HaTikvah: Difference between revisions

== Singing the Song in Shul ==

In the Bronx neighborhood of New York, there was a shul where the chazzan was the chassid R' Shneur Zalman Baumgarten. The shul's gabbaim wanted him to sing HaTikvah in shul, but he refused due to the Rebbe's negative stance toward the anthem. The gabbaim wanted to fire him and complained to the Rebbe about his refusal to sing. The Rebbe responded with a lengthy answer expressing astonishment about the "dispute connected to 'going down to the livelihood of a Jew' (the Shulchan Aruch's term for taking away a Jew's parnassah) for the above reason!" The Rebbe added that it is not among the chazzan's obligations to sing the anthem, and even if he were a chazzan in Yerushalayim, he would not be obligated. The Rebbe further added that on the contrary, if the chazzan had sung the anthem against his conscience, "a person who acts against his conscience, particularly in matters of religion - apparently cannot be an Orthodox shaliach tzibur."