From “The Rebbe Is” to “The Rebbe Was”?

By Rabbi Yossi Eliav
Chabad of Clinton Hill & Pratt Institute

I began writing this shortly after Gimmel Tammuz. It was not easy but I pushed myself to finish it now as I believe it connects with Tisha B’Av.

I know this is a sensitive topic and that some readers will relate to more of the points written and some to fewer.

This past Gimmel Tammuz felt… more…. different. I noticed a shift.

More ads, more articles, more events referring to the Rebbe in the past tense.

Phrases like “legacy,” “in memory of,” and “the Rebbe was…” came up with uncomfortable frequency.

It sounded more how other Chassidishe groups speak about their previous Rebbes.

It left me wondering: What happened? What changed? And most importantly — what now?

Here is my personal experience growing up in Crown Heights as it relates to this topic:

I was born shortly after Gimmel Tammuz, 5754 (1994) Like many in my generation, I did not merit to see the Rebbe with my physical eyes.

Yet I grew up in a world where the Rebbe was fully present — not just spiritually, but alive, leading us, and about to take us out of Golus.

That may not have been written in every school’s official curriculum…But in mainstream Crown Heights of my childhood, that was our reality.

In school, we said Yechi after every Davening and Bentching.

Hallways were lined with banners reading: “Baruch Haba Melech HaMoshiach” alongside large photos of the Rebbe.

Even school tests, report cards, Pesach Hagadahs, and letterheads carried that message. It was everywhere.

I remember the chayus of Shabbos afternoon rallies in 770 with Rabbi Katzen, a”h.

In camp, we sang R’ Chaim Fogelman’s words with full passion: “And he would not tell the future…If he hadn’t seen it with his eyes!” And songs like “Gimmel Tammuz didn’t change a thing, the Rebbe is still our leader….”

Those words weren’t just lyrics. We believed them. We felt them. We lived them.

Some argued that this kind of language should be kept for “internal use” and toned down for outsiders.

Perhaps that made sense in certain contexts but over time, it feels as if the “toned-down” version has become the default, even in our own circles, and that’s where the discomfort sets in.

Now, as a young father ka”h, I think about my children.

What kind of Rebbe will they grow up with? A Rebbe who is alive and present, or a Rebbe gradually being placed in the past?

No, I don’t have all the answers.

We are in Golus — and Golus is by definition a time of confusion, concealment, and lack of clarity.

If there were perfect clarity, Moshiach would already be here. But I do know this:

We won’t all express our Hiskashrus in the same way. We won’t all use the same words, the same tone, or the same customs. And that’s okay.

At the core, we are one people with one Rebbe. Chassidim zainen ein mishpacha — Chassidim are one family.

Whether we cry out Ad Masai, Yechi etc. We all yearn for the same Geulah. We all want the same thing.

The students of Rabbi Akiva weren’t punished for having different opinions — they were punished for not respecting one another.

Now, as we are about to finish the Nine Days, when we are called to increase in Ahavas Chinam — unconditional love for every Jew.

Let’s start with those closest to us: Fellow Shluchim. Fellow Chassidim.

Let’s create a culture of respect in how we speak to – and about one another.

It’s going to take all of us. Every Shliach. Every Chossid.

Let’s do it for ourselves. For our children. For the Rebbe. For our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael and around the world.

In conclusion, two points:

1. Make the Rebbe current in your life.

2. Respect those whose Hiskashrus is expressed differently than yours.

Maaseh B’poel — A Practical Step: Pick up the phone. Call someone you’ve disagreed with. Have a real conversation. Reconnect. Rebuild.

If even one person reading this takes action it could be the mitzvah — the act of Ahavas Yisroel that brings Moshiach now!