OnionSoupMix has posted a section of a discussion from a hidden thread on imamother.com, a Chabad women's message board based in Montreal. What follows are brief excerpts from her post:
Moderator :
Well, Chassidus talks about the Rebbe seeing all, knowing all, capable of all ... sounds pretty G-dlike to me!
um, my dear, this is pure avoda zara. AYN OYD MILVADOI.
are you saying that Chasidus is avoda zara? what limitations do you think the Rebbe has?
Moderator :
What is particularly confusing is that the Rebbe stated about the FR that he was "atzmus and mehus in a guf". This is a very explosive statement and seemingly 'wrong'. And hte Rebbe provided no explanation for this.
If you learn Chasidus, it's explained. Problem is, girls especially are often clueless about Chasidus. Shluchos too. I read this the other day in Lessons in Tanya:
Quote:
In the World of Atzilut nothing exists which is separate from G‑dliness; nothing at that level feels that it exists independently of G‑d, and everything in Atzilut is totally nullified to G‑dliness.
The Nasi, the Rebbe is a soul from Atzilus. Therefore, as a soul melubash in a guf, he has no will of his own. He is not separate from G-dliness in any sense.Poster Ten : I dont see the confusion. We are all atzmus umihus melubash beguf- its called a neshama - thats exactly what a neshama is just the Rebbes is on a higher level and more revealed.
of course the Rebbe is is no way meaning he is Hashem and by the way some people take it to mean that literally. anyone who does is serving avoda zaraModerator :
I dont see the confusion. We are all atzmus umihus melubash beguf- its called a neshama - thats exactly what a neshama is just the Rebbes is on a higher level and more revealed.
No, that's not what the Rebbe said. The Rebbe didn't say "we are all ..." He said it on the Rebbe!
The difference between Hashem and the Rebbe? Easy! Hashem created the Rebbe
Hashem created the Rebbe, a human being, with G-dly powers.
Here is the whole thing in pdf: Download questions_elokistim.pdf
I spoke with a Chabad rabbi tonight. I pointed out that the Rebbe was not perfect. That ended our conversation, exactly the same way a conversation I had with his wife about one year ago ended. He shook his head and walked away. She told me then that if I say the Rebbe was not perfect,, I "do not understand what a Rebbe is." Both lifetime Chabad members. Both from learned families. Both quite learned themselves. Both teach. Neither is crazy.They're good people.
This comment was left to OnionSoupMIx's post. I think it explains the problem quite well:
When I was in yeshiva at a farbrengen, when the Rebbe was still ... er ... revealed in a physical body, an older bachur stated (with all rabbis present giving a mighty smiling hurumph of assent) that if you mean by "the Rebbe is human" that he is a soul in a body then it is so, but if you mean that the rebbe has human limitations, then CHAS V'CHALILAH to say it. As such, the Rebbe has no human limitations, and even his holy body is only so that he can communicate G-d's will to us.
This was 20 years ago.
I point out the exchange in the NT, that the fictional protagonist is confronted as being declared the son of god, and he responds with a paraphrase of a pasuk that "we are all sons of the living god".
But this is not what they mean, now, is it? When they say that the Rebbe is divine, they do not mean it as they say that rebeljew is also divine just like the Rebbe. They do not sing Yechi for me and you. So which is it? Is there something special about the Rebbe's divinity that you could not say about (for instance) the Vilna Gaon of even the Alter Rebbe? In not, what is special about the Rebbe? If so, define what it means that Rebbe is more divine or differently deivine than all these others.
PS It did not work in the protagonist of the NT's favor either.
RJ
Chabad theology is at its root idol worship. The good news is many of the commenters on that thread are not buying into it.
[Hat Tip: The Elokist himself, Ariel Sokolovsky.]