How the Lubavitcher Rebbe combined fierce, uncompromising standards with boundless empathy for every single soul
A teaching on Strength in empathy from the Ashrei Prayer- on effective Jewish leadership models for our time, and a tribute to my Rebbe of blessed memory, in preparing to mark the upcoming twentieth Yahrtzeit- anniversary of his passing.
One of the biggest debates in recent Jewish history revolves around the question of , “how do we inspire a new generation, to accept the baton of judaism and carry it triumphantly, forward?”
There seems to be two general ways of approaching this.
One is- all out innovation. Here s how it works. First, take a look at where people are really at, then based on that, begin to re-create the entire look, feel, and texture of Judaism as its been practiced for thousands of years, tailoring the ancient rituals of our faith,to snugly fit the changing shape of contemporary society.
The second one is the exact opposite- full out preservation. This approach is all about Holding on firmly to Torah values, Halacha, and minhag, customs, feigning oblivion to the monumental changes of modern life.
I believe both of these approaches are seriously flawed.
On one hand, If we keep peeling off more and more layers of our Jewish practice, we will end up having nothing left to “eat”- on the other hand, pretending that we are not faced with the challenge of keeping Judaism relevant in our modern society, and that the combination of adopting more stridency in our communal tone, and cloistering ourselves from the world around us guarantees our continuity, is wishful thinking.
I believe my Rebbe, like Reb Yochanan Ben Zakkai in his time, realized, that the surviving remnants of our post holocaust jewish community was once again at a crossroads, and with the utter decimation of the pre Shoah Eastern European communities, a towering Beit hamikdosh esque- flourishing Jewish communal infrastructure, would need to somehow be rebuilt, a new network would need to re established.
I think that the revolutionary idea of the Chabad House, was the Rebbes Yavneh!
In setting up these Chabad oasis like outposts, the Rebbe, like Reb Yochanan Ben Zakkai- spearheaded, and presided over a global Jewish renaissance unlike any other in our history.
Like Reb Yochanan Ben Zakkai-the Rebbe, also- was misunderstood and vilified by his contemporaries, who have only now started to begrudgingly appreciate, and even replicate, his sheer strategic foresight.
But was it only strategic insight, or something else deeper, more mysterious, that drove the Rebbe throughout his entire life, to dare to imagine the unimaginable, and in the process, achieve nothing less than the transformation of course of Jewish history.
What fueled the Rebbe with such assurance, conviction and utter fearlessness?
I know that historians are already grappling with his legacy now and will cotinue to do so in the future, offering many insights, some thoughtful, some fanciful, and some even downright spurious.
I can only humbly offer what I observed, growing up in the throes of that heady, tumultuous and always exhilarating, moment in time.
Even during the lifetime of my Rebbe- it was apparent to me at least, that he was never truly from here, a soul that slipped down to us, from Malchut of Atzilut, fastening himself on to the “tablecloth” of this generation, grounding himself to this place- to us, in love- like Moshe Rabenu, until the “Maamer,” finally had its way, on the the third of Tammuz, just under twenty years ago, as the bodily grip on this pristine, once in a lifetime soul loosened for good.
Only this kind of visionary Rebbe, was fully aware- that the innovation that is rooted in a place of unmitigated Hod- unlimited empathy that is hyper focused on circumstance, is as unhealthy as the stifling oblivion to those circumstances- that is rooted in a place of pure Gevurah.
He drew unmatched leadership courage from that exalted soul, withdrawing also from deep within those mysterious depths, an unmatched, pure love for KLAL Yisroel, setting out to do what none of the Gedolai Hador- were prepared to do- the unthinkable, to dare unsheathe the Hod sword out of its locked scabbard, and wield it with the right measure of gevurah- authoritatively, courageously and effectively.
Most importantly however, was the way he used hod not to innovate in and make changes to Torah.
Changing Torah with smugness, in back room “halachik commissions” was far more convenient, than challenging prevailing mindsets and perspectives, …..changing people!
Innovation, in presentation of the message- not the message itself….
The Rebbe challenged an entire generation, to change the flow, instead of just settling for, “going with the flow.”
Truly meeting people where they were, and offering a new way of seeing an old Yiddishkeit -that was authentic and intact, but you didn’t need to practice all or most of it, if you weren’t there yet.
You were encouraged with love and acceptance to grow in spirituality, one mitzvah at a time ….
Even one mitzvah, was a conduit leading to personal holiness and connectedness.
One mitzvah leads to another ……
Each mitzvah brings its own light into the world……
Torah remains intact…
Jewish people are engaged…..
And yes, you can put on Tefillin even if you’re not “orthodox”…. Sending shock waves through the Jewish establishment, on both sides of the fence
Win win- in the Daring new spiritual vocabulary of Lubavitch!
In doing so he pioneered a new third way, one that is now part of the lexicon of the entire Jewish community.
Some call it outreach,
Some, inreach-
Others Kiruv.
To me it was always one thing.
Shlichus.
Gevurah and Hod
It will always be that for me.
We went, not as career rabbis, we went as emissaries of this tzaddik in our time and we ve never left!
We went because we were inspired, and still are, by the vision and teachings of a man who believed he could change the world to be a better, brighter, kinder and ultimately holier place.
The rebbe led us on his path of towing the line, with empathy and understanding, minus the compromise and deconstructionist mentality.
The Rebbe like Yitzchak Avinu, knew how thirsty this generation was, to drink from the wellsprings of redemption and hope.
He urged us to be creative and think out of the box, but resist the urge to dig new wells- I continue to hear his voice as I dig my way through life “dig deeper, he urged us, if you’re not finding what you’re looking for your simply not looking hard enough!”
A re-reading of a verse in Ashrei is a good teaching on this idea.
להודיע לבני האדם גבורותיו —- “Lehodia leevnay ha- Adam gevurotav”
Even though Judaism cannot survive without its gevurah structure, if that structure is inaccessible, and feels like a threatening impenetrable fortress, turning away those that would enjoy its warmth, those very people for whom this structure was constructed in the first place, then that is equally threatening to our survival.
The solution?
Presentation!
Lehodia is a wonderful word. It has the connotation of communication of truth in a non threatening un coercive manner, it’s conveyed in the same spirit as good news meant to be shared, Lehodia… “Just sayin… Judaism is fun, spiritual, and meaningful.”
Even the most gevurah like subject matter can be communicated with softness, as long as there is a hod like- sensitive, approach.
This form of sharing the gevurotav- the structured principled truths that form the backbone of Judaism, can be shared in a Lehodia form-only by seeing the other as Benai Adam -people, complex beings, each carrying their own story, each with their private history… Each equally loved by Hashem !
A true exchange of spiritual ideas, cannot happen between strangers.
Built right into the Hebrew word- Lehodia, to notify, is the word hod, which means empathy!
The Rebbe set the tone for the “principled kindness” approach to Yiddishkeit, that has drawn an entire generation of Jews back to the communal table, by not only holding
Onto those principles Strongly with sternness, but also by HOD-ing us strongly, with love, showing us how us to draw the inspiration from Torah. To lead higher, holier, and yes, just as important, happier lives!
Rabbi Yossi