The Inmates Control The Asylum – Judge Gives Control Of 770 To Messianists

A judge has rejected the claims of Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky and Rabbi Avremel Shemtov and is, for now, at least, leaving the day to day operation of Chabad's main synagogue in the hands of the gabbaim (beadles). In other words, the messianists control the asylum.

[Hat Tip: God's own online prophet, Ariel Sokolovsky.]

Comments

[rebeljew]

770 should belong to the elected representatives, even such as they are. If they represent the greater looniness of Crown Heights Chabad, then they are proper representatives.

[MaxKohanzad]

i think that the air that you breathe your be the rightful property of the US goverment and that you should pay a breathing tax - what crap - 770 doesn't "belong" to anyone - it is the property of all peoples - a house of prayer for all ...

[sheri deen]

The two groups of Chabbadnicks are one.
The division is 1) should one publically be messianists or 2) just keep it under your keepah.
My being with & close to Reb. Menachem Mendel just before and immediately after becoming the Rebbe (around 1950), I know that he lived in 2 worlds and could be our Moshiach. Some of my friends say that the resurrection of the dead is a Christian concept. Don't they know that we affirm at least 3 times a day in our 2nd blessing of Amidah that Tehiyyat ha-Metim, the resurrection will occur.
Is there anothe Jewish leader more qualified?

[D]

More here. Eliding the editorial spin The Judge denied K/S motion for summary judgment, that would have awarded them custody of the shul. The Judge also denied the Gabboim's motion for throwing the case out of Court. The decision was to proceed to "discovery," which will be an extensive process of gathering evidence and questioning witnesses in advance of any; Court hearings. So, this is just a preliminary order pending outcome of discovery and any further court litigation. Not exactly a shining endorsement of anyone, IM[NV]HO.

[Lawrence M. Reisman]

Sheri Deen asks "Is there anothe Jewish leader more qualified?" Most definitely. Chezkiyahu Melech Yehuda was far more successful in making his generation righteous. So much so, in fact that in his time no one saw a rainbow. His accomplishments dwarf those of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Long live Chezkiyahu Melech Yehuda, the real Moshiach!

Sheri,

Yes, we pray for resurrection, but the sources do not point that era will happen in the first stages of the messiah. Furthermore, there is no indication anywhere that we go around and identify with certainty that this or that deceased righteous person will be the messiah. In fact jewish tradition shuns the identification of such a figure in absence of the proper signs. No given person (besides Daniel) was ever identified as such from the dead(except for yoshke and shabbatay tzvi).

[Jerome Soller]

Sheri,
You ask "Is there another Jewish leader more qualified?" The first problem that I have with the Chabad messianism is why must the Messiah return from the dead (a primarily Christian concept). Is it not a more likely (and humble in not trying to force Hashem's will - a la Sabbatai Zvi and other false messiahs) scenario that the Messiah has not arrived yet. Second, I don't accept that if the Messiah could return from the dead that Rabbi Menachem (while a good man) would be the most likely choice. I don't believe that Schneerson would be a better choice than the following:

0)If the descendant of David is not a constraint, Joseph
1)David himself
2)Solomon
3)one of Solomon's righteous descendants during the period of the books of Kings
4)Baal Shem Tov
5)Rav Nachman of Breslov
6)the Alter Rebbe
7)Moshe Feinstein
8)David Ben Gurion
9)Menachem Begin
etc....,

[chief doofis]

Despite the successes of pre messianic Chabad, the overwhelming majority of Jews did not return to observance, neither during the late Rebbe's career, nor subsequently.

There were, however, other times in Jewish history when the masses overwhelmingly did return. The finding of the lost scroll in the Temple during the reign of Yehoash, led to mass reconciliation. Similarly, the efforts of Ezra ought not be forgotten. Obviously, Yehoash was a king, and hence, technically, a messiah. Ezra was neither.

Despite the unquestioned greatness of several of the Lubavitch dynasty of Rabbis, the return to observance today, while significant, does not affect the vast majority of non - observant or minimally observant Jews.

Additionally, present day Chabad is, at best, glossed over by most "frum from birth" Jews. It serves as nothing more than a convenient place to find a meal or a minyan (sic!) in Venice or Ulan Bator. The Yeshiva world (and that includes anything from the most right wing Orthodox, through the center, and the left), has virtually zero concern for the movement. Any claims that the late Rebbe was the Messiah, hurt the belief that the messiah will ultimately come. How often can Chicken Little tell us the sky is falling?

[LaughingJew]

I note that R. Sokolovsky has now proposed abolishing fasts as we are in the days of Messiah. The problem is not that Messianic-Elohistiim are following in the footsteps of the early Christian church--that church had the good sense to recognize what new wine required in the way of wineskins. The problem is that the Messianists are recirculating with naive literalism dialectic perspectives originally introduced by Breslov. True, like Breslov they avoid the Christian trap of rabid anti-Judaism as the novel child seeks spiritual patricide. Unlike Breslov their pilpulistic messianic literalism is floundering under the horizon of public indifference. Sure. He's Messiah. He's G-d. Whatever.

[PishPosh]

The only way to stop this nonesense is to stop giving credibility to any Rabbinic interpetation or checklist of what Mashiach must do outside of what the Neviim already told us.

Chas Veshalom that the Mashiach comes he has to deal with these Rebbe Chazir today. These Rabbis are the ultimate theological inlaws. They meddle, they quarrel with each other, each thinks that his Jew is better then the others Jew, they nudge and they complain.

It really is time to renew our Israelite identity and shuck this flea bitten coat called Yiddiskeit to hell where it belongs. The Torah is Darkei No'am, Rabbinic Judaism should be Darkei No'one.

[Dave]

I've looked into Karaite Judaism, which seems to be what PishPosh is suggesting. However they have developed somewhat their own limited version of halacha and they have their own humrot too, some of which are just as extreme as rabbinic humrot. So, I personally feel the best would be to combine the best of Rabbinic Judaism and Karaite Judaism.

[menachem]

B"SD

nobody is saying that the lubavitcher rebbe was the greatest jewish personality in history, (does it make a difference?).

what people are saying is that the lubavitcher rebbe lived on a time were jewish assimilation was at its peek,

the jews never found themselves on such a condition like our generation, not the Baal ShemTov, not David or Shlomo HaMelech, nor Rashi and Rambam, or the Admur HaZaken.

could you imagine maybe how judaism would look after the holocaust if not for g-d's gift (the tzaddik of our generaion) to our unappreaciative generation?

[Shmarya]

Never learned much Jewish history, did you? Not Tanach either, it seems.

[pushkina]

my heart bleeds when i read such posts as menachem's but then i remember i live in this world.

this i find a sad universal: it seems that each generation which lives through a disaster cannot imagine another generation's disaster being as large (or important) as their own.

folks who cannot imagine what the world was like before the coming of the BeShT and the emotional and spiritual lifeline that was chassidut should read a novel by bashevis singer: Satan in Goray.

the holocaust killed jewish (and other human) bodies: Shabtai Zvi killed jewish (and only jewish) souls.