Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch, is a Hasidic dynasty and global movement within Haredi Judaism. It is among the world's largest, most influential, and most publicly visible movement of Hasidic Judaism, known for its extensive network of institutions and active engagement with Jews of all affiliations worldwide, in contrast to the generally insular orientation of most Haredi groups.
Founded in 1775 by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi in Liozno, then in the Russian Empire, Chabad takes its name from the Hebrew acronym —Chokmah, Binah, and Da'at —which reflects its emphasis on intellectual contemplation and kabbalistic theology. The name Lubavitch derives from the town of Lyubavichi, where the movement's leadership was based from 1813 to 1915.
During the 20th century, Chabad's center shifted from Eastern Europe to the United States due to state-sanctioned antisemitism in the Soviet Union and the upheavals of World War II and the Holocaust. Under the leadership of its seventh rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, from 1951 to 1992, the movement underwent rapid expansion, establishing a worldwide system of synagogues, educational institutions, social-service organizations, and outreach centers, which provide outreach to unaffiliated Jews, religious services, education, cultural programming, and humanitarian assistance.
Chabad's global population was estimated to be more than 90,000 as of 2018, accounting for 13% of the global Hasidic population. However, as many as one million Jews participate in Chabad activities annually. Following Schneerson's death in 1994, no successor was appointed; belief among some followers that he is the Messiah, a movement known as Chabad messianism, has generated internal debate and broader controversy within the Jewish world.
History
The Chabad movement was established after the First Partition of Poland in the town of Liozno, Pskov Governorate, Russian Empire, in 1775, by Shneur Zalman of Liadi, a student of Dov Ber of Mezeritch, the successor to Hasidic Jews founder, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the second Rebbe, moved the movement to Lyubavichi, in current-day Russia, in 1813.The movement was centered in Lyubavichi for a century until the fifth Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, left the village in 1915 and moved to the city of Rostov-on-Don. During the interwar period, due to persecution by the Bolsheviks, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, under the sixth Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, was centered in Riga and then in Warsaw. The outbreak of World War II led the sixth Rebbe to move to the United States. Since 1940, the movement's center has been in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
While the movement spawned a number of offshoot groups throughout its history, the Chabad-Lubavitch branch is the only one still active, making it the movement's main surviving line. Historian Jonathan Sarna has characterized Chabad as having enjoyed the fastest rate of growth of any of the Jewish religious movements during 1946–2015.
In the early 1900s, Chabad-Lubavitch legally incorporated itself under Agudas Chasidei Chabad.
In the 1980s, tensions arose between Chabad and Satmar Chasidim as a result of several assaults on Chabad Hasidim by Satmar Hasidim.
Oppression and resurgence in Russia
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 a number of Chabad Hasidim. During the Second World War, many Chabad Hasidim evacuated to the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Tashkent where they established small centers of Hasidic life, while at the same time seeking ways to emigrate from Soviet Russia due to the government's suppression of religious life. The reach of Chabad in Central Asia also included earlier efforts that took place in the 1920s. 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. And throughout the Soviet era, the Chabad movement maintained a secret network across the USSR. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, state persecution of Chabad ceased. The Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, a Chabad emissary, maintains warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lazar also received the Order of Friendship and Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" medals from him.Leadership
The Chabad movement has been led by a succession of Hasidic rebbes. The main branch of the movement, Chabad-Lubavitch, has had seven rebbes:- Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founded the Chabad movement in the town of Liozna. The Chabad movement began as a separate school of thought within the Hasidic movement, focusing of the spread of Hasidic mystical teachings using logical reasoning. Shneur Zalman's main work is the Tanya. The Tanya is the central book of Chabad thought and is studied daily by followers of the Chabad movement. Shneur Zalman's other works include a collection of writings on Hasidic thought, and the, a revised version of the code of Halakha, both of which are studied regularly by followers of Chabad. Shneur Zalman's successors went by last names such as "Schneuri" and "Schneersohn", signifying their descent from the movement's founder. He is commonly referred to as the "Old Rebbe".
- Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, son of Rabbi Shneur Zalman, led the Chabad movement in the town of Lyubavichi. His leadership was initially disputed by Rabbi Aaron Halevi of Stroselye, however, Rabbi Dovber was generally recognized as his father's rightful successor, and the movement's leader. Rabbi Dovber published a number of his writings on Hasidic thought, greatly expanding his father's work. He also published some of his father's writings. Many of Rabbi Dovber's works have been subsequently republished by the Chabad movement. He is commonly referred to as the .
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, a grandson of Rabbi Shneur Zalman and son-in-law of Rabbi Dovber. Following his attempt to persuade the Chabad movement to accept his brother-in-law or uncle as rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel assumed the title of rebbe of Chabad, also leading the movement from the town of Lyubavichi. He published a number of his works on both Hasidic thought and Jewish law. Rabbi Menachem Mendel also published some of the works of his grandfather, Rabbi Shneur Zalman. He is commonly referred to as the after the title of his responsa.
- Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn, was the seventh and youngest son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel. He assumed the title of rebbe in town of Lyubavichi, while several of his brothers assumed the title of rebbe in other towns, forming Chabad groups of their own which existed for several decades. Years after his death, his teachings were published by the Chabad movement. He is commonly referred to as the, an acronym for .
- Rabbi Shalom Dovber Schneersohn, Shmuel's second son, succeeded his father as rebbe. Rabbi Shalom Dovber waited some time before officially accepting the title of rebbe, as not to offend his elder brother, Zalman Aaron. He established a yeshiva called Tomchei Temimim. During World War I, he moved to Rostov-on-Don. Many of his writings were published after his death, and are studied regularly in Chabad yeshivas. He is commonly referred to as the, an acronym for.
- Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the only son of Sholom Dovber, succeeded his father as rebbe of Chabad. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak was exiled from Russia, following an attempt by the Bolshevik government to have him executed. He led the movement from Warsaw, Poland, until the start of World War II. After fleeing the Nazis, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak lived in Brooklyn, New York until his death. He established much of Chabad's current organizational structure, founding several of its central organizations as well as other Chabad institutions, both local and international. He published a number of his writings, as well as the works of his predecessors. He is commonly referred to as the or the .
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, son-in-law of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, and a great-grandson of the third Rebbe of Lubavitch, assumed the title of rebbe one year after his father-in-law's death. Rabbi Menachem Mendel greatly expanded Chabad's global network, establishing hundreds of new Chabad centers across the globe. He published many of his own works as well as the works of his predecessors. His teachings are studied regularly by followers of Chabad. He is commonly referred to as "the Lubavitcher Rebbe", or simply "the Rebbe". Even after his death, many continue to revere him as the leader of the Chabad movement.
Influence
According to journalist Steven I. Weiss, Chabad's ideology has dramatically influenced non-Hasidic Jews' outreach practices. Because of its outreach to all Jews, including those Jews who are quite alienated from religious Jewish traditions, Chabad has been described as the one Orthodox group which evokes great affection from large segments of American Jewry.
Philosophy
Chabad Hasidic philosophy focuses on religious and spiritual concepts such as God, the soul, and the meaning of the Jewish commandments. Classical Judaic writings and Jewish mysticism, especially the Zohar and the Kabbalah of Rabbi Isaac Luria, are frequently cited in Chabad works. These texts are used both as sources of Chabad teachings and as material for Chabad authors to interpret. Many of these teachings discuss what is commonly referred to as bringing "heaven down to earth," i.e., making the Earth a dwelling place for God. Chabad philosophy is rooted in the teachings of Rabbis Yisroel ben Eliezer, and Dovber ben Avraham, the "Maggid of Mezritch".Rabbi Shneur Zalman's teachings, particularly in the, formed the basis of Chabad philosophy, as expanded by succeeding generations. Many Chabad activities today are understood as applications of Shneur Zalman's teachings.