It's a story of going against the grain. Bold moves against all odds. Any realistic person would say these were lost, impossible struggles. But the power of faith and vision overcame everything.
Y's B'Shvat is the day of celebration of the Rebbe of Lubavitch (Rabbi Yosef-Yitzhak Schneerson), the sixth president of Chabad Hasidism. He stood up against the communist regime in Soviet Russia, and established a huge underground of devoted Hasidic followers who worked to preserve the embers of Judaism.
He waged an equally heroic struggle when he came to the United States, with the outbreak of the terrible Holocaust in Europe. There he found a cold Judaism that had cast the values of the Torah and the commandments behind its back. They tried to explain to him that America was not the 'old home' of Europe, but the Rebbe declared: "America is no different!", and this sentence became the leading slogan of his activities.
A combination of softness and rigidity
After his passing, the light of his son-in-law and successor, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, began to shine. He took on the baton of leadership during difficult times for Judaism.
The terrible Holocaust wiped out a third of our people. In the Soviet Union, the communist regime worked to cut off millions of Jews from their roots. In the free world, trends of assimilation and assimilation increased. In Israel, a fierce struggle was waged over the character of the young state, with government officials striving to transform it into a state like all nations.
Observant Jews felt like an extinct breed. Religious Judaism was on the defensive. The idea that true Judaism could flourish in Australia and Milan, Boston and Los Angeles, was about as wild as the idea of establishing a human colony on the moon.
But the Rebbe brought about a revolution that encompassed the entire planet. This was first and foremost a revolution in thought. The Rebbe taught that there can be no real contradiction between the modern world and the Torah. He guided scientists, businessmen, artists, and Jewish leaders around the world on how to engage in their professional activities without giving up even the thorn of a jurist's side in matters of Judaism.
The Rebbe's approach has a unique combination of softness and firmness, openness and setting boundaries, love and determination. It is a golden path that he carefully paved, to enable Jews to come together and use all the means that the modern world places at our disposal, while at the same time not deviating one iota from the precepts of the Torah and the values of Judaism and Hasidism.
The main target
In his unique way, the Rebbe managed to bridge gaps that seemed contradictory. He accomplished the unbelievable – Hasidim, God-fearing and with an original Hasidic appearance, come to all corners of the world, are not rejected by the local people, and in a short time even become key figures in the revival of Judaism in the most remote places.
His immense spiritual legacy, preserved in hundreds of volumes, is the true answer to the hearts and diverse questions of the modern Jew. From scholars to seekers of the path, from "your people" to academics. There is no question that does not find a profound, clear, and convincing answer in his teachings.
And all of this boils down to the main goal that the Rebbe set before us – to add light and holiness to all corners of the world, to connect every Jew to his people and his heritage, and to bring about the coming of our righteous Messiah and the complete redemption.
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