The Call Is Simply a Symptom

This op-ed was written by Chanoch Ha’Chochom, a pseudonym of the man who wrote the highly circulated op-ed on COLlive titled “4 Profiles of Tuition Payers.” Here he addresses the discussion over the Call of the Shofar:

It is quite remarkable how a program that has been hushed and whispered about –as an undercurrent in our community– for around two years, has surfaced and is now under the public scalpel. And, not unlike the eruption of a volcano or the birth of a child, its exposure has unleashed the passions of many.

There have been articles, comments, rebuttals, and so forth on this community website. Letters and videos from the Rebbe on the topic of meditation have been publicized. We have heard from a ‘cult buster’, a pulpit rabbi, and the founder himself. There are supposed statements from Mashpeim, a Rosh Kollel, and Shluchim. And I suspect there is still more to come – especially from the large number of people who have attended the program and preach its praise.

The unprecedented volume of comments from the public is clearly indicative of how deeply this topic has resonated with the masses.

Yet, most would agree that there is still no absolute clarity about The Call of the Shofar program. We are arguably more confused now than when we began. There is no clear directive. There may never be.

The Issue is Not the Issue

But this, though, is not the problem. It is merely a symptom, a derivative, of what really plagues us. The problem lies much deeper in the very fabric of our current reality. There are dangerously growing cracks nearing the very foundations of our Chabad structure. The Call of the Shofar controversy is a diversion; we are too focused on one tree instead of the forest. It’s not the issue that is the issue; it’s our reaction to the issue that is the true issue!

Simply put:

We are an unfortunate, orphaned generation of Chassidim living twenty years after Gimmel Tammuz who have no one to turn to when new, fundamental, and core issues come knocking at our door. We are lacking – and are in desperate need of – leadership; of a final say.

Wait! Before the lynching, I present the case:

In the years following Gimmel Tammuz many outside of Chabad wondered what will become of the flock without the shepherd. But we Chassidim knew better!! We knew – and still know – that the Rebbe’s Igros, Sichos, Horaos etc. etc. would be our shining guide for every possible eventuality. There is no topic that the Rebbe did not address. Right? When in doubt, read what the Rebbe said!

This is our current model. It is as true now as it was then. The Rebbe’s teachings guide our every action and provide insight on how to deal with exceptional circumstances.

And it works – nearly all of the time.

Any objective thinker would surely acknowledge that core issues may arise in the coming years –as a result of technological, societal, or political changes etc.– that have never existed in the past. Or, issues can come up where the application of the Rebbe’s words to a specific situation is not apparent. If you need any proof of this, just take a look at the Call of the Shofar controversy!

To be absolutely clear, I firmly believe that the Rebbe’s teachings contain the answers to every possible question that has ever and will ever be asked. The Rebbe’s works are in no way deficient, chas ve’shalom! The problem is us. Without leadership – without our Rebbe present, our ability to interpret and apply solutions is severely limited. Each Mashpia, pulpit rabbi, cult buster, and Chossid chooses to follow whatever path makes sense to him. There is no clear directive. There is no final say.

The Call of the Shofar controversy is a wakeup call! It is a sign of what is to come in our collective future when other similar, but perhaps even more fundamental and core, issues arise. It is an awakening and it, indeed, beckons some sort of transformation.

Limitations of the Written Word

Wait, I still see the pitchforks… How dare I blasphemously suggest that we are all-too-often lacking in our ability to interpret the Rebbe’s teachings?

Well, let’s back up a few steps:

It is known that the Alter Rebbe authored the Tanya to be the ‘go-to’ guide to answer any questions Chassidim would have in Yiddishkeit. Yet, it took six Rebbes and thousands of Maamorim to further explain and apply the principles.

Further back:

It has been written in seforim that everything in the Torah – everything that was, is, and will be – is contained within the first pasuk of Bereishis. And, in an even more succinct way, everything is concentrated within the very small dot (the ‘dagesh’) within the Beis of the word ‘Bereishis’.

Yet, most of us would not be able determine a psak halacha or form a foundational hashkafa by simply staring at that dot (-not even after hours of Call of the Shofar deep breathing meditations). It takes the greatest of giants to expound upon the ‘crowns’ of the letters in the Torah. We rely on thousands of year’s worth of commentary, interpretation, explanation, clarification, and elucidation of our holiest sages in each generation – resulting in our mesorah.

Never in history were we satisfied with just what has already been written and instructed – until, apparently, after Gimmul Tammuz.

This, then, is the inherent problem here: our missing leadership – the lack of one final authoritative opinion to provide direction to the masses.

This problem we all may be afraid of acknowledging can lie dormant for many years; until we are faced with a core dilemma. The Call of the Shofar controversy is, in the big scheme of things, a small stone compared to the boulders we will likely encounter on our path in the future.

The Unsolvable Problem?

It is always easier to point out a problem than to propose a solution. It is not my place to suggest that a supreme board made up of our saintliest Mashpia, our most knowledgeable Rav, our most intellectual thinker, and perhaps our most senior and genuine Chossid – a council, if you will – should be providing all of us Chassidim with the final directives.

Indeed not every question has an answer. But, while we may not have a way of resolving this issue right now, we can still hope and believe – with all our might – that the next generation will not be asking the very same question in twenty years from now. After all, Moshiach will arrive today!!

The problem, though, is that this was the answer we told the last generation some twenty years ago…

So I ask you my dear reader, my fellow Chossid, is there something that can be done to put this problem to rest?

The author may be reached at [email protected].