Five Hasidic Dynasties in America and the Search for Leadership

In non-elective structures where the criteria for leadership rely on non-rational qualities, the quest for a leader requests very complex choices. Typical for the European Askenazi Jews, lineage and ancestral merit are important in the choice of Hasidic leaders. What you do when there are conflicting personalities and the criteria of the 'zar hodesh' (literally, 'holy seed') does not stand some minimal chances of spiritual survival? When unhappy brothers rebel against each other for getting the power they assume they equally deserve? 

Who Will Lead Us? by Samiel C. Heilman covers the story of five Hasidic dynasties - some famous as Satmar, Bobov and Chabad, some less like Kopyczynitz - from the perspective of the approach to leadership. Leadership means charisma - according to the classical description of Max Weber - but also the capacity to manage properties, succeed to increase the number of followers, fundraise, even maintain a certain relatioship with the non-Jewish authorities. Following the 'theology of genealogical sanctity' metioned by Heilman: 'One succeeded not only to the position of rebbe but also to family leadership, and often inherited family property and control over precious objects like manuscripts or Judaica freighted with the iconic power of leadership'.

Who Will Lead Us? was built on an impressive amount of information. Inside information, historical information, any kind of information. You are took witness of the highs and lows of one of the most powerful Hasidic courts, with their conflicts, alliances for power and deceits. Some information are unique even for people familiar with some of these dynasties. 

However, I had more than once the feeling of getting mostly sherayim (the morsels of food distributed to Hasidim from the rebbe's tisch/table). Academic research often involves gathering tons of information out of which you use only a small percentage for your main work. The rest you maybe will use on another occasion, maybe not. I had more than once the feeling while reading this book that there is way too much anectodic, that even the selection of the dynasties is not necessarily relevant but all those data was just there and had to be used. 

What I was expecting from such a book was maybe a serious academic analysis of this typical case of leadership, which is the religious leadership, specifically the Haredi one. Overwhelmed by too much information, this is what the book missed to provide.

A Corrupt is a corrupt is a corrupt

When someone is corrupt, it does not compensate that he or she is a good parent or had good grades or has a large family to feed or has a bright strategic mind. The compensation of midot rarely works, meaning if you give a lot of charity, it doesn't absolve you from the fact that you mistreat your employees. Even if he prays three times the day, a thief is a thief and he must pay accordingly.

The news that an Yid is not more in a federal prison and he can return to his family, although he is not pardoned - the decision of being freed does not vacate the conviction and the substatial restitution remains - is a good news for the family and those who love him. But instead of a humble attitude for finally being able to walk free after 8 years - the severity of the punishment is one thing, but the facts are facts regardless what the law said and they happened for a long time without anyone to try to stop it before the police raided the precincts of Agriprocessors - I've watched in shock dvar Torah moments and never ending celebrations and a bit of Gematria explanations. No way that Moshiach is coming any time soon...

19 Kislev

Chabad celebrates today the liberation from the Tzarist prison of the founder of their Hasidic group, Rav Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812). He was arrested following accusation of teaching dangerous concepts for the stability of the Russian Empire. This day it is also called the 'Rosh Hashanah of Hasidism' and it marks the beginning of the cycle of study of Tanya, Chabad's major work. 

The Long Hand of the Mossad: The Revival of Russian Jewry

An interesting lecture on YUTorah Online - an investigation into the turmoil of the Russian Jews during communism.

We have so much to learn from them. While listening the lecture I was thinking a couple of times, how in our history every tragic moment can be turned into an opportunity to increase and develop. And this is part of our miracle. 

The Rebbe: The life and afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson

I dare to say that I had a lot of expectations about this book that I decided to buy not because of the controversy around it, but because I appreciated some of the books written by both authors. The main accusation against the book was that either they used selectively the sources or they did not have access to some of them that would have create a different perspective on their subject.

My impression about the book was that the authors had access to many sources, including people from the close circle of Rebbe, but they were at a certain extent overwhelmed by the information. Many information are interesting, presented as new but maybe it is too much information and not too much analysis and evaluation - even strict selection - of the sources used. 

Maybe the Rebbe was not too religious and there were internal conflicts following his choice as the next Lubavitcher Rebbe, but it does not explain the overwhelming success of the movement and the dedication of so many young people that leave their comfort for fulfilling their mission in sometimes very far away corners of the world. It does not explain either Rebbe's influence of many non-Lubavitcher religious Jews from all over the world and the success of his educational model, as well as the particularity of Chabad within the other Hassidic groups in Europe, Israel and North America. 

For me, the book is unfinished and is too much focus on events when more analysis was needed. 

Halachic Time

In Halachah, time is based on Sha'ot Zmaniyot (Zmanim means times in Hebrew), “proportional hours” that depend on the season. Halachic hours are not necessarily sixty minutes; instead we take the day, from sunrise until sunset, and divide it into twelve equal parts.

Each part constitutes one Halachic hour. In the summer this can be up to 75 minutes and in the winter it can be as little as 45 minutes. Many observances in Jewish law are performed at specific times during the day, as the hour has special meaning. The calculation of the halachic times depends on the various astronomical phenomena of the day for the specific locale. Sunrise, sunset, the amount of time between them, and the sun's angular position before rising are all factors that determine the halachic times and "hours" of the day.

When we say that a certainmitzvah may be performed three hours into the day, this doesn’t mean at three in the morning, or three clock-hours after sunrise. Rather, an hour in Halacha means 1/12th of the day. Thus, if the sun rises at 5 am and sets at 7:30 pm, one sha'ah zemanit, or proportional hour, will be 72.5 minutes, and all calculations will use that number.

Below you will find the times, their meaning and some of their associated mitzvot:

Alot Hashachar:

Dawn. Fasts begin at this time. According to Torah law, dawn marks the beginning of the day, and all mitzvot associated with daytime hours -- such as hearing the shofar, taking the Four Species, the recitation of the Shema, or hearing the Megillah -- can now be done. For various reasons, however, the Sages instituted that the observance of many of these mitzvot should be delayed until Netz Hachamah, or the moment when "one can recognize a familiar acquaintance." According to the Magen Avraham, the calculation of shaot zmaniot begins now.

Earliest time for Tallit and Tefillin:

The halachic description of this time is "when one can recognize a familiar acquaintance" from a distance of approximately six feet. As this is a subjective experience, the time given is approximated to an 11 degree depression of the sun. This is also the earliest time one can say the Morning Shema.

Netz Hachamah:

Sunrise. According to many opinions, now begins he calculation of shaot zmaniot. At this time, those who wish to prayvatikin start the recitation of the Amidah.

Latest Shema:

Three shaot zmaniot into the day. Latest time of the day to fulfill the biblical requirement to recite the Morning Shema. B'dieved (if one missed this time), one should still recite Shema with its blessings until chatzot.

Latest Tefillah:

Four shaot zmaniot into the day, ideally the latest time for Shacharit, the morning prayer. However, if this time was missed, Shacharit may be recited until chatzot.

Chatzot:

Midday; the halfway point between sunrise and sunset. Half-day fasts end at this time.

Minchah Gedolah:

Half a shaah zmanit after chatzot. This is the earliest time one may recite Minchah, the afternoon prayer.

Minchah Ketanah:

Nine and a half shaot zmaniot hours after sunrise. According to certain halachic authorities, it is preferable to wait until this time before praying Minchah.

Plag Haminchah:

One and a quarter shaot zmaniyot before sunset. According to RabbiJudah this is when halachic nighttime begins. Therefore, if one chooses to follow his opinion, one recites minchah before plag haminchah and then Maariv (the evening prayer) may be recited anytime after the "Plag". This is also the earliest one may bring in the Shabbat on Friday afternoon.

Candle Lighting time:

The accepted custom is to light Shabbat and Yom Tov candles 18 minutes before shkiah (sunset). Some communities have adopted earlier times as their unique custom for candle lighting time.

Shkiah:

Sunset. The latest time for minchah, the afternoon prayer, and all mitzvot associated with daytime hours. B'dieved (if one missed this time) one may still recite minchah, and do all "daytime mitzvot" until Tzeit Hakochavim (although the blessing on the mitzvah would be omitted if done after Shkiah).

The Jewish 24 hour day begins at nightfall. However, the technical definition of nightfall is unclear. It can be as early as Shkiah, or as late as Tzeit Hakochavim. Therefore, the time following shkiah and before tzeit hakochavim is called bein hashmashot. Many laws relate to this period and it can be categorized as either the previous or the next day.

Tzeit Hakochovim:

The time when three stars are visible in the sky and nightfall is complete. Earliest time for maariv (evening service) according to Rabbi Judah's rabbinic counterparts. Earliest time for reciting the evening Shema and Counting the Omer. A woman who has completed her cycle of seven pure days goes to the mikvah after this time.

Fast End:

There are differing opinions when Tzeit Hakochavim takes place. Out of consideration for people's comfort, and considering that the fast days are rabbinic decree, not Torah law, we rely on a slightly earlier opinion concerning the end of day fasts (aside for Yom Kippur).

Shabbat End time:

Shabbat and festivals end, and "weekday" work may resume, at this time. A stricter calculation of Tzeit Hakochavim is used. Known as the appearance of "three small stars," it coincides with the sun’s descent to 8.5 degrees below the horizon. This stringency also ensures that we do not accidentally violate the sanctity of the day, and that we fulfill the obligation to add time from weekday onto the Shabbat or holiday.

Sha'ah Zemanit:

Proportional hour, i.e. an hour according to halachah. Total daylight hours divided by 12.

Source: Chabad.org

Jewish life on High Holy Days all over the world

I found today early in the morning a couple of articles about Jewish life in far away places, I would be happy to share. It is an important lesson about fighting to keep the tradition and the identity and doing mitzvot:

Almost incredible: Jewish Celebrations in Afghanistan

Jewish life in Iceland (again incredible, isn't it?)

Recovering Jewish life in Libya will not be an easy task

At the end of the e-tour, I found also a news that worried me, given also the high interest of many Jewish and Israeli tourists in visiting Thailand. As usual, we should be always careful. We never have to forget the heavy burden of persecution and massacres, as it was the case of Babi Yar.

Bibi N. at the UN

Image via Wikipedia//UN General Assembly isn't a friendly place for the state of Israel

Very good and smart discourse of Bibi Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly explaining plainly and in a relaxed American way the desperate efforts of Palestinians to avoid peace, to deny Israel's right to exist, to prefer their propaganda instead of taking particular steps for ending the conflict - loved this remark "we have to stop negotiating about negotiations". In the same time, showing the will of the Jewish state to discuss and (re)establish good relations with countries as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and all those interested in democratic developments. He also mentioned the possibility to do some painful compromises - what is he talking about - while outlining that Judea is and always be Jewish - "we are called Jews because coming from Judea". Worthy to mention the references to the Lubavitch Rebbe - as usual, I can't stop admiring the energy of Chabad's ambassadors for supporting their cause: in the deep darkness, one single candle is enough to light the true far away, the note in which he ended the UN discourse. Other aspects introduced in his discourse were the need for a global action against militant Islam - in the front of an assembly that watched one day ago the Iranian president elucubrations about 9/11 as an "American conspiration" - and the need to never forget the fate of Gilad Shalit.

From the part of the "peaceful" Palestinians, it was present only a young guy, expressionless and taking lots of notes.

It was a good show, but I don't see what it could be happen next!

Related articles

• The Man Behind Bibi (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)

On Net, Virtual Mayors Stake Claim to Famed Jewish Spots – Forward.com

On Net, Virtual Mayors Stake Claim to Famed Jewish Spots – Forward.com

Window on Israel: Ghetto revolt

Ira Sharansky

Jerusalem Post

July 17

There is a ghetto revolt in Jerusalem. It began several weeks ago in protest against the municipality opening a parking garage on the Sabbath that served visitors to the Old City. It escalated in protest against the arrest of a woman from one of the ultra-Orthodox communities on charges of abusing her three-year-old son.

The ghetto is always seething to some degree. Protests can escalate at any time on account of opposition to a store selling non-kosher food; the discovery of bones at a construction site; the demand that a road be closed on the Sabbath; advertising posters showing immodest women; or a demonstration of gay pride. The ghetto is not unified. There are numerous congregations tracing themselves to Central or Eastern Europe, or Morocco. Some have a history of several hundred years, and each clings to its traditional dress, nuances in ritual and doctrine. Experts say that it is possible to identify the various camps according to the hats and stockings worn by the men, and the wigs or scarves that women use to cover their heads. The larger communities have integrated into Israeli politics, and exercise their weight in the city council and Knesset. The Chabad (Lubavitcher) reach out to other Jews like missionaries. They introduce outsiders to ritual, and seek to gain their support or even their affiliation to the community. Several congregations operate schools for individuals who had been secular, transform themselves to newborn Jews, and are extreme in their loyalty to what they see as true Judaism. The congregations offer social and material support to their members, and help in the selection of a mate. Some congregations are steadfast in their isolation, and opposition to the heretic state. Disputes between the congregations are no less prominent than disputes between the ghetto and secular Israelis. Placards denounce an offending rabbi in the harshest of terms, and yeshiva students may be sent to attack the property or the students of his congregation.
When one of the communities finds an issue that excites others, the whole ghetto is likely to respond. None can remain behind on an issue that gains traction as defense of Judaism. The woman charged with abusing her child is an example. She had starved her three-year-old boy to the point where he was severely undernourished and weighed only 15 pounds. She was affiliated with one of the smallest and most extreme of the congregations, but the involvement of the police and municipal social services with a pregnant woman was enough to recruit others. The protest spread when the police arrived with their truncheons and horses to clear the streets. The ultra-Orthodox community in Beit Shemesh has begun its sympathy protest. So far other ghettos have been quiet. From 2003 to 2008 the ultra-Orthodox had one of their own as mayor of Jerusalem. Uri Lupulianski engaged with the establishment by serving in the IDF and working his way up the career ladder of municipal politics. His election could have marked the beginning of ultra-Orthodox dominance. They amount to 30 percent of Jews in Jerusalem, as opposed to 10 percent of the Jews throughout Israel. They obey their rabbis on issues of politics, and turn out in municipal elections at rates that reach three times those of secular Jews. Insofar as almost all Arabs of East Jerusalem boycott the city's elections, the ghetto could own the city. In 2008, however, one of its inner conflicts set a major congregation against the ultra-Orthodox candidate. A secular candidate, Nir Barkat, moved into city hall. It was he who ordered the opening of the parking garages on the Sabbath, after frustrating negotiations with representatives of ultra-Orthodox congregations. Currently, in response to several nights of burning trash dumpsters and stoning police, journalists, cars, and buses, Barkat has ordered a cessation of garbage pickups, and municipal social services in the ghetto. The municipality and the national government provide considerable resources to the ultra-Orthodox. They qualify for significant discounts on local taxes and water charges due to their large families. Ultra-Orthodox parties in the Knesset work to assure funding for the schools run by each congregation, most of which ignore the demands of the Education Ministry to provide basic instruction in secular subjects along with their emphasis on religious texts. The parties also demand considerable money for housing, most recently over the 1967 borders in Modiin Ilit and Beitar Ilit. These towns have given the ultra-Orthodox a stake in the conflict over the Land of Israel, and add their complication to whatever can be done about defining the boundaries between Israel and Palestine. Almost all ultra-Orthodox men claim their special exemption from military service. They gain little support from the larger community with the claim to be more effective defenders of the nation than the IDF, due to their study of sacred texts. Each of the congregations also relies on fund raising from affiliated communities overseas, mostly in the United States, Britain and Australia. The occasional need to arouse the enthusiasm of donors may account for the commotions in Israel. Defending the faith against heathen Jews is a way of opening the wallets of ultra-Orthodox millionaires and poor people, and other Jews who respond to Yiddishkeit. Currently one of the main arteries in the city is closed to traffic, and the alternative route is choked as a result. The two major bus lines between French Hill and the center of town are doubtful. There is too much commentary in the media. We hear representatives of the ultra-Orthodox and the anti-ultra-Orthodox, as well as the municipality and the police. It resembles what the media provide during a war: too many voices explaining the position of the Arabs, the Jews, the government and the IDF. One can measure the balance in the media by the insistence of extremists from all sides that they are given a bad deal. It is a time to praise the classical music station, Salvation may not be the right term for what may deliver us from this evil. We can expect a cooling of passions as on previous occasions. A local court has ordered the woman accused of child abuse released to house arrest for Friday and the Sabbath. The police oppose the move out of concern for her other children. The police will release the protesters they arrested, and there will be calming voices of rabbis and secular commentators. Until next time. Perhaps when the parking garage opens again for Sabbath visitors to the Old City. It may all be confusing to those who do not understand, or who cannot understand. The ultra-Orthodox are part of us. They have political weight. They do not dictate policy, but neither do secular Jews.

See also:

The Child was Saved. According to some reports, the mother was an example of patients suffering of the Munchausen-by proxy syndrom.

About Toldot Aharon

Jerusalem Post

The founder of this group,

Aharon Roth, who died in 1947, started the tradition, which continues to this day, that every male member of the sect signs a contract obligating him and his family to abide by the strict dictates of Toldot Aharon. Clothing, customs, even how the hassidim spend their spare time, is carefully regulated. Cohesion is as tight as super glue.