Tag: Chabad

Tanya's description of the Godly soul as a literal portion of divinity is an empowering notion for many spiritual seekers. It is also, however, inconsistent with longstanding Jewish theological doctrine regarding the unity of God. Elisha Price examines several possible interpretations of Tanya's words, placing them in a broader kabbalistic and rabbinic context, to suggest that Chabad's conception of the soul is both "rational and precedented."

Aryeh Solomon explores that lifelong influence of the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

In this poem, Litvacitus honors the yahrzeit of the Rebbe and recounts his impact on the world.

Chesky Kopel reviews Eli Rubin’s new book Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism.

In honor of Yud Shevat, The Lehrhaus presents an excerpt from Eli Rubin’s forthcoming book Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism. Rubin explores the theological meaning of an influential series of discourses by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn.

Ariel Evan Mayse reviews Yosef Bronstein’s new book on the philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Poet Yehoshua November notices a defining characteristic of contemporary poetry—fixation on the ordinary. In light of Hasidic theology, November argues that appreciation for the holiness of the ordinary underlies Megillat Esther and the celebration of Purim.

Atara Cohen considers the theological implications of the Talmud’s surprising majority opinion as to how the Messiah will come.

The back-and-forth about Shadal and Modern Orthodox kiruv continues. Here are letters to the editor by Daniel Klein and Simon Levy.

Steven Gotlib explores Modern Orthodoxy’s strengths and weaknesses with regard to Kiruv.