The Company They Keep

The recent publication of a Chumash (Pentatuch) with the commentary of the late Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, has won rave reviews from non-Chabad sources including Yeshiva University's Rabbi Norman Lamm, noted Sqverer posek Rabbi Gavriel Zinner, Great Britain's Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, R. Gershon Tannenbaum of Igud HaRabbonim, and former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.

So, what's the problem?

If you scroll down this page, you'll notice that Chabad has garnered other endorsements of note for the "Rebbe's Chumash," including the noted messianists R. Avrohom Osdoba, R. Nissen Mangel and R. Shloma Majesky.

My, my. The company some people keep.

Comments

[josh]

What proof do you have of Osdoba being a messianist?

[Zalman Alpert]

Has Rav Osdaba ever criticized the various Messianic groups in Crown Heights ?

[Zalman Alpert]

May I note that among the signatories you list as endorsing the product there is not 1 rosh Yeshiva, 1 Chassidic rabbinical notable, not 1 active rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University, not 1 United States Orthodox pulpit rabbi, not 1 Orthodox academic , not 1 leading Orthodox thinker with the exception of Dr. Lamm. Rabbi Zinner is a fime mora Horaoh, but hardly a manhig or hoge deoth. Its more important to note who is missing from the list .

[Yehoshua]

Zalman - So does that make the book bad?

Uhhh but it's clear you have no idea who most of the people are. The first 4 are big enough? Ok fine, what about the Rav Osdoba...So you say he's a meshichist and that doesn't count. I don't know if he's ever critized the "messianic groups". You don't understand the politics. Why should get involved in such issues, he has more important things that "critizing" a bunch of ba'al teshuva israelis.

Also you missed on the list ... Rabbi Bogolmisky, Rabbi Shochet, Rabbi Schappiro (a ROSH YESHIVA - you said there wasn't one??) and many more..scroll down and read the whole list...

[Yehoshua]

Zalman - Who should be on the list??? Figure out which "gedolim" would impress you and then we'll mail them a copy of the chumash to review it. Will that make you feel better?

[Shmarya]

Yehoshua / Josh –

I believe Rabbi Alpert is referring to *Non-Chabad* Roshei Yeshiva and Gedolim.

As for R. Osdoba, he was a messianist in the mid-1990's and as far as I know, he still is. As for the politics between R. Krinsky's camp and the Beis Din, I think it's safe to say that Rabbi Alpert is well aware of the situation.

As for me, in my pre-blogging days, R. Osdoba's son, R. Krinsky, and many other people on all sides of that issue were my friends. Further, during the Crown Heights pogrom, I used my political contacts to bring pressure on Mayor Dinkins to stop the pogrom. I go back a long way with Chabad, and many of my friends are still involved as Hasidim or supporters.

Perhaps I may know a bit more about Chabad than you realize.

[Shmarya]

Yehoshua / Josh –

Please remove my personal information from your blog immediately.

Thank You

[Yehoshua]

Friends, huh? If I call and ask about you will they remember you?

[Shmarya]

Absolutely.

Now take down my personal information please.

[Yehoshua]

Does R' Krinsky or R' Osdaba know about your site?
How old are you?

[Yehoshua]

In terms of "*Non-Chabad* Roshei Yeshiva and Gedolim"...Why doesn't a Chabad Rosh Yeshiva count? Which one would he like to see on there...And, what makes someone a "gadol" anyway ??? (Which is more a less a litvish thing now adays...To have "gedolim".) There are no "gedolim" in Chabad. There may be Rabbis who are considered Talmidei Chochamim...but we certaintly aren't calling them "gedolim"

[Zalman Alpert]

As to Yehoshua's claim that I do not know who these people are , I will not bother to repond. Yes In a chumash of this sort I would love to see Haskomot of roshe yeshiva like Rav Hershel Schachter (Riets) Rabbi J.D. Bleich (Riets) Rabbi Moshe Tendler (RIETS) Rabbi Willig (RIETS) Rabbi Dovid Feinstein (MTJ) . Others like Rav Moshe Wolfson of Torah Vedaas, Morgenstern (HTC) would also be interesting Orthodox academics like Bible scholars as Shnayetr Zalman Leiman, Richard Steiner and other scholars such as Hayyim Soloveitchik, Jay Harris Moshe Bernstein , Berel Septimus would also be useful. The general Chasidic community has hundreds of great Talmide Chachomim who may be able to comment constructively on such a book men like Rabbis Mayer Schiller, Moshe Weinberger, A.J. Twerski, the Modsitzer rebbe, Rabbi Twerski of Milwaukee all speak and read English and are scholars of note. Synagogue rabbis as Rabbis Saul Berman, Rabbi Gelley (KAJ) Rabbi Marc Angel, Rabbi Teitz (Elizabeth, NJ) would all be interesting baale haskome as well.Not one of these people is an enemy of Chabad .
The fact that Chabad has no gedolim is sad. There are gedolim in Chabad but they fail to be recognized by a group that is top heavy with people who do not value Torah knowledge.Tell me in the past was Itche masmid not a gadol. Rav Noe was not a gadol, rav Zevin was not a gadol, Rav Shmuel Levitin was not a gadol, Reb Yankev landau was not a gadol!!!!
Takke, its a gutte kashe why there are supposdly no gedolim in Chabad today ??
In fact there are especially in Eretz Yiosroel but there is an obvious reason they will not get the recognition they richly deserve...
There is nothing wrong with Chabad roshe yeshiva like Laibel Shapiro, Y. Kalmenson, They clearly are gedolim in learning and others but one wonders why the community does not accord them their due role as roshe yeshiva in Brooklyn, Montrael and Morristown where they can be marbitz Torah to thousands rather than function as roshe yeshiva to small groups of bachurim each year. My point of all of this is that few American non-Lubavitcher Yeshiva deans, pulpti rabbis , thinkers, Chasidic leaders and academics gave this Chumash their abrobation.I stress that I have not looked at the volumes myself. I base my discussion on the notes in this department.

[Yehoshua]

Your last 2 lines are enough. Read it first.

Or you can write Kehos and ask them why no other "gedolim" have commented on it and list some of the ones you did.

[Zalman Alpert]

The discussion is not about the merits of the translation about a Chumash. Yagdil Torah Veyadir. The discussion is about the nature of who in the constellation of important Orthodox rabbis and thinkers would endorse a Chabad project no matter how meritorious it is. And how few did in fact endorse this Chumash.
The list odf endorsees is absurd it includes an ex-con rabbi at least 15 Chabad shluchim who may be fine activists, fund raisers, PR men but most are hardly of the scholarly calibre you would want to endorse a fine sefer of this sort. a doctor a psychologist ( what is the inyon of shmitta lehar sinai here!) Again not 1 American yeshiva dean not rabbis Tendler, Wolfson, David or Reuven Feinstein, not 1 Chassiidc leader in America (not AJ Twerski, Michel Twerski, Moshe Weinberger, perhaps a Bretzlver , rabbi, Menachem Goldberger, not 1 non-Chabad outreach worker like Effi Buchwald or Esther Jungreis, not one Orthodox Bible scholar like Rabbi Dr. Shnayer Z. Leiman, Shalom Carmy Richard Steiner,or Larry Shiffman (NYU), not one pulpit rabbi such as Avi Weiss, ,F. Schonfeld, Rabbi Teitz,Rabbi Berman (Jewish Center) etc, not one Yeshiva pricipal outside of Chabad.
This certainly does not reflect on the nature of the volume. rather it reflects on the isolation of Chabad today. Besides Rabbi Lamm and Chief rabbi Saks there are few other serious English speaking non Lubavitcher maskimim . I wonder how well rabbi Lau's English is and I seriously doubt that Rav Urbach of Tiberias can read English well.
This in is counter distinction to the period of the Rayaats leadership when gedolim like rabbis Chaim Eyzer of Vilna, Rav Kuk, the gerer Rebbe, the heiliger Chofetz Chaim, rabbi Leizer Silver, Dr. Hildesheimer of Berlin, Chief rabbi JH Hertz all supported and cooperated with the Rayaats efforts in the USSR and his yeshiva in Poland. One can only wonder what happened in the ensuing 50 years.

[Yehoshua]

Nu? Have you even read it yet?

With something like 2000 Chabad Houses worldwide and Chabad Rabbis holding high positions, I hardly consider them "isolated".

[Zalman Alpert]

Ad Mosai ??

[Yehoshua]

Do we have to wait? We want MOSHIACH NOW! We don't want to wait!!

[Yehoshua]

You're a librarian...Go get the book and read it.

[Ladron]

".....not 1 American yeshiva dean not rabbis Tendler, Wolfson, David or Reuven Feinstein, ...."
The reason could be very simple . Aliba de Chabad , they don't exist .
Admitting to their existence is embarassing , since 'judaism starts & ends with Chabad'.
According to Chabad too , Yirat Shomoyim , is 'only' at Chabad .
That or "maybe" all these fine deans would want nothing to do with this kind of project .

[Benny]

In your article re Previous Rebbe saved from the Holocaust by Nazis, you attach the subject review of the book by Histroian Rigg. In your article on this website, you rely on Riggs comments. In the article, Rigg also says the following:

What can we now do, if we put away our petty prejudices and religious differences to unite and together and help our fellow man?” Rigg says. “Each of us has an incredible opportunity to make a difference in our world, especially when we see signs of genocide. It takes a willingness to speak up, to put our resources in a cause larger than ourself.”

I accidently found this website today. I've browsed this website now for the last hour or so. In my humble assessment, this site is not about educating the public of the supposed dangers of Chabad. R it Its truly all about baseless hatred of fellow Jews.

[Yaakov]

Amen BENNY!
As someone who is associated with Chabad on a weekly basis, I have many non-Chabadniks pray from non-Chabad Siddurs, receive Aliyahs, and even read the Torah at Chabad Shuls. This webpage is a hate page - it belongs in the company of the Black Panthers, White power groups, Nation of Islam, and other anti-Jewish webpages.

Another thing. All of you self-righteous guys out there who have made it your personal Torah duty to interrogate and persecute Chabadniks around the world - why don't you focus on your own groups and mind your own damn business. What have YOU done for Judaism lately?

[astounded]

Gershon Tannenbaum is an ex-con and and PR honcho con-artist. R. Zinner is not a Skverer, as far as I know.

[Shmeryl]

And how maNY rOSHEI yEHICVOS GAVE haskama on The Stone?

[bt skeptic]

Anone know anything about the legitimacy pf shabbat across america.ccording to their absurd numbers (400,00), every tenth Jew you meet should have been to their event. Seems like a lot of genaiaavs daas.

[bt skeptic]

Anone know anything about the legitimacy pf shabbat across america.ccording to their absurd numbers (400,00), every tenth Jew you meet should have been to their event. Seems like a lot of genaiaavs daas.

[furious]

Does anyone know anything about Buchwald's NJOP?
His numbers are hocus pokus. According to him, every fourth Jew you stop on the street has attended his programs. And these stupid philanthropists shower money at this stuff

[L]

since when is R' Mangel a mishechist?

[josh]

Get a Life, this Website is bringing Klal Yisroel further down the tubes. Whoever created this site is such a putz.

[simcha]

What is the point of all of this. This website is so lopsided. One only puts down one side of a story and cant have the maturity to have proper rep of both sides. This is cruel and reminds of the anti semtic that jews have recieved over the years in russia etc. One track we are right and you are wrong. You state that you believe in G-d. If so dont you think there is a chance you may be wrong?? And if indeed you were wrong, I shudder in fear about what it means to be wrong with portraying people's leaders in a negative light. Your obsession to bring harm to yidden is quite frighting. You give fodder to our young people which we are deseperately trying to save from being assimlated. Are you not concerned about the day of Judgement, when you stand before the creator all of the deeds that came out from your website? Stop hurting innocent people. you are the judge and you base your information on any one sided source that help foritfies your personal feelings. I pray that the creator will help us by causing this site to disappear. I also hope that it will be done thru a peaceful means, for our creator does have mercy and hopefully it will be extended to you.

Rabbi Avrohom Osdoba is now in a NIDOY by Beis Din Of America ! ! !

The Nidoy was Issued against Rabbi Avrohom Osdoba on Friday, Erev Shabbos Parshas SHOFTIM, by Rabbi Osdobas', very own, hand picked Beis Din, where Rabbi Osdoba HIMSELF, was himself the PLAINTIFF in this Beis Din and where Rabbi Osdoba himself had chosen, this very Beis Din, himself! ! !

The Prestigious Beis Din of America states in their Siruv and Nideoy against Rabbi Osdoba that Rabbi Osdoba is now completely disqualified in any capacity as a Rav.

[Shmarya]

It is NOT the Beis Din of America.

It is the same fake Beis Din of America that was involved in the Singer case. The one where rabbis appear to have taken bribes.

It means nothing.