50 "Most Influential" Rabbis In The US – Chabad's Rabbi Krinsky #2

Newsweek has an insipid listing of the 50 "most influential" rabbis in the US. Number one is the Wiesenthal Center's Marvin Hier. Number 2? Chabad's Yehuda Krinsky, who is described this way:

Krinsky has truly built a “shul” on every corner and brought the Chabad movement mainstream prominence.  He is the leader of Chabad and its CEO.

The only other haredi rabbis on the list are Zalman Titelbaum of Satmar, who comes in at number 15 (and the article does not say why he's on the list), Artscroll's Nosson Scherman and an Aish rabbi, both much further down on the list. The list identifies 'rabbi' Berg from the Kabbalah Center as "Orthodox." (He comes in at number 4.) And it has Saul Berman, Modechai Gafni's disgraced supporter, at number 14.

Krinsky really is extremely influential. Is this good or bad for the Jews? Unless Rabbi Krinsky comes out and clearly distances himself and the sections of Chabad he controls from all forms of Rebbe-centered messianism, I would say Chabad's influence is a bad thing.

Comments

[mimi]

So what do you have against Rabbi Krinsky, anyway? He's against this whole meshichist stuff!

[Rabbi Boruch (Borat) Sagdievsky]

B"H
I must protest against this so called Newsweek list.
My saintly father in law Yudel-Almighty-G-d of Kazakhstan and redeemer of the whole world except Uzbekistan and my neighbor who can't be redeemed should be and is #1 in fact he is only one and whoever denyes his oneness and incorporeality is a koifer be ikar - total heretic according to the Rambam.
Come see the blog about Him right here:

http://www.DonkeyMoshiach.blogspot.com
and convert to Yudelism : http://donkeymoshiach.blogspot.com/search/label/Yudelism like i did before it's too late - for the kingdom of Yudel is upon us!!!

[Sochatchover]

Newsweek ought to know that phenomena is plural and phenomenon is singular.

[Lawrence M. Reisman]

Nosson Scherman is also on the list.

[Ben Qor'ha (Baldwin)]

from an orthodox perspective, rabbi hier on top of the list?
i get somewhst miffed when holocaust is made part of the jewish faith. it's sad, it's sad. he has many doors opened? ok, he has many doors opened to him, but he is a (may be great and wonderful) macher with doors opened to him, who happens to be a rabbi. but his influence whatever it is, does not come from his rabbinic affiliation.
rabbi krinski is a great rabbi but his greatest qualification, is the high visibility of chabad. so newsweek asks rabbi shemtov (?) who would you say is one of the sanest of you guys, he will say rabbi krinski.
but what did rabbi krinsky do to fight messianism? he must be a great administrator, nevertheless, many of his emissaries "are" messianists.
Is there any directive for them to towe the line or be thrown out instead?
but it does not seem to me that newsweek invested much thought in formulating the list. the list is made of very few (not so)"hot tips".

[anon]

i THINK THAT THE LIST IS JUST TO SHOW THAT THERE IS DIVERSITY. ANY RANKING DONE JUST SHOWS THE PERSONAL VIEW, BIAS, OR THE LIST MAKER. PLEASE HAVE READERS SUBMIT LISTS OF THEIR TOP 50. IT SHOULD BE INTERESTING.

[C-G]

Well, leave it to the head of Sony pictures and a couple of his drinking buddies to say who are our best and brightest. And just in time for Pesach. This is one Jewish conspiracy I'll opt out of, thanks.

[Schneur]

Is Krinsky a rabbi ? and is he a charedi ?

[Shmarya]

"So what do you have against Rabbi Krinsky, anyway? He's against this whole meshichist stuff!"

No, that's false. Chabad is split into two main groups. The first, those who openly proclaim the Rebbe as the messiah. The second, those who do not push the Rebbe as the messiah line but, at the same time, do NOT deny the Rebbe is the messiah and will not do so unequivocally when challenged. Rabbi Krinsky is in the second group.

Both groups are Rebbe-centric, meaning everything goes through the Rebbe. They both still ask the Rebbe for advice and blessing, and many direct their prayers to the Rebbe (either to the empty chair in fron of 770 or to the grave in Queens) where from their they are carried to God by the Rebbe – who himslef is often viewed as part of the Godhead.

[haKiruv]

I don't think there's even a shul within a 100mi radius of me, so I know that's not right. :-D

Notice how they label Krinsky Lubavitch (instead of Orthodox).

[w]

The list is a joke.

1) You can see that it comes from L.A. so, not surprisingly, L.A. based Rabbi Hier is #1, and others with high profiles there get high rankings, like R. Krinsky due to Lubavitch PR out there with their telethon and other stuff. Also, the high Ranking given to Berg of the L.A. area based so-called 'Kabbalah Centre'.

2) What is wrong with them, they can't even spell Orthodox right ?? They spell it Orthordox throughout the list.

3) This is what they write -

"15. Zalman Teitelbaum (Hasidim)
Berman is considered one of the most forward thinking Jewish scholars of his generation." ?

Was there no editing done on the piece ?

Bottom line - a big joke.

[aryeh]

The list reflects the point of view of those that compiled it. It is basicly a reflection of the pr and media savy of those on it. outside of rabbi normann lamm none of the YU rabbinate is listed. YU in other words has no real national presence. This should concern all of us who want to see an orthodoxy that is not made in the immage of lakewood.

[Nachum Lamm]

The vast majority of these rabbis have absolutely no influence on Jews at all.

[chief doofis]

Outside of Norman Lamm, there is no YU Rabbi mentioned. There are no Lakewood Rabbis mentioned, no Brooklyn Rabbis either. While I may not always agree with Rabbonim further right than YU (although there is a great deal of common ground) it's absurd to say that no Haredi Rabbis, almost no Centrist Rabbis, and very few MO Rabbis have an influence on US Jewry. Onc eagain, the media is oblivious of what's going on in the Jewish world.

[KRAMER]

I saw Hier today. If newsweek thinks he is #1 then what the heck do they know. The only good thing about newsweek was the 3 political comics they had in each issue, which they seem to have dropped. Now there is nothing worthwhile in newsweek, and this article is an example of how bad they have become.

[MO MAN]

Just demonstrates how outsiders are clueless about the inner workings of Judaism. Besides Rabbi Lamm, there's not one rabbi that anyone pays any attention to.
Hier is a friigin' joke, if he's a rabbi of importance, I'm uncle Moishy.

[Ma Rabbi]

I think we should nominate chief doofis to the list providing that he is forthcoming and tells us who gave him semicha.

[MO MAN]

I second the motion. Chief D., go for it.

[chief doofis]

I would gladly provide the info to a private e mail sddress, but only for your personal edification. I don't like publicity. I am involved in "kiruv" work, albeit part time, and have been for over 20 years. I am not one of the 50 greatest nor most influential Rabbis in the U.S. There are, however, many legitimate names that belong on the list.

THE CHIEF

[chelmerrebbe]

Lerner, Gellman, Waskow?
These guys are more influential than Lamm? That's just nutty.

[chief doofis]

In 2000, I read a listing of the 100 most influential lierary works (Jewish) of the 20th century. Conspicuous by their absence were the Mishna B'rura, anything by Art Scroll, indeed, just about anything published by anyone in the Orthodox community.

The media thinks that Orthodoxy is dead. Although we are all aware of various ailments Orthodoxy suffers, in 2100, like it or not, that's about all that will be left, along with a snall nucleus of committed members of other denominations. The vast uncommitted masses, will either commit or vanish into the ether.

[Anon]

Shmarya you didn't even make it to #50. Face it Sharya, you are a failure.

[Paul Freedman]

I dunno Shmarya--I wouldn't be surprised if the only guy R. Krinsky seeks spiritual guidance from is the guy he sees in the shaving mirror each day.

[aryeh]

simon wisenthal center is pushing the newsweek list.

[Dave]

Why are we so surprised about the rise of the Elokists and the Mechistim (sp?)?
Midrash and Aggada, taken to their logical extreme result in mysticism, which taken to its logical extreme results in the Elokists and Mechistim.
Mysticism should be ignored in all Jewish teaching.
Our Tanach and our messorah has so many beautiful parts to it. It does not need mysticism of any kind. Mysticism leads to avodah zarah.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Dave, I used to be into that stuff (Kabbalah), but now I agree with you. It's Gnostic, etc., and not in the Tanach. However, there is plenty of mysticism in Nevi'im. It's good enough for me, w/o adding the other stuff. In its purest form, the mystical quest is for communion with God.

(BTW, Rav Kapach, a Yeminite scholar, also rejects Kabbalah. Anyone out there know of his teachings?)

[Dave]

Yochanan, I am glad you agree with me.
I had not heard of Rav Kapach, but I would say in today's environment that he's a brave man. Thanks, I'll try to google him.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Dave: Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dor_Daim.

And this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosef_Qafih

Cavaet: Wikipedia is open-source and not 100% reliable- but it's a start.

[chief doofis]

Hi Dave and Yochanan;

Note how little the Shulchan Aruch relies on Kabbala!! Note how virtually no Yeshiva even discusses Kabbala. Note how your typical Yeshiva Beth Medrash won't even have a copy of the Zohar in it. Even though some of the charedi world has been so dulled in their senses by the right wing, accept everything propaganda, their reflexes still fight off Kabbala. Mysticism has little or no role in normative Judaism.

[Dave]

Yochanan,
Thanks. It seems Rav Kapach passed away in 2000, z'l. He sounds to have been a real gadol.
I saw an article- www.chayas.com/rabbi.htm
also www.torah.org/learning/rambam/special/kapach.html
My problem is that a lot of the Midrash that I've seen quoted tends to veer into anthropmorphism.
CD, I am very glad to know that the haredi world still fights off Kabala. Baruch Hashem.

[RavSaul]

If I create an organization to support all sex offenders will I make #1 next year on the list?

[anonymous]

Hello, I am a Jew who has become fairly observant over the past few years. I still live in the real world and am having a very hard time understanding the Chabad movement. Do all Chabad rabbi's think that they are above the laws of the United States. They seem to cheat on their taxes, and fail to follow any of the safty codes put forth by various government organizations. I also wonder why some of these rabbi's teach their children to hate blacks and not trust anyone but other Chabad people. i know that these people are very narrow-minded and uneducated, but do they not realise that the large majority of the anti-semitism in the United States comes directly from them. I would appreciate anyone who could give me a link to a place where the rebbe (who is definately not the messiah in any way shape or form; and who is most certainly dead)said it is okay to think you are better then everyone and you do not have to pay your fair share of taxes. i am venting because I was very turned off by these people.

[Yochanan Lavie]

I am not against the mystical impulse of getting closer to God. I just think Kabbalah is questionable at best. The chasidic movement started because normative Ashkenazic Judaism was dry and elitist. Even today, I prefer a Carlebach, chasidic-inspired, davening to a dry "yeshivish" davening- which I find boring and intolerable. The problem with chasidism is the over-reliance on charismatic leaders, and kabbalism (unfortunately, the "misnagdish" world now imitates the chasidim in that reagrd- Roshei Yeshiva are worshipped in the manner Chasidic rebbes are). I used to be attracted to the Sephardic-mizrachi world, but now they are totally Ashkenazified in ideology. I want to return to the mysticism of the Nevi'im. I want to scrape away all the crap and return to authentic Judaism, like Kapach did. (But unlike Kapach, I am even willing to learn from alternative traditions, such as Karaism).

[aryeh]

There is a great attraction to mysticism in the world today.witness the popularity of phillip bergs kaballa center,chabad,and meditation.people want spirituality and some find it in kabballa.

[Dave]

Yochanan, I agree with a lot of what you say. Although I realize that there is mysticism in the Nevi'im, I would prefer not to dwell on that. I am Sephardic, and I am sorry that the Sephardic-mizrach world has become Ashkenazified in ideology. Sadly however, we Sephardim also have a mystical wing ourselves, so I cannot claim to holier than thou. From what little I've read of Mussar, I greatly admire it. I read some of the links to Kapach and he sounded like a true gadol. From what I've read about the beginning of Karaism, it almost seemed like a non-violent version of a civil war between the Karaites and the Rabbanites, and I think the protagonists were quite broken up about it. Both lost from the fight. I think that Karaism has some good points that we should consider for present day Judaism. Unfortunately some Karaites also become overly wrapped up in humrot/ chumrot, in their own version of haredism.
However, that being said, I think some Conservative Jews who do not accept the current rulings of JTS with respect to homosexuality might do well to consider Karaism. Another interesting point is that a seemingly small but articulate group among the Karaites, at least in the U.S.A., are former evangelical Christians, before they converted to Judaism.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Chazak u'baruch, Dave. I agree. My contention with JTS is that the torah prohibits buggery between males. Having a gay orientation, but being halachic in practice (i.e. refraining from male anal sex)should not be a barrier because there is no such thing as "orientation" in the torah (or "smicha," for that matter). But JTS no longer gives a fig about halacha. (As some have the honesty to admit). I also agree with you about the Karaites. For example, I don't take an ultra-literalist, fundamentalist Protestant approach to Chumash. Some things are obvious allegory. But it's divine allegory meant to teach us things.

[Dave]

Thanks, Jochanan.I am actually sorry about what's happened with Conservative Judaism, since I do believe in Hashem's continuing revelation to the people of Israel. So sadly I cannot be Orthodox, much as I would like to be. I think part of the background to the entire JTS debate on homosexuality is that heterosexual society has changed and now accepts as normative certain practices among heterosexual couples such as anal sex and fellatio, previously considered (or should have been considered) by all religious groups to be totally un-tzniut/ beyond the pale, even within the context of a committed heterosexual relationship. To put it in dramatic language, we as heterosexuals have sinned by condoning the above mentioned practices, so it is very hard to then become all moralistic and forbid such practices to non-heterosexuals.
Mind you, I do not accept or condone the above mentioned practices, I am just stating what I feel is basically a morally weakened heterosexual society.
I agree with your point about allegory in Chumash. My view of it is that if Hashem revealed to us the actual workings of the Universe, we would die, our bodies and souls would not be able to cope with the effulgence of Hashem's glory. So the Eternal One in loving-kindness allows us to understand on our own puny human level
about the universe, through allegory.

[ChaimR]

Yochanan and Dave, I am curious to know your thoughts on rav kook. I have been reading his writings recently and have found some pretty revolutionary concepts mentioned by him. He wasn't against the possibility of evolution, he wasn't against secular education, and he was one of the few leaders of the jewish people at that time who foresaw the benefits and divine will in the establishment of a Jewish state. He had a deep understanding of human nature and was an absolute genious.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Dave: I am a bit more libertarian than you on heterosexual felatio and even hetero buggery. If it's not explicitedly forbidden by the torah, it's mutar (even lesbianism- although rabbis try to read a prohibition into the torah). Unlike St. Paul and St. Augustine, I think sex is a positive good, as long as it's not abused. Sex is not only for procreation, but to bring people together. Adultery, incest, and homosexual anal sex are forbidden; probably because they are destructive.

I find much more troubling the over-sexualization of our culture. I teach in a public high school, and I see cute little 14 year old girls in braces dressed like "hoes." It's distressing. The "hook-up" culture on college campus, and promiscuity at any age are awful. This is the fallout of the breakdown of the family.

I am pretty liberal on gay rights (although otherwise I am a "crunchy con"), but I feel uncomfortable with people putting their sexuality out there, and defining themselves by it. I don't go around announcing I am a "Hetero Jew." It's a part of life, but it is not one's whole life. Idon't mind a rabbi who happens to have a homosexual orientation, but lives halachically, but I don't like the idea of a "Gay Rabbi."

Chaim R: There's a lot about Rav Kook that I like. I am a Zionist, like he was. I like his ahavat Yisrael, and his tolerance for secular studies. I like the idea that he tried to reconcile evolution with the torah. My reservations are that he derives his ideas from kabbalah, which I no longer can believe in. Also, his form of Zionism can be used to support an extreme form of religious Zionism. I am a passionate moderate (yes, there is such a thing).

[ChaimR]

I ask you Yochanan, you say that kabbalah is questionable at best. But clearly there is kabalah mentioned in the tanach. I believe that hashem would not just let these traditions become lost because they are an integral part of the torah's tradition. This doesn't prove that kabbala is 100% accurate, but I believe that within kabbalah, you will definitely find a lot of mystical concepts that even the prophets knew about and worked with. Also, a part of me feels that if kabbalah became so widely accepted by the Jewish people and the their torah leaders, then there has to be something to it. The Jewish people are very skeptical of new ideas, and many times will outright reject (if not excommunicate) followers of new trends in Judaism. So the fact that Kabbalah took hold and gained acceptance amongst the jewish people makes me think that it was rooted in G-d's torah.

[Yochanan Lavie]

ChaimR: You raise some interesting points. I agree that the mystical impulse is a good thing, and that it has a basis in Nevi'im (see my earlier posts). That is known as Ma'aseh Merkavah, and Ma'aseh Bereishit. One can call that "kabbalah," and as a Bible-believing Jew I accept it. As a religious person, I too have spritual yearnings. Even the Rambam talks about communion with God, although he thinks it can be achieved through intellectual contemplation, whereby the initiate begins "thinking God's thoughts after Him" (lehavdil), when he has reached a certain madragah. I think that superstition and even other religions have crept into classical Kabbalah. As another poster pointed out, the Sitra Acher is a Persian concept found in Zoroastrianism and Manicheanism. It suggests that there is another power in the universe. It says in tanach that "I (God) do good and create evil." It is beyond our understanding, but Hashem is all. Numerology is a direct borrowing from Pythagoras (although apologists will claim the opposite). The sephirot can be easily misinterpreted to be parts of the Godhead- if we rightly reject Christianity's triune god, what about a decaune (ten-in-one) god? Similarly, rebbe-worship and praying through intercessors, the use of amulets, and other aspects of folk religion are banned by the Rambam and his followers. Look at what is happening in Chabad.

Having said that, unlike the Dor Daim people I would not eliminate Lecha Dodi. As you have alluded, it has touched a chord in the Jewish soul. I would just be strictly metaphorical about how I interpret it.

We need to return to the Tanach for the true kabbalah, the true mysticism. We need prayer, maybe even meditation (it's not assur), song, and contemplation. We don't need mumbo-jumbo.

[ChaimR]

Yochanan, it seems to me that so much of the mysticism in the tanach is inaccessible now. Even if one were to try to get to the root of what is pure, uninfluenced mysticism from the torah, where would you start. If the influence stems from the zoroastrians, then who's to say how far back the influence goes and who knows what is true? I have researched in the past a number of the ideas you mentioned above, but I don't feel there is enough evidence to say 100% that zoroastrian, or pythagorean, or whatever other influences have effected jewish mysticism. If they have, then for all we know, the Rambam was influenced, and his ways in mysticism are false too, G-d forbid. If you took that further, maybe even meditation is a foreign concept and maybe it was learned from early jainists or hindus. There is just a part of me that believes that hashem would not let his people follow such a wrong path for such a long period of time. I believe that when it comes to Jewish law and Jewish mysticism, what we have is a good approximation of what G-d wants (if not precisely what He wants). I am not saying that we don't go off the path at times, and can't have corruption in our ranks. But as a whole I think that the Vilna Gaon's idea of what G-d wants is better than my own idea. And I believe that the Ramban's writings on kabbala are closer to what G-d wants than anything I am going to come up with. Maybe you disagree and think all the Jewish people have been mistaken, and G-d wants us to somehow figure out when and where we went wrong and go from there. But to me that task would seem impossible to do correctly, and I can't imagine G-d judging us negatively for following the torah that we have, as our ancestors have been doing throughout our history.
BTW, I have seen you mention the Karaites a number of times, but to me, their impact on Jewish history has been minimal, and their disorganization and waning numbers lead me to sorely doubt the validity of their claims and tradition.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Chaim R: You obviously have a great deal of Ahavat Yisrael, and I commend you for that. I think we just have differing points of view. I agree that God would not punish sincere people who have a certain set of beliefs, with the right intentions. I just believe that God gave us bechira chofshit, and we are therefore free to make the wrong choices- w/o Divine micromanagement to correct our course. The scholarship I rely upon is from Gershom Scholem and Moshe Idel. They are secular Jews, but are respectful to tradition. Some people would only trust Orthodox sources,as is their right.

As far as Karaism is concerned, it is not perfect and I am not a Karaite. I think they are correct about the importance of being knowledgeable about Tanach. I think some of their explanations are more plausible, and sometimes the rabbis are more plausible. The idea that their movement is false because they have not been successful is called "triumphalism" in the theology business.

Triumphalism is the idea that because a relgilion or ideology is successful, surely God favors it. It has been used as a cudgel to beat Judaism over the head with, by Christians and Muslims alike. Indeed, on paper, Reform is more successful than Orthodoxy (in sheer numbers, at least). But I don't think it's the correct doctrine.

As to what do I know- not a helluva lot. I can't hold a candle to the Vilna Gaon, Ramban, or Rambam. But that doesn't mean that I will abjectly surrender my pathetic free will to their opinions. To paraphrase Jefferson, liberty is for all people whether stupid or smart, or else Sir Isaac Newton should be made lord and master over all of us. (The scientific sage of his age). I have been burned and disappointed by rabbis and gurus. I want to be able to make my own mistakes. Chances are, I'll get it wrong a lot of the time. I hope Hakodsh Baruch Hu shows me mercy.

If "The 50 most Influential Rabbis" have something to teach me- great. If I find I can't abide by them, I will join the ranks of the "50 Least Influential Apikorsim."

Let's agree to disagree. And have a zissen Pesach.

[chief doofis]

It's very difficult to "strain" kabbala. That is, what is real, and what is borrowed from other religions. The Torah, Nevi'im and other writings have been around (in uncontested form) for at least 2,000 years (I do believe that torah is from Sinai, but existing documentation only goes back to the Second Commonwealth)

With Kabbala, we have a problem. While there are obvious mystical accounts in Tanach, many other forms of Jewish mysticism are shrouded in controversy. The main work, the Zohar, was allegedly written in Israel in the 2nd Century. No copies were ever found, no mention made of it in the Talmud, by the Geonim, by any of the medieval giants. All of a sudden, a copy is unearthed in Spain in the 13th century!!

Many of the "other divine beings" eg. angels , demons, etc., have much in common with Zoroastrian concepts. The yetzer tov, yetzer ra, etc. (as beings) are definitely akin to the Zoroastrians. The Sitra Achra, even has the same name (achriman) as the Zoroastrian counterpart. Many gedolim, throughout the ages, have cautioned us regarding study of kabbala. I am not here to degrade it. Even if it resembles other religions, there is also GOOD IN OTHER RELIGIONS. Nonetheless, I have to do mitzvot. I learn Torah so that I know how to do them. What difference does it make which essence of the Divine I am dealing with, when I wear T'fillin? The main thing is that I wear them, BECAUSE THAT'S THE HALACHA!! I cannot be a good Jew and an am ha'arets. I could be a good Jew and avoid dealing with Kabbala.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Chief: Good post, as usual. However, you write:

"I have to do mitzvot. I learn Torah so that I know how to do them. What difference does it make which essence of the Divine I am dealing with, when I wear T'fillin? The main thing is that I wear them, BECAUSE THAT'S THE HALACHA!!"

I am not disputing that, but there has to be more to this religion than religious behaviorism. When I go to a Conservative synagogue, I may disagree with their take on the mitzvot, but at least they talk about GOD. When I go to many Orthodox shuls, all they talk about is halacha l'ma'aseh- ad naseum (not that halachic talk isn't important- but they never seem to get around to WHY HKB"H commanded this stuff in the first place).

I don't want to be a blind-faith practitioner. I want a relationship with God. I don't think kabbalah is the way to go, but I don't want a dry-as-dust behaviorist relgiion either. I suspect you don't either, Chief.

That is one of the reasons I disagree with the late Yeshayahu Leibowitz (the other is his politics). His take on prayer, for example, is that you do it because God commands you to do it- period. It doesn't have to have any benefit or meaning to you. That, and not only his politics, is why some secular Israelis must like him so much. He makes Judaism so unappealing and puritanical.

[ChaimR]

Yochanan, first off I want to say that I find you to be well read on a number of topics, and this is shown in your pithy comments.
One thing I am curious is, what are some of the main points in halacha you disagree with? And what do you hold to be authentic, and what do you feel is questionable? Some people say they accept the tanach, just not the rabbinical interpretation of it. My problem with this logic is that the torah has so many seemingly conflicting concepts (though I believe they are all reconcilable). For a person to go through the torah and correctly decide what is literal and what is metaphorical, and ultimately to decide what G-d wants of us seems to me to be impossible. THats why I feel that the rabbinic tradition is necessary.

I feel a freedom in the tradition however, because there are so many ways of looking at the torah, and so many diverse ways of interpreting the laws, all falling within the parameters of rabbinic judaism. I feel like I am given many options for living a torah life, and yet all these options have their basis in the talmud and the halachic authorities after them. Ofcourse many halachot are unanimously agreed upon in principle, like meat and milk, shabbos, mila etc. But I still feel there is great freedom to decide, and in fact innovate in many circumstances. Rav kook was big on this, and that's why I mentioned him earlier.
WHen it comes to kabbalah, I am not halachically required to follow most, if not any of it. But when I find some idea, technique or meditation that gives me that feeling of spiritual connection with the divine, I try to integrate it into my religious practice. I find that rabbi nachman's encouragement to talk to G-d for an hour a day is one of the best ways for em to connect to Him. I also say that perhaps meditating on different permutations of G-ds name is authentic Jewish mysticism, but if I don't feel any spiritual inspiration doing it, then its not for me, at least not now.

[chief doofis]

Yochanan; you are assuming that someone can know what G-d is. G-d is a very difficult idea. To talk about HIS nature, will, desires, etc., is beyond me. I can (and do) try to sense the meaning behind some, or all mitzvot, but in a practical sense, an historical sense, etc. To say that you perform mitzva "x", because there is something missing in the firmament, or certain sparks are emanating in the wrong direction, to me, at least, is not really thinking about the mitzva at all.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Chaim: Anan ben David said "Don't trust my interpretation, read the text." That is why I tend towards pshat. However, with things like Bereishit, I can tell they're at least partly allegorical because of the use of poetic literary devices and other non-literal techniques (what is a "day" before the sun was created, etc.). So when the miqra waxes poetical, it is probably not 100% literal, but a direct commandment is obviously just that. I do rely on authorities to guide me- I like Rashi and Ibn Ezra. Among the moderns I like Umberto Cassuto (a Modern Orthodox Italian-Israeli who taught at Bar-Ilan), David Weiss-Halivni, Louis Jacobs and Nechama Leibowitz. They combine a belief in revelation with the best of modern scholarship. Robert Alter is very good about the literary aspects of Tanach.

Regarding halacha: I don't like chumrot, and I don't believe in Da'as Torah. I think the rabbinic tradition is right most of the time. But I think the Karaites were correct about Tzitzit (they DO wear them), tefillin (they don't), and Shavuot. Having said that, I have to live in the rabbinical world- it's a monopoly- so in practice I do those things as the rabbis say.

The spiritual practices you described are not assur, and that's fine. I am against amulets, praying through intermediaries, and that sort of thing. I am against any division in the godhead.

Chief: If I knew what God was, I would be Him. (Disclosure: I don't & I'm not). Your point is well taken.

Here's what I was trying to say. I don't want Judaism to become like Zoroastrianism, with a split in the godhead. I don't want it to be like Christianity, with a guru man-god. And I don't want it to be like Islam- a religion of blind submission. Now it's true there is good in all those faiths- they all have an ethical core (at least in theory) and all point to the Divine. (I think that's what Gandhi meant when he said all religions are true). But they are not Judaism.

That is why I don't like the "do as your told w/o question" school of thought. (I am not saying that you are like that- I have too much respect for you.) There has to be some ta-amei haMitzvot that we can at least partially understand- to enable communion with God and cause a personal transformation into a better human being. Or else, why bother? "Because I said so"?

[shosh]

whats a nutty website.
u all no nothing about chabad or the rebbe. look at the world. the whole world is copying chabad. look at the kiruv movement. ppl fought the rebbe for years for his work with non religious ppl. now that we broke the ice, and chabad gets so much credit for it, ohhhhhhh then it suddenly becomes ok.easy to bash kabala, chasidus when u dont know what its about.
even moshiach, the whole world is started to put emphasis on moshiach. just like the rebbe urged us to do.
thats all the rebbe did- desired moshiach and got hudreds of thousands of jews accross the globe hoping, praying, adding mitzvos to bring moshiach. unfortunately moshiach didnt come... and many lubavitchers were at a loss. the rebbe knew we had the potential to make it happen before he passed away.
but imsure u all know what every lubavitcher thinks and feels.
chsidus are the secrets of the torah. if not for the baal shem tov, chsidim, chabad etc.... hudreds and thousands of jews would be lost. so i would suggest all u smart, learned, against avoda zaraniks (who talk about all kinds of interesting immoral dirty things, such as a few posts b4) should stop critisizing s/t u know nothing about. this whole website is RIDICULOUS. one big joke. but im glad u r so concerned that some lubavitchers are set that the rebbe is moshiach..... very serious issue. and of course u know whaT EACH LUBAVITCHER THINKS. INCLUDING R' KRINSKY!!!! right. btw- most jewish ppl of all time believed their leader/ a tzadik who directed and guided them what moshiach. so even though 90% of the shluchim dont rant and rave and sing like maniacs (like to ppl in 770) incl. krinsky, what they believe in their hearts b4 the rebbe passed away is what jews have beleived since moshe rabeinu. (but u know what they feel now of course, right?)

anyway, ofcourse we will hopefully see soon for ourself and all jews will be united once and for all.