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NOTE: “Hasidism, Chabad, and Jewish Soul-Language” was originally created for Tzedek Chicago’s Hebrew Learning Community, but this remains entirely the work/opinion of the author.

This began as a few verses from the Tanya with some notes to explore Hebrew words for “soul” and ideas about who has one. It expanded to review translation issues and reflect a little historical context. Now it’s a long, winding, highly idiosyncratic document — complete with PSAs on supporting the kind of internet resources we want to see, plus links to a Teshuvah [answer, solution] on non-Jewish souls.

This was created primarily for Hebrew Learning Community, so it starts out with Hebrew words. This exploration works better via the PDF, I think, so not trying to copy that — here is whole PDF….

…and here is one section — “Authentic” Judaism” and Authoritative Teaching — that has little Hebrew (which doesn’t always copy so well) and is very current and crucial. Or jump to “Non-Jews in Jewish Law and Lore” or To Be a Jew Today

“Authentic” Judaism and Authoritative Teaching

Chabad has long sought to appear as “authentic” Judaism — perhaps, as noted above, originally in response to criticism of more text-centered opponents of Chasidut. They succeeded in recent decades through marketing and by engaging military and carceral settings, where few Jewish institutions worked. Instead of promoting wider Jewish study and practice, in at least some of its variety, they engage in cult-like exclusion of non-Chabad voices, seek to define who counts as a Jew, actively denigrate other movements within Judaism, and call non-Jews expendable when perceived as a threat. Two examples:

“…[R’ Yitzchak] Ginsburgh’s…teachings hold that it is acceptable Jewish practice to kill non-Jews so long as ‘it is clear that they will grow up to harm us.'” – Anton Goodman, Rabbis for Human Rights, Haaretz, Mar 1, 2023, opinion on settler violence

Note: Ginsburgh (b. 1944) is associated with Chabad, and his teachings appear on their website (as of Feb 21, 2024); Ginsburgh is among those who condoned the 1994 massacre by a settler of 29 Palestinians praying at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. https://tinyurl.com/GoodmanHaaretz

“My considered opinion, as I have reiterated it on several occasions privately and publicly, is based on the undisputable Halachic decision formulated by Rambam (Hilechot Teshuvah 3:8), according to which the doctrines and ideology of the Conservative and Reform movements can only be classed in the category of heretical movements which have plagued our people at one time or another, only to disappear again, having no basis in our everlasting Torah, Toras Emes, Toras Chaim.” — R’ Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), 7/21/1959.

Note: still on Chabad website (as of 2024/02/22); shows up when searching “interdenominational thought,” e.g. — https://tinyurl.com/RebbeConsRef

On-line and in-person, Chabad cites only other Chabad views. Where they are the only, most visible, or only sanctioned option — as in prisons — they are often seen as “the authentic Judaism.” Meanwhile, they routinely limit engagement with those who don’t fit their idea of Jewish, effectively controlling who counts as a Jew in some settings….Matir Asurim: The Jewish Care Network for Incarcerated People does some work to address this situation. But there is so much more to be done.

And while Chabad philosophy is not the only, or earliest, set of particularistic Jewish views, they are extremely visible proponents of Jewish supremacy and unusually well-positioned to promote that view as standard Judaism. This is dangerous to Jews everywhere and to the wider world.

In 2016, the Conservative movement issued a Teshuvah (see p.15-16 in PDF and below) declaring any teaching that implies “a distinction between Jewish souls and those of non-Jews…no longer authoritative. These statements are to be rejected, as are any beliefs in racial superiority or inferiority.” The Teshuvah asks “Jewish leaders and educators to incorporate these findings in their preaching and teaching and to emphasize them in all their educational endeavors.” In particular, they call for rejection of the Tanya (Chabad) and Torat HaMelekh (from an Israelli group) and any discriminatory civil laws.

With all this in mind, some general pleas:

ONE) Many schools of Jewish thought tend to cite teachers trained in their own movement and to avoid — by habit, network, or deliberate intention — widely opposing viewpoints.

• When using movement-centered sources, note the movement for yourself and in any citation;
• Whenever possible, use pluralist Jewish sources for general Jewish research;
• Do not use Chabad — which has declared its boundaries so impermeable — as a general Jewish reference source, cite Chabad only on Chabad-specific matters; and exercise caution in citing the Tanya or teaching Chabad ideas

TWO) Support pluralist Jewish reference sources on-line

• through clicks, citations, links, and, if able, finances;
• declare that you (and your organization) prioritize pluralist and non-racist reference material;
• contribute writing, editing, etc., if possible, to pluralist and intentional sites;
• help reduce the size of Chabad’s web-print by not linking to them or giving them clicks; if inclined to explore Chabad-related text, do so via Sefaria or other non-proprietary sources.

[End of excerpt]. Again, here’s the whole PDF.

Non-Jews in Jewish Law and Lore

For more on this topic, even if you have nothing to do with the Conservative movement, do check “The Status of Non-Jews in Jewish Law and Lore Today.“

It was issued — as a “Teshuvah” [here used in the sense of a formal response, solution] by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative (Masorti) Movement, 21 April 2016. Written by R’ Reuven Hammer (1933-2019).

This teshuvah was unanimously approved on April 21, 2016 (19-0-0). Voting in Favor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Pamela Barmash, Miriam Berkowitz, Noah Bickart, David Booth, Elliot Dorff, Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Reuven Hammer, Joshua Heller, Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Jane Kanarek, Gail Labovitz, Amy Levin, Jonathan Lubliner, Daniel Nevins, Micah Peltz, Paul Plotkin, Elie Spitz, and Jay Stein.

In 2016, this committee shared this paper, and the Conservative movement released this statement:

“The paper calls upon Jewish leaders and educators to incorporate these findings in their preaching and teaching and to emphasize them in all their educational endeavors. We must deal honestly with the sources, admit that different attitudes have existed over the course of the development of Judaism, and candidly criticize and reject certain parts of the tradition while embracing others as representing the Judaism we wish to promulgate and which we believe represents the true core of Jewish belief beginning with the Torah itself. In view of the terrible suffering brought upon our people and others in the 20th century by doctrines of racial superiority, any teachings that espouse that in any way must be thoroughly rejected.” 

STATEMENT — https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/story/status-non-jews-jewish-law-and-lore-today —

WHOLE PAPER — https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/2011-2020/hammer-non-jews-law-lore.pdf

To Be A Jew Today

Noah Feldman’s book, To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People, (just out in early March: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2024), has an important section on Ginsburgh plus a great deal about related movements, history, politics, and more.

Find it here — SpatzReads at Bookshop — or at your local library.

here are the handouts for teaching at Shavuot tikkun in DC. More after the holiday.

Handouts