Why do people dislike Lubavitchers so much? I have written about this in the past but that was from a satirical standpoint. Due to many circumstances I seek to find out the answers to this question and others I will pose. Hopefully I will gain significant feedback from you- my loyal readers.
I understand people disliking some Lubavitchers due to their belief that their dead Rebbe is the messiah, I do not not deny he was one of the great Rabbi’s of this century, but I hardly doubt he was or is Mochiach. I understand this contention many people have with the Lubavitch movement. Ok, now let me ask you besides this reason what else is there not to like? Well many folks may answer their progressive ways of dealing with kiruv or trying to get Jews back to their roots via traditions such as putting on tefilin, lighting the menorah or shaking the lulav. So you don’t like being heckled in the street, I don’t like being asked for money by homeless people, but for that small amount of heckling wouldn’t you say it is worth it for what they happen to accomplish? I spoke to a woman tonight, we started talking about the Capital District Chabad, to which she started talking about why she dislikes chabad, and the two reasons mentioned above were her choices of debate. I am not Lubavitch, but the more I hear about how “frum” Jews HATE other “frum” Jews, the more I not only sympathize with but am drawn into the Lubavitch way so to speak.
It seems that people enjoy picking on Lubavitchers, granted many people dislike other sects of Chasidim as well, it seems to me that most people share the similar view that Lubavitchers are not only “fake” Chasidim, they are the closest thing to Judaism we have. Not only is this offensive, this is completely false. If you take away the meshichist agenda, would people still dislike Lubavitchers? Hell yes they would, apparently many folks have disliked Lubavitchers for years before Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneirson was even born. That’s right folks, it all started back in the day when some dude decided it would be a good idea to write down the Tanya and bring it to the masses, kind of like writing the Talmud down, well many Chasidim thought it should not be given to the masses and hence started the beginning of the end for the Lubbies.
So here are some of my own thoughts on Lubavitchers, lets say though this is probably inflated, that ¼ of all Lubbies are Meshichist. Well that means that ¾ of them all are out there on the front lines bringing in Jews of all backgrounds to participate in things they didn’t even know existed, and maybe one day these Jews will become Torah observant and marry Jews and have Jewish kids. Now please tell me what could be better. I don’t see any other organizations willing to send out families to the middle of nowhere to try and bring some sort of Judaism to folks in places like Montana or Alaska. Yes other Kiruv organizations do great things, but none are as far reaching as Chabad. No other orthodox groups go to college campuses to try and give students some of whom are orthodox a Friday night meal or a learning event. Why don’t yeshiva’s like Chofetz Chaim, or Ner Israel etc.. have any sort of events. It is true that number one problem facing Jewish communities today is an over 50% rate of intermarriage, it just unnerves me that all these other folks who are probably members of some Jewish organizations will go on bashing chabad, when they fail to do anything close to the work they do. Oh but they brainwash and want people to be like them etc…you may say, well fine wouldn’t you rather have a bunch of Lubavitchers than a bunch of secular Jews intermarrying and having non Jewish children? Listen to what you people are saying, since you do not like Lubbies and a few meshichists and maybe the way they shove lulavim in your face- you would rather Jews be lost than found. I EXPECT SOME COMMENTS.