M.M. Schneerson: Messiah or Member of the Ibbur Class
By Shael Siegel The ultra-orthodox are once again in a tizzy about developments in the Lubavitch/Chabad hassidic sect. They are shocked that so many of their members can have a mishichist (messianic) twist to their theology. Apparently, when their Rabbi, M.M. Schneerson, died there were some, probably a minority, who did not accept his death. They assumed that he was the Messiah and would appear in the streets of Jerusalem in a white Mercedes S500. Even though arriving in a Mercedes would not necessarily be politically correct, the fact that he was the Messiah means that history would be revised. Indeed, his coming (assuming Schneerson is of the House of David) will restore the glory of Israel and all the Jews will return there. It is a fantastic story and utterly believable– if you believe in a personal Messiah as elaborated on by the Rambam (Maimonides) and others. What amazes me is the same people who cast doubt on the claims of the mishichistim (messianic) believe in the myth of a personal messiah. If you believe in a personal moshiach (messiah), then there is not much of a leap of faith to believe in M.M. Shneerson as the moshiach incarnate. Why not? They are both rooted in faith. Faith is a very powerful tool and can be used for the better or detriment of mankind. It can be used and exploited by cult leaders for personal aggrandizement or for the greater glory of humanity. The Jewish people claim to have survived through the ages because they are faith based. They believed that no matter how bad it got, there would be, at the end of that very dark tunnel, a savior. It actually sounds like a story one would tell his children. But that is exactly what they were– children, emotionally and intellectually less sophisticated than they are today. After all, it was their parents and grandparents generation that went through the concentration camps and gas chambers of Europe. There was no Moshiach there to save an entire continent of Jews from murder. To maintain that kind of faith is really blind faith– the kind of faith one expects from a dog, even after its master has abused it non-stop from the day he came into his life. Ask Job, better yet, read him. They can not let go of this image of a moshiach because where will Jews be without hope? In this world there are two kinds of people: followers and leaders. The followers are those who live on hope, the kind that need a rabbi to think for them– people who hold a job until they retire; never take an independent step; never explore the greater world of people or ideas. They are fatalists, hachol beyedei hashem (everything is in God’s hands) who say after every worded phrase, baruch hashem, (praise God), as though they would not have been able to do what they did without assistance. Then there are the leaders. They tend to be a bit irreverent because they can think for themselves. They are builders who do not depend on hope– people that we call self starters, entrepreneurs, and independent minded. They are not fatalists, but determinists, who prefer to take chances depending on their own true grit. The European Zionists of the 19th and 20th century were of this second category. There is an old parable in Pirkei Avot eiza hu chacham? Haroeh es hanolod,” that the wise man is the one who can anticipate or intuit the future. They saw the writing on the wall in anti-Semitic Europe and were not about to wait for mythical moshiach to arrive on the scene and do some “abra kadabra.” Then there were the followers, those with faith, who were determined to wait, because that is what their rabbis told them to do. They never had real faith, which implies that you have some belief in yourself, to be able to validate ideas and thoughts. How can you be creative, contribute to society and build a community if you have no faith in yourself? To abdicate it all to a leader is pure folly. History bears this out. So what is the difference between those who accept M.M. Schneerson as the moshiach and those who treat these mishichistim like pariahs? In truth, there really is no difference. Both groups fall into the first category of my construct. The mishichistim and those anti– mishichistim are both followers. The mishichistim believe that M.M. Schneerson is the moshiach, and the other group of followers believe in their gedolim (sages). Either way they lose, because they have abdicated their independence and ability to think critically. There is another side to this. The anti-mishichistim are not only followers like the mishichistim but are also dishonest with themselves. The resistance to M.M. Schneerson as the last great hope is the realization that if he is truly the messiah, then the Jewish community will have to make significant sacrifices (i.e. move to Israel) which they are not willing to do. Accepting the messiah is a heavy burden which a cursory look at Maimonides’ writings (Mishneh Torah, Hilkot Melakhim, Chapt. 11) will attest. The mishichistim are ahead of the game and maybe ought to be admired. While they carry the stigma of being followers, they are struggling with and showing some creativity, albeit infantile. Perhaps these are new beginning for a new group: mishichistim. What they are going through now is their “chevlai leida” (birth pangs). At worst, if M.M. Schneerson does not pan out to be the Messiah, maybe we can recommend him for a membership to Ibburim (spirits of the righteous dead). Shael Siegel is a post-denominational rabbi, educator, commentator and observer of the Jewish religious/social landscape. He manages a web site and writes a weekly blog which can be accessed through http://www.shaelsiegel.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shael_Siegel http://EzineArticles.com/?M.M.-Schneerson:-Messiah-or-Member-of-the-Ibbur-Class&id=460531 buy phentermine online free shipping cheap phentermine online prescription phentermine adipex pharmacy buy phentermine online cod
