B'H

A Response to Chaim Millers Turning Judaism Outward Based on Sources

Is the identifcation of Moshiach's identity important?
Recently, biographies of the Rebbe have been published which have
created confusion regarding the Rebbe's views on Moshiach the Messiah! and on
publici"ing the identity of Moshiach# $his essay is provided to address such
%uestions, but not to comprehensively review an entire boo&# 'urthermore, this is
not intended as a personal attac& on any author, but rather a legitimate critical
analysis of the wor& based on sources#
Before we start, I would li&e to give an introduction# $he 'rierdi&er Rebbe
the (
th
)ubavitcher Rebbe! writes that even criminals follow a set of rules and
maintain certain standards# $his was said in reference to writers associated with
the Has&alah, the *nlightenment Movement who violated the most basic norms#
+ne of their most egregious acts according to the 'rierdi&er Rebbe was to re,write
history, creating facts that never occurred to accommodate their agenda# $urning
-udaism +utward is plagued by the same errors# $his boo& employs fabrications,
omission of facts, and half,truths which obscures the truth from the reader# It can
also be misleading by including one part of a sicha while omitting another part#
$his reminds me of the story from the beginning of the .hassidic
movement# $here was tremendous opposition coming from true $orah scholars
and the greatest leaders of -ewry at the time# $hese leaders were misled by lies
regarding the practices and beliefs of the .hassidim# +ne such e/ample is a
particularly harsh letter against the .hassidic movement written by the 0ilna
1aon who was the head of the opposition# His antagonism was based on
eyewitness testimony that .hassidim were eating and drin&ing on $isha B'2v# $his
supported their claim that they were followers of 3habtai 4vi, 1,d forbid, because
he told his followers to not fast on $isha B5av# )ater it became clear this testimony
was true e/cept for one important detail6 .hassidim were eating and drin&ing on
$isha B5av which had occurred on 3habbos, when it is not only permissible, but a
mit"vah to eat and drin&# It is precisely this detail which determined whether
others were portrayed as following or violating $orah law# 7nfortunately, Rabbi
Miller discusses the sub8ect of Moshiach in much the same manner# He only
brings some of the story, leaving out other parts which creates a false and
misleading picture# $his review focuses on pages 9:9,9:; concerning his
treatment of the propriety of identifying the Rebbe as Moshiach according to the
Rebbe's writings and responses#
Beginning with page 9:9, the boo& states that <the Rebbe did not deem the
identifcation of Moshiach's identity important#= $here could be nothing further
from the truth> Rabbi Miller is entitled to his personal belief# But, the signifcance
which the Rebbe attached to this is evident by the numerous times which he
spo&e about this# I would refer the reader to a few of the many sources most of
which the Rebbe has edited6
?! In )u&&utei 3ichos vol @A, page B(: in a sicha tal&! from 3imchas $orah, C;9(,
the focus of the entire sicha is on the identity of Moshiach and on the sub8ect of
who is Moshiach in the generation# More particularly, he states that <the Moshiach
of every and any generation is the Dasi leader! of the generation, and in our
generation, it is the Rebbe my father in law#=
@! In 3efer Hasichos, C;C@, on page B(C, the Rebbe writes, <whoever is the Dasi in
the generation, he is the Moshiach in the generation#=
B! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page 9;:, the Rebbe states <whoever is the Dasi of the
generation is the Moshiach of the generation= and the Rebbe also e/plains why#
9! In 3efer Hisvaadiyos C;9; vol ? page @(( on the si/th night of 3u&&os, the
Rebbe spo&e about the $"emach $"ede& the B
rd
)ubavitcher Rebbe!# $he
recording of this wee&day sicha is available# $he Rebbe says <in every generation,
the .hassidim believed that their Rebbe is Moshiach, and in the times of the
$"emach $"ede&, his chassidim believed clearly that he was Moshiach of that
generation# Had Moshiach come in that generation, the $"emach $"ede& would
have been Moshiach#=
C! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@, page AC, Earshas 0ayera, the Rebbe writes that <in
every generation, there is someone that is designated to be Moshiach, and in our
generation, it is the Dasi of the generation, the Rebbe my father in law#=
(! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@, page ??:, Earshas .hayei 3arah, the Rebbe writes
again, <in every generation, Hashem designates one person to be Moshiach, and
in our generation, it is the Rebbe My father in law, the Dasi of the generation#=
;! +ne can see this again in the above sicha on page ???#
F! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page ?C@, Earshas 0ayeit"ei, the Rebbe again says , <in
every generation, there is someone who is designated to be Moshiach, and in our
generation, it is the Dasi Hador, $he Rebbe my father in law#=
A! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page @9B, you can see this again, on the ?:th of $eves,
the Rebbe says <Moshiach t"id&einu, the Rebbe my father in law, the Dasi Hador,=
?:! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page B((, the Rebbe writes <the Rebbe my father in
law is the Dasi of the generation, the Moshiach of the generation#=
??! In 3efer hasichos C;C@, page 9;@ the Rebbe writes <the Dasi of the generation
is the Moshiach of the generation, and he is also the Dasi of the teachings of
.hassidus#=
?@! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page B;B, again the Rebbe says <the Dasi of our
generation, is the Moshiach of our generation#=
?B! In 3ichos Godesh C;@: Earshas Daso chapter B, the Rebbe discusses at length
how the 'rierdi&er Rebbe publici"ed that Moshiach is coming and the .hassidim
then added that the 'rierdi&er Rebbe is Moshiach#
In addition to the above there are many sichos where the Rebbe said
<Moshiach5s name is Menachem=6
?! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page B9?
@! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page B;(
B! In 3efer Hasichos C;C@ page 9::
9! In 3efer Hasichos C;C? page ;@?
C! In 3efer Hasichos C;C? page ;@@
(! In 3efer Hasichos C;C? page ;9B
In addition to the above, the Rebbe said both 'Menachem' and 'Mendel' are the
names of Moshiach#
?! In 3efer Hasichos C;C? page ?9
@! In 3efer Hisvaadiyos C;C: page @F;
B! In 3efer Hisvaadiyos C;C: page BB;
$his is a partial listing# $here e/ists many other sources, some of which are
e/plicit and some are subtle# 'or e/ample, when the Rebbe says =$he two names
of the $"emach $"ede& are the names of Moshiach#= $herefore, in sicha after
sicha, the Rebbe has spo&en about who is Moshiach and even referenced his
name, yet there is a bra"en disregard for these sichos# $here is also a boo&
e/clusively dedicated to %uoting all the sources where the Rebbe spea&s about
who is Moshiach#
'urthermore, in an attempt to support a Hawed conclusion, on p# 9:9, Rabbi
Miller compares the focus on the 'persona' of Moshiach to the theology of
.hristianity, rachmono l't"lan, 1,d forbid!# $his stands in star& contrast to the
Rebbe's emphasis on the identity of Moshiach as cited in the previously
referenced writings which has always been a part of -udaism# 'or instance, in the
$almud, 3anhedrin AFb, it is recorded how students were discussing who is
Moshiach and each one pointed to their teachers, and identifed him as Moshiach#
In the *ncyclopedia 3dei .hemed, volume Eaas Hasadeh, Mareches ?, page ?9AC,
it states that in every generation, the rabbis speculated who is the Moshiach of
that generation# In addition, Rabbi 3hmuel Bluming published a pamphlet in which
he compiled documented sources throughout -ewish history in which the rabbis
speculated who would be Moshiach in their generation# .learly, any reference to
.hristianity is without foundation and in fact no source is oIered# Instead, open
sources are treated as if they do not e/ist# In the process, he cavalierly impugns
the teaching, writing and activism of hundreds of thousands of .hassidim and
those close to .habad, inlcuding roshei yeshivos, rabonim, and talmedei
chochamim# $his begs the %uestion6 Jhere is the source in -udaism that rules it is
against the $orah to say who is Moshiach? $here is no such source6 not in
1emara, 3hulchan 2ruch , Midrashim, nor in any other place in $orah#
$he Rebbe's 0iew of Identifying Him as Moshiach
In another statement on p 9:9, Rabbi Miller writes that it is the Rebbe's view
that the focus on who is Moshiach detracts from the wor& of bringing Moshiach#
He cites a source from ?AF9, on p 9:C, that the Rebbe said he is against
.hassidim saying he is Moshiach which according to the author continues to this
day# 2 closer e/amination of how to apply the Rebbe's response is necessary# In
?AF9, the Rebbe said that this would 'push people away from learning .hassidus#'
However, at a later point in time, activities that identifed the Rebbe as Moshiach
received a completely diIerent, positive answer# In retrospect, the Rebbe's initial
response from ?AF9 implies that the right time had not come for this# Ket, it did
not mean that tal&ing about the sub8ect will forever be inappropriate# $he logical
conclusion to Rabbi Miller's understanding of the Rebbe's position is there will
never be a time when it would be appropriate to say that someone is Moshiach>>
$his is rather absurd# Here again, it is deceptive to treat an initial answer as
forever rendering an action unacceptable when there are later publicly,&nown
answers which approve# $hese will be discussed in depth later#
In fact, there are many e/amples in which the Rebbe frst withheld his
blessing for a pro8ect and at a later point said that now is the time that it should
be done# $his is commonplace as well in the history and practice of .hassidus# 'or
e/ample, there was tremendous opposition against the 2ri"al when he frst began
to teach Gabbalah# $he basis for the opposition was <It was never done before=# It
was true that Gabbalah was never studied publicly, but only by a select few out of
the entire generation# $o this the 2ri"al answered L$hat was before, but now the
times have changed# 3o much so that in fact, now not only is it alright to study
Gabbalah, but now it is a mit"vah legalos "os hachochma to reveal this wisdom!=#
Incidentally, the 2lter Rebbe the ?
st
)ubavither Rebbe! brings these words in his
wor& Igeres Ha&odesh 3iman @( that it is a mit"vah to study Gabbalah and
publici"e the teachings of Gabbalah#!
$he situation repeated itself with the Baal 3hem $ov a few generations later
when he introduced .hassidus, and again there was tremendous opposition# <Je
never studied this=# <$hese things were never done before=# L$he teachings and
way of life that the Baal 3hem $ov introduced are an innovation#L $he Baal 3hem
$ov ac&nowledged that this was not done before# However, the time had now
arrived for these concepts and practices to be publici"ed and adopted# It is well
&nown how the e/planations and metaphors in .hassidus e/plain how earlier it
was unacceptable to reveal the concealed part of the $orah, and in the time of the
Baal 3hem $ov, it became not only acceptable, but a necessity#
Ket again this occurred in the time of the 2lter Rebbe# Jhen the 2lter Rebbe
began to teach .hassidus .habad, great .hassidic masters came out against this
change# $hey claimed that the 2lter Rebbe was not following the way which the
Baal 3hem $ov had taught .hassidus# $hey complained that to e/plain these lofty
.hassidic concepts in a manner of chochmah, bina and daas is a deviation# $he
2lter Rebbe answered that the Baal 3hem $ov's method was proper for his
generation# Ket, now the call of the hour is to reveal .hassidus in a diIerent way#
$o emphasi"e this point further, the 2lter Rebbe's method of teaching .hassidus
even changed from the time prior to his arrest as compared to after his liberation
from prison# 2nd similarly from generation to generation, from Rebbe to Rebbe,
practices and teachings which were concealed or deemed inappropriate in the
previous generation were by necessity revealed and encouraged in a later
generation# Daturally, no one today would dare say to ignore a directive from the
Rebbe, 1,d forbid, because it was not done in the time of the 2lter Rebbe#
2nother illustration can be found in )i&&utei 3ichos volume @: p BF(, where
the Rebbe spea&s about the custom of birthday celebrations# Erivate
celebrations of birthdays were practiced by a select few individuals in a %uiet
way so it was not made &nown to the public# $hen, the 'rierdi&er Rebbe gave
instructions to publici"e the importance of observing one's birthday# $he Rebbe
describes this as going from one end of the spectrum to the other# 'irst it was
totally hidden and concealed, so no one should &now about it# $hen it went to the
other e/treme where it became essential to publici"e to every man, woman and
child, so that everyone in the generation should follow it#
3imilarly, for generations, )ubavitchers began wearing Rabeinu $am's tefllin
at the age of ?F# +n Eurim C;B(, the Rebbe instructed that boys should start
putting on Rabeinu $am's tefllin earlier, from the time of their bar mit"vah# 2 few
years later, in C;9A, the Rebbe then said that Rabeinu $am's tefllin should be put
on @ months before bar mit"va as is the practice for Rashi's tefllin# 2gain, a
custom which was previously not done conse%uently became necessary and
important to do#
2nother instance is from ?AF( when Rabbi Kona 2vt"on prepared a boo&
entitled 'rom */ile to Redemption, featuring e/cerpts from the Rabbeim of
.habad on the sub8ect of Moshiach and Redemption# $he Rebbe re8ected the
publishing of this boo&, saying that it will e/acerbate the opposition to the coming
of Moshiach# In light of the farbrengen of Earshas $a"ria Met"ora C;C?, Rabbi
2vt"on as&ed the Rebbe again for approval to print the boo&# $his time the Rebbe
gave strong encouragement to its immediate publication#
Ket another e/ample is the process of the Rebbe accepting the leadership of
)ubavitch# Muring the frst year after the histal&us passing! of the 'rierdi&er
Rebbe, many people wrote letters to the Rebbe, begging him to accept the
leadership of .habad# $he Rebbe consistently re8ected it, emphasi"ing it is not a
position that is suitable for him and it is a mista&e to suggest for him to be Rebbe#
Ket, a year later the Rebbe accepted the leadership# Do one would say that the
Rebbe is not the leader of )ubavitcher .hassidim because the Rebbe so strongly
re8ected it in ?AC:> Ket, $urning -udaism +utward disingenuously claims that the
Rebbe's ?AF9 disapproval of publicly identifying him as Moshiach continues
unchanged to this day# $his re%uires disregarding later responses in which the
Rebbe's stance changed to approve publicly identifying him as Moshiach#
3ources provided earlier document how the Rebbe personally publici"ed
that 'the Dasi of the generation is Moshiach of the generation,' and 'that my
father in law is the Moshiach of the generation'# In fact, the Rebbe specifcally
re%uested these sichos to be published in the newspapers# $hese sichos were
edited by the Rebbe and were publicly disseminated in a maga"ine in Israel and in
a newspaper in 2merica leaving no doubt that it carried the oNcial seal of
approval from the Rebbe# In fact, as it is written on the cover page of 3efer
Hasichos C;C?,C@, these sichos were originally prepared e/clusively for the
purpose of publication in the $he Gfar .habad maga"ine and the 2lgemeiner
-ournal# +nly later were they published in boo& form as 3efer Hasichos# It is
important to emphasi"e that in these tal&s the Rebbe spea&s repeatedly about the
identity of Moshiach#
Jhat really happened on @F Disan C;C? and other imporant farbrengens?
In discussing the seminal sicha of the @Fth of Disan C;C?, the boo&
mischaracteri"es the .hassidim as 'desperately see&ing some une/plored angle#'
$o describe the .hassidim in terms of desperation betrays an ignorance# $he
response was obvious to everyone present6 the .hassidim were ecstatic> $hey
were 8umping out of their s&in with e/citement because they believed in the
Rebbe with all their heart# +n p# 9:(, Rabbi Miller writes that some .hassidim at
a later farbrengen 'sang the same song' identifying the Rebbe as Moshiach, to
which the Rebbe 'reacted critically' as he did in ?AF9# $here could be nothing
further from the truth# I was there# I saw it with my own eyes as did thousands of
people# I am as sure as a historian who does research and &nows e/actly what
happened# $he author gives the appearance of conveying the facts, but again
engages in the pretension of highlighting one part and ignoring another# $he ?AA?
sicha was completely diIerent than the one in ?AF9# In ?AF9, the Rebbe spo&e
with a lot of pain and harshness# $he Rebbe was screaming that the publici"ing of
the Rebbe as Moshiach goes against and stands in the way of spreading
.hassidus and pushes people away# .onversely, in the sicha of ?AA?, the Rebbe
did not utter one word in that vein# In fact, the Rebbe was smiling and the Rebbe
spo&e in 8ust a few words when he said 'you sing this song with these words while
I sit here by the table# # # I should have wal&ed out# But I won't# # '
$here are @ reasons which were given by the Rebbe for saying this which
were left out of the boo&# $he frst reason is that 'it is not going to help anyway#
$he .hassidim are going to continue saying what they are saying#' $he Rebbe
smiled when he said that# $here was no anger or tal& about destroying or
destruction# 2nd the second reason the Rebbe gives is 'I don't want to disturb the
sheves achim gam yachad#' It is a farbrengen, there is unity among chassidim# He
didn't want to do anything that is going to disturb that unity# $he boo& omits
these points and ironically is written in a way that creates division between one
chasid and another, the direct opposite of the Rebbe's stated intent# 2nd
whatever the Rebbe did say, he most certainly did not say it is wrong, terrible, or
destructive to identify the Rebbe as Moshiach# $here was not one word of that
nature# 2ll he said is I should have wal&ed out# $his basically means the Rebbe is
saying if I am sitting here at a public farbrengen while you are singing this song, I
am publicly admitting I agree with what the people are saying in this song#
2t that time, the Rebbe did not publicly admit# He really would have wal&ed
out# In other words, it wasn't the time yet for the Rebbe to be publicly sitting there
while we sing that song# $his is something which gradually changed, similar to
other sub8ects cited earlier, li&e the Rebbe's acceptance of the leadership of
)ubavitch, Rabeinu $am's tefllin, birthday celebrations, etc# 2ctivities in C;C?,C@
whose theme was the public identifcation and acceptance of the Rebbe as
Moshiach received the Rebbe's consent and blessing couched in unusually
enthusiastic and positive languge# $hese are too numerous for this essay, but
they are published and available to the public 2nd He Jill Redeem 7s pp CA,;@!#
3ome noteworthy responses included approval for Halachic Rulings from Beis Min,
petition drives, letters of acceptance, Melaveh Mal&as, and newspaper
advertisements# Eerhaps most telling was the Rebbe's consent to use the title
Melech HaMoshiach in the preface to his wor&s published by Gehos, the oNcial
publishing house of )ubavitch, and the Rebbe's public encouragement of the
singing of 'Kechi' which identifes the Rebbe as Moshiach, both in C;CB#
In supporting the thesis in $urning -udaism +utward that the Rebbe's ?AF9
opinion remained unchanged regarding identifying Moshiach, Rabbi Miller cites a
response from the Rebbe in C;C@ which disapproved of the distribution of a
pamphlet identifying Moshiach# $his case illustrates another aspect essential to
understanding the Rebbe's responses# Damely, the Rebbe's answer would ta&e
into account the approach, tone and phraseology of the %uestion and the one
as&ing# 2ccording to the writer of the pamphlet, Rabbi 3holom Mov Ber Jolpe,
the women who in%uired of the Rebbe regarding distributing the pamphlet
phrased their re%uest in the form of a %uestion with a decidedly negative view#
.onversely , at the same time, Rabbi Jolpe received strong encouragement from
the Rebbe to continue his lectures which identifed the Rebbe as Moshiach# In
general, the Rebbe's responses seem to stri&e a balance between refraining from
lobbying for or obligating others in accepting or publici"ing him as Moshiach and
supporting activities based on the free choice, willingness and the initiative of
others to accept and publici"e the Rebbe as Moshiach# In short, answers reHect
that acceptance can not be legislated from above, but rather must be at the
initiative of the people#
Earenthetically, $urning -udaism +utward fails to fully discuss the boo&
written by Rabbi Jolpe in ?AF9 which outlines how the halachic criteria for
Eresumed Moshiach is fulflled in our time# $his boo& was frst re8ected by the
Rebbe in ?AF9 and referenced by Rabbi Miller on page 9:C in the sicha cited
above! where the Rebbe discusses how actions such as these cause damage#
$ellingly, this very same boo& then received an enthusiastic blessing from the
Rebbe in ?AA?# $he Rebbe writes 'I have received the submission! and was
greatly delighted# $he enclosed wor& should be properly boundO accept my
gratitude in advance# It should be successfulO and I hope to hear glad tidings#
Regarding all this, a"&ir al ha$"ion#' $he Rebbe even as&ed Rabbi Jolpe to send
him a copy# $his is yet another proof of this principle# Damely, that the very same
pro8ect discussing the identity of Moshiach which the Rebbe said would do harm at
one time received approval at a later, proper time#
2nother deceptive part of the boo& is where he selectively %uotes from the
sicha of Earshas $a"ria Met"ora C;C? which creates a false impression# .iting this
sicha, Rabbi Miller spea&s of how the Rebbe gave clear directives about what
needs to be done6 to learn about Moshiach and 1eula Redemption!# $he Rebbe
also spo&e in the sicha that the students in 1emara 3anhedrin p AFb all described
their teacher as being Moshiach# Here the Rebbe writes 'anan naneh basrei', that
we should follow their e/ample> 3efer Hasichos C;C?, pages 9A( and 9A;!
Rabbi Miller omitted this part of the sicha where the Rebbe instructs that
.hassidim should follow the e/ample to say that our Rebbe is Moshiach#
In conclusion, when presented with the facts, the reader can readily see the
Haws in $urning -udaism +utward's treatment of the sub8ect of Moshiach, given its
poor understanding and analysis of the Rebbe's sichos and responses and its
faulty conclusions#