Chassidus on the Front Lines

.”יפוצו מעיינותיך חוצה“ THE STORY OF A MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT IN PRESENTED IN HONOR OF YUD-TES KISLEV, CHAG HAGEULAH OF THE ALTER REBBE AND ROSH HASHANAH L’CHASSIDUS. CHASSIDUS ON THE FRONT LINES KISLEV 5776 14 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER For a frum Jew living in the 21st century, it is taken for granted that technology can and should be utilized for Jewish causes. Of course Jewish events should be broadcast on television— how else would the larger community be informed? Of course there should be Jewish websites—how else can millions of Jews be reached? This concept is so baked into our identity that it’s difficult to imagine otherwise. But if you turn the clock of history back a mere few decades, the idea of using technology—for any purpose whatsoever—was far from accepted. And, when you think about it, it isn’t too difficult to understand why. KISLEV 5776 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 15 The contrast between life in the couldn’t even get one if they wore a The Dilemma alte heim (old home) and America beard. The War had just ended. Millions could hardly have been starker. When you look back at it today, of Yidden had been murdered in the Take Lubavitch as an example: forty it seems inevitable that the Jewish Holocaust, and hundreds of frum years earlier there had been tens of community would eventually get back communities had been decimated. thousands of Lubavitcher Chassidim on it’s feet and flourish in the new In the place of flourishing yeshivos spread throughout Russia and world. But at the time, this was far and thriving shtibelach, there were Ukraine, and a flourishing yeshiva from assured. Judaism was hanging now ghost towns. In the place of with hundreds of students. Now there on by a thread, and the future was booming communities with hundreds was hardly a minyan on Shabbos. precarious. of thousands of Chassidim, there were Whereas the Yidden had previously What does one do in such a now a few stray survivors. The Yidden lived in close-knit frum communities situation? How do you deal with of the U.S.S.R. were hardly spared, as surrounded by like-minded brethren, this vast new world that despises Jewish life was quickly being destroyed they were now vastly outnumbered everything you stand for? How do you by the terrors of communism. in this new country. Although it was create a Jewish, chassidishe home in Those who were able fled to the nominally a country of religious such an inhospitable environment? welcoming shores of America, the land freedom, the American culture There were two major approaches of freedom; but when they arrived, despised anyone who was different; to this issue. The first was to they found themselves in a strange frum Yidden often lost their jobs for compromise where you must, and country, hostile to everything religious not working on Shabbos, and they keep what you can. This meant that and G-dly. many frum Yidden were sending their kids to public school, and almost everyone was sending them to college. Growing a beard was almost unheard of. You did what you needed in order to blend into the secular world. The other approach was to try re- creating the experience of a shtetel—to retreat to insular communities where the secular world was kept at arm’s length, shying away from any contact with the outside world. In order to keep them in the fold, children were often taught that those outside their MILLIONS OF YIDDEN HAD BEEN MURDERED IN THE HOLOCAUST, AND HUNDREDS OF FRUM COMMUNITIES HAD JEWISH IMMIGRANTS FROM EUROPE DISEMBARK ON THE SHORES OF THE UNITED STATES FOR A LIFE IN THE "NEW WORLD" BEEN DECIMATED. KISLEV 5776 16 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER community were abhorrent human beings, deserving of only disgust and contempt. And then the Rebbe demonstrated that there was a third way—a truly revolutionary approach that demanded unfathomable courage, but that ultimately paved the way for a flourishing Judaism in the 20th century and beyond. On the one hand, the Rebbe fought tirelessly to remove the influences and hanachos of the outside world from the Jewish home. In an era when FRIEDMAN FAMILY Chassidishe communities from other THE REBBE TAUGHT TO EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY AS A MEANS OF SPREADING YIDDISHKEIT AND CHASSIDUS krayzen were teaching their children limudei chol—how could you not?!— of the distant past. And if you didn’t themselves giving long interviews the Rebbe was pushing to have it listen to the radio, you belonged in a about their Merkos Shlichus at local removed from schools. At a time when different century. radio stations. many frum women did not wear head- Again, there seemed to be two The Rebbe’s way was met with coverings, the Rebbe was persuading approaches. Some people—many of fierce opposition, both from the one person after another to wear a them frum, G-d fearing Yidden— left—for casually shrugging off the shaitel. compromised. Others rejected conventions of the new world, and Yet, at the same time, the Rebbe technology completely, outlawing the from the right—for openly engaging didn’t shy away from the outside world use of radio and television altogether. with it. Ultimately, though, the —he showed the Chasidim how to Here, too, the Rebbe showed a third Rebbe’s path proved to be the only transform it. He trained generations approach. In a time when many, many correct one, and slowly but surely the of Chassidim that instead of fearing chassidishe homes had televisions, Jewish world caught on. A college the outside world, they should when it seemed inevitable that this education—which once seemed so conquer it. He sent young bochurim was the new normal, the Rebbe rallied absolutely critical for a Jewish boy—is all over America to bring their Jewish against it. When the worst things in now off the table for a chareidishe brothers closer, confident that the the world are but a click away, who’s bochur. Wearing a beard—which was bochurim would be the ones doing to guarantee that you’ll keep to the once out of the question for a non- the influencing and not the other way better channels?! “How can you bring radical—has become normal. The around. Instead of building a moat the galach into your own home?!1” kiruv movement— which was once around his Chassidim, hoping the Slowly but surely, the Rebbe ripped so vehemently criticized—is now secular influences won’t seep in, the this mindset out of the Lubavitch emulated across the spectrum of the Rebbe sent his Chassidim out to the mind; today, the ultimate symbol of Jewish world. world to make it a holier place. a Lubavitch home is that it has no And the use of technology for These issues were especially television. holiness has become so commonplace evident when it came to dealing But this was only with regards to that no-one can remember when it with technology, the symbol of Chassidim using these technologies wasn’t. the new world. With the advent for their own entertainment. When The shiurei Tanya on the radio were of television and radio, outside an opportunity arose to utilize them from the first entryways of hafaztas influences were sneaking into the for Yiddishkeit, the Rebbe didn’t hamaayanos through technology, frum home like never before; and hesitate. Lubavitchers who had never and were a symbol of the Rebbe’s these new technologies were on the watched television in their lives found revolutionary outlook. rise, becoming ever more prevalent. themselves under the hot glare of Indeed, having a television was almost camera lights explaining the message In the Beginning an American emblem, and those that of Chanukah. Bochurim, who wouldn’t As early as 5712, the Rebbe was didn’t have one were looked at as relics dream of listening to the radio, found encouraging the use of modern KISLEV 5776 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 17 up to the Rebbe. “Rabbi Teitz2 has a considering that Eretz Yisrael had shiur in Gemara. Why don’t we make a already established one. shiur in Tanya?” Again, the Rebbe did not agree. The Rebbe thought for a second. After a few weeks had passed, Then he answered, “The time has not Rabbi Wineberg decided that he had yet arrived.” to try actually doing something. And Rabbi Wineberg’s first thought was so, he compiled a sample shiur to give that the Rebbe had rejected the idea in to the Rebbe, together with a letter because of the serious responsibility in which he explained why he thought involved in giving such a shiur; a he was capable of shouldering such responsibility that a single person a weighty task; namely, that he was couldn’t possibly shoulder alone. relying on the shiurim he had heard in He quickly said that he did indeed Otwock from the legendary mashpia recognize the responsibility involved Rabbi Boruch Friedman hy”d. and had never considered preparing Suddenly, everything changed. the shiurim all on his own. Maybe, Shortly afterwards, he received the RABBI YOSEF WINEBERG IN HIS YOUTH he proposed to the Rebbe, he could shiur back from the Rebbe, and it prepare the shiurim, and the Rebbe was full of the Rebbe’s ha’aros and technology and radio broadcasting for could review them. corrections. Together with the shiur spreading Chassidus; in a letter that But the Rebbe’s answer remained. was a hundred dollar bill for the year, the Rebbe wrote to a Chabad “The time has not yet arrived.” expenses of the shiur, and the Rebbe’s askan in Eretz Yisroel commending A year passed.

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