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The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference
This book is a history, an indictment, a lament, and an appeal, focusing on the messianic trend in Lubavitch hasidism. It demonstrates how those who affirm the dead Rebbe's messiahship have abandoned a Jewish core belief in favor of the doctrine of a second coming. It also decries the
equanimity with which the standard- bearers of Orthodoxy have legitimated this development by continuing to recognize such believers as Orthodox Jews in good standing. This abandonment of the age-old Jewish resistance to a quintessentially Christian belief is a development of striking importance for
the history of religions, and it is an earthquake in the history of Judaism. David Berger chronicles this development from a personal viewpoint. He describes the growing concern that impelled him to undertake an anti-messianist campaign - publications, correspondence, and the sponsorship of a
Rabbinical Council of America resolution excluding this belief from authentic Judaism. He argues that a large number, almost certainly a substantial majority, of Lubavitch hasidism believe in the Rebbe's messiahship; a significant segment, including educators in the central institutions of the
movement, maintain a theology that goes beyond posthumous messianism to the affirmation that the Rebbe is pure divinity. While many Jews see Lubavitch as a marginal phenomenon, its influence is in fact so remarkable that its representatives are poised to dominate Orthodox religious institutions in
several major countries throughout the world. This book analyzes the boundaries of Judaism's messianic faith and its conception of God. It assesses the threat posed by Lubavitch messianists and points to the consequences, ranging from undermining a fundamental argument against the Christian mission
to calling into question the kosher status of many foods and ritual objects prepared under Lubavitch supervision. Finally, it proposes a strategy to protect authentic Judaism from this assault. David Berger is Professor of History at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of
New York. He is a Fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research, and from 1998 to 2000 was President of the Association for Jewish Studies. He is the author of The Jewish-Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages and co-author of Judaism's Encounter with Other Rejection or
Integration?.
equanimity with which the standard- bearers of Orthodoxy have legitimated this development by continuing to recognize such believers as Orthodox Jews in good standing. This abandonment of the age-old Jewish resistance to a quintessentially Christian belief is a development of striking importance for
the history of religions, and it is an earthquake in the history of Judaism. David Berger chronicles this development from a personal viewpoint. He describes the growing concern that impelled him to undertake an anti-messianist campaign - publications, correspondence, and the sponsorship of a
Rabbinical Council of America resolution excluding this belief from authentic Judaism. He argues that a large number, almost certainly a substantial majority, of Lubavitch hasidism believe in the Rebbe's messiahship; a significant segment, including educators in the central institutions of the
movement, maintain a theology that goes beyond posthumous messianism to the affirmation that the Rebbe is pure divinity. While many Jews see Lubavitch as a marginal phenomenon, its influence is in fact so remarkable that its representatives are poised to dominate Orthodox religious institutions in
several major countries throughout the world. This book analyzes the boundaries of Judaism's messianic faith and its conception of God. It assesses the threat posed by Lubavitch messianists and points to the consequences, ranging from undermining a fundamental argument against the Christian mission
to calling into question the kosher status of many foods and ritual objects prepared under Lubavitch supervision. Finally, it proposes a strategy to protect authentic Judaism from this assault. David Berger is Professor of History at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of
New York. He is a Fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research, and from 1998 to 2000 was President of the Association for Jewish Studies. He is the author of The Jewish-Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages and co-author of Judaism's Encounter with Other Rejection or
Integration?.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 30, 2024
CAN THE ‘MESSIANIST’ LUBAVITCH MOVEMENT BE CONSIDERED ‘ORTHODOX’?
Rabbi and professor David Berger wrote in the Introduction to this 2001 book, “This book is a memoir, a history, a religious tract. It is an indictment, a lament, and an appeal. It records the shattering of a core belief of a major faith, and the remarkable equanimity with which the standard-bearers of that faith have allowed one of its key pillars to be undermined… I do not write as a dispassionate observer. I write, rather, with the hope that this account will awaken believing Jews from their torpor, alert them to the catastrophe that has befallen their faith, and inspire them to take the simple yet difficult steps needed to transform this moment from a turning point into an episode… If we do not seize this opportunity, a nearly irrevocable transformation will have been effected, and by the time the truth sinks in, it may well be too late to act.”
“As I write, two propositions from which every mainstream Jew in the last millennium would have instantly recoiled have become legitimate options within Orthodox Judaism: 1. A specific descendant of King David [Mendel Schneerson] may be identified with certainty as the Messiah even though he died in an unredeemed world. The criteria always deemed necessary for a confident identification of the Messiah---the temporal redemption of the Jewish people, a rebuilt Temple, peace and prosperity, the universal recognition of the God of Israel---are null and void. 2. The messianic faith of Judaism allows for the following scenario: God will finally send the true Messiah to embark upon his redemptive mission. The long-awaited redeemer will declare that all preparations for the redemption have been completed and announce without qualification that the fulfillment is absolutely imminent. He will begin the process of gathering the dispersal of Israel to the Holy Land. He will proclaim himself a prophet, point clearly to his messianic status, and declare that the only remaining task is to greet him as Messiah. And then he will die and be buried without having redeemed the world… the true Messiah’s redemptive mission… will be interrupted by death and burial and then consummated through a Second Coming.” (Pg. 1-2)
He recounts, “In addition to this opportunity for a closer look at Chabad activity in the Soviet Union, I was casually aware of its American and global programmes to the degree typical of an interested Modern Orthodox Jew. While I occasionally heard complaints about Lubavitch emissaries entering a community with established Jewish institutions, sometimes even Orthodox institutions, and refusing to cooperate with the existing leadership, the impressive portrait of an army of devoted Hasidim forsaking all the comforts of home to spread observance of the Torah easily overwhelmed sporadic negative reports.” (Pg. 6-7)
He observes, “What, then, has been the reaction from the outside? The general Jewish community is amused by what it sees as a curiosity. But the future of this belief will not be determined by secular, Reform, or Conservative Jews… There is, however, one area where this Jewry retains leverage. The power of the purse is no small matter… but if the donors believed, as they must have, that they were in fact supporting an authentic expression of historic Judaism, they were tragically mistaken. Their contributions buttressed a profound distortion of a classic Jewish belief and helped to undermine the first line of defense against Christian missionizing, which has always been that Judaism cannot accept a Messiah who dies in the midst of his redemptive mission. Ultimately, recognition of this last point may well serve to diminish support from non-Orthodox Jews who are not concerned with the messianic faith per se but instinctively recoil from beliefs that smack of Christology. On the other hand, a Lubavitch institution led by someone who rejects the new belief without equivocation could---and should---become a philanthropic priority.” (Pg. 26-27)
He points out, “The argument that Jesus cannot be the Messiah because the prophecies of the messianic age have not been fulfilled, an argument which in its very essence denies that a messianic career can be interrupted by death, is ubiquitous in Jewish polemical literature.” (Pg. 43)
He asserts, “I cannot agree with the dominant position in these circles that one must work quietly to undermine the messianists… Lubavitch Hasidism is suffering from acute danger to its soul. We need to hear a very simple sentence from the non-messianist group. It must be said in public and without equivocation, ‘The Rebbe… is NOT the Messiah.’ Not ‘he is probably the Messiah but it is improper to announce this.’ Not even ‘he may or may not be the Messiah.’ ‘He is NOT the Messiah.’ As long as this sentence sticks in the throat of the non-messianist group, the danger to the movement---and to Judaism---will remain.” (Pg. 50-51)
He states, “To the extent that we so much as consider the acceptance within Orthodox Judaism of people who direct prayers to a deceased rabbi perceived as the omnipotent, omniscient Deity, we launch an assault upon the very core of the Jewish religion.” (Pg. 94)
He wrote a column, and in it “I pointedly used the provocative word ‘idolatry.’” (Pg. 95) He comments, “This column provided me with sorely needed comic relief, but for the most part the reactions were no laughing matter. I sadly had to acknowledge the reasonableness of the argument that only renowned rabbis of unquestioned authority may property level such grave accusations. l had to tell myself that in this narrow area I did have the required expertise and that I could also fall back on the dictum that the deference owed to distinguished rabbis suspended in an instance where the name of God is being desecrated.” (Pg. 102)
He suggests, “Explaining a catastrophe does not diminish it or neutralize the obligation to confront it. Jews have remained loyal to their deepest commitments in the face of greater obstacles than these. Medieval believers in astrology insisted that the decree of the stars was not immutable, that concerned, sometimes heroic human effort could overcome it. The same must be true of the decree of the sociologists.” (Pg. 142)
He concludes, “Messianist institutions, no matter how many ‘good things’ they do, must be excluded from the orthodox community… If the messianic faith of Judaism is to survive intact, these guidelines must be followed even in difficult cases.” (Pg. 144)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying this controversy.
Rabbi and professor David Berger wrote in the Introduction to this 2001 book, “This book is a memoir, a history, a religious tract. It is an indictment, a lament, and an appeal. It records the shattering of a core belief of a major faith, and the remarkable equanimity with which the standard-bearers of that faith have allowed one of its key pillars to be undermined… I do not write as a dispassionate observer. I write, rather, with the hope that this account will awaken believing Jews from their torpor, alert them to the catastrophe that has befallen their faith, and inspire them to take the simple yet difficult steps needed to transform this moment from a turning point into an episode… If we do not seize this opportunity, a nearly irrevocable transformation will have been effected, and by the time the truth sinks in, it may well be too late to act.”
“As I write, two propositions from which every mainstream Jew in the last millennium would have instantly recoiled have become legitimate options within Orthodox Judaism: 1. A specific descendant of King David [Mendel Schneerson] may be identified with certainty as the Messiah even though he died in an unredeemed world. The criteria always deemed necessary for a confident identification of the Messiah---the temporal redemption of the Jewish people, a rebuilt Temple, peace and prosperity, the universal recognition of the God of Israel---are null and void. 2. The messianic faith of Judaism allows for the following scenario: God will finally send the true Messiah to embark upon his redemptive mission. The long-awaited redeemer will declare that all preparations for the redemption have been completed and announce without qualification that the fulfillment is absolutely imminent. He will begin the process of gathering the dispersal of Israel to the Holy Land. He will proclaim himself a prophet, point clearly to his messianic status, and declare that the only remaining task is to greet him as Messiah. And then he will die and be buried without having redeemed the world… the true Messiah’s redemptive mission… will be interrupted by death and burial and then consummated through a Second Coming.” (Pg. 1-2)
He recounts, “In addition to this opportunity for a closer look at Chabad activity in the Soviet Union, I was casually aware of its American and global programmes to the degree typical of an interested Modern Orthodox Jew. While I occasionally heard complaints about Lubavitch emissaries entering a community with established Jewish institutions, sometimes even Orthodox institutions, and refusing to cooperate with the existing leadership, the impressive portrait of an army of devoted Hasidim forsaking all the comforts of home to spread observance of the Torah easily overwhelmed sporadic negative reports.” (Pg. 6-7)
He observes, “What, then, has been the reaction from the outside? The general Jewish community is amused by what it sees as a curiosity. But the future of this belief will not be determined by secular, Reform, or Conservative Jews… There is, however, one area where this Jewry retains leverage. The power of the purse is no small matter… but if the donors believed, as they must have, that they were in fact supporting an authentic expression of historic Judaism, they were tragically mistaken. Their contributions buttressed a profound distortion of a classic Jewish belief and helped to undermine the first line of defense against Christian missionizing, which has always been that Judaism cannot accept a Messiah who dies in the midst of his redemptive mission. Ultimately, recognition of this last point may well serve to diminish support from non-Orthodox Jews who are not concerned with the messianic faith per se but instinctively recoil from beliefs that smack of Christology. On the other hand, a Lubavitch institution led by someone who rejects the new belief without equivocation could---and should---become a philanthropic priority.” (Pg. 26-27)
He points out, “The argument that Jesus cannot be the Messiah because the prophecies of the messianic age have not been fulfilled, an argument which in its very essence denies that a messianic career can be interrupted by death, is ubiquitous in Jewish polemical literature.” (Pg. 43)
He asserts, “I cannot agree with the dominant position in these circles that one must work quietly to undermine the messianists… Lubavitch Hasidism is suffering from acute danger to its soul. We need to hear a very simple sentence from the non-messianist group. It must be said in public and without equivocation, ‘The Rebbe… is NOT the Messiah.’ Not ‘he is probably the Messiah but it is improper to announce this.’ Not even ‘he may or may not be the Messiah.’ ‘He is NOT the Messiah.’ As long as this sentence sticks in the throat of the non-messianist group, the danger to the movement---and to Judaism---will remain.” (Pg. 50-51)
He states, “To the extent that we so much as consider the acceptance within Orthodox Judaism of people who direct prayers to a deceased rabbi perceived as the omnipotent, omniscient Deity, we launch an assault upon the very core of the Jewish religion.” (Pg. 94)
He wrote a column, and in it “I pointedly used the provocative word ‘idolatry.’” (Pg. 95) He comments, “This column provided me with sorely needed comic relief, but for the most part the reactions were no laughing matter. I sadly had to acknowledge the reasonableness of the argument that only renowned rabbis of unquestioned authority may property level such grave accusations. l had to tell myself that in this narrow area I did have the required expertise and that I could also fall back on the dictum that the deference owed to distinguished rabbis suspended in an instance where the name of God is being desecrated.” (Pg. 102)
He suggests, “Explaining a catastrophe does not diminish it or neutralize the obligation to confront it. Jews have remained loyal to their deepest commitments in the face of greater obstacles than these. Medieval believers in astrology insisted that the decree of the stars was not immutable, that concerned, sometimes heroic human effort could overcome it. The same must be true of the decree of the sociologists.” (Pg. 142)
He concludes, “Messianist institutions, no matter how many ‘good things’ they do, must be excluded from the orthodox community… If the messianic faith of Judaism is to survive intact, these guidelines must be followed even in difficult cases.” (Pg. 144)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying this controversy.
October 23, 2011
Good history of the messianism of Chabad from the Rebbe's death in 1994 to 2001, when the book was published. Alarmist, and a little outdated. I would be interested in what the author would have to say about the subject now, in 2011. Definitely makes you take a second look at the Lubavitchers who carry the "King Moshiach" yellow flags up and down the parks in Manhattan.
Note: Not all Lubavitchers are Messianists.
Note: Not all Lubavitchers are Messianists.
September 7, 2025
I've been planning to read this book because the topic is very important to me. I feel immense gratitude toward Chabad and how it shaped my spiritual journey. Even more so, there are hundreds of thousands, if not more, people whom Chabad touched as well and all of this has been a vision of The Rebbe, who remains such a towering figure in Judaism even after his passing.
But with all the tremendous good Chabad has been doing, one cannot ignore the highly disturbing trend of proclaiming The Rebbe being the Moshiach, claiming that he is still alive and declaring that the Redemption is upon us. And it is clearly not the fringe movement - it is enough to walk the neighborhood around 770 Eastern Parkway to see a multitude of yellow flags with the crown and of "Yechi" posters. Clearly, those views are at least tolerated within Chabad.
This book is an extremely detailed memoir of the quest the author took to raise awareness of this disturbing trend. I am clearly not the target audience - the material is upholding the standard of rabbinical logic with meticulous and abundant analysis of rabbinical and talmudic sources and verbatim correspondence between biggest Torah minds of our time. For a layman like me, it is too long and too dry but it was still very educational and enlightening (and disturbing) in its account.
If the topic is something you care about and you want to understand the details, this book will not be the most enjoyable read, but it will shower you with information.
But with all the tremendous good Chabad has been doing, one cannot ignore the highly disturbing trend of proclaiming The Rebbe being the Moshiach, claiming that he is still alive and declaring that the Redemption is upon us. And it is clearly not the fringe movement - it is enough to walk the neighborhood around 770 Eastern Parkway to see a multitude of yellow flags with the crown and of "Yechi" posters. Clearly, those views are at least tolerated within Chabad.
This book is an extremely detailed memoir of the quest the author took to raise awareness of this disturbing trend. I am clearly not the target audience - the material is upholding the standard of rabbinical logic with meticulous and abundant analysis of rabbinical and talmudic sources and verbatim correspondence between biggest Torah minds of our time. For a layman like me, it is too long and too dry but it was still very educational and enlightening (and disturbing) in its account.
If the topic is something you care about and you want to understand the details, this book will not be the most enjoyable read, but it will shower you with information.
December 1, 2016
This is a very important and interesting book. BTW the author is Orthodox and I was sorry to read of his low opinion of Conservative and Reform Jews, which made me sad. I think we should all not only respect each other, but should actually rejoice in each other. And perhaps that issue is important as regards the main point of the book--which is a discussion of whether a belief that Schneerson is the messiah king is consistent with normative Orthodox Judaism and also a discussion of how widespread among Lubavitchers is the belief that Schneerson is the messiah. There is some discussion also of pressures within the Lubavitch community to not condemn that belief. Importantly, Berger sees the Schneerson messiahship as analagous and parallel to Jesus's messiahship and developments in the Lubavitcher community as analogous to the historic formation of Christianity within Judaism. For that reason I think every Jew should be aware of this material and Berger's thinking which is cogent and concerned. However the revised edition was published in '08 so I am not up to date on developments regarding issues raised here.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews