serve as {{Lang|he|shluchim}}. Typically, a young Lubavitch rabbi and his wife, in their early twenties, with one or two children, will move to a new location, and as they settle in will raise a large family who, as a family unit, will aim to fulfill their mandate of bringing Jewish people closer to Orthodox Judaism and encouraging gentiles to adhere to the [[Seven Laws of Noah]].<ref name="ReferenceA" />
===Redemption and Moshiach===
{{main portal|Redemption and Moshiach}}
With the revelation of Chassidic philosophy, a new clarity was added to all matters relating to the redemption. This is because the revelation of Chassidus is itself part of the unfolding of the light of redemption — and accordingly, in the teachings of the Chassidic leaders, the connection of Torah and its commandments to redemption in general, and the constant [[longing and anticipation for the redemption]], were emphasized.


{{Lang|he|Shluchim}} operate [[Chabad house|Chabad Houses]], [[Jewish day school]]s, and Jewish summer camps. As of 2021, there are over 6,500 Chabad ''shluchim'' families worldwide, operating over 3,500 institutions in over 110 countries.<ref name="2021RollCall">[ |title=International Roll Call, Conference of Chabad Emissaries (2021) |url=chabad.org/multimedia/video_cdo/aid/5294623/jewish/International-Roll-Call.htm |website=Chabad.org |publisher=Chabad-Lubavitch |access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="Facts and Statistics">[ |title=Facts and Statistics |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2346206/jewish/Facts-and-Statistics.htm |website=Chabad.org |publisher=Chabad-Lubavitch |access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref> Chabad runs the largest network of synagogues of any Jewish movement as of 2023.<ref name="NorthJersey.com">[ |last1=Yellin |first1=Deena |title=Dinner for 6,500: NJ to host record gathering for growing Chabad Jewish movement |url=northjersey.com/story/news/2022/11/18/chabad-conference-2022-ends-with-record-setting-gala-in-edison-nj/69652054007/ |access-date=10 March 2023 |publisher=NorthJersey.com |date=2022-11-18}}</ref>
This theology found expression in the Chassidic leaders, for whom yearning for the redemption permeated their very being and was manifest in their conduct — but especially in recent generations, beginning with the [[Rebbe Rashab]], who founded the [[Tomchei Temimim]] yeshiva and stirred his disciples with the idea that the yeshiva's students are "[[soldiers of the House of David (concept)|soldiers of the House of David]]" fighting against those who scorn the [[footsteps of Moshiach]]. This awakening was intensified by the [[Frierdiker Rebbe]], especially during the Holocaust, which he described as "the birth pangs of Moshiach." The Rebbe, the leader of our generation and the seventh in the Chabad dynasty, announced upon [[The Rebbe's acceptance of leadership|accepting the leadership]] that our generation is the last of exile and the first of redemption — and concluded from this that redemption is not an additional matter layered onto the generation's situation and conduct, but is woven as a thread through every detail of them.


==== Mitzvah tank ====
In his later years the Rebbe spoke on this subject incessantly, announcing that [[the work of exile is complete]] and that all that remains is to [[welcome Moshiach]] in actual reality. He also encouraged Chassidim hundreds of times to proclaim and sing [[Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach LeOlam Va'ed]] — "Long live our Master, Teacher, and Rebbe, King Moshiach, forever and ever" — a proclamation whose content is the revelation of the reality of Moshiach.
{{Main|Mitzvah tank}}
[[File:Mitzvah tank - Golders Green - 2008.jpg|thumb|[[Chabad Lubavitch]] Mitzvah tank in [[Golders Green]], London]]
A mitzvah tank is a vehicle which is used as a portable "educational and outreach center" and a "mini-synagogue" (or a "minagogue") by Chabad members who are involved in outreach. Mitzvah tanks are commonly used for advancing the mitzvah campaigns. Mitzvah tanks have been commonplace on the streets of New York City since 1974.<ref>[|url=chabad.org/therebbe/timeline_cdo/aid/62178/jewish/1974-The-Mitzvah-Tank.htm |title=1974: The Mitzvah Tank on |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2011-04-13}}</ref> Today, they are used all over the globe in countries where Chabad is active.


==== Campus outreach ====
===The Chassidic Maamar===
{{Main|Chabad on Campus International Foundation}}
{{main|Maamar}}
In recent years, Chabad has greatly expanded its outreach on university and college campuses. The ''Chabad on Campus'' is active on dozens of campuses outside of the [[United States]], some of which include [[Canada]], [[Israel]], [[United Kingdom|UK]], [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[France]], [[The Netherlands|Holland]], [[Hungary]], [[Italy]], [[Russia]], [[Argentina]], [[China]] and [[Australia]].<ref name="chabad.org" /> ''Chabad Student Centers'' are active on over 950 campuses.<ref>[ |url=chabad.edu |title=Directory of Chabad on Campus |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2015}} Professor [[Alan Dershowitz]] has said "Chabad's presence on college campuses today is absolutely crucial," and "we cannot rest until Chabad is on every major college campus in the world."<ref>[ |url=oxfordchabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/AID/331005 |title=Address by Professor Alan Dershowitz |publisher=Oxford Chabad Society |date=2005-11-27 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:הרבי באמירת מאמר.jpg|left|thumb|300px|[[The Rebbe]] delivering a maamar]]
A '''Chassidic [[maamar]]''' is a Torah discourse — known by the acronym ''Da"Ch'' (''Divrei Elokim Chayyim'', "Words of the Living G-d") — delivered or written by a Rebbe, explaining a matter in Chassidus and the inner dimension of Torah rooted in Kabbalah, while drawing practical lessons for [[divine service]]. It is a tradition in the name of the Chassid Rabbi [[Hillel of Paritch]] that when a Rebbe delivers a Chassidic maamar, the [[Shechina]] (Divine Presence) speaks through his throat. Before the Rebbe begins delivering a maamar, the Chassidim sing a special [[Chabad niggunim|niggun]] called [[Niggun Rostov|the preparatory niggun]]. During the maamar, the Chassidim stand in their places.


==== CTeen ====
===The Chassidic Farbrengen===
The '''Chabad Teen Network''' (CTeen) is an international organization dedicated to educating Jewish youth about their heritage. It is the teen-focused arm of the Chabad movement operated by [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]]. There are over 100,000 members worldwide<ref name="timesofisrael.com">[|url=timesofisrael.com/jewish-school-shooting-survivors-seek-healing-at-new-york-meet-up/|title=Jewish school shooting survivors seek healing at New York meet-up|newspaper=Times of Israel}}</ref> with 630 chapters across 44 countries.<ref>[|url=cteen.com/|title=Chabad Teen Network|website=CTeen}}</ref> CTeen is open to all Jewish teens, regardless of affiliation, and has been called "the fastest growing and most diverse Jewish youth organization in the world."<ref name="heritagefl.com">[|last=CTeen International|title=Orlando well represented at International CTeen Shabbaton|newspaper=Heritage Florida Jewish News|url=heritagefl.com/story/2018/03/30/features/orlando-well-represented-at-international-cteen-shabbaton/9544.html}}</ref>
{{main|Chassidic Farbrengen|Mashpia}}
A '''farbrengen''' (or '''התוועדות''' in Hebrew, from the Yiddish ''farbrengen'') is the name commonly used among Chabad Chassidim for a Chassidic gathering at which it is customary to raise a glass of ''l'chaim,'' sing [[Chabad niggunim|Chassidic niggunim]], and tell [[Chassidic stories]] — all in order to inspire and strengthen one another in [[divine service]]. A farbrengen is usually led by a [[mashpia]] (a Chassidic mentor and guide) who encourages and strengthens the participants in improving their conduct.


The organization was launched in 2010,<ref name="ejewishphilanthropy.com">[|last=Levy|first=Faygie|date=28 May 2015|title=In Just Five Years, CTeen Movement Attracts Tens of Thousands of Young Jews|url=ejewishphilanthropy.com/in-just-five-years-cteen-movement-attracts-tens-of-thousands-of-young-jews/|url-status=live|website=eJewish Philanthropy|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20150601004816/ejewishphilanthropy.com:80/in-just-five-years-cteen-movement-attracts-tens-of-thousands-of-young-jews/? |archive-date=2015-06-01 }}</ref> and operates worldwide in cities such as Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Leeds, Munich, Buenos Aires and New York.<ref name="israelnationalnews.com">[|first1=Carin M. |last1=Smilk|title=Teens and mentors from Bangkok to Brazil at Poconos Retreat|url=israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/232778|date=July 21, 2017  |access-date=2021-09-14|website=Israel National News|language=en}}</ref> Its director is Rabbi Shimon Rivkin, and Rabbi [[Moshe Kotlarsky]] serves as chairman.<ref>[|last=Bowling|first=Suzanna|title=Thousands of Jewish Teens Gather in Times Square For Havdalah – Times Square Chronicles|url=t2conline.com/thousands-of-jewish-teens-gather-in-times-square-for-havdalah/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Times Square Chronicles|date=2 March 2020 |language=en-US|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20200524042421/t2conline.com/thousands-of-jewish-teens-gather-in-times-square-for-havdalah/ |archive-date=2020-05-24 }}</ref> Individual chapters and programs are managed by local directors.
===Chabad Personalities===
[[File:Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch - 302 (2).jpg|thumb|300px|Picture of room '302']]


CTeen runs a number of ongoing and annual programs, some of which include:
In every generation of Chabad Chassidus, great Chassidim distinguished in Torah and divine service have occupied a place of honor — their names on the lips of Chassidim in subsequent generations, with stories circulating about them from generation to generation. Teachings spoken with Chassidic insight, and even niggunim composed by gifted [[baal menagen|baalei menagen]] (Chassidic composers), are sung at Chassidic farbrengens and inspire divine service.
* CTeen International Shabbaton, an annual inspirational weekend that brings together thousands of teens from around the world. The program includes a traditional Shabbat experience in the heart of Hasidic Crown Heights, a Torah completion ceremony in Times Square, and the CTeen Choice Awards at Brooklyn's Pier 12. The weekend includes a Saturday night concert in Times Square with guest performances by singers such as [[Gad Elbaz]], [[Shwekey|Yakov Shwekey]] and American Hasidic rapper [[Nissim Black]].<ref name="heritagefl.com"/><ref>[|url=jewishvoicesnj.org/articles/local-teens-have-time-of-their-lives-at-nyc-shabbaton/|title = Local teens have time of their lives at NYC Shabbaton |newspaper= Jewish Community Voice|date = 10 April 2019 }}</ref>
* CTeen XTREME, a summer travel camp where campers challenge themselves both physically and spiritually by partaking in extreme sports, observing a completely tech-free Shabbat, and keeping kosher on the road.<ref>[|url=nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/2015/02/chabad_of_hunterdon_teen_group_makes_impact_in_com.html|title=Chabad of Hunterdon CTeen group makes impact in community|newspaper=Nj|date=26 February 2015}}</ref>
* CTeen U, a college-accredited program where teens learn about Jewish philosophy, ethics and history. The program was launched in 2019 through a partnership with [[Yeshiva University]].<ref>[|first=|title=Chabad and Yeshiva University Offer Torah Class for High Schoolers|date=14 October 2020|url=jewishjournal.com/community/322869/chabad-and-yeshiva-university-offer-torah-class-for-high-schoolers/|url-status=live|access-date=|newspaper=Jewish Journal|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20201014165912/jewishjournal.com/community/322869/chabad-and-yeshiva-university-offer-torah-class-for-high-schoolers/ |archive-date=2020-10-14 }}</ref>
* Heritage Quest, educational travel programs that aim to deepen the connection of Jewish teens to their heritage through trips to [[Poland]] and [[Israel]], offering teens the chance to explore their roots at the source.<ref>[|url=chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/3239262/jewish/CTeen-Summer-Quest-to-Explore-Roots-in-Poland-and-Israel.htm|title=CTeen Summer 'Quest' to Explore Roots in Poland and Israel - Another adventure in the roster of programs for Jewish youth - Chabad.org}}</ref><ref>[|url=lubavitch.com/leading-voices/|title = Meet Hallandale's New CTeen Directors|date = 17 October 2019}}</ref>
*Kosher Food Club, a co-curricular high school club operating in over fifty high schools throughout the [[United States]] that serves as a humanitarian initiative to promote healthy lifestyles, feed the homeless, and provide educational and hands-on experiences making traditional Jewish foods.<ref>[|url=cteen.com/highschoolclub|title=CTeen &#124; Leadership|website=CTeen}}</ref><ref>[|url=chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5144558/jewish/Jewish-Teens-in-Skokie-Ill-Respond-to-Hate-With-Celebration.htm|title=Jewish Teens in Skokie, Ill., Respond to Hate With Celebration - Windows smashed in nearby synagogue followed by outpouring of Jewish pride - Chabad.org}}</ref>
* National Campus Office, coordinator of [[Chabad on Campus International Foundation|Chabad on Campus]], a network of Jewish Student Centers on more than 230 university campuses worldwide (as of April 2016), as well as regional Chabad-Lubavitch centers at an additional 150 universities worldwide<ref name="The National Campus Office">[ |url=lubavitch.com/department.html?h=674 |title=The National Campus Office |date=2009 |access-date=25 September 2010 |publisher=lubavitch.com |archive-date=19 August 2010 |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20100819210507/lubavitch.com/department.html?h=674 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Suicide Alert, workshops that equip teens to assist peers dealing with anxiety and depression resulting from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. The workshops have been organized by CTeen chapters in Florida, New Hampshire and New Jersey, among others, in partnership with the Gelt Charitable Foundation.<ref>[|url=livingworks.net/blog/by-us-for-us|title=By us, for us|website=LivingWorks}}</ref><ref>[|url=tapinto.net/towns/berkeley-heights/events/suicide-prevention-training-workshop|title=Suicide Prevention Training Workshop|website=TAPinto}}</ref>


=== Publishing ===
Special attention is given to the stories of the Chassidim — their greatness in Torah and fear of G-d, the path by which they drew close to Chabad Chassidus, the relationship they had with the Rebbe, and their own path in divine service according to the Chassidic way.
{{Main|Kehot Publication Society}}
Chabad publishes and distributes Jewish religious literature. Under [[Kehot Publication Society]], Chabad's main publishing house, [[Sefer (Hebrew)|Jewish literature]] has been translated into 12 different languages. Kehot regularly provides books at discounted prices, and hosts book-a-thons. Kehot commonly distributes books written or transcribed from the rebbes of Chabad, prominent [[Hasidic Judaism|chassidim]] and other authors who have written Jewish materials.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} [[Kehot]] is a division of [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]], the movement's educational arm.<ref>[lubavitch.com/education/publishing/]</ref>


More than any other Jewish movement, Chabad has used media as part of its religious, social, and political experience. Their latest leader, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was the most video-documented Jewish leader in history.<ref name="Maya Balakirsky Katz 2010">[ |author=Maya Balakirsky Katz |title=The Visual Culture of Chabad |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2010}}</ref>{{page needed|date=January 2015}} The Chabad movement publishes a wealth of Jewish material on the internet. Chabad's main website [[Chabad.org]], is one of the first Jewish websites<ref name="Zaleski 1997">[ |last=Zaleski |first=Jeffrey P. |title=The Soul of Cyberspace: How New Technology Is Changing Our Spiritual Lives |date=June 1997 |publisher=Harpercollins |isbn=978-0-06-251451-6 |url=archive.org/details/soulofcyberspace00zale |access-date=April 7, 2007}}</ref> and the first and largest virtual congregation.<ref>[chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/36222/jewish/Our-Founding-Director.htm Our Founding Director] {{webarchive |url=web.archive.org/web/20160827182515/chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/36222/jewish/Our-Founding-Director.htm |date=August 27, 2016}}, Chabad.org</ref><ref name="Kazen-Times">[ |url=nytimes.com/1998/12/13/nyregion/yosef-kazen-hasidic-rabbi-and-web-pioneer-dies-at-44.html |title=Yosef Kazen, Hasidic Rabbi And Web Pioneer, Dies at 44|last=Harmon|first=Ami|date=December 13, 1998|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 1, 2010}}</ref> It serves not just its own members, but Jewish people worldwide in general.<ref>[|last=Steinfels|first=Peter|date=January 22, 2000|title=Beliefs|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=nytimes.com/2000/01/22/nyregion/beliefs-469874.html|access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> Other popular Chabad community websites include asktherav.com, anash.org, CrownHeights.info, and the Hebrew site, COL.org.il.<ref>[ |last=Golan |first=Oren |chapter=Frontiers of online religious communities: The case of Chabad Jews |editor=Heidi Campbell |chapter-url=books.google.com/books?id=ox4q7T59KikC&q=Crownheights.info&pg=PA160 |title=Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds |publisher=Routledge |year=2012 |page=160 |isbn=9780415676106 |access-date=April 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20140419231329/books.google.com/books?id=ox4q7T59KikC&pg=PA160&vq=Crownheights.info&dq=Crownheights.info&lr=&output=html_text&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1 |archive-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>[ |last=Shaer |first=Matthew |url=books.google.com/books?id=1uWpyg2fh0oC&q=crownheights.info&pg=PT18 |title=Among Righteous Men: A Tale of Vigilantes and Vindication in Hasidic Crown Heights |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2011 |isbn=9781118095201 |access-date=April 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20140419231347/books.google.com/books?id=1uWpyg2fh0oC&pg=PT18&vq=Crownheights.info&dq=crownheights.info&lr=&output=html_text&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1 |archive-date=April 19, 2014}}{{page needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- Couldn't figure out how to get Google to reveal page number--></ref>
===Chabad Niggunim===
{{main|Chabad Niggunim|Portal: Chabad Niggunim}}
Music holds profound significance in the Chassidic worldview. The [[Frierdiker Rebbe]] cited a saying in the name of [[Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi]] that "speech is the pen of the heart, and a niggun is the pen of the soul,"<ref>Sefer HaSichos 5709, p. 278.</ref> and in the name of the [[Tzemach Tzedek]], based on the Talmudic teaching that "whoever reports a saying — it is as if the one who said it stands before him" (Shekalim 7:2) — that one who sings a niggun has the one who composed it standing before him in the most literal sense.<ref>[[Lishmo'a Ozen]], section on the Frierdiker Rebbe, entry 26.</ref>


=== Summer camps ===
There are hundreds of niggunim associated with and attributed to Chabad Chassidus, which are divided into three categories: a [[mekuvvan niggun]] (an intentional niggun) — a niggun composed by a Rebbe or [[Rebbe|Admur]], in which each "movement" alludes to a lofty and exalted matter and whose progressions are aligned with supernal worlds; a [[meyuchas niggun]] (an attributed niggun) — a niggun in which great Chassidim prayed and which is therefore "filled" with content, holding within it an inner essence and expressing a sublime emotional state; and a [[shoteh niggun]] (a simple niggun) — like a "wandering myrtle" that says and alludes to nothing in particular; these are various melodies that accumulated among Chassidim over time, from which lessons in divine service and the like can be drawn. The niggunim are intended primarily for singing at [[farbrengen|farbrengens]] (communally) and during the extended prayer known as ''tefillah b'avodah'' (quietly, by the individual worshipper), contributing in both settings to spiritual elevation — each niggun corresponding to the worshipper's inner direction: cleaving to G-d, spiritual ascent, and personal work.
{{Main|Gan Israel Camping Network}}
Chabad has set up an extensive [[Gan Israel Camping Network|network of camps]] around the world, most using the name Gan Israel, a name chosen by Schneerson although the first overnight camp was the girls division called Camp Emunah. There are 1,200 sites serving 210,000 children, most of whom do not come from [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] homes. Of these, 500 camps are in the [[United States]].<ref>[ |url=jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/14394/edition_id/279/format/html/displaystory.html |title=Chabad camps electrify many Jews, not just Lubavitch |date=September 1, 2000 |author=Julie Wiener |work=[[J. The Jewish News of Northern California]]|publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency}}</ref><ref>[ |url=chabad.org/centers/default_cdo/aid/280451/jewish/Camp-Directory.htm |title=Camp Gan Israel Directory |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>


=== Political activities ===
===Directives and Study Schedules===
Rabbi Schneerson involved himself in matters relating to the resolution of the [[Israeli-Arab]] conflict.<ref>"When Silence is a Sin". ''Sichos in English''.
{| class="infobox" style="width:25%; border: 1px solid #339999; background-color: #cceeee; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0.2em; color: black; float: left; text-align: center; font-size: 85%; clear:right;"
[sichosinenglish.org/books/when-silence-is-a-sin/17.htm Letter to Zalman Shazar] {{webarchive |url=web.archive.org/web/20141113021020/sichosinenglish.org/books/when-silence-is-a-sin/17.htm |date=November 13, 2014}}</ref> He maintained that as a matter of Jewish law,<ref>Based on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim, 328</ref> any territorial concession on Israel's part would endanger the lives of all Jews in the Land of Israel and is therefore forbidden. He also insisted that even discussing the possibility of such concessions showed weakness, would encourage Arab attacks, and therefore endanger Jewish lives.<ref>Essentially his argument sought merely the position that would prevent loss of life, rather than taking a stance in the nature of the Land of Israel and Zionism. [ |last=Freeman |first=Tzvi |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/807777/jewish/Should-I-Pray-for-the-Death-of-Terrorists.htm |title=Should I Pray for the Death of Terrorists? |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightblue;"
! style="background-color: #339999;" | <font size=4>[[The Rebbe's Directives]]</font>
|-
|- style="background:lightblue;"
! style="background-color: #33cccc;" | <font size=2>Study Directives</font>
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| [[Rambam Study Campaign|Daily Rambam Study]] · [[Tanya#Study|Daily Tanya chapter before prayer]] · [[Study of Temple topics|Study of Temple-related topics during the Three Weeks]] · [[Study of Redemption and Moshiach topics]] · [[Likkutei Torah#Study|Study of the weekly Chassidic portion]] · [[Study of the Rebbes' teachings during Kislev]] · [[Completing Tractates during the Nine Days]] · [[Writing Torah novellas]] · [[Thaluchah]]
|-
|}
{{main|Chitas|Daily Study Schedules|Rambam Study Campaign}}
Chabad Chassidim maintain fixed daily study schedules. The [[Frierdiker Rebbe]] instituted the [[Chitas]] (an acronym for Chumash, Tehillim, Tanya) — a daily study program consisting of: the weekly Torah portion divided by the day of the week,<ref>For example: on Sunday of the week when Parshas Bereishis is read, one studies the first aliyah of Parshas Bereishis.</ref> [[Tehillim]] (Psalms) divided according to the days of the month, and a portion of [[Tanya]] following a schedule that covers all its sections over the course of a year.


In US domestic politics, Schneerson supported government involvement in education and welcomed the establishment of the [[United States Department of Education]] in 1980 yet insisted that part of a school's educational mission was to incorporate the values espoused in the [[Seven Laws of Noah]]. He called for the introduction of a [[moment of silence]] at the beginning of the school day, and for students to be encouraged to use this time for such improving thoughts or prayers as their parents might suggest.<ref>''Hayom Yom'', p. A29</ref>
In 1942, the [[Rebbe]] compiled, at the direction of the Frierdiker Rebbe, various sayings and stories from the Frierdiker Rebbe's talks and Chabad customs into a book called [[HaYom Yom]] — "From Day to Day" — including the Chitas study portions for each day, so that it could be studied daily throughout that year (5703/1942–43). To this day it is customary among Chabad Chassidim to read each morning, before prayer, the passage corresponding to the date, as written in HaYom Yom.


In 1981, Schneerson publicly called for the use of solar energy. Schneerson believed that the US could achieve energy independence by developing solar energy technologies. He argued that the dependence on foreign oil may lead to the country compromising on its principles.<ref>[ |url=chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/394468/jewish/Americas-Mandate-Energy-Independence-Part-1.htm |title=Website video link |publisher=chabad.org |date=April 15, 1981 |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref><ref>[ |url=chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/408957/jewish/Americas-Mandate-Energy-Independence-Part-2.htm |title=Chabad.org website video link |publisher=chabad.org |date=1981-04-15 |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>
There are also study programs corresponding to seasons of the year: studying a page of [[Tractate Sotah]] each day during the [[Counting of the Omer]]; [[study of Temple-related topics]] during the [[Three Weeks]]; studying each week the discourses from [[Likkutei Torah]] and [[Torah Or]] corresponding to that week; [[study of the Rebbes' teachings during the month of Kislev]]; completing tractates during the [[Nine Days]]; and more.


==== Library dispute with Russia ====
==Distinctive Customs==
In 2013, US federal judge [[Royce C. Lamberth|Royce Lamberth]] ruled in favor of Chabad lawyers who sought [[Contempt of court|contempt]] sanctions on three Russian organizations to return the Schneersohn Library, 12,000 books belonging to Rabbi [[Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn|Yosef Schneersohn]] seized and nationalized by the Bolsheviks in 1917–18, to the Brooklyn [[Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad|Chabad Library]].<ref name="The Forward"/><ref>[|url=tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/143902/moscow-putin-lubavitcher-library|title=Putin refuses to let the Lubavitcher Rebbe's library leave Moscow|author=Avital Chizhik|publisher=Tablet|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=June 4, 2017}}</ref> Chabad Rabbi [[Berel Lazar]], Russia's Chief Rabbi, reluctantly accepted Putin's request in moving the Schneerson Library to Moscow's [[Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center]] as a form of compromise, which was criticized by the Chabad Library.<ref name="The Forward"/>
{{main|Chabad Customs|Extended Prayer}}
Chabad Chassidus has a number of distinctive customs, which in our generation were compiled at the Rebbe's direction and published in the [[Sefer HaMinhagim]] (Book of Customs). A few examples:


== In the arts ==
* Chabad places great emphasis on extended prayer with deep contemplative meditation on the infinite greatness of the Creator and the smallness of man. Prayer is sometimes accompanied by the quiet singing of a [[Chabad niggun]] to stir the heart. At the same time, unlike other branches of Chassidus, Chabad Chassidim are careful not to give outward expression to this through physical movements, and are strongly discouraged from doing so.<ref>See the entry "Strashelye Chassidus," section "[[Strashelye Chassidus|Approach]]."</ref> Extended prayer is called in Chabad parlance ''tefillah b'avodah'' (prayer through service), and a Chassid known for this is called an ''oved'' (practitioner) — as this is the more practical aspect of Chabad philosophy. Engaging in Chabad intellectual study alone, without emphasis on ''avodah,'' is considered a failing.
=== Art ===
Chabad Hasidic artists Hendel Lieberman and Zalman Kleinman have painted a number of scenes depicting Chabad Chasidic life, including ceremonies, study and prayer. Chabad artist Michoel Muchnik has painted scenes of the Mitzvah Campaigns.<ref name="Maya Balakirsky Katz 2010"/> Artist and shaliach [[Yitzchok Moully]] has adapted silkscreen techniques, bright colours and Jewish and Chasidic images to create a form of "Chasidic Pop Art".<ref>'Under the Black Hat' Pop Art in Jerusalem Focuses on Chassidim – Rabbi Yitzchok Moully brings spiritual and emotional depth to a new exhibit. chabad.org.</ref>


=== Music ===
* Chabad Chassidim do not customarily sleep in the [[sukkah]] during the festival of Sukkos.
Vocalists Avraham Fried and Benny Friedman have included recordings of traditional Chabad songs on their albums of contemporary Orthodox Jewish music. Bluegrass artist Andy Statman has also recorded Chabad [[niggunim]]. Reggae artist Matisyahu included portions of Chabad niggunim and lyrics with Chabad philosophical themes in some of his songs. In 2022, an Israeli theatrical company produced a Chabad-themed musical ''HaChabadnikim'' which follows two young men from [[Kfar Chabad]] who go to live in Tel Aviv. The musical runs for 140 minutes.<ref>"HaChabadnikim." ''cameri.co.il''. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.</ref>


=== Literature ===
* Chabad Chassidim generally eat the [[Seudah Shlishis]] (Third Shabbos meal) on [[Shabbos]] without bread. This time, toward the close of Shabbos, is called "[[Reava D'Reevin (on Shabbos)|Reava D'Reevin]]." During this time it is customary to sing Chassidic niggunim and even to repeat a [[Chassidic maamar]] aloud (the custom is to do so from memory).
In the late 1930s, Dr Fishl Schneersohn, a psychiatrist, pedagogical theorist, and descendant of the founder of Chabad authored a Yiddish novel titled ''Chaim Gravitzer: The Tale of the Downfallen One from the World of Chabad''. The novel explores the spiritual struggle of a Chabad Hasid who doubts his faith and finally finds peace in doing charitable work.<ref>Chaim Gravitzer (The Tale of the Downfallen One): From the World of Chabad. ingeveb.org.</ref> Chabad poet Zvi Yair authored poems on Chabad philosophical topics including {{Lang|he|Ratzo V'Shov}} (spiritual yearning).
Novelist Chaim Potok authored a work ''My Name is Asher Lev'' in which a Chasidic teen struggles between his artistic passions and the norms of the community. The "Ladover" community is a thinly veiled reference to the Lubavitcher community in [[Crown Heights]].<ref>[|url=atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com/hirsch-succeeds-with-theatrical-production-of-my-name-is-asher-lev/|title=Hirsch Succeeds with Theatrical Production of 'My Name is Asher Lev'|date=29 August 2012}}</ref><ref>[ |last=Cochrum |first=Alan Morris |title=CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: JACOB FIGURES AND THEMES IN THE NOVELS OF CHAIM POTOK |url=rc.library.uta.edu/uta-ir/bitstream/handle/10106/5378/Cochrum_uta_2502M_10893.pdf?sequence=1 |access-date=22 October 2023 |website=ResearchCommons}}</ref>


The American Jewish writer and publisher, Clifford Meth, wrote a short science fiction story depicting the future followers of the "70th Rebbe" of Chabad and their outreach efforts on an alien planet called Tau Ceti IV. The story is told through the eyes of a young extraterrestrial yeshiva student.<ref>[ | url=mycomicshop.com/search?TID=325901 | title=Aardwolf (1994) comic books}}</ref><ref>[|url=comicsbulletin.com/main/sites/default/files/meth/116414408594091.htm|title=Comics Bulletin - Clifford Meth: Meth Addict - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Library.</ref>
==See Also==
* [[Kuntres Inyanah Shel Toras HaChassidus]]
* [[Kuntres Toras HaChassidus]]
* [[Portal:Chabad Chassidus]]


===Film and television===
==Further Reading==
The Chabad-Lubavitch community has been the subject of a number of documentary films. These films include:
* Rabbi [[Chaim Levi Yitzchak Ginsburg]], ''[[Moshiach Now (book series)|Moshiach Now]],'' vol. 2.
* Rabbi [[Avraham Chanoch Glitzenstein]], '''''[[Sefer HaToldos]]''''' — a series of volumes on the [[Baal Shem Tov]], the [[Maggid of Mezeritch]], and the seven Chabad Rebbes.


* ''Chassidism - the Joyful path to G-d'' : A 1966 documentary of Chabad Chassidim in Kfar Chabad, Israel. This film was directed and narrated by Koby Jaeger.<ref>Sunday, February 6, 2011 A moving picture is worth many thousands of words. Eli Rubin.</ref>
;History of Chabad
* ''The Spark'' – a 28-minute film, produced in 1974, providing an overview of the Lubavitch and [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]] of New York.<ref name="PBS hasid"> Documentary Films about Hasidism. PBS. [web.archive.org/web/20150503052544/pbs.org/alifeapart/res_film.html/ Archived May 3, 2015]</ref> The film was directed by [[Mel Epstein]].<ref name=NYmag80s>[|url=books.google.com/books?id=QOcCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA176|title= Movies: Theater Guide |magazine=New York|date=September 15, 1986|page=176|via=Google Books}}</ref>
* Rabbi [[Shalom DovBer Levin]], ''[[History of Chabad in Soviet Russia]]''<ref>[http://chabadlibrarybooks.com/30476 History of Chabad in Soviet Russia] {{PDF}}</ref>, Kehot, Brooklyn NY, 1988.
* ''[[The Return: A Hasidic Experience]]'' – a 1979 documentary film on Jews who joined the Chabad movement, directed by Yisrael Lifshutz and Barry Ralbag.<ref>[|url=thejewishreview.org/articles/?id=168|title=An Interview with the Slopeover Rebbe|website=thejewishreview.org}}</ref><ref>[|url=jta.org/1981/04/29/archive/the-return-a-hassidic-experience-a-documentary-focusing|title=News Brief – Jewish Telegraphic Agency|date=29 April 1981}}</ref><ref>[|title=The Return: a Hassidic experience|date=June 18, 2020|oclc=50902286}}</ref><ref name=NYmag80s/>
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Levin, ''[[History of Chabad in the Holy Land]]''<ref>[http://chabadlibrarybooks.com/30493 History of Chabad in the Holy Land] {{PDF}}</ref>, Kehot, Brooklyn NY, 1988.
* ''What Is a Jew?'' – a 1989 documentary on Chabad produced by the [[BBC]] for the series [[Everyman (TV series)|Everyman]].
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Levin, ''[[History of Chabad in the United States]]''<ref>[http://chabadlibrarybooks.com/30475 History of Chabad in the United States] {{PDF}}</ref>, Kehot, Brooklyn NY, 1988.
* ''[[King of Crown Heights]]'' – a 60-minute, 1993 film on Lubavitcher Hasidim by [[Columbia University]] student Roggerio Gabbai<ref name="PBS hasid"/>
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Levin, ''[[History of Chabad in Czarist Russia]]''<ref>[http://www.chabadlibrary.org/books/pdf/tcrtz.pdf History of Chabad in Czarist Russia]</ref>, Kehot, Brooklyn NY, 2010.
* ''[[Fires in the Mirror|Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities]]'' – a 1993 TV adaptation of the one-person play by [[Anna Deavere Smith]]. It explores the Black and Hasidic viewpoints of people connected directly and indirectly to the [[Crown Heights riot]]s.<ref name="Smith, Anna Deavere 1993">Smith, Anna Deavere. ''Fires in the Mirror''. New York City: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1993.</ref> The adaptation was produced by PBS as part of its [[American Playhouse]] series.<ref>[|url=nytimes.com/1993/04/28/arts/review-television-one-woman-show-on-black-vs-jew.html|title=Review/Television; One-Woman Show on Black vs. Jew|first=John J.|last=O'Connor|date=April 28, 1993|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Levin, '''''[[History of Chabad in Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia]]''''', [[Kehot Publication Society]], Brooklyn NY, 2011.
* ''[[The Return of Sarah's Daughters]]'' – a 1997 documentary film contrasting three Jewish women, one of whom joins Chabad.<ref>[|url=pbs.org/alifeapart/returnofsd.html|title=A Life Apart: Hasidism In America – Filmography|publisher=PBS}}</ref>
* Rabbi [[Refael Nachman HaKohen]], '''''[[Lubavitch and Its Soldiers]]''''' — on the town of Lubavitch, the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva, and its students. Kfar Chabad, 1982.
* ''[[Blacks and Jews (film)|Blacks and Jews]]'' – A 1997 documentary written and directed by Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow on the [[Crown Heights riot]] and other incidents involving intergroup conflict.<ref>[|url=jwa.org/thisweek/jul/29/1997/deborah-kaufman|title=Broadcast of Deborah Kaufman's "Blacks and Jews" &#124; Jewish Women's Archive|website=jwa.org}}</ref>
* Rabbi [[Yosef Yitzchak Kaminetzky]], '''''[[Concise History of Chabad]]''''', Kfar Chabad, 2004.
* ''[[Welcome to the Waks Family]]'' – a 2003 documentary of a Chabad family in Australia.<ref>[|url=shop.nfsa.gov.au/welcome-to-the-waks-family|title=Welcome to the Waks Family|website=NFSA Online Shop}}</ref>
* Rabbi Yitzchak Kaplan, ''Who Continues the Path of the Baal Shem Tov?'' — an explanation of the connection and continuity between Chabad Chassidus and the Baal Shem Tov's teachings despite the differences between them. Journal ''Bnei Heichala,'' issue 2, Kislev–Tevet 5785, p. 48.
* ''[[Leaving the Fold]]'' – a 2008 documentary on young men and women who left the Hasidic Jewish community. The film was directed by [[Eric R. Scott]] and the stories featured include former Hasidic Jews living in the [[United States]], [[Israel]] and [[Canada]].<ref>[|url=smh.com.au/national/leaving-the-fold-20080623-2vlh.html|title=Leaving the fold|first=Rachelle|last=Unreich|date=June 23, 2008|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref><ref>[ |title=Leaving The Fold |url=7thart.com/press/leavingthefold/Leaving%20the%20Fold_PRESSKIT.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20230907113013/7thart.com/press/leavingthefold/Leaving%20the%20Fold_PRESSKIT.pdf |archive-date=2023-09-07 |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=SEVENTH ART RELEASING}}</ref> Featured in the [[film]] are two young men from a Chabad family in [[Montreal]] as well as a French Lubavitch rabbi.
* ''[[Gut Shabbes Vietnam]]'' – a 2008 [[Documentary film|documentary]] on a Chabad family in Vietnam. Written and directed by Ido and Yael Zand.<ref>[|url=loc.gov/film-and-videos/?fa=location:vietnam%7Csubject:vietnam%7Clanguage:hebrew&all=true|title=Search results from Film, Video, Vietnam, Vietnam, Hebrew|website=Library of Congress}}</ref>
* ''[[Shekinah Rising]]'' – a 70&nbsp;min, 2013 documentary exploring the perspectives of the female students of a Chabad school in [[Montreal]]<ref>[|url=theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/secrets-and-lives-of-hasidic-women/article18703691/|title=Secrets and lives of Hasidic women|work=The Globe and Mail}}</ref><ref>[ |url=thesuburban.com/news/articles/?id=article02642 |title=New film Shekinah provides unprecedented access to the world of young Hasidic women |publisher=TheSuburban.com |date=October 11, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=archive.today/20131220142040/thesuburban.com/news/articles/?id=article02642 |archive-date=December 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>[ |url=cjnews.com/index.php?q=node/116289 |last=Arnold |first=Janice |title=Film presents chassidic women's attitudes to intimacy |work=The Canadian Jewish News |date=October 20, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
* ''[[Kathmandu (TV series)|Kathmandu]]'' – a 2012 television series aired on Israeli television based on the lives of the Chabad emissaries in Kathmandu, Nepal.<ref>[|url=newvoices.org/2012/12/05/zany-heartfelt-kathmandu-evokes-the-soul-of-jewish-culture-in-nepal/|title=Zany, Heartfelt 'Kathmandu' Evokes the Soul of Jewish Culture in Nepal|date=December 5, 2012}}</ref>
* ''[[Project 2x1]]'' – a 30&nbsp;min, 2013 documentary on the Chabad Hasidim and [[West Indian]] residents of Crown Heights, using [[Google Glass]] in place of conventional camera techniques<ref name="patch">[ |url=prospectheights.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/crown-heights-google-glass-doc-premieres-next-month |last=Hampton |first=Matthew |title=Crown Heights 'Google Glass' Doc Premieres Next Month |work=Prospect Heights Patch |date=November 26, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>[ |url=psfk.com/2013/10/google-glass-documentary-crown-heights.html/ |archive-url=archive.today/20131219031938/psfk.com/2013/10/google-glass-documentary-crown-heights.html/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 19, 2013 |last=Piras |first=Lara |title=Google Glass Filmed Documentary Goes Where Normal Camera Crews Can't. |publisher=psfk.com |date=October 9, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Gotham">[ |url=gothamist.com/2013/10/07/crown_heights_documentary_shot_on_g.php |last=Evans |first=Lauren |title=Intrepid 20-Somethings Examine Crown Heights Through Google Glass |publisher=Gothamist |date=October 7, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20141225022808/gothamist.com/2013/10/07/crown_heights_documentary_shot_on_g.php |archive-date=December 25, 2014}}</ref><ref name="DNA glass">[ |url=dnainfo.com/new-york/20131007/crown-heights/crown-heights-documentary-shot-completely-with-google-glass |last=Sharp |first=Sonja |title=Crown Heights Documentary Claims to be First Ever Shot With Google Glass |publisher=DNAInfo |date=October 7, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=dead [web.archive.org/web/20141104174025/dnainfo.com/new-york/20131007/crown-heights/crown-heights-documentary-shot-completely-with-google-glass. Archived November 4, 2014].</ref>
* ''[[The Rabbi Goes West]]'' – a 2019 documentary on a Chabad rabbi who moves to Montana.<ref>[|url=jfi.org/watch-online/jfi-on-demand/rabbi-goes-west-the|title=Rabbi Goes West, The|website=jfi.org}}</ref>
* ''Guns and Moses'' – a 2024 film produced by Salvador Litvak and Nina Litvak. The film portrays Rabbi Mo (played by Mark Feuerstein), a Chabad emissary, and his wife, Rebbetzin Hindy (played by Alona Tal), whose community is targeted by a white supremacist who shoots and kills a congregant. Rabbi Mo later trains in the use of firearms and seeks to find the killer. The film was released to Jewish film festivals in 2024.<ref>[jewishjournal.com/cover_story/372432/guns-and-moses-the-heroic-hasid/ "Guns and Moses: The Heroic Hasid"]. ''Jewish Journal''. Accessed 22 June 2024.</ref> The film's original title was ''Man in the Long Black Coat''.<ref>[variety.com/2022/film/actors/mark-feuerstein-neal-mcdonough-among-leads-announced-for-man-in-the-long-black-coat-upcoming-western-exclusive-1235461546/ Mark Feuerstein, Neal McDonough, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Lloyd Starring in ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’ (EXCLUSIVE)]. ''Variety''. Accessed 22 June 2024.</ref>


====Other television====
;Chabad Chassidic Philosophy:
* ''Religious America: Lubavitch'' – a 28-minute, 1974 PBS documentary series episode focusing on a day in the life of a Lubavitcher man.<ref name="PBS hasid"/>
* Rabbi [[Yoel Kahn]], '''''Machsheves HaChassidus''''' — Topics in Chassidic philosophy. Eshel Library, Kfar Chabad, vol. 1<ref>[http://chabadlibrarybooks.com/31639 Machsheves HaChassidus] {{PDF}}.</ref> 2001, vol. 2, 2004.
* ''Outback Rabbis'' – (2018) 50 min television segment by Australian TV network, SBS, covering the regional and rural Australia (RARA) program of Chabad. Directed by Danny Ben-Moshe. Featured on the SBS "Untold Australia" series.
* Rabbi Yoel Kahn, '''''Shiurim BeToras Chabad''''', vols. 1–2 — Chabad teachings for yeshiva students. Kfar Chabad, 2008.


== References ==
===The Chabad Rebbes and World Jewry Series===
<references/>
* [[Zusha Wolf]], '''''Diedushka''''' — the Rebbe and Russian Jewry. Va'ad HaShluchim for the CIS countries, 2006.
* Ibid., '''''The Chabad Rebbes and German Jewry''''', Heichal Menachem, 2008.
* Ibid., '''''The Chabad Rebbes and Romanian Jewry''''', 2013.
* Ibid., '''''The Chabad Rebbes and Austrian Jewry''''', Chabad Lubavitch Center Austria, 2014.
* Ibid., '''''The Chabad Rebbes and French Jewry''''', Beis Lubavitch Paris, 2016.
* Ibid., '''''The Chabad Rebbes and Georgian Jewry''''', [[Machon HaSefer]] — Tiferes Refael, 2016.
* Ibid., '''''The Chabad Rebbes and Bukharan Jewry''''', World Congress of Bukharan Jews, 2016.
* '''''[[The Chabad Population]]'''''


== Further reading ==
==External Links==
'''Chassidus:'''
* '''[https://anash.org/yiddish-magazine-supplement-on-chabad-makes-waves/ Nusach Chabad]''' — a comprehensive overview of Chabad Chassidus, its characteristics, history, Rebbes, personalities, and concepts, in the Yiddish newspaper ''Moment'' {{PDF}} {{broken link}}
* Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. ''On the Essence of Chasidus: A Chasidic Discourse by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad-Lubavitch''. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2003.
* '''[https://77012.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-post_43.html The Rebbe Rashab at an illuminating farbrengen on the purpose of Chabad Chassidus]''', on the ''Lachluchis Ge'ulas'' website
* Mindel, Nissan. ''The Philosophy of Chabad'' (Vol. 1-2). Chabad Research Center, 1973.
* Asher Frekes, '''[https://col.org.il/news/174063 What is "Chabad" really?]''' {{video}}


'''On the Life and Teachings of the Rebbe:'''
==Notes==
* Jacobson, Simon. ''Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe'', William Morrow, 2002.
<references/>
* Miller, Chaim. ''Turning Judaism Outward: A Biography of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe''. Kol Menachem, 2014.
* Oberlander, Boruch and Elkanah Shmotkin. ''Early Years: The Formative Years of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as Told by Documents and Archival Data'', Kehot Publication Society. 2016.
* Steinzaltz, Adin Even Israel. ''My Rebbe''. Koren Publishers, 2014.
* Telushkin, Joseph. ''Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Shneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History''. Harperwave, 2014.


'''Chabad history and community'''
* Rodkinson, M. L. ''Toldot Amudei HaChabad'', Konigsberg, 1876.
* Heilman, C. M. ''Beit Rebbe'', Berdichev, 1902.
* ''Challenge: An Encounter with Lubavitch-Chabad'', Lubavitch Foundation of Great Britain, 1973.
* Harris, Lis. ''Holy Days: The World Of The Hasidic Family'', Summit Books, 1985.
* Hoffman, Edward. ''Despite All Odds: The Story of Lubavitch''. Simon & Schuster, 1991.
* Morris, Bonnie J. ''Lubavitcher Women in America: Identity and Activism in the Postwar Era'', SUNY Press, 1998.
* Feldman, Jan L. ''Lubavitchers as Citizens: A Paradox of Liberal Democracy'', Cornell University Press, 2003.
* Fishkoff, Sue. ''The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch'', Schocken, 2003.


[[Category:Articles]]
[[Category:Fundamental Concepts]]
[[he:חסידות_חב"ד]]
[[Category:Chabad Chassidus]]
[[he:חסידות חב"ד]]

Latest revision as of 11:37, 19 June 2026

This article is about Chabad. For the Kabbalistic sefirot of Chochmah, Binah, and Da'at, see Sefirot.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe), founder of Chabad Chassidus
A painted map of the town of Lubavitch, home to four Chabad leaders for over a century, after which the movement continues to be named to this day
A painting depicting the Chabad Rebbes and elders near 770

Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidus (acronym for Chochmah, Binah, Da'at — Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge) is a Chassidic movement founded approximately two hundred and fifty years ago by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi in 1771.[1] In 1812, Rabbi Schneur Zalman's son, Rabbi DovBer Schneuri, relocated to the town of Lubavitch (in modern Hebrew spelling: Lubavitz), where four successive leaders of the movement made their home for over a century — and after which the movement continues to be named to this day. Chabad Chassidus is distinguished from other Chassidic movements by its intellectual approach: it grounds a Jew's faith in the Creator, and the desire to serve Him, in a rational appreciation of His greatness and transcendence. This is also the source of the movement's name — an acronym of Chochmah (Wisdom), Binah (Understanding), and Da'at (Knowledge), which according to Kabbalah and Chassidus are the three components of human intellect.

Chabad Chassidus numbers tens of thousands of Chassidim, most of them concentrated in dozens of communities in Israel and around the world, along with over five thousand emissaries of the Rebbe active across the globe.

The current leader of the movement is Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh in the dynasty of Chabad leaders.

The Founding of Chabad Chassidus[edit | edit source]

The founder of the Chabad approach, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, was born on Chai Elul 1745 in the town of Liozna in White Russia to his father Rabbi Boruch, who belonged to the "hidden circle" and was among the Chassidim of the Baal Shem Tov.

He came to the world of Chassidus between the ages of eighteen and twenty, traveling to the town of Mezeritch, where the Baal Shem Tov's disciple and successor — Rabbi Dovber, known as "the Maggid of Mezeritch" — led the Chassidic movement, and he quickly became one of his foremost disciples.

Following the Maggid's passing in 1773, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was appointed to oversee the conduct and network of activities of the Chassidim. Three years later, at a general gathering of the Maggid's disciples, it was decided to appoint Rabbi Schneur Zalman as the leader of Chassidus in the region of Lithuania — where opposition to Chassidus was stronger than anywhere else — as his colleagues considered him best suited for the role, also on account of his intellectual approach, which aligned with Lithuania's scholarly character. Rabbi Schneur Zalman succeeded greatly in his work, and many leading Torah scholars of the region joined the Chassidic movement.

This year — 1776 — was also, it appears, the year in which Rabbi Schneur Zalman's leadership began to take on an increasingly distinctive Chabad character. Over the following years this direction came to be recognized as something wholly unique, and before long it became known that within the Chassidic world a new current had emerged — the Chabad current.

Chabad Chassidus now became the primary target of attack by the Misnagdim and, later, by the Maskilim (adherents of the Jewish Enlightenment movement). Rabbi Schneur Zalman suffered greatly as a result, and in 1799 was arrested by the Czarist authorities following denunciations by the Misnagdim and Maskilim. He was held for fifty-three days, with the death penalty — reserved for those accused of sedition against the crown — hanging over him. In the end, however, he succeeded in proving his innocence and was released with great honor and triumph. The day of his liberation, Yud-Tes Kislev (the 19th of Kislev), has since become the "Festival of Liberation" among Chabad Chassidim and those close to them.

The Nature of the Chabad Approach[edit | edit source]

The Chabad approach holds that while faith in G-d is the foundation of Jewish life, that faith must be grounded in intellectual understanding.[2] Likewise, Jewish life cannot be built on spontaneous emotions alone, which may come and go. Such emotions can even amount to "vain imaginings,"[3] and anything built upon them will dissolve and dissipate. For this reason, the true foundation of a complete Jewish life according to the Chabad approach is deep intellectual engagement through the study of Chassidic philosophy. According to Chabad, even the emotions — love of the Creator and awe of Him — will be stable and enduring only if they are grounded in intellectual contemplation and internalization, which occur primarily during prayer. The goal of this process is to bring a person to full mastery over his thoughts, speech, and actions, directing them entirely toward Heaven.

Chabad emphasizes the need for "hisbonenus" (contemplative meditation) — a technique that comes only after deep study and reflection, whose purpose is to internalize what has been learned and, in a second stage, to cause it to arouse the appropriate emotions. For example: contemplating the greatness of G-d is meant to give rise in a person's heart to love and awe of G-d. Contemplating the intrinsic worth of every Jew is meant to cultivate feelings of love for every Jew. Contemplating G-d's individual Providence over every detail of creation is meant to awaken a feeling of joy.

Chabad Chassidic philosophy is characterized by its depth and by its drive to penetrate the innermost meaning of the concepts explained in Kabbalistic teaching, as they relate to the service of G-d. This approach is rooted in the teachings and path of the Baal Shem Tov, but continues primarily along the path of the Maggid of Mezeritch, with certain expansions. For this reason, some have described the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezeritch, and the Alter Rebbe — the founder of Chabad — as corresponding to the three higher intellectual faculties known as Chochmah, Binah, and Da'at, whose acronym is the word "Chabad."

Chassidic Philosophy[edit | edit source]

Main article: Chassidic Philosophy

Chassidic philosophy is an approach to the service of G-d founded by the Baal Shem Tov, which continued as a general Chassidic tradition until it was internalized in its deepest form through the teachings of our Rebbes and leaders — the Chabad Rebbes. Chassidic philosophy represents a new illumination of Divinity, shedding new light on all dimensions (Pardes) of the Torah — from the deepest reaches of its mystical dimension down to the straightforward meaning of the Torah and its practical commandments.

One of the foundations of Chassidic philosophy is ahavas Yisrael (love of one's fellow Jew) and the recognition that within every Jew there is a divine soul united with G-d. Because of this bond, every Jew has the capacity to reach the highest levels of divine service. Chassidic philosophy also represents the preparation for the coming of Moshiach, as is known from the Baal Shem Tov's encounter with Moshiach, who replied to the question "When will you come?" with the words: "When your wellsprings spread outward."

The Tanya is the Written Torah of Chassidic philosophy, and the other Chassidic works of our Rebbes and leaders are its Oral Torah.

Torah Study[edit | edit source]

In Chassidic philosophy in general, and in Chabad Chassidus in particular, special emphasis is placed on the study of the revealed dimension of Torah — the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He. Studying the reasoning behind the laws as they appear in the revealed Torah is a form of unique closeness to G-d, achieved by the fact that the person's thoughts are united with G-d's wisdom, which is — together with G-d Himself — one. At the same time, the writings of Chassidic teachers stress the obligation to study "for its own sake" — for the sake of the Creator, to cleave to G-d, in holiness and with proper reverence, and out of humility and self-nullification.

Every Jew, in every situation, is obligated to study Torah — as stated in the verse: "You shall contemplate it day and night" (Joshua 1:8). The mitzvah of Torah study is equal in weight to all other commandments combined.

The Rebbe's Place in Chassidus[edit | edit source]

Main articles: Rebbe and Nasi HaDor

Unlike most Chassidic courts of that era, the Chabad movement did not accept the view that the primary burden of divine service rests with the Rebbe or tzaddik, while the Chassidim need only cleave to him and remain bound to him.[4][5] This stance initially generated controversy among other disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch, who argued that it represented a departure from the Chassidic path laid down by the Maggid and the Baal Shem Tov — foremost among them Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk, who opposed the approach sharply. Rabbi Schneur Zalman replied, however, that his path integrates the approach of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid with the individual's own obligation to serve G-d.[6][7] It is also recounted that Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin sought from the Alter Rebbe permission to settle within his area of activity[8] — and the Alter Rebbe agreed, on three conditions. Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin accepted the first two, but would not accept the third: "that he not teach that the tzaddik must carry the flock."[9]

These disagreements did not, for the most part, cause a rift between Chabad and other Chassidic movements. Thus even tzaddikim whose path in Chassidus differed greatly from Chabad's — such as Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev and Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl (who even expressed his differing view from the Chabad leaders' approach) — became related by marriage to the Chabad Rebbes.

At the same time, even according to Chabad, the tzaddikim are the head and mind of the community, and the community draws its spiritual — and even material — strength from them, cleaving to and connecting with Divinity through them. As Rabbi Schneur Zalman himself wrote:

In every generation there are leaders of the thousands of Israel, whose souls are in the category of head and mind relative to the souls of the multitude and the common people… The nurture and vitality of the soul, spirit, and neshamah of ordinary people comes from the soul, spirit, and neshamah of the tzaddikim and sages — the leaders of Israel in their generation… Through cleaving to Torah scholars, the soul, spirit, and neshamah of the common people are bound and united with their original essence and root in the supernal Wisdom.

— Tanya, ch. 2

In keeping with this idea, the Rebbe occupies a central place in the Chabad community,[10] and every Chassid aspires to be "bound" to him — a state known as hiskashrus (spiritual connection), which is achieved primarily through studying the Rebbe's Torah teachings and following his directives. Many Chassidim accordingly would not take a significant step in their lives without seeking the Rebbe's counsel and blessing.

Paths of Divine Service[edit | edit source]

Main articles: Divine Service, Avodah and Haskala, Mind Over Heart, Bittul, Atkafya, Athaflya, Inner, Outer, and Effort

According to the Chabad approach to divine service, all sadness must be pushed aside — even sadness arising from remorse over sins and spiritual failings.[11] Emphasis is placed on deep contemplation during prayer, so as to connect intellectual understanding with internalized feeling throughout the day.

Among the important foundations of divine service in Chabad is the principle of moch shalit al halev — "the mind rules over the heart" — meaning a state in which the intellect governs the emotions of the heart. That is, a state in which the intellect of the mind is the guiding and directing force in a person's life, since the brain is the seat and dwelling place of the divine soul.[12]

There are also two central paths of divine service:

  • Avodah (service) — a term for the work of prayer and contemplative meditation during prayer on the unity of G-d and its particulars as taught in Chassidus. Chassidim who invest themselves in bringing these matters into actual practice, with particular emphasis on prayer and working on their character traits, are called ovdim (practitioners).
  • Haskala (intellectual study) — the study and deepening of Chassidic philosophy; the divine inquiry found within the discourses and teachings of Chabad Chassidus; and the understanding of Kabbalistic topics that appear within them. Chassidim who focus on this are called maskilim (scholars).

The true and correct path is Avodah. While it can only be realized through the prior engagement of Haskala, Haskala alone and of itself is not the goal.

Chabad Literature[edit | edit source]

To explain the Chabad approach, the founder of Chabad — the Alter Rebbe — composed the Tanya,[13] which is considered the Written Torah of Chassidic philosophy. On this basis, the Chabad Rebbes have delivered and written maamarim (Chassidic discourses) — known by the acronym Da"Ch (Divrei Elokim Chayyim, "Words of the Living G-d") — exploring and expanding the system, discussing such themes as: the nature of G-d and the meaning of His being "infinite"; the purpose of creation; the relationship between G-d and man; why G-d concerns Himself with human deeds; the nature of Torah; the nature of the commandments; what a soul is and why it descended into the world; the essence of Jewish identity; and more. Chabad literature comprises hundreds of volumes engaging these themes at great depth.

The Chabad Rebbes[edit | edit source]

The Alter Rebbe[edit | edit source]

Main article: The Alter Rebbe

Rabbi Schneur Zalman Boruchovich[14] of Liadi — the Alter Rebbe (in Yiddish: Der Alter Rebbe, "the Old Rebbe"). He is also referred to as "the Rav"[15] or as the author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch.[16] He is the founder of the Chabad approach and the first of the seven Chabad Rebbes. He authored the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch. He was born on Chai Elul 1745 in the town of Liozna in the Mohilev Governorate of Belarus, to Rabbi Boruch (a descendant of the Maharal of Prague[17]) and Rivka. He resided first in Liozna and later in the city of Liadi. He passed from this world on the motzaei Shabbos (Saturday night) of Parshas Shemos, the 24th of Tevet 1813, and his resting place is in the city of Haditch.

The Mitteler Rebbe[edit | edit source]

Main article: The Mitteler Rebbe

Rabbi DovBer Schneuri — the Mitteler Rebbe[18] (in Yiddish: Der Mitteler Rebbe) is the second Rebbe in the Chabad dynasty and the successor to his father, the Alter Rebbe. He was born on the 9th of Kislev 1773 to the Alter Rebbe and Sterna. He established the Chassidic court in the town of Lubavitch, and passed from this world on the 9th of Kislev 1827; his resting place is in the ohel of the Mitteler Rebbe in the city of Nezhin.

The Mitteler Rebbe founded a Chabad community in Hebron in 1845, under the leadership of his son-in-law Rabbi Yaakov Slonim and his daughter Menucha Rochel, supported by donations from Chassidim in Russia.

The Tzemach Tzedek[edit | edit source]

A portrait of the Tzemach Tzedek
Main article: The Tzemach Tzedek

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn — the Tzemach Tzedek — is the third leader in the Chabad dynasty. He was born on Sunday, the 29th of Elul 1789,[19] in the city of Liozna, to Shalom Shachna and Devorah Leah Altschuler. He was both a grandson of the Alter Rebbe and a son-in-law of the Mitteler Rebbe. He passed from this world on the 13th of Nissan 1866, and his resting place is in Lubavitch in the ohel of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Maharash.

Over the years, the Tzemach Tzedek worked to rescue children from the cantonist decrees, fought for the pure Jewish education of Jewish children,[20] founded the town of Shchedrin and settled some three hundred Chassidim there, and was known for his rulings freeing agunos (women chained to a missing or refusing husband) who were brought to him in Lubavitch.[21] One of his well-known teachings is the maxim Think good and it will be good, which expresses the profound influence of thought even on actual events.[22]

The Rebbe Maharash[edit | edit source]

Main article: The Rebbe Maharash

Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn — the Maharash — is the fourth Rebbe in the Chabad dynasty. He was born on the 2nd of Iyar 1834 in the town of Lubavitch, to Rabbi Menachem Mendel (the Tzemach Tzedek) and Chaya Mushka Schneersohn. He passed from this world on the 13th of Tishrei 1882, after enduring a serious illness; his resting place is in Lubavitch, beside his father the Tzemach Tzedek, in the ohel of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Maharash.

The Maharash coined the celebrated maxim Lechatchila Ariber — "from the outset, leap over obstacles" (the principle of tackling difficulties head-on rather than working around them).

The Rebbe Rashab[edit | edit source]

The well-known photograph of the Rebbe Rashab
Main article: The Rebbe Rashab

Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn — the Rebbe Rashab — is the fifth Rebbe in the Chabad dynasty. He was born on the 20th of Cheshvan 1860 in the town of Lubavitch, to Rabbi Shmuel (the Maharash) and Rivka Schneersohn. He passed from this world on the 2nd of Nissan 1920; his resting place is in the city of Rostov.

The Rebbe Rashab founded the yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch — the mother of all Chabad yeshivos worldwide — established the distinctive Chabad method of mikveh construction known as bor al gabei bor (a pit built over a pit), and worked vigorously in many other areas, including the founding of Agudas Yisrael (from which he ultimately withdrew before it was formally established), and more.

The Frierdiker Rebbe[edit | edit source]

The well-known photograph of the Frierdiker Rebbe
Main article: The Frierdiker Rebbe

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn — the Frierdiker Rebbe (the Previous Rebbe; in Yiddish: Der Frierdiker Rebbe) — is the sixth Rebbe in the Chabad dynasty and the father-in-law of the Rebbe of Lubavitch. He was born on the 12th of Tammuz 1880 to Rabbi Shalom DovBer (the Rebbe Rashab) and Sterna Sara Schneersohn. From the Soviet Union, the Frierdiker Rebbe moved to Latvia and then to Poland; when World War II broke out, he left Poland and returned to Latvia, and from there traveled to the United States, establishing the center of Chabad at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

In the United States, the Frierdiker Rebbe worked to rebuild Jewish life in general and Chabad Chassidus in particular, fighting the drift and assimilation of Jewish immigrants from Europe. To this end he established numerous institutions, including many Tomchei Temimim yeshivos — among them the central Tomchei Temimim — the Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch (the central educational body), Kehot Publication Society, Machne Yisroel, and more.

He passed from this world on Yud Shevat 5710 — the 10th of Shevat 1950 — which fell on Shabbos, and his resting place is at the Ohel in the Montefiore Cemetery in the Queens borough of New York.

The Rebbe[edit | edit source]

Main article: The Rebbe
The Rebbe receiving supporters of the Shluchim mission and the institutions affiliated with Chabad Chassidus worldwide, in the framework of the Keren L'Mifal Machne Yisroel

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn — known as "the Rebbe of Lubavitch" or simply "the Rebbe" — is the seventh Nasi (leader) of the Chabad movement and a central spiritual leader for the world at large and for the Jewish people in particular. He was born in Nikolaev on the 11th of Nissan 1902 (April 18, 1902) to his father, the Kabbalist Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn, and his mother, Rebbetzin Chana.

Upon assuming the leadership, the Rebbe launched campaigns to publicize the observance of Torah and Chassidic philosophy under the banner of "U'faratzta" — "And you shall spread out" — drawn from the verse "You shall spread out to the west, east, north, and south" (Genesis 28:14).[23] As part of this, the Rebbe called upon his Chassidim to reach out in every possible setting to every Jew,[24] encouraging the observance of Torah commandments and Torah study — including by going out to public places and enabling the broader community to fulfill these mitzvos. His directives and instructions on these matters developed into full-scale campaigns, giving the ten central campaigns he announced the collective name the Ten Campaigns[25] — alongside many additional directives,[26] chief among them the Rambam Study Campaign, which has in our time spread beyond Chabad Chassidus to additional streams and circles.

On the 3rd of Tammuz 1994, he became concealed from our eyes. Among Chabad Chassidim there is a range of views on how to understand this day; most Chabad Chassidim believe that the situation that arose represents a further stage in the process of the complete revelation of Moshiach (the Messiah). This view is also based on the words of Rashi at the end of the Book of Daniel, on the verse concerning Moshiach[27] — "Fortunate is he who waits and reaches" — where Rashi writes: "…our Moshiach is destined to be concealed after he is revealed, and will then be revealed again" — that is, Moshiach is concealed and revealed again.

Characteristics of Chabad Chassidus[edit | edit source]

The Shluchim and Chabad Houses[edit | edit source]

Main articles: Shluchim of the Rebbe and Chabad House
The Rebbe's shluchim (emissaries) in the traditional photograph (5785 / 2024)

In the seventh generation, under the Rebbe's leadership, the concept of shlichus (emissary mission) became a central demand — from Chabad Chassidim in particular, and from every Jew in general — to leave one's place and dedicate oneself to spreading Judaism and Chassidus in distant locations that need it. As part of this call, the Rebbe built the shlichus enterprise by appointing his Chassidim as emissaries throughout the world and establishing Chabad Houses across the globe, which provide material and spiritual support to every Jew: running schools that offer Jewish education, synagogues, Torah and Chassidus classes, mikvehs, and other communal services. Over the years the shlichus enterprise has expanded to encompass nearly every city and settlement in the world where Jews are found, and today numbers approximately six thousand shluchim (emissaries).

The Movement's Center[edit | edit source]

Main articles: Lubavitch and 770 — Chabad World Headquarters
The facade of the building known as "770 — Chabad World Headquarters"

The town of Lubavitch served as the center of the Chabad movement from the era of the Mitteler Rebbe, who established his court there; it was subsequently home to the Tzemach Tzedek, the Maharash, and the Rebbe Rashab.

During World War I, at the beginning of 1915, as the German army approached the Lubavitch region, the Rebbe Rashab decided to leave Lubavitch — bringing to an end 102 years in which Lubavitch had served as the capital of the movement.

Today the center of Chabad Chassidus is 770 (Seven-Seventy) — the Chabad World Headquarters, more widely known simply as "770" — the Rebbe's beis midrash (study hall and synagogue). The center is located at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

Institutions of the Movement[edit | edit source]

Chabad Chassidus has thousands of institutions worldwide. The central organization is Agudas Chassidei Chabad (the World Chabad Chassidic Federation). Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch is the supreme body overseeing the shluchim. Kehot Publication Society is the movement's official publishing house (though numerous private publishers also exist). The network of Chabad yeshivos is called "Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch." Chabad has a youth movement called Tzivos Hashem, the Machne Yisroel organization, Neshei uBnos Chabad (women's and girls' organization), and the "Beis Rivkah" institution — a network of girls' schools.

The main institutions in Israel are: Chabad Rabbinical Court — the supreme rabbinical and halachic body; Agudas Chassidei Chabad in Israel — the principal organization and umbrella body for all institutions; Tzeirei Agudas Chabad — the executive arm of the movement, also responsible for shluchim in Israel; Kollel Chabad — a charitable organization; Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Network — a network of kindergartens and Torah schools; Tomchei Temimim — the yeshiva network; the Neshei uBnos Chabad organization; "Beis Rivkah" elementary schools; the "Beis Rivkah" college in Kfar Chabad Beis; a central branch of Tzivos Hashem; and a central branch of Kehot Publication Society.

Redemption and Moshiach[edit | edit source]

Template:Main portal With the revelation of Chassidic philosophy, a new clarity was added to all matters relating to the redemption. This is because the revelation of Chassidus is itself part of the unfolding of the light of redemption — and accordingly, in the teachings of the Chassidic leaders, the connection of Torah and its commandments to redemption in general, and the constant longing and anticipation for the redemption, were emphasized.

This theology found expression in the Chassidic leaders, for whom yearning for the redemption permeated their very being and was manifest in their conduct — but especially in recent generations, beginning with the Rebbe Rashab, who founded the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva and stirred his disciples with the idea that the yeshiva's students are "soldiers of the House of David" fighting against those who scorn the footsteps of Moshiach. This awakening was intensified by the Frierdiker Rebbe, especially during the Holocaust, which he described as "the birth pangs of Moshiach." The Rebbe, the leader of our generation and the seventh in the Chabad dynasty, announced upon accepting the leadership that our generation is the last of exile and the first of redemption — and concluded from this that redemption is not an additional matter layered onto the generation's situation and conduct, but is woven as a thread through every detail of them.

In his later years the Rebbe spoke on this subject incessantly, announcing that the work of exile is complete and that all that remains is to welcome Moshiach in actual reality. He also encouraged Chassidim hundreds of times to proclaim and sing Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach LeOlam Va'ed — "Long live our Master, Teacher, and Rebbe, King Moshiach, forever and ever" — a proclamation whose content is the revelation of the reality of Moshiach.

The Chassidic Maamar[edit | edit source]

Main article: Maamar
The Rebbe delivering a maamar

A Chassidic maamar is a Torah discourse — known by the acronym Da"Ch (Divrei Elokim Chayyim, "Words of the Living G-d") — delivered or written by a Rebbe, explaining a matter in Chassidus and the inner dimension of Torah rooted in Kabbalah, while drawing practical lessons for divine service. It is a tradition in the name of the Chassid Rabbi Hillel of Paritch that when a Rebbe delivers a Chassidic maamar, the Shechina (Divine Presence) speaks through his throat. Before the Rebbe begins delivering a maamar, the Chassidim sing a special niggun called the preparatory niggun. During the maamar, the Chassidim stand in their places.

The Chassidic Farbrengen[edit | edit source]

Main articles: Chassidic Farbrengen and Mashpia

A farbrengen (or התוועדות in Hebrew, from the Yiddish farbrengen) is the name commonly used among Chabad Chassidim for a Chassidic gathering at which it is customary to raise a glass of l'chaim, sing Chassidic niggunim, and tell Chassidic stories — all in order to inspire and strengthen one another in divine service. A farbrengen is usually led by a mashpia (a Chassidic mentor and guide) who encourages and strengthens the participants in improving their conduct.

Chabad Personalities[edit | edit source]

In every generation of Chabad Chassidus, great Chassidim distinguished in Torah and divine service have occupied a place of honor — their names on the lips of Chassidim in subsequent generations, with stories circulating about them from generation to generation. Teachings spoken with Chassidic insight, and even niggunim composed by gifted baalei menagen (Chassidic composers), are sung at Chassidic farbrengens and inspire divine service.

Special attention is given to the stories of the Chassidim — their greatness in Torah and fear of G-d, the path by which they drew close to Chabad Chassidus, the relationship they had with the Rebbe, and their own path in divine service according to the Chassidic way.

Chabad Niggunim[edit | edit source]

Main pages: Chabad Niggunim and Portal: Chabad Niggunim

Music holds profound significance in the Chassidic worldview. The Frierdiker Rebbe cited a saying in the name of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi that "speech is the pen of the heart, and a niggun is the pen of the soul,"[28] and in the name of the Tzemach Tzedek, based on the Talmudic teaching that "whoever reports a saying — it is as if the one who said it stands before him" (Shekalim 7:2) — that one who sings a niggun has the one who composed it standing before him in the most literal sense.[29]

There are hundreds of niggunim associated with and attributed to Chabad Chassidus, which are divided into three categories: a mekuvvan niggun (an intentional niggun) — a niggun composed by a Rebbe or Admur, in which each "movement" alludes to a lofty and exalted matter and whose progressions are aligned with supernal worlds; a meyuchas niggun (an attributed niggun) — a niggun in which great Chassidim prayed and which is therefore "filled" with content, holding within it an inner essence and expressing a sublime emotional state; and a shoteh niggun (a simple niggun) — like a "wandering myrtle" that says and alludes to nothing in particular; these are various melodies that accumulated among Chassidim over time, from which lessons in divine service and the like can be drawn. The niggunim are intended primarily for singing at farbrengens (communally) and during the extended prayer known as tefillah b'avodah (quietly, by the individual worshipper), contributing in both settings to spiritual elevation — each niggun corresponding to the worshipper's inner direction: cleaving to G-d, spiritual ascent, and personal work.

Directives and Study Schedules[edit | edit source]

The Rebbe's Directives
Study Directives
Daily Rambam Study · Daily Tanya chapter before prayer · Study of Temple-related topics during the Three Weeks · Study of Redemption and Moshiach topics · Study of the weekly Chassidic portion · Study of the Rebbes' teachings during Kislev · Completing Tractates during the Nine Days · Writing Torah novellas · Thaluchah
Main articles: Chitas, Daily Study Schedules, and Rambam Study Campaign

Chabad Chassidim maintain fixed daily study schedules. The Frierdiker Rebbe instituted the Chitas (an acronym for Chumash, Tehillim, Tanya) — a daily study program consisting of: the weekly Torah portion divided by the day of the week,[30] Tehillim (Psalms) divided according to the days of the month, and a portion of Tanya following a schedule that covers all its sections over the course of a year.

In 1942, the Rebbe compiled, at the direction of the Frierdiker Rebbe, various sayings and stories from the Frierdiker Rebbe's talks and Chabad customs into a book called HaYom Yom — "From Day to Day" — including the Chitas study portions for each day, so that it could be studied daily throughout that year (5703/1942–43). To this day it is customary among Chabad Chassidim to read each morning, before prayer, the passage corresponding to the date, as written in HaYom Yom.

There are also study programs corresponding to seasons of the year: studying a page of Tractate Sotah each day during the Counting of the Omer; study of Temple-related topics during the Three Weeks; studying each week the discourses from Likkutei Torah and Torah Or corresponding to that week; study of the Rebbes' teachings during the month of Kislev; completing tractates during the Nine Days; and more.

Distinctive Customs[edit | edit source]

Main articles: Chabad Customs and Extended Prayer

Chabad Chassidus has a number of distinctive customs, which in our generation were compiled at the Rebbe's direction and published in the Sefer HaMinhagim (Book of Customs). A few examples:

  • Chabad places great emphasis on extended prayer with deep contemplative meditation on the infinite greatness of the Creator and the smallness of man. Prayer is sometimes accompanied by the quiet singing of a Chabad niggun to stir the heart. At the same time, unlike other branches of Chassidus, Chabad Chassidim are careful not to give outward expression to this through physical movements, and are strongly discouraged from doing so.[31] Extended prayer is called in Chabad parlance tefillah b'avodah (prayer through service), and a Chassid known for this is called an oved (practitioner) — as this is the more practical aspect of Chabad philosophy. Engaging in Chabad intellectual study alone, without emphasis on avodah, is considered a failing.
  • Chabad Chassidim do not customarily sleep in the sukkah during the festival of Sukkos.
  • Chabad Chassidim generally eat the Seudah Shlishis (Third Shabbos meal) on Shabbos without bread. This time, toward the close of Shabbos, is called "Reava D'Reevin." During this time it is customary to sing Chassidic niggunim and even to repeat a Chassidic maamar aloud (the custom is to do so from memory).

See Also[edit | edit source]

Further Reading[edit | edit source]

History of Chabad
Chabad Chassidic Philosophy
  • Rabbi Yoel Kahn, Machsheves HaChassidus — Topics in Chassidic philosophy. Eshel Library, Kfar Chabad, vol. 1[36] 2001, vol. 2, 2004.
  • Rabbi Yoel Kahn, Shiurim BeToras Chabad, vols. 1–2 — Chabad teachings for yeshiva students. Kfar Chabad, 2008.

The Chabad Rebbes and World Jewry Series[edit | edit source]

  • Zusha Wolf, Diedushka — the Rebbe and Russian Jewry. Va'ad HaShluchim for the CIS countries, 2006.
  • Ibid., The Chabad Rebbes and German Jewry, Heichal Menachem, 2008.
  • Ibid., The Chabad Rebbes and Romanian Jewry, 2013.
  • Ibid., The Chabad Rebbes and Austrian Jewry, Chabad Lubavitch Center Austria, 2014.
  • Ibid., The Chabad Rebbes and French Jewry, Beis Lubavitch Paris, 2016.
  • Ibid., The Chabad Rebbes and Georgian Jewry, Machon HaSefer — Tiferes Refael, 2016.
  • Ibid., The Chabad Rebbes and Bukharan Jewry, World Congress of Bukharan Jews, 2016.
  • The Chabad Population

External Links[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ According to the chain of tradition.
  2. ↑ 18 Adar 5720. Questions and Answers with the Rebbe of Lubavitch, for student questions: "Feeling alone is not enough, nor is faith on its own, nor understanding alone — for then completeness is lacking. There must be an integration of all of them."
  3. ↑ Tanya, ch. 3.
  4. ↑

    Now listen, Jews! In Chabad the demand has always been that every person must do his own work and not rely on the Rebbes. This is the difference between the Polish approach and the Chabad approach. The Polish approach is "the tzaddik shall live by his faith" — do not read yichyeh (he will live) but yechayyeh (he will give life to others). But we, Chabad, must all work ourselves, with the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of the body, and with the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of the soul. "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven." I do not, Heaven forbid, remove myself from helping — helping as much as possible — but since everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven, if one does not do the work oneself, what good will it do to submit written requests, sing niggunim, and say l'chaim?… One must oneself transform the foolishness of the other side and the inner fire of the animal soul into holiness.

    From the Rebbe's address immediately following his first Chassidic discourse, Basi LeGani 5711, upon which he formally accepted the Chabad leadership. Toras Menachem 5711, p. 212, address 12.
  5. ↑ Likkutei Diburim, vol. 1, p. 2. Sefer HaSichos 5704, p. 133, and elsewhere.
  6. ↑ See also the essay by Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, "The wondrous personality of the author of the Tanya", on the Daat website — from Shana BeShana 5724.
  7. ↑ Shalom DovBer Levin, History of Chabad in the Holy Land, p. 24.
  8. ↑ Which had been granted by the other disciples of the Maggid, led by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. Template:Citation needed
  9. ↑ Beis Rebbi, Part 1, ch. 25, p. 128. See also the letter of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi to Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk on this subject in Igros Kodesh of the Alter Rebbe, letter 55.
  10. ↑ The Rebbe — the central axis of Chassidus
  11. ↑ See Tanya, ch. 26 and following.
  12. ↑ Tanya, ch. 11.
  13. ↑ Igros Kodesh, Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 4, p. 261.
  14. ↑ So called after his father "Boruch," as was customary in that era — to append the father's name as a surname.
  15. ↑ Following the Maggid of Mezeritch's description of him to his other disciples as "the Lithuanian Gaon."
  16. ↑ This title became associated with him through the wide dissemination of his two major works, the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch. The Rebbe frequently uses this form of reference, and on one occasion explained its significance: "Author of the Tanya" — decisor in the inner dimension of Torah; "author of the Shulchan Aruch" — decisor in the revealed dimension of Torah. There is also an additional connection between the two works: the four parts of the Tanya correspond to the four parts of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav.
  17. ↑ See chain of tradition.
  18. ↑ The title "Mitteler Rebbe" (Middle Rebbe) became associated with him after his histalkus and the ascension of the Tzemach Tzedek as his successor. Rabbi DovBer's relatively brief tenure created a situation in which many Chassidim personally knew all three Rebbes — the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi DovBer, and the Tzemach Tzedek — and Rabbi DovBer, being the middle one, came to be called "the Mitteler Rebbe."
  19. ↑ Additional versions: 1788 or 1790.
  20. ↑ See at length in Kuntres: The Tzemach Tzedek and the Haskalah Movement.
  21. ↑ See stories on this in the journal "HaAch," issue 31 and following; "Reshimos," booklet 187.
  22. ↑ Sefer HaMaamarim 5687, p. 236, and elsewhere.
  23. ↑ Genesis 28:14.
  24. ↑ And also to non-Jews through such campaigns as the Seven Noahide Laws, Education Day in the United States, A Moment of Silence, and others.
  25. ↑ Tefillin Campaign, Torah Campaign, Mezuzah Campaign, Tzedakah Campaign, Home Full of Jewish Books Campaign, Shabbos Candles Campaign, Kosher Food and Drink Campaign, Family Purity Campaign, Jewish Education Campaign, and Ahavas Yisrael Campaign.
  26. ↑ Shabbos Gatherings • Shofar Campaign, Lulav Campaign, Chanukah Campaign, Purim Campaign, Matzah Campaign, Lag BaOmer Parade, Ten Commandments Campaign, Letter in the Torah Campaign, Torah Scroll for IDF Soldiers, Hakhel Campaign, Welcoming Moshiach Campaign, Birthday Campaign, Community Gathering Campaign, and Printing the Tanya Campaign. See many further directives and instructions here.
  27. ↑ Chapter 12, verse 12.
  28. ↑ Sefer HaSichos 5709, p. 278.
  29. ↑ Lishmo'a Ozen, section on the Frierdiker Rebbe, entry 26.
  30. ↑ For example: on Sunday of the week when Parshas Bereishis is read, one studies the first aliyah of Parshas Bereishis.
  31. ↑ See the entry "Strashelye Chassidus," section "Approach."
  32. ↑ History of Chabad in Soviet Russia Template:PDF
  33. ↑ History of Chabad in the Holy Land Template:PDF
  34. ↑ History of Chabad in the United States Template:PDF
  35. ↑ History of Chabad in Czarist Russia
  36. ↑ Machsheves HaChassidus Template:PDF.
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