I prefer being positive and not attacking but when the stakes are so high and the danger so great it is critical to call a spade a spade without mincing words or striving for a PC monologue but rather saying the truth [as I see it]. If I am wrong I would very much value anyone out there who will set me straight.
I will note that the following is not my personal opinion but that of many Gedolei Yisrael who were and are opposed to to Breslev and Chabad.
There are 3 aveiros for which one must first die rather than transgress. One of them is idolatry. That means that we take idolatry REALLY seriously.
When one replaces Hashem with a human being - even a very great and holy one - that is a form of Avoda Zara.
There are 2 groups of chasidim where some of the members serve the Rebbe more than they serve Hashem. That would explain why a leader of one of the movements can say with a straight face that the BIGGEST MITZVA IN THE TORAH is going to Uman for Rosh Hashana. That doesn't mean that one SHOULDN'T go to Uman for Rosh Hashana. However, such a statement is ziyuf Hatorah - a corruption of Torah, which is kfirah Bi-Toras Moshe.
Says the Gemara [BK 38]:
ת"ר וכבר שלחה מלכות רומי שני סרדיוטות אצל חכמי ישראל למדונו תורתכם קראו ושנו ושלשו בשעת פטירתן אמרו להם דקדקנו בכל תורתכם ואמת הוא חוץ מדבר זה שאתם אומרים שור של ישראל שנגח שור של כנעני פטור של כנעני שנגח שור של ישראל בין תם בין מועד משלם נזק שלם
The Sages taught the following story in the context of the aforementioned halakha: And the Roman kingdom once sent two military officials [sardeyotot] to the Sages of Israel, and ordered them in the name of the king: Teach us your Torah. The officials read the Torah, and repeated it, and repeated it again, reading it for the third time. At the time of their departure, they said to the Sages: We have examined your entire Torah and it is true, except for this one matter that you state, i.e., that with regard to an ox of a Jew that gored the ox of a gentile, the owner is exempt from liability, whereas with regard to the ox of a gentile that gored the ox of a Jew, whether it was innocuous or forewarned, the owner pays the full cost of the damage.
ממ"נ אי רעהו דוקא אפילו דכנעני כי נגח דישראל ליפטר ואי רעהו לאו דוקא אפילו דישראל כי נגח דכנעני לחייב ודבר זה אין אנו מודיעים אותו למלכות
The officials’ reasoning was that this halakha is difficult whichever way you look at it. If the phrase “of another” is meant in a precise manner, that the owners of both oxen must both be Jewish, then even when the ox of a gentile gores the ox of a Jew the owner of the ox should be exempt from liability. And if the phrase “of another” is not meant in a precise manner, and the oxen of all are included, then even when the ox of a Jew gores the ox of a gentile the owner should be liable. They added: But we will not inform this matter to the kingdom; having acknowledged that the entire Torah is true, we will not reveal this ruling, as it will displease the kingdom.
Why did the Rabbis share this seemingly discriminatory law? The answer is that to misrepresent the Torah is יהרג ואל יעבר! So writes the Maharshal:
שמעינן מהאי ברייתא דאסור לשנות דברי תורה, אף כי הסכנה. וחייב למסור עצמו עליה, דלפי חד שינוי דתוס' שמלכות הרשעה גזרה עליהם ולמה לא ייראו חכמים שתעליל מלכות הרשעה עליהם. הלא לא תמצא דבר קשה כזה לומר בפני האומות שאנחנו פטורין מהיזיקן, והם חייבים. וכי לא היה ראוי לחוש ח"ו לכמה שמדות וחורבות דליפוק מיניה. בפרט מלכות הרשעה, שכל מחשבתם רק להתגולל ולהתנפל על שונאינו. וא"כ היה להם לשנות, או שניהם חייבים, או שניהם פטורין. אלא ש"מ שמחויבים אנו למסור על קידוש השם. ואם ח"ו ישנה הדין הוה ככופר בתורת משה. ומסתמא איירי כגון שהשרים שאלו בפרטים על כל דין ודין, שור של ישראל שנגח לשל נכרי, ושל נכרי שנגח לשל ישראל. ועל כן השיבו האמת על קדושת השם. כי לא היה יכולת בידם לשמט את עצמם מדין זה וכו'. והא דאיתא בפ"ק דמגילה מעשה בתלמי שכינס ע"ב זקינים וכו' ושינו התורה התם מן שמיא הוא דאסכימו בהדייהו וכעין רוח הקודש היה, וכן איתא התם נתן הקב"ה בלב כל אחד כו' והוה על פי הדיבור, ועוד התם לא שינו שום דבר ממשמעותו, אלא שינו הלשון דלא יהפכו למינות, וכמו ששינו כך הוא כוונת המקרא כפשוטו, אבל לומר על הפטור חייב, או להיפך, היה ככופר בתורת משה מה לי דיבור אחד מה לי כל התורה.
So the Rebbe is the focus of the Avoda and not Hashem. Creating a new mitzva that doesn't exist and proclaiming it the most important mitzva in the Torah is ziyuf Ha-torah. Many of the people in this group follow a convicted felon [who admitted committing horrific crimes and caused a continuous mamoth chilul Hashem for YEARS] who was proclaimed a Rasha by various big poskim, both inside and outside of his own community. Some of his followers said that his aveiros were permitted b/c he is such a great Tzadik. It is a TERRIBLE breach in Klal Yisrael where things like reading Tikkun Klali, doing hisbodedus and going to Uman become the primary mitzvos of their new religion. What about our ancient Torah?? Not the one we got in Breslov but at Sinai? What about Talmud Torah Ki-neged Koolam?? Not the Talmud Torah of stories or Kabala that almost nobody really understands but the true and tried Mishna and Gemara? This is a churban. Not to mention the horrific assurance that everyone should come to Uman for RH and everyone will be safe b/c they did hisbodedus beforehand. שומו שמים. It is not just a breach of religion but also a distorted sense of reality.
Which brings me to another group in Klal Yisrael where many many of the members say about a great man who clearly died on the 3rd of Tammuz 26 years and was buried in a cemetery in Queens "הרבי מלך המשיח שליט"א". Sickening. He is not Moshiach, never was Moshiach and is DEAD. But no. They insist he is alive. You see it published ALL OVER THE PLACE. They are not embarrassed. I daresay that their kiruv is to a false religion. One where the goal is [they have said this thousands of times] to give nachas ruach to the Rebbe. Not to Hashem. To the Rebbe. Why would one focus on giving nachas to a human being when he can give nachas to Hashem. Why EXCLUDE Hashem? Why not say "to give nachas ruach to Hashem and the Rebbe ztz"l"? I once heard a Chabad RY talking and he kept mentioning the Rebbe Rebbe Rebbe. I was SO relieved at the end of his speech where he also mentioned Hashem. Some, of course, believe that the two are synonymous. Others beleive that Hashem is higher than the Rebbe but the focus is more on the Rebbe than on Hashem. Like, li-havdil, Christians. They believe that their dead Messiah is still alive. They almost NEVER talk about the "Father" [or the holy ghost] and their entire "avoda" revolves around the son who came in a human body to atone for our sins. They ALSO believe in a transcendent G-d but it is all about the human-god that came down here on earth to save us. The parallels are striking and frightful.
Dr. David Berger wrote a book about this years ago and the problem has not gone away. If anything it has gotten worse.
I LOVE the Rebbe ztz"l. He was an incredible Tzadik, leader, Talmid Chochom Ohev Yisrael, Ohev Es Habriyos [even גויים which is remarkable given what the Tanya says about the Neshama of a גוי]. I have given many many shiurim on his Torah and hope to continue doing so.
I also have tremendous respect for all of the shluchim who are HANDS DOWN the most moser nefesh group in Klal Yisrael. No doubt about it. They go to places with no shul, no kosher food, no mikva, no community, no anything Jewish, sometimes in subhuman living conditions and remain there for life in order to spread Yiddishkeit.
However, that doesn't erase the dangers of being detached from reality [insisting that a dead man is alive], believing in a false Messiah and focusing their avoda on fulfilling the will of a [dead] human being and not Hashem. The ikker of the Torah is Tanach and Shas and not Tanya and Likkutei Sichos. But you wouldn't know it. They learn Rambam not b/c of the importance of the Rambam but b/c the Rebbe Shlita told them to. The old joke was that Chabad is the CLOSEST religion to Judaism. In some respects it definitely is. What makes things SO CONFUSING is that their dress is SOOOO Charedi. Untrimmed beards, black and white clothing etc. etc. But there are often some very dangerous opinions that lurk under that black hat and shaytel.
I am sure that there are rational Chabadniks who serve Hashem and understand that the Rebbe passed away and it is not them I am talking about.
As for Rebbe Nachman himself I say that if someone finds that his Torah elevates them then by all means one can learn it. But be careful not to turn into a looney [as some Breslovers are] and to be wary of some of his more problematic teachings - such as not to go to a doctor when ill [!!!!].
בשיחות הר"ן שיחה נ', פוסק רבינו ז"ל נחרצות: מי שרוצה לחוש
על חייו ועל חיי זרעו ובני ביתו – שיתרחק עצמו מאד בתכלית הריחוק מלעסוק חס ושלום
ברפואות ודוקטורים. ושלא כדרכו של רבינו ז"ל שלא לדבר בלשון מוסר אלא בלשון
חיזוק ועידוד, הרי שדוקא בנושא כה רגיש היה רבינו ז"ל "מגנה מאד מאד
ענין הרפואות ודאקטורים והזהיר מאד מאד… ואפילו מי שיש לו חולה בתוך ביתו ואפילו
אם החולאת חזק ח"ו ר"ל, אף על פי כן ישליך על ה' יהבו וישען באלוקיו לבד
ואל יעסוק ברפואות ודוקטורים כלל".
The real question here is understanding the psychology behind the lunacy but in the meantime I will leave that an open question.
I hope to be continued...
