JPost
[...] WITNESSING THE fulfillment of that promise at the conference was an awakening. Chabad is no longer merely a Jewish movement. It is Judaism. I find it astonishing that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu flew in to attend the Jewish federations’ annual General Assembly but bypassed the Chabad conference. If an Israeli prime minister wants to be part of the unfolding of modern Jewish history, he has to address Chabad. No other organization even comes close to its global reach or grassroots impact. And it is growing exponentially.[...]
[...] WITNESSING THE fulfillment of that promise at the conference was an awakening. Chabad is no longer merely a Jewish movement. It is Judaism. I find it astonishing that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu flew in to attend the Jewish federations’ annual General Assembly but bypassed the Chabad conference. If an Israeli prime minister wants to be part of the unfolding of modern Jewish history, he has to address Chabad. No other organization even comes close to its global reach or grassroots impact. And it is growing exponentially.[...]
Respectfully disagree.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be the ultimate proof of Chabads degeneration into a cult. Followers of cults always belive that their cult is THE true this or that.
ReplyDeleteRichard,
ReplyDeleteIt's clear that R' Boteach is not making a judgement on what constitutes true Judaism, e.g. "Chabad is the truest expression of Judaism that exists today, and anybody who doesn't acknowledge this is mistaken." Now, he may in fact believe that, but that's not the point he's making in this particular article. He's simply pointing out that, by his estimation, Chabad will de facto become the face of traditional Judaism in many, many parts of the world simply because of numbers and the strength and dynamism of the organization. Here's the key quote:
"When I last attended the Chabad Shluchim conference, there were a few hundred of us from about 20 countries. [...] A decade and a half later, there are 5,000 from 80 countries. No doubt, with its staggering birthrate and about half of all its members dedicating themselves to lifelong postings, by 2020 Chabad will be fielding more than 15,000 emissaries in nearly all nations, and will be the mainstream Jewish branch in most. In countries like France, Russia, Australia and Britain, this has largely happened already."
What I find even more interesting is R' Boteach's estimation that his Universalist tendencies (e.g. acting on the notion that Judaism is relevant to the entire world, and not only to Jews), which he believes was the reason why he was ousted from the Chabad mainstream many years ago, has now become mainstream (or, at the least, not controversial) within the Chabad movement.
Mr. Boteach is a joke. Why provide any modicum of recognition?
ReplyDeleteLubavitch threw Boteach out.
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteA major thrust of R' Boteach's article is precisely that he feels he is no longer a persona non grata within the Chabad movement anymore, and that he has been able to "come home."
Boteach is a heretic as well. See his recent article in the WSJ regarding gays.
ReplyDeleteWhile his articles can be quite eye-catching, I have a hard time believing that most of the Anglophone frum community take Shmuly Boteach very seriously.
ReplyDeleteUm, in Israel and most major Jewish Communities in America, Chabad is a small, almost unnoticeable presence....
ReplyDeleteI'm not such a fan of R' Boteach, but I am puzzled by the decision by other commentors here to drop the honorific title of "Rabbi" from his name. It just comes across as lacking basic civility. Does he, in fact, not have smicha?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call Boteach Orthodox.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea of his credentials. Wasn't meaning to make a statement by it. I've just only ever heard him referred to in the third person as Shmuely Boteach.
ReplyDeleteChas veshalom we should belittle anyone by appellation. (Doing so is mentioned as a case of the Mishna in Pereq Cheleq of Sanhedrin, no?.)
But even so I would not think it very important to be maqpid in the case of someone writing only on broad hashkafic & ideological subjects that do not require bringing to bear any halakhic expertise. Does it matter in such a case if the author has smicha? He's not really writing as a rabbi, just may happen to be one. And referring to someone in the third person by their full name hardly seems prima facie disrespectful.
Chizki,
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase from Rav Shalom Hedayya's sefer Seh L'Beit Avot, the title of Rav, once obtained is by no means eternal. It must be daily reacquired through commitment to Torah. As the title itself is the crown of Torah.
Many people feel that Shmueli's words and actions are the opposite of the behavior of a Rav, that he hold things other than Torah in the highest esteem, and thus they do not apply to him the title deserved only by committed Torah sages.
> Chabad is Judaism
ReplyDeleteThe sound you just heard is several hundred thousand Gerrer, Belzer and Satmar chasidim going "Huh?!"