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Divine Sparks Simon Jacobson ’Ll Never Forget the Question Posed to Me by Dox, Conservative, Or Reform? Anyone with Ia Woman in South Miami Beach

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Divine Sparks Simon Jacobson ’Ll Never Forget the Question Posed to Me by Dox, Conservative, Or Reform? Anyone with Ia Woman in South Miami Beach February_shma.qxd:Layout 1 1/22/07 12:48 PM Page 6 Scherman: Societies and individuals large, aren’t we doing our young people a dis - cope with economic realities — over time service? making needed adjustments. The explosive Scherman: On the other end of the spec - growth of yeshivas and kolels has transformed trum, in the U. S. — especially in the Jewish Jewish life exponentially for the better. The community — the ideal is a college education, Orthodox world was almost moribund before preferably graduate school. But there are plenty it happened. I think it was Divine Providence of good Jewish boys and girls who can’t hack it. that gave the Jewish community and this coun - Goldin: You’re right. No community ben - try the prosperity that made this possible. efits from having just a cookie-cutter mental - What will happen next, no one knows. ity. I wonder whether we wouldn’t all be better Goldin: But you can project learning as served if we reset our expectations. What one option; not the sole option. Doing so about the dropouts — people leaving the would prevent giving those who don’t sit and Haredi world? learn the sense that they’re failing because Scherman: I think that by and large it’s they’re not in the elite. like the Neturei Karta demonstrating with the Scherman: I agree with you. Some of the Arabs or going to Teheran to embrace men who are not suited to full-time learning Ahamanidinejad. They get the headlines. Of feel that they’re failures. Every yeshiva recog - course a tiny percentage leave, but nothing nizes that problem. But if the Rosh Yeshiva like what the publicity tries to portray. gives options, then their institutions — and the Goldin: How does the Haredi commu - Jewish people — might lose the most talented. nity perceive the concept of or l’goyim, playing Goldin: But we are saying two things to a role in world events on a positive level? Will our community: first, that there is one partic - this be accomplished by active interface with ular goal that everybody should aspire to, and the non-Jewish world, or by just having non- anyone who doesn’t quite make that grade re - Jews emulate our lives? ally isn’t cutting it. Then, quietly, we say to Scherman: It’s not by close interaction. those who aren’t cutting it, “you’re not really The Talmud’s definition of kiddush haShem is a problem.” Aren’t we creating an unhealthy to live the way the Torah wants us to live and situation particularly for the men who can’t sit have people look at us and say, “Wow, how for - in a yeshiva and learn? If we create an unrea - tunate and praiseworthy are the parents who sonable expectation in the community at have such children.” Divine Sparks Simon Jacobson ’ll never forget the question posed to me by dox, Conservative, or Reform? Anyone with Ia woman in South Miami Beach. I had just even a rudimentary understanding of spiritu - finished a lecture about my book, Toward a ality knows that one cannot stereotype and fit Meaningful Life , presenting the teachings of the soul into man-made labels and structures; the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem the soul is a Divine force in each of us, infus - Mendel Schneerson, to the secular public. ing us with an indispensable mission to fulfill “Did the Rebbe recognize Conservative in our lifetime. Judaism?” asked the woman. “If not, I don’t I learned this fundamental truth in want to buy the book of a bigot,” she bluntly Chabad, as a student and Hasid of the Lubav - stated. The auditorium fell silent. itcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. I paused before I replied. “No, he did not Rabbi Schneerson, or as he is lovingly recognize its legitimacy.” The audience be - called, “The Rebbe,” was the seventh in a dy - came uncomfortably restless, until I contin - nasty of rebbes, spiritual leaders, that began ued: “But he also didn’t recognize Orthodox with the founding of the Chabad Hasidic Judaism, ultra-Orthodox, reformodox, recon - movement in Belarus by Rabbi Schneur Zal - structodox, and all the other ‘doxes’ that have man of Liadi (1745-1812). Rabbi Schneur Zal - been and will be created. The reason being: man, whose lineage traces back to King David, February 2007 was the youngest student of Rabbi Dovber of Adar 5767 Nowhere is mention made of all these labels To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA in the constitution of Judaism — the Torah.” Mezeritch (d. 1772), who in turn was the stu - www.shma.com And then I asked them: Was Moses Ortho - dent and successor of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer 6 February_shma.qxd:Layout 1 1/22/07 12:48 PM Page 7 (1698-1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov, the Divine in every aspect of life, to integrate per - founder of Hasidism in 1734. sonal independence with the highest moral The contribution of Chabad Hasidus can standards of Torah, to blend fiery passion with be appreciated by placing its advent in histor - profound intellect. ical context. The primary challenge facing the The ultimate litmus test for the success of Jewish people following the Emancipation in any movement or philosophy is its future: the 18th century was: how to benefit from Does it inspire passion and commitment in its newfound freedoms while not compromising youth? Does it have the power to perpetuate the integrity of millennia-old Jewish tradition. into future generations? Indeed, modern assimilation was birthed as a Since its inception, some 250 years ago, result of a people unprepared for the chal - Chabad has spawned generations of adher - lenges of accelerated emancipation. The chal - ents, men and women from all walks of life. lenge would take on different forms in the Today, Chabad is a vibrant force in Judaism. subsequent years — the battle between reli - Infused with a profound sense of mission, tens gion and science, between church and state, of thousands of young revolutionaries can be and between faith and reason. Some chose in - found all across the globe, directing Chabad sulation to protect themselves from these pro - houses, schools, synagogues, and community gressive forces; others compartmentalization, centers — perpetuating Jewish life and ignit - and yet others assimilation. ing souls. Rabbi Schneur Zalman, and the six suc - What lies behind this power is a profound cessive generations of Chabad rebbes, devel - philosophy that plumbs the depths of Talmud oped an eloquent and comprehensive system and Kabbalah and integrates it into a system - to bridge the schism between the material and atic lifestyle, joining ritual and spiritual in a the spiritual, offering a dynamic blueprint for seamless union. The intimate appreciation of Jewish life, one that makes the spiritual jour - each soul’s dignity — regardless of back - ney personally relevant to contemporary ground, education, or Jewish experience — times. drives the Chabad individual, welcoming all Drawing from the vast corpus of mystical with an unmatched warmth and non-judg - and talmudic teachings, Chabad (an acronym mentalism. Eternal and humble respect for for chochma, binah, dat, the three defining intel - the mysterious journey of every unique soul, lectual faculties — conception, understanding, and the responsibility to do everything possi - knowledge) teaches that within all of matter ble to actualize that soul’s potential, lies at the lies potent spiritual energy. Each of us is heart of a Chabadnik’s commitment: to not charged with the mission of discovering the Di - just warm yourself in this cold universe, but to vine “sparks” allocated to us in our respective warm all those around you. A Jew is a Divine corner of the world and sphere of influence. soul, period. And “who can know their [every Simon Jacobson is the We relieve the tension between matter and soul’s] greatness and excellence of in their author of Toward a spirit by spiritualizing the material, releasing root and source in the living God...all Jews are Meaningful Life the Divine energy embedded in every person, called real brothers” ( Tanya chapter 32). (William Morrow, object, and experience. Redemption is the nat - The Hasid is driven by the absolute belief 2002), founder of The ural culmination of this process. Recognizing that we now stand at the threshold of redemp - Meaningful Life Center the Divine soul in each person naturally leads tion, when all the Divine “sparks” will be actu - (meaningfullife.com), to a loving attitude toward every individual, re - alized. We therefore are compelled to do and publisher of the Yiddish-English weekly, gardless of background or persuasion. everything possible to finish our work of refin - The Algemeiner Journal If Kabbalah manifests the Divine in the ing and transforming the material universe (algemeiner.com). Rabbi human, then Chabad Hasidism transforms the into a Divine home; to be “a light unto na - Jacobson served as the human into the Divine. This interface be - tions” and reveal the Godly “spark” in every documenter and pub - tween God and man allows us to enter the human being and in every part of existence. lisher of the seventh emancipated world without compromising Then our accumulative effort, coupled with Lubavitcher Rebbe’s pub - timeless values. On the contrary: it begets the the hard work of generations past, will finally lic talks from 1979 till opportunity to integrate both freedoms, ma - erupt into a global surge of goodness and spir - 1992. terial and spiritual, by refining and spiritual - ituality, bringing on the age of redemption, izing material secularism, turning the world the messianic age, when the world will be February 2007 Adar 5767 into an intimate home for the Divine.
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