Questions tagged [chabad]
Chabad is a branch of Hassidim that focuses heavily on Chassidus as an intellectual pursuit, and on outreach to nonobservant Jews.
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Chabad custom of not allowing water to touch matzah on Pesach
What is the origin of this custom? This must be fairly recent and "Lubavitch-specific", because my grandparents, who were very observant, always had matzah ball soup and fried matzah with eggs for ...
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How can the Rebbe be considered Moshiach?
I've talked to various Chabad Rabbis, and I can say for certain that at least 1 definitely believes that the Rebbe could be Moshiach.
In trying to prove this, he cites Rambam's Mishneh Torah (...
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A Lubavitch custom of reciting zecher and zeicher in "Ashrei"?
My cousin, a Lubavitcher, says both zecher and zeicher (that is, both זֶכֶר with a segol and זֵכֶר with a tzeire) in "Ashrei". I noticed this when I visited him a good few years ago, and assumed it ...
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Are there other extant Chabad groups besides Chabad-Lubavitch?
Wikipedia lists a number of different Chabad groups including:
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Bobroisk
Chabad-Kapust
Chabad-Liadi
Chabad-Nezhin
Chabad-Strashelye
I was told that these different groups were ...
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Relations with messianists
Do any rabbis comment on how to relate to members of the subset of Chabad who believe that the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l was the Messiah? For example, do non-messianist Orthodox rabbis ...
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Belief that a dead man will be the Messiah - Kfira?
Are there any documented halachik authorities that rule that the belief in a dead Messiah is beyond the pale of permitted Jewish belief and therefore would qualify as Kfira?
If there are halachik ...
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Why so many vocalized shvas in Siddur Tehillat Hashem?
I prayed using a Siddur Tehillat Hashem the other day, and I noticed that many more shvas were marked with an asterisk above, indicating that they should be vocalized, than I'd expect. In particular, ...
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"Chabad" Gemara learning?
Is there a specifically "Chabad" way of learning Gemara? Is there a Chabad commentary on the Gemara?
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Why is this wine Yayin Nesech?
There is a letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe where he writes a letter to a person whose brother said that not traveling on a Jewish owned ship is a "hard test" (which the person seemed to have failed).
...
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What percentage of Chabad still believes their Rebbe is the Messiah?
Are there any statistics as to what percentage of Chabad still believes that their Rebbe is the Messiah? Is it the majority or simply a very vocal minority? Have there been any serious studies made on ...
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Sukkah on public property in the Soviet Union for Lubavitchers
The opinion of the Shulchan Aruch Harav is that one isn't allowed to build a Sukkah on public property (because it is considered stolen).
In the Soviet Union all property was nationalized and they ...
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What's wrong with "we want moshiach now"?
Tzivos Hashem, the international Lubavitch youth group, has "We Want Moshiach Now!" in its logo, and Lubavitch children are taught to say and sing that phrase.
I have heard that some authorities have ...
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What is mainstream Chabad's view on Elohists?
There is a small group of people who believe that the Lubvatcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l is in fact God. For example, the front page of the website for a synagogue(?) in Mikwaukee reads,...
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Why doesn't Chabad read Ruth on Shavuot?
I was at Chabad this Shavuot and they did not read Ruth. Everywhere else I've been (all Nusach Ashkenaz) has read it claiming that it's appropriate since this is the time of the wheat harvest.
Are ...
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Why do Lubavitchers fold their talisos under, on the shoulders?
A Lubavitch chasid wears his talis with the sides folded under, at the shoulders, bunching the side material under rather than over the material that lies on the shoulder (see an example). Why?
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Teachings of Chabad (Lubavitch) - controversial or not?
I have been reading about Chabad Lubavitch and, since I have started to be in contact with a local group, I am in doubt about the Chabad messianism (belief of some adherents about the last Rebbe).
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Rav Shach and Lubavitsher Rebbe [closed]
From a purely Torah perspective.
What was the disagreement between Rav Shach and the Lubavitcher Rebbe? Like, from a halachic point of view what were their opinions and why?
I know they disagreed ...
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Why did nobody succeed the Lubavitcher Rebbe?
The late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l had no successor as the rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. Why is this? Was it simply because he had no children? If so, why was nobody else ...
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Lubavitcher Rebbe on the Shoah
There is a controversial analogy attributed to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, in which the Shoah is looked upon as a surgical procedure, with God being likened to a surgeon who removes a limb in the best ...
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What should be said after "sh'mei d'kudsha, brich hu" in Kaddish?
I have noticed in Chabad synagogues and sefarim, in the Kaddish after "sh'mei d'kudsha brich hu," "amen" is said by the congregation. In every other source I've seen and every other synagogue I've ...
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Igrot Kodesh of the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt'l
There is a practice among Chabad chasidim to ask questions via the "Igrot Kodesh" (a collection of published correspondence from the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe).
The procedure involves writing a ...
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What exactly do Noahides do?
There is a modern "Noahide" movement(I believe propagated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe), where people join together to be b'nei noah and not part of another religion. From some googling, I've seen that ...
user5540
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Lubavitch and Geocentricism
I read here in an article by Rabbi Gil Student that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe zy"a believed in the geocentric model despite the modern scientific evidence to the contrary. What is the source for this ...
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Why does Tanya list editions?
Every edition I've seen of Tanya includes a list, in chronological order, of every edition of Tanya ever printed. For each edition, bibliographic information is included: the publisher, the city and ...
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Peeling vegetables on Pesach
It is a minhag in Chabad to only eat vegetables that you can peel on Pesach. There is a possibility that either the wax coating on certain vegetables contains chometz or that certain processing of the ...
user1292
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Four Pairs of Tefillin: Why only the Shel Rosh?
Although not a normative custom, there is a rare custom practiced by lofty individuals to put on four pairs of tefillin (Rashi, Rabbeinu Tam, Shimusha Rabba and Raavad).
In Hayom Yom, the ...
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What was the Lubavitcher Rebbe's position on women's gemara study?
It is my understanding that women's gemara study is rabbinically prohibited. However, I keep hearing that the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l had an interesting, perhaps liberal position regarding women's ...
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Do other Chasidic communities follow Shulchan Aruch HaRav?
The Maggid of Mezeritch told the Baal HaTanya to put together a Shulchan Aruch for Chasidim. The result is the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, which is used as a final authority for halacha in Chabad ...
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Are non-Lubavitch Tanya editions listed?
Every edition I've seen of Tanya includes a list, in chronological order, of every edition of Tanya ever printed, including bibliographic information. I assume some central Lubavitch office maintains ...
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Wearing hats and Jackets
I have heard lots of "anecdotal evidence" (which means Mashpiyim telling over what they heard at private Yechidusim [private audiences]) that the Lubavitcher Rebbe wanted people (or Bochurim) to wear ...
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"El melech ne'eman" not in Chabad siddurim
There is a common custom amongst many to recite the words
אל מלך נאמן
before Kriyas Shema when there is no minyan. However, in all Chabad siddurim I have davened from, this phrase is not there. ...
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Is there any basis for Chabad minhagim regarding tallit gadol?
I often daven at Chabad shuls and I have noticed that they have some particulars regarding tallit usage inconsistent with the rest of Ashkenazi Jewry, including:
not wearing when receiving an aliyah ...
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Why do Lubavitch talisos ensure tzitzis hang off the side?
A Lubavitch chasid's talis gadol has a special way of being tied that ensures that the tzitzis hangs off of the side of the talis and not off of its front or back.
Image credit: http://www.tallit-...
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Nusach Sefard vs. Nusach Ha-Arizal
So I was wondering what differences there are between Nusach Sefard, the traditional Chassidic nusach and Nusach Ha-Arizal, the Chabadnik nusach arranged by the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of ...
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What is the difference between a Rebbe Rashab Tallis and the regular chabad tallis?
What is the difference between a Rebbe Rashab Tallis and the regular chabad tallis Was this a specific thing just for his time or do chassidim still follow this today?
Is there a difference in tallis ...
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Why is the Lubavitch custom to have short Peoth?
If R' Schneur Zalman of Liadi had long Peoth, as in this famous sketch, why is it not the custom in Lubavitch circles these days for adult men to maintain long, emphasized Peoth as it is in many other ...
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What to call the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe [closed]
Often times a few different rebbes are mentioned (either previous Chabad rebbes or rebbes of other Chasudusim) in the same talk and then the word "The Rebbe" comes in and it's ambiguous.
I have heard ...
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Veshameru in Chabad siddur
Why do Chabad siddurim always print Veshameru before the Shabbat Ma'ariv Amida, even while also noting that the Chabad custom is not to say it? Are there any groups that use the Chabad Nusach Ari ...
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spitting in aleinu leshabeach
Does anyone know the origin of the custom to spit in Aleinu after the words
שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וְלָרִיק?
Where did it start? And in which seforim is it mentioned?
I have seen in the ...
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Why do Chabad wedding invitations show the wrong time?
It has recently come to my attention that Chabad wedding invitations in the US are often bilingual Hebrew/English and the time given for the wedding on the Hebrew side is wrong (perhaps a copy of the ...
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On what authority do Lubavitchers not skip when late to shacharis?
The Rav's Shulchan Aruch, OC 52, clearly states that, because saying amida (sh'mone esre) with a congregation is so important, one who arrives late to a congregational shacharis service should skip ...
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Lubavitch not sleeping in a Sukka?
If Lubavitch is careful not to eat or drink anything outside of the sukka, why does Lubavitch not sleep in the Sukka?
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Minhag for married women to cover their hair in bed
I know(1) there is a practice in Chabad for married women to wear a tichel in bed (i.e., with their husbands). I would not be surprised if this is the same in other Chasidic groups, if not in other ...
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Relationship between Chabad and the Malachim today
These days, what is the relationship between Chabad and the Malachim? How close are they -- do members of the groups marry each other, participate in each other's mosdos at all, etc.? Do Chabad ...
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Baal haTanya's donning shel yad seated
I have heard that the baal haTanya put on his t'fila shel yad while seated (as S'faradim do).
Does anyone have a source for this (or for the opposite: that he put on his shel yad standing)?
If he did ...
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What does the title "Hatomim" mean?
I have stumbled upon the title "Hatomim" before people's names in Chabad-oriented documents on the Internet.
What is the meaning and significance of this title, in this context?
Practically speaking, ...
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The value of the daily study of Chitas (Chumash, Tehilim, Tanya)?
What's the value of learning "Chitas" compared to any other daily Torah study?
Side question: If it's so important, why was it introduced only recently?
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Why does Lubavitch eat in the Sukkah when it rains?
I have always heard that while we do not eat in the Sukkah while it rains, those of Chabad do. Why is this so?
Found it on wikipedia too:
Though the halakha doesn't obligate one to eat or sleep in ...
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Chabad Minhag for Shalosh Seudos
Is it true that the Chabad custom is specifically not to wash hands for (and eat) bread for shalosh seudos, and, if so, why?
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History of Chabad Moshiach flag
I'm working up a presentation on flags in our history, and I need information on the unofficial but commonly displayed Chabad Moshiach flag. Does anyone know when and where it was first flown, and ...
