By COLlive reporter
A unique 11-day summer Yeshiva held in the Chassidic village of Kfar Chabad in Israel has given some 60 participants a taste of Chabad Chassidus.
Students of the program, organized by Rabbi Moshe Blumberger and Rabbi Zalman Turnheim, came from different charedi communities such as polisher chassidim and litvish yeshivos.
The innovative curriculum included shiurim and in halacha and Chassidus presented by renowned rabbis and mashpiim, along with sidrei niggunim, Mivtzoim, videos from the Rebbe and davening with enthusiasm.
These varied programs were held in a Chassidic atmosphere filled with enthusiasm that swept the dozens of participants and motivated them to take advantage of every moment of learning and spirituality.
Organizers said that tests on the material studied yielded astonishing results and earned the outstanding students prestigious prizes awarded during the final day of the summer program.
Participants also enjoyed summer activities such as swimming, walks, mountain climbing, a kayak course, workshops on storytelling and Chassidic tales, shooting, biking and a humorous lecture by Rabbi Amram Moyal.
The participants in the program, who were given the opportunity to taste Chassidus, expressed their confidence that from now on their Torah study and observance will be imbued with the light of the Torah that they have received and that they will continue to study Chasidus later in life.
“It was like being in a glasses store in which you are given superior lens through which to see the world,” one of the bochurim commented. “We got a sampling of what Chassidus means, what is a Rebbe, what is Chabad, what is Moshiach. It was very special!”
your literally stereotyping all buchrim that arent chabad and its rude. i dont think that the rebbe would agree.
Nice try but you share the chassidus because you feel thats the only way, not because you have so much ahavas yisroel haha. And yes, you do feel superior.
It’s not that we feel superior but we do feel that we have a very special treasure – Chabad Chassidus!!
The Rebbe implanted in us Ahavas Yisroel ! Therefore we feel that we should not be selfish and keep it all to ourselves so we try to share it with Klal Yisroel!
Kesivah V’Chasimah Tove Including Moshiach now!!!
There is obviously no harm in anyone learning ALL parts of Torah because ELU V’ELU DIVREI ELOKIM CHAIM, but to tell a Yid that if he doesnt learn Chassidus or that without it none of what they learn or do is worth anything, is whats difficult to accept. Funny because from what its made to sound its as if chabad is learning chassidus 24 hours a day. There is learning to prepare for Shacharis, and then shiur/chavrusa by night. The rest is NIGLEH and Sichos.
I respect what you write. Regarding the last sentence, “The chabad agenda is to spread yidishkeit to those who don’t have it while working on elevating our own ruchnius level”, Thats great when Yiddishkeit is spread to those who truly DON”T have it. The only shameful part is that to most chabad minded people anyone who doesnt learn/have chassidus, doesnt (truly) have Yiddishkeit. Hence the catering to basically EVERYONE who isnt chabad. I think that is pretty offensive especially since the rest of the Yiddishe Velt has a great association with Torah and over a thousand years of generations and… Read more »
To # 3 Seeing the chabad comunity where I live the majority of Chabad chassidim sing other nigunim not just chabad ones Chabad doesn’t just learn chasidus chabad Chabad girls can and do go sometimes to Beis yakovs Chabad is not recruiting it’s teaching others chasidus Because moshiach will come when the teachers are spread Chabad doesn’t ask you to change your minhagim (The rebbe told a chosid who became chabad not to change his livush because minhag is important ) The chabad agenda is to spread yidishkeit to those who don’t have it while working on elevating our own… Read more »
while in the beginning of this discussion i was somewhat sympathetic to your point it is getting absurd. You write.” I dont understand why anyone would have to show how much they are close to chabad in order to prove they dont have anything against”. Seriously you do not have to prove anything to anyone and if your Lubavitcher friends are making you feel that way ditch them and find other ones. by the way the reason you think lubavitchers discuss ‘misnagdim’ alot is probly becuae when you around that becomes the discussion. its for that same reason some lubavitchers… Read more »
We want moshiach now
Is this talk helping???!?
Every yid has they’re shlichus and what ever it is if they think it’s a good cause that’s it no point arguing
We want moshiach now
Is this talk helping???!?
Every yid has they’re shlichus and what ever it is if they think it’s a good cause that’s it no point arguing
when it comes to Gemara and Halacha of course any Lubavitcher shiur will quote a Reb chaim a Reb shimon Reb naftali the Gra etc, we consider them part of our heritage as Jews. Of course the Chasam sofer r Moshe Feinstein is part of our Halachik tradition.Are you kidding me ? A Lubavitcher wrote a מפתח to the Igros Moshe, Its in Haskafah matters that admittedly it is less common but lets not conflate the two.
Did everyone forget about 70 panim L’Torah? It has been this way always. That shouldnt be a reason not to get along. There were always disputes in Torah and minhagim amongst the Sages, that doesnt mean anyone should hate the other.
The bottom line in my opinion is that everyone has their minhagim and it is fine. I think that the problem is that if someone does not follow chabad minhagim, then all of a sudden they are viewed as a misnaged or hostile to chabad. However if someone respects chabad minhagim, it is interpreted as if they are abandoning their own minghagim since they are not happy with them. Its a no win situation. But just like many commenters wrote in about how chabad stays with their customs and do not want to change, it is the same way with… Read more »
Noone is asking them to do so, its just funny how articles such as this try to portray as if everyone is throwing away their “meaningless” customs and “converting” to lubavitch. Especially when there were comments from bochurim who actually participated and mentioned that most of the bochurim either already had a connection to lubavitch or came from “lubavitch chareidi” families, or were sort of OTD who went there instead of being elsewhere.
TO 4\5 PLEASE BE DON LECHAF ZECHUS WHY BE NEGETIVE MABY LUBAVICHER BOCHURIM WOULD GO TO LITVICH TO SPEND SHABBOS WHY SPILL COLD WATER
I’m surprised at some of the experiences here. I have been involved with chabad for many years and the people I hang out with frequently quote others besides Lubavitch i.e. Chasam sofer r Moshe Feinstein etc (the Rebbe himself quotes many other gedolim in his sichos and letters see for yourself). They listen to nigunim from various CDs not Lubavitch at all. So I really don’t know what the fuss is all about. At times there is a zilzul for other gedolim that were against or made comments about chabad (and I’m not defending that ) but they are rare… Read more »
I know this is late but I’m just seeing this discussion. As a Lubavitcher who is very familiar and has complete respect to other drachim, I would like to add another point of view. As a bochur (probably around your stage) I had the same critique so I completely understand where you’re coming from. However, as I grew older, I started seeing my previous perspective as immature and superficial. 1. Its a beautiful thing when a group passionately believes in what they have and wants to share it with klal yisroel. When a breslover wants to share with me Rav… Read more »
achdus doesn’t mean giving up ur standards, u don’t have to dance to litvish music to have achdus, its nice that them dancing to chabad music but thats not ”achdus”.
achdus means being united and having ahavas yisroel!
something we ALL need to work on
In essence even if you were to label those who arent chabad as “misnagdim” and for arguments sake even if they really were against or not for the chabad derech, I dont see why they should be pointed out any more so since chabad are “misnagdim” to their derech as well. Chabad does not hold of the litvishe Torah way which is clearly seen in the comments, so why make it seem one sided?
My parents are shluchim, I grew up that the word “misnaged” or ” chiloni” were not allowed in our home. What will be the feeling of a father seeing 2 childrens calling names to each other. I heard the name “misnaged” at fabrengen and I quite down the mashpia. Those amaizing Jews, learning Torah with a lot of effort and energy are called litvishe jews. It’s true that with Chasidus, their learning will take an uplift. But they work hard and mean it. I wish in the Nabor hood that I lived,North Miami Beach, chabad community would come out to… Read more »
Wow. Looking at these comments, I have to say, petty, petty, petty. If this is how we are treating each other, irrespective of the Derech we take in life, than we all have a lot of work to do before we stand on Yom HaDin before HaShem, May He and His name be blessed forever and ever, Amen.
When you sit at a lubavitchers shabbos table and he tells a story of how when a litvisher chazan cries on yom kippur he is doing it to impress the crowd, but when a lubavitch chossid cries on yom kippur, its because he means it. And goes on”Thats the difference between us and those misnagdim” Oh boy im sure that was called for and made a lot of sense in the context of his talk. If you want to talk about whos saying loshon harah about the other, I have my bets on these guys who cant finish a sentence… Read more »
I wish you were right with your outrageous comment but you definitely do not know what you are talking about. My husband worked in Lakewood and the company he worked for had a shiur that was given by a prominent rav. He couldn’t believe that the anti chabad rhetoric that was spewed was uncalled for and didn’t even make sense in the context of his talk. Living in the Lakewood vicinity for almost 30 years I can tell you the only loshon horah that is completely accepted his that spoken about chabad. I can go on and on with examples… Read more »
Wow!! It must have cost a fortune.
Keep up the good work!!
You have a point, however, not 100%.
My son spent his entire life in Litvish yeshivos with his Chabad minhagim, learning Tanya, etc. He is at home if he is Lakewood or Mir. If someone can’t figure it out by his looks, when it comes up he always answers that he is Chabad to the surprise and perhaps slight annoyance of many roshei yeshivos. His yeshiva friends have a good laugh
What a beautiful program! The bottom line is, everyone there was encouraged to work on himself, no matter what his background and no matter how much he works on himself through other Chassidus, Mussar, etc. the entire year. The bochur’s comment in the article about how it was like being in a glasses store and being given is superior lens is wonderful. Each could gain in his own way without giving up his own minhagim, etc. I wish you much hatzlacha now and in the future. People, some of the comments above show that some folks don’t fully understand our… Read more »
if one is chabad they obviously think and feel that this is the best derech. if one is breslov they obviously think theirs is the best derech so why would anyone be surprised and find it so arrogant if we feel superior. if you are i chabad and ddint feel like that then why are you chabad. every person must think that what they are doing is the most righteous way. that is natural and if he doesnt he looks somewhere else. you cant knock someone for thinking his way is the best. that is why he is there!! if… Read more »
First of all there’s already a major movement in eretz yisroel called mayaney yisroel which is run by hamashpia reb chaim sholom diech and others it’s a shul full of striemelach that learn chasidus and try to be closer to hashem they have a kolel that learns chasidus every day of the week there’s other kolel chasidus it’s a massive thing all theses people come by themselves no one is schlepped by anyone else The second group of people that came to the camp were bochurim who are charedy Lubavitch they are a group of Lubavitchers who their families lived… Read more »
there are many ‘chabad’ nigunim that started out as other. i guess if we sing it long enough it starts to sound like a chabad niggun.
BTW, Chabad never sang licho dodi or Kel adon. The Rebbe started it specifically as a nod towards the minhogim of others, and for the purpose of achdus etc.
The misnagdim wouldn’t let us in even if we would want to and the polisher forget about they call us goyim gmurim
Yes. G-D forbid you should be tainted with your soul connecting to a Gadol Hador from the past who composed the “non chabad” niggun, when chabad wasnt even around.
You think chabad chassids is the only way for a yid to work on themselves? You know nothing about other Yidden. The litvishe hashkafa is ALL ABOUT working on one’s self. Ever heard of mussar? Working on yourself is the number 1 goal in order to be closer to Hashem. Open up a book and learn before you go out spewing your hatred. Everyone has their derech in doing so. Sorry to break it to you but chabad did not invent Judaism or frumkeit. And no not everything is harsh, as a matter of fact there are topics in Tanya… Read more »
A prime example of the distorted chabad “superiority”. I don’t think I could have proved it any better than your display. Your arrogance is disgusting. Get it through your head, you are not superior to anyone! You say that to litvishe and chassidishe it is a hobby and not religion! What do you know about their circles. Nothing! Chabad keeps saying they are not arrogant and don’t feel superior. Just take a look at these comments. Need I say more? Stop going around and trying to cater to others to visit and learn about chabad. You claim these 60 bochurim… Read more »
Emphasis on (there isnt supposed to be)- Ya we all know how that works hint hint. Regarding the superiority aspect of it, unfortunately that is the issue. There is a feeling of superiority and Im not getting into it because if you think not, you are not fooling anyone. Just look at how they freely shame rabbis who aren’t chabad , and don’t even rely on divrei Torah from a non chabad Rabbi. This is the mentality which has become associated with chabad. The victimized “everyone hates us” mentality. You should know that outside of chabad, they dont bring up… Read more »
we are chabad bec we feel this is the best derech. we hold from its goals and its avodah etc. if we didnt then why would we stay chabad, so certainly we arent going to spend time in litvish yeshivos if we feel we are in the best place and offer the best derech. we dont force anyone to accept our minhogim just want and feel it is a must to learn chassidus
Presumably, these bochurim were interested in Chabad Chassidus. Perhaps like in the 1980’s they secretly learn Chassidus & wanted more. Perhaps they had nothing better to do. But they weren’t forced to come. If Chabad bochurim expressed an interest in Litvish or other mesorot they can pursue that.
The question is… do they want to? Perhaps those who are Chabad are happy with their derech haTorah. And perhaps these 60 guys weren’t.
A big yashar koyach to the entire Blumberger family! I remember when they made the move to A”Y with clear brachos from the Rebbe just a number of years ago!
May you continue to see the Rebbe’s brachos clearly fulfilled mitoich harchava b’gashmius u’bruchnius every moment of the day!!!
This is so exciting!
Chasidus chabad is the only derech in avoidas hashem that expects every single Jew to work on himself. In litfishe yeshivas of you get a high score on your Gemara test your a gadol hador ! Why in the world would chabad bochurim want to do that? How would they benefit? Polisher bochurim learn exactly like misnagdim it’s just a hobby instead of a religion. The other hobby is eating chuuuulent and kiiiigel they think it makes them closer to hashem! Chèvre we need to realise our what a precious gift we have we have hashem we get to know… Read more »
The article seems to portray that the program was focused more on spreading the learning aspect of Chabad Chassidus to non-Chabad bochurim as opposed to trying to influence anyone to adopt different minhagim than the ones they were brought up with. In fact, in many cases when non-Chabad men were influenced by the learning of Chabad Chassidus and wanted to become closer to the community and drop their own garb and minhagim the Rebbe specifically encourage them to keep their own uniform. I know one man in person who was told by the Rebbe to keep his streimel and long… Read more »
Regarding Chabad Minhagim, there isn’t (supposed to be) too much special emphasis on trying to get other Yidden to follow them. In fact, there were a number of non-Lubavitch Chassidim who, when they wanted to “become” Lubavitchers, were told by the Rebbe to keep their original Levush. Our focus though is spreading and teaching Chassidus Chabad, and preparing the world for Moshiach (which are hand in hand). Not because we feel a superiority or because we think we’re unique. Learning Chassidus, ESPECIALLY Chassidus Chabad, is something necessary for every single Jew. Not only Chabad and other Chassidim, not only the… Read more »
Some definitely have from time to time. Just nobody makes anything special out it.
If chabad bochurim spend time in litvishe or non chabad chassidishe yeshiva its to try to turn them into chabad lol not to learn from them
I really don’t think we recruit etc we do want and feel tht everyone should learn chassidus Bec it makes u soar,but as the Rebbe answered to another chosid when advised to wear a shtreimel so he’ll have many more diff kind of chassidim ,that he wasn’t interested in changing those,he wants those tht need to be brought closer to Hashem. I really don’t think we convince anyone in to accept our minhogim and leave behind their own. Unless there’s a great affect by them
“When will some Chabad bochurim spend a similar amount of time in Litvisher and non-Chabad Chassidic yeshivos???”
Answer- Never. And thats the issue. I totally agree with #3.
However noone is asking chabad to change and try out other customs. Sad that they expect everyone else to.
When will some Chabad bochurim spend a similar amount of time in Litvisher and non-Chabad Chassidic yeshivos???
From a chabad friendly litvishe bochur truly wondering— The only thing that bothers me is that it would never be the other way around. And I understand that Chabad want to stay Chabad, but why then, I ask, do you always expect the whole Yiddishe Velt to “learn and “practice” YOUR minhagim? And even more so, encourage it and actively “recruit”? You (Chabad) of all should know how important minhagim are since you yourselves will not budge left or right. So why the zilzul of other customs and minhagim from generations longer than even Chabad? This is a total double… Read more »
What a beautiful idea
Go Schnay!!!