Chabad: Difference between revisions

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==== Library dispute with Russia ====

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"/>

~~==Controversies==~~

Several movement-wide controversies have occurred in Chabad's 200-year history. Two major leadership succession controversies occurred in the 19th century; one took place in the 1810s following the death of the movement's founder, the other occurred in the 1860s following the death of the third Rebbe. Two other minor offshoot groups were formed later in the movement's history. The movement's other major controversy is Chabad messianism, which began in the 1990s.

~~===Succession disputes and offshoot groups===~~

~~{{Main|Chabad offshoot groups}}~~

A number of groups have split from the Chabad movement, forming their own Hasidic groups, and at times positioning themselves as possible successors of previous Chabad rebbes. Following the deaths of the first and third rebbes of Chabad, disputes arose over their succession.

Following the death of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Chabad rebbe, a dispute over his succession led to a break within the movement. While the recognized successor was his oldest son, Rabbi [[Dovber Schneuri]], a student of Rabbi [[Schneur Zalman of Liadi|Schneur Zalman]], Rabbi [[Aaron HaLevi ben Moses of Staroselye|Aaron HaLevi]] assumed the title of rebbe and led a number of followers from the town of Strashelye (forming the [[Strashelye (Hasidic dynasty)|Strashelye dynasty]]). The new group had two rebbes, Rabbi Aaron and his son Rabbi [[Haim Rephael of Strashelye|Haim Rephael]]. The new group eventually disbanded following Rabbi Haim Rephael's death.<ref name=beck>[ |last=Beck|first=Atara|title=Is Chabad Lubavitch|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|date=16 August 2012|url=jpost.com/Magazine/Judaism/Is-Chabad-Lubavitch}}</ref><ref>[ |chapter-url=books.google.com/books?id=2RcRAQAAIAAJ&q=leadership+in+the+habad|title=Leadership in the HaBaD Movement: A critical evaluation of HaBaD leadership, history, and succession|first1=Avrum M. |last1=Ehrlich |first2=Mark Avrum |last2=Ehrlich |publisher=Jason Aronson|year=2000|isbn=978-0765760555 |chapter=11: The Leadership of Dov Ber}}{{page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref> One of the main points the two rabbis disagreed on was the place of [[Religious ecstasy|spiritual ecstasy]] in prayer. R' Aaron supported the idea while Rabbi Dovber emphasized genuine ecstasy can only be a result of meditative contemplation ([[hisbonenus]]). Rabbi Dovber published his arguments on the subject in a compilation titled {{Lang|he|Kuntres Hispa'alus}} ("Tract on Ecstasy").<ref>Ehrlich, Leadership in the HaBaD Movement, pp. 160–192, esp. pp. 167–172.</ref>

Following the death of the third Chabad rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (the {{Lang|he|Tzemach Tzedek}}), a dispute over his succession led to the formation of several Chabad groups. While Rabbi [[Shmuel Schneersohn]] was recognized as the heir to the Chabad-Lubavitch line, several of his brothers formed groups of their own in the towns of [[Kopys]] (forming the [[Kapust|Kapust dynasty]]), [[Nezhin]] (forming the [[Niezhin (Hasidic dynasty)|Niezhin dynasty]]), [[Lyady, Vitebsk Region|Lyady]] (forming the [[Liadi (Hasidic dynasty)|Liadi dynasty]]), and [[Ovruch]] (forming the [[Avrutch (Hasidic dynasty)|Avrutch dynasty]]). The lifespan of these groups varied; Niezhin and Avrutch had one rebbe each, Liadi had three rebbes, and Kapust had four. Following the deaths of their last rebbes, these groups eventually disbanded.<ref name="pop">''Encyclopedia of Hasidism, entry: Schneersohn, Shmaryahu Noah''. Naftali Lowenthal. Aronson, London 1996. {{ISBN|1-56821-123-6}}</ref><ref name="kam">[ |last=Kaminetzky |first=Yosef Y. |title=Days in Chabad |publisher=Kehot Publication Society |location=Brooklyn |year=2005 |page=19 |isbn=978-0826604897}}</ref><ref>[|title=Rabbi Chaim Schneur Zalman of Liadi|journal=L'Maan Yishmeu|issue=128|year=2012|url=lmaanyishmeu.com/pdf/128%20-%20Revering%20the%20Torah%20-2.pdf}}</ref><ref>[ |last1=Zevin|first1=Shelomoh Yosef |first2=Uri|last2=Kaploun|title=A Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the Torah: A Collection of Inspirational Chassidic Stories Relevant to the Weekly Torah Readings|volume=1|page=115|publisher=[[ArtScroll|Mesorah Publications]]|year=1980|url=books.google.com/books?id=NnyuhrzRDCMC&q=kopust|isbn=978-0899069005}}</ref><ref name=dalfin_seven>[ |url=books.google.com/books?id=lTgAAQAAQBAJ&q=dalfin+chaim|last=Dalfin|first=Chaim|title=The Seven Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbes|publisher=Jason Aronson|year=1998|isbn=978-1461710134}}</ref>

Two other minor offshoot groups were formed by Chabad Hasidim. The [[Malachim (Hasidic group)|Malachim]] were formed as a quasi-Hasidic group. The group claims to recognize the teachings of the first four rebbes of Chabad, thus rivaling the later Chabad rebbes. The Malachim's first and only rebbe, Rabbi [[Chaim Avraham Dov Ber Levine haCohen]] (1859/1860–1938), also known as "The Malach" (lit. "the angel"), was a follower of the fourth and fifth rebbes of Chabad.<ref>B. Sobel, ''The M'lochim''</ref><ref>[|last=Ehrlich|first=M. Avrum|url=worldcat.org/oclc/39633846|title=Leadership in the HaBaD movement : a critical evaluation of HaBaD leadership, history, and succession|date=2000|publisher=J. Aronson|isbn=0-7657-6055-X|location=Northvale, N.J.|pages=269–271|oclc=39633846}}</ref><ref>[ |url=books.google.com/books?id=uEP5KNUAFh0C&pg=PA21|first=Jerome R.|last=Mintz|title=Hasidic People: A Place in the New World|pages=21–26|year=1992|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0674041097}}</ref> While Levine's son chose not to succeed him, the Malachim group continues to maintain a yeshiva and [[minyan]] in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]].

Following the death of the seventh Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, an attempt by [[Shaul Shimon Deutsch]] to form a breakaway Chabad movement, with Deutsch as "Liozna Rebbe", failed to gain popular support.<ref name="rebbe">"Dissidents Name 'Rebbe'," ''The Forward'', December 6, 1996</ref><ref>Heinon, Herb, "Bigger than Death," ''The Jerusalem Post'', August 15, 1997</ref><ref>Segall, Rebecca, "Holy Daze The problems of young Lubavitcher Hasidim in a world without the Rebbe," ''The Village Voice'', September 30, 2000</ref><ref>Eisenberg, Charles. ''The Book of Daniel: A Well Kept Secret''. Xulon Press. 2007. Page 103.</ref>

~~===Chabad messianism===~~

~~{{Main|Chabad messianism}}~~

A few years prior to Schneerson's death, most members of the Chabad movement expressed their belief that Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the Messiah. Those subscribing to the beliefs have been termed ''meshichists'' (messianists). A typical statement of belief for Chabad messianists is the song and chant known as ''yechi adoneinu'' ("long live our master", {{langx|he|יחי אדונינו}}).<ref>The full text is ''Yechi adoneinu moreinu v'rabbeinu melech ha-moshiach l'olam vo'ed'' ("Long live our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever).</ref>

Since 1994, some Chabad followers continue to believe in Schneerson as the Jewish messiah. Chabad messianists either believe Schneerson will be [[Resurrection|resurrected]] from the dead to be revealed as the messiah or profess the belief that Schneerson never died in the first place. The Chabad messianic phenomenon has been met mostly with public concerns or opposition by non-Chabad Jewish leaders{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}.

== In the arts ==

@@ Line 305: / Line 305: @@
 ==== Library dispute with Russia ====
 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"/>
-==Controversies==
-Several movement-wide controversies have occurred in Chabad's 200-year history. Two major leadership succession controversies occurred in the 19th century; one took place in the 1810s following the death of the movement's founder, the other occurred in the 1860s following the death of the third Rebbe. Two other minor offshoot groups were formed later in the movement's history. The movement's other major controversy is Chabad messianism, which began in the 1990s.
-===Succession disputes and offshoot groups===
-{{Main|Chabad offshoot groups}}
-A number of groups have split from the Chabad movement, forming their own Hasidic groups, and at times positioning themselves as possible successors of previous Chabad rebbes. Following the deaths of the first and third rebbes of Chabad, disputes arose over their succession.
-Following the death of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Chabad rebbe, a dispute over his succession led to a break within the movement. While the recognized successor was his oldest son, Rabbi [[Dovber Schneuri]], a student of Rabbi [[Schneur Zalman of Liadi|Schneur Zalman]], Rabbi [[Aaron HaLevi ben Moses of Staroselye|Aaron HaLevi]] assumed the title of rebbe and led a number of followers from the town of Strashelye (forming the [[Strashelye (Hasidic dynasty)|Strashelye dynasty]]). The new group had two rebbes, Rabbi Aaron and his son Rabbi [[Haim Rephael of Strashelye|Haim Rephael]]. The new group eventually disbanded following Rabbi Haim Rephael's death.<ref name=beck>[ |last=Beck|first=Atara|title=Is Chabad Lubavitch|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|date=16 August 2012|url=jpost.com/Magazine/Judaism/Is-Chabad-Lubavitch}}</ref><ref>[ |chapter-url=books.google.com/books?id=2RcRAQAAIAAJ&q=leadership+in+the+habad|title=Leadership in the HaBaD Movement: A critical evaluation of HaBaD leadership, history, and succession|first1=Avrum M. |last1=Ehrlich |first2=Mark Avrum |last2=Ehrlich |publisher=Jason Aronson|year=2000|isbn=978-0765760555 |chapter=11: The Leadership of Dov Ber}}{{page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref> One of the main points the two rabbis disagreed on was the place of [[Religious ecstasy|spiritual ecstasy]] in prayer. R' Aaron supported the idea while Rabbi Dovber emphasized genuine ecstasy can only be a result of meditative contemplation ([[hisbonenus]]). Rabbi Dovber published his arguments on the subject in a compilation titled {{Lang|he|Kuntres Hispa'alus}} ("Tract on Ecstasy").<ref>Ehrlich, Leadership in the HaBaD Movement, pp. 160–192, esp. pp. 167–172.</ref>
-Following the death of the third Chabad rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (the {{Lang|he|Tzemach Tzedek}}), a dispute over his succession led to the formation of several Chabad groups. While Rabbi [[Shmuel Schneersohn]] was recognized as the heir to the Chabad-Lubavitch line, several of his brothers formed groups of their own in the towns of [[Kopys]] (forming the [[Kapust|Kapust dynasty]]), [[Nezhin]] (forming the [[Niezhin (Hasidic dynasty)|Niezhin dynasty]]), [[Lyady, Vitebsk Region|Lyady]] (forming the [[Liadi (Hasidic dynasty)|Liadi dynasty]]), and [[Ovruch]] (forming the [[Avrutch (Hasidic dynasty)|Avrutch dynasty]]). The lifespan of these groups varied; Niezhin and Avrutch had one rebbe each, Liadi had three rebbes, and Kapust had four. Following the deaths of their last rebbes, these groups eventually disbanded.<ref name="pop">''Encyclopedia of Hasidism, entry: Schneersohn, Shmaryahu Noah''. Naftali Lowenthal. Aronson, London 1996. {{ISBN|1-56821-123-6}}</ref><ref name="kam">[ |last=Kaminetzky |first=Yosef Y. |title=Days in Chabad |publisher=Kehot Publication Society |location=Brooklyn |year=2005 |page=19 |isbn=978-0826604897}}</ref><ref>[|title=Rabbi Chaim Schneur Zalman of Liadi|journal=L'Maan Yishmeu|issue=128|year=2012|url=lmaanyishmeu.com/pdf/128%20-%20Revering%20the%20Torah%20-2.pdf}}</ref><ref>[ |last1=Zevin|first1=Shelomoh Yosef |first2=Uri|last2=Kaploun|title=A Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the Torah: A Collection of Inspirational Chassidic Stories Relevant to the Weekly Torah Readings|volume=1|page=115|publisher=[[ArtScroll|Mesorah Publications]]|year=1980|url=books.google.com/books?id=NnyuhrzRDCMC&q=kopust|isbn=978-0899069005}}</ref><ref name=dalfin_seven>[ |url=books.google.com/books?id=lTgAAQAAQBAJ&q=dalfin+chaim|last=Dalfin|first=Chaim|title=The Seven Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbes|publisher=Jason Aronson|year=1998|isbn=978-1461710134}}</ref>
-Two other minor offshoot groups were formed by Chabad Hasidim. The [[Malachim (Hasidic group)|Malachim]] were formed as a quasi-Hasidic group. The group claims to recognize the teachings of the first four rebbes of Chabad, thus rivaling the later Chabad rebbes. The Malachim's first and only rebbe, Rabbi [[Chaim Avraham Dov Ber Levine haCohen]] (1859/1860–1938), also known as "The Malach" (lit. "the angel"), was a follower of the fourth and fifth rebbes of Chabad.<ref>B. Sobel, ''The M'lochim''</ref><ref>[|last=Ehrlich|first=M. Avrum|url=worldcat.org/oclc/39633846|title=Leadership in the HaBaD movement : a critical evaluation of HaBaD leadership, history, and succession|date=2000|publisher=J. Aronson|isbn=0-7657-6055-X|location=Northvale, N.J.|pages=269–271|oclc=39633846}}</ref><ref>[ |url=books.google.com/books?id=uEP5KNUAFh0C&pg=PA21|first=Jerome R.|last=Mintz|title=Hasidic People: A Place in the New World|pages=21–26|year=1992|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0674041097}}</ref> While Levine's son chose not to succeed him, the Malachim group continues to maintain a yeshiva and [[minyan]] in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]].
-Following the death of the seventh Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, an attempt by [[Shaul Shimon Deutsch]] to form a breakaway Chabad movement, with Deutsch as "Liozna Rebbe", failed to gain popular support.<ref name="rebbe">"Dissidents Name 'Rebbe'," ''The Forward'', December 6, 1996</ref><ref>Heinon, Herb, "Bigger than Death," ''The Jerusalem Post'', August 15, 1997</ref><ref>Segall, Rebecca, "Holy Daze The problems of young Lubavitcher Hasidim in a world without the Rebbe," ''The Village Voice'', September 30, 2000</ref><ref>Eisenberg, Charles. ''The Book of Daniel: A Well Kept Secret''. Xulon Press. 2007. Page 103.</ref>
-===Chabad messianism===
-{{Main|Chabad messianism}}
-A few years prior to Schneerson's death, most members of the Chabad movement expressed their belief that Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the Messiah. Those subscribing to the beliefs have been termed ''meshichists'' (messianists). A typical statement of belief for Chabad messianists is the song and chant known as ''yechi adoneinu'' ("long live our master", {{langx|he|יחי אדונינו}}).<ref>The full text is ''Yechi adoneinu moreinu v'rabbeinu melech ha-moshiach l'olam vo'ed'' ("Long live our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever).</ref>
-Since 1994, some Chabad followers continue to believe in Schneerson as the Jewish messiah.  Chabad messianists either believe Schneerson will be [[Resurrection|resurrected]] from the dead to be revealed as the messiah or profess the belief that Schneerson never died in the first place. The Chabad messianic phenomenon has been met mostly with public concerns or opposition by non-Chabad Jewish leaders{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}.
 == In the arts ==