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Noam Elimelech [Fernwald DP Camp, 1947]
A Simple Jew
אַשְׂכִּילָה בְּדֶרֶךְ תָּמִים
Friday, February 09, 2007
Bnei Avraham Ahuvecha: Gerim in Chassidic Thought
Sudilkover Rebbe's Advice
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Shtetl's Shul
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16 Comments:
Included in this list are:
"Chok L’Yisroel - Magid of Mezrich wrote a letter to the Baal Hatanya saying he should learn Chok L’Yisroel wearing tefilin of Rabbeinu Tam every day."
After seeing this I am surprised that learning Chok L'Yisroel is not a Chabad minhag the way Chitas or Rambam Yomi is.
For some reason, we would never question the minhagim of Rashi, or the Rambam, or the Maharal. Further, we don't question Ashkenazi or Sephardi customs. But we question Chassidic ones.
The Rebbaim directed the chassidim in practices that would strengthen and maintain their observance, yiras shamayim, and connection with Hashem. Perhaps the question in this isn't why not Chok L'Yisroel, but understanding that most of their chassidim have to spend some time earning a living, which - Chok L'Yisroel OR Chitas?
I would guess that this is another example of regional practices - Chok wasn't studied in Lita-White Russia. However, there ARE individual Chabad chassidim that DO learn chok (but they probably from non-Lubavitcher backrounds)
But I recall hearing that the Previous Rebbe said that in Chabad they didnt adopt daf-yomi because they didnt want to impose additional study of this type (required daily study to cover groud that will be easily forgotton) rather, it would be better to allot an amount of time and cover less ground.
I would also susupect (obviously, I could be completely wrong here) that in early generations Chabad chassidim would have objected to any of these yomi's (Chitas & Rambam Yomi as well), since they tend to be superficial study, which was not the Chabad way - and it is very possible that as a result Chok was never practiced; therefore, one of the Rabbeim would have had to come out and start it as a new practice, which didn't happen - Chitas (6th Rebbe) & Rambam (7th Rebbe) came instead...
Akiva: I hear what you are saying but my "rational" mind has a problem with this since the direction of learning Chok L'Yisroel appears to have come directly from the Maggid to the Baal HaTanya, while the instruction to learn Chitas is based upon the fact that when the Tzemach Tzedek visited the grave of his mother (Rebbetzin Devorah Leah) in 1843, he received a message from her that she had gained entry into the heavenly palace of the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov then gave the instruction to establish the practice of learning Chitas on a daily basis.
On one hand we have a direction from a living tzaddik to a living tzaddik, and on the other hand we have direction while a person is sleeping and dreaming. Mind you, I am not mocking the reason behind Chitas, the direction to learn Chok L'Yisroel for Lubavitchers just seems more straight forward, does it not?
It would seem that the Alter Rebbe took the Maggid's directive as personal, not communal.
Chabakuk Elisha: You logic makes sense to my rational mind.
Zezmir: Most possibly. Not everything that a tzaddik told another tzaddik was meant for the common man to take on.
Here's the thing - we can't do everything (at once anyway). So, we need to balance our diet a little - not too much of one thing. The best idea is to select from these different groups (off teh top of my head):
Some rote study, some superficial study, some in-depth study, some easy study, some not-so-easy study, some study alone, some study with a chavrusa...
It's important not to overload with one these groups... as my grandmother used to say: "Life is like nutrition (she was a nutritionist), a balanced diet is required in all things."
ASJ do you know the exact wording of the MM? Perhaps it will give us some hint to why the Alter Rebbe was told, and why it wasn't passed on.
CE: The learning of Chitas and Rambam was a tradition amongst Chabad Rabbeim from generation to generation. As well the Alter Rebbe told his chassidim to learn the parshas ha'shevua with rashi, and chassidim themselves would learn one perek of tanya a week, each perek of the 53 chapters for the 53 sedros.
Of note I've heard that the Rebbe's talks on Rambam from before the takana match up with the cycle of learning Rambam (The moreh shiur printed for Rambam gives several references to the daily learning of sefer hayad -including a letter from the MM to the AR.
In this generation, however, the Rebbe and the Frierdiker Rebbe before him saw it fit to reveal many of the customs of the Chabad Rebbeim.
Mottel:
Ok, but are you disagreeing with anything I wrote?
You said: "I would also susupect (obviously, I could be completely wrong here) that in early generations Chabad chassidim would have objected to any of these yomi's (Chitas & Rambam Yomi as well), since they tend to be superficial study, which was not the Chabad way."
When it comes to chitas, at least, I would say that it fits under all categories i.e. since it is a pekudah from the rebbeim it is not merely a superficial act, yet since we live in the age of the sound-bite, it fits into our superficial lives.
I'm not sure if you disagree to this statement or not.
CE wrote: So, we need to balance our diet a little - not too much of one thing. The best idea is to select from these different groups (off the top of my head): Some rote study, some superficial study, some in-depth study, some easy study, some not-so-easy study, some study alone, some study with a chavrusa...
Seems to me, that of the 3 options mentioned, Chok L'Yisrael best fits the bill!
No'am Elimelech!
I think that the book was under my wife's pillow in the hospital every time that she gave birth.
I am not Hassidic but it's kind of like chicken soup...it couldn't hurt!
We were by my parents with our sibilings two weeks ago as my mother (who is not Breslov)underwent major surgery. We put Likutey Moharan under her pillow. She was already able to walk around the next day and returned to work three days later. Everyone at her office was shocked. No one expected to see her for two weeks. She then put the book in my nephews' crib as a "shmirah" because she belives that she was healed quickly because the book was next to her. When my sister (who is Litvish) came to take leave, she asked my mom if she could take it with her for his crib at home! (We're sending another one...)
L'fi anias daiti, I would say that every sefer has segulas associated with them, but these we actually know what they are. Further, we see there is a reason why each sefer is mesugal for a particular item although we might not understand. The Tzadikim are able to perceive this. If I remember correctly, it was the Rebbe, Reb Simcha Bunim of Pishischa who said:"the best chassidishe sefer is a Gemara" and "a blatt Gemara before davening is like immersing in the mikva" so lets not forget about the basics - Gemara and Poskim in addition to Chumash w/ Rashi and Nach w/ meforshim in addition to all these Sforim Hakedoshim.
I think it was actually(or maybe additionally) the Kotzker Rebbe who said that "a person can Toivel in a blatt Gemara".
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