metro

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Remarkable

Two new books examine the
Rebbe's legacy 20 years
after his death.

Diane Cole
Special to the Jewish News

C

alling someone "larger than life"
risks raising that person from the
realm of the human to that of myth.
Yet that claim may be an understatement
for someone as personally charismatic and
globally influential as Menachem Mendel
Schneerson, the seventh leader of the
Lubavitch (or Chabad) Chasidic movement.
Rabbi Schneerson was (and still is) widely
referred to as simply "the Rebbe," but he was
anything but simple. Over the course of his
leadership from 1951 to his death in 1994,
he succeeded, against the odds in assimi-
lationist America, in both enlivening and
enlarging the religious community whose
European presence was nearly annihilated
in the Holocaust. His counsel was sought
out by government leaders across the politi-
cal spectrum in the United States, Israel and
elsewhere. He was beloved by his followers,
but he also courted controversy.
During his lifetime and even afterward,
at least some (and perhaps many) of Rabbi
Schneerson's followers fervently believed he
would help bring, or himself prove to be, the
Messiah who would redeem and transform
the world. Since his passing, there has been
no successor to the Rebbe as the Lubavitch
leader, and it's unlikely that there will be
one anytime soon.
This month, as the 20th anniversary of
the Rebbe's death approaches on 3 Tammuz
(July 1), two new books, each by a noted
rabbi, seek to put his legacy in perspective.
Given the Rebbe's outsized reputation, that
would seem a daunting task Perhaps that
is why both books take a personal approach
in portraying the life and character of this
commanding figure.
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Rebbe:
The Life and Teachings of Menachem M
Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in
Modern History (Harper Wave), is a well-
known Orthodox rabbi in New York and a
prolific writer of such widely read books as
The Book of Jewish Ethics and Jewish Literacy.
Although Telushkin is not a follower of
Lubavitch, he has close ties to the movement

12

June 19 • 2014

through his father, who was Schneersoris per-
sonal accountant for decades.
The other book is by celebrated Talmud
scholar and author Adin Even-Israel
Steinsaltz, a follower of Lubavitch as sug-
gested by the book's title, My Rebbe (Sheffa
Foundation Maggid Books).
Both authors clearly admire the Rebbe,
their reverence evident even when they
question or disagree with any of his views
or actions. Given their common subject (as
well as many common interview and archival
sources), there is also an inevitable overlap
between the two books, with a number of
similar anecdotes and quotes appearing in
both volumes. But because each book pres-
ents a slightly different slant, with divergent
emphases, they also complement one another.

Menorah" on
the White House
grounds; the
The Rebbe, B oklyn Lao b'Omer parade, May 20,1984
impetus to cele-
brate the holiday
candle-lighting
Telushkin recounts numerous accounts of
proudly in public, as well as the distinctive
such meetings, as remembered by a broad
angular design of the menorah itself, came
range of people of all ages and occupa-
directly from Rabbi Schneerson.
tions who patiently sat and waited for the
Many hailed the Rebbe's innovative out-
Rebbe. These tales illustrate the depth of
reach programs. Many others did not. The
the Rebbe's capacity for human connection
Chanukah menorahs spurred lawsuits on the
as well as the breadth of his knowledge
grounds of separation of church and state, and and curiosity, and the chapters that contain
the mitzvah campaigns struck many secular
them are among the book's highlights.
Jews as annoying or intrusive. Nor were his
Almost all these stories begin with
political opinions always popular or welcome:
descriptions of the Rebbe's intensely focused
In regard to Israel, he vigorously opposed any blue-eyed gaze and his uncanny ability to
negotiations that would trade land for peace,
quickly distill, and then resolve with an
including the Camp David Accords.
incisive comment, whatever issue troubled
Rebbe's Life Story
his visitor, from marital decisions to job
As both new books show, Rabbi Schneerson's Telushkin's Rebbe
opportunities to religious vocation.
life story was in itself a journey through the
At 617 pages, Telushkin's book is the more
To his credit, Telushkin does not shy
Jewish history of the 20th century. He was
comprehensive — and longer — of the two
away from a range of opinions voiced by the
born into a well-known Lubavitch family
new books. Though it is billed as a biogra-
Rebbe that sound dissonant and worse to
in Russia in 1902, and from an early age
phy, it comes across as a collage, with each
our contemporary ears. Rabbi Schneerson's
intently pursued religious studies. While in
chapter focusing on a dif-
literal interpretation of the Bible led him to
his 20s and 30s, he also trained and worked
ferent aspect of the various reject Darwin and the theory of evolution.
as a scientist and engineer, living in Berlin
religious concerns, person- His similarly literal reading of the Talmud
al qualities, management
and Paris before finding safe passage to New
also led him to maintain that the sun
York at the outbreak of World War II.
skills and philosophical
revolves around the Earth.
Only then did he begin his ascent to
and spiritual wisdom that
Further troubling, especially given Rabbi
Lubavitch leadership, accepting the role of
made Rabbi Schneerson
Schneerson's own erudition and educa-
Rebbe in 1951 after the death of his father-
so distinctive.
tion (not to mention the large number of
in-law, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. And in Rabbi
Telushkin's Rebbe is a
Chabad houses on campuses across the
that reinvention of his life, he found his life Telushkin
man in constant motion,
country), was his general opposition to his
mission.
a nonstop whirlwind of
followers' attending college or receiving
He was as inspiring as he was pragmatic.
faith-driven energy and
university degrees. The reason: Exposure
He mobilized at first hundreds and then
action possessed of a spiritual calm at the
to and immersion in secular life during the
thousands of enthusiastic young members
center. By all accounts, the Rebbe's daily work impressionable years of adolescence and
in the Lubavitch community to participate
and prayer schedule left virtually no time for
young adulthood could lure the observant
in "Mitzvah campaigns" to encourage Jewish sleep. His piety was remarkable: He would
away from traditional belief and practice.
women to light Sabbath candles and Jewish
devote hours each week to private prayer at
The Rebbe's complexities abounded. But
men to don tefillin. Many of these youths
the tomb of his father-in-law and predeces-
for him, faith and Torah trumped everything.
subsequently volunteered as shluchim —
sor, invoking guidance and inspiration.
emissaries — who would uproot themselves
He also made himself unusually accessi-
Steinsaltz's Take
to settle in diverse locales around the world
ble to the public. For most of his decades of My Rebbe, at 223 pages, has the feel of a
with the mission of deepening observance
leadership, the Rebbe set aside two or three
meditative memoir. In assessing the impor-
among Jews wherever they went.
evenings each week to meet with anyone
tant role Rabbi Schneerson played in his
Perhaps the most visible symbol of the
who cared to wait outside his personal office own life, as mentor and model, Jerusalem-
Rebbe's impact in this country is the presence at Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn; those
based Steinsaltz also takes care to place the
every winter of giant Chanukah menorahs
personal office hours would start at 8 p.m.
Rebbe within the traditions of Lubavitch
erected in public spaces, including a "National and often extend until dawn.
tradition and theology. He also presents the

