Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World

by Philip Wexler

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century and the only rabbi ever awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Despite wide recognition of Schneerson's impact, this is the first volume to seriously explore his social ideas and activism. Schneerson not only engineered a global Jewish renaissance but also became an advocate for public education, criminal justice reform, women's empowerment, and alternative energy. From the personal to the global his teachings chart a practical path for the replacement of materialism, alienation, anxiety and divisiveness with a dignified and joyous reciprocity. Social Vision delves into the deep structures of social reality and the ways it is shaped and reshaped by powerful ideologies. Juxtaposed with sociologist Max Weber’s diagnosis of “inner worldly asceticism” as “the spirit of capitalism,” Schneerson's socio-mystical worldview is compellingly framed as a transformative paradigm for the universal repair of society. The library of Schneerson’s talks and writings is voluminous, but critics have described this distillation as artful, engaging, ambitious, bracing, relevant, and imperative.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, History, Biography

300 pages, Hardcover

Published July 6, 2019

Reviews

[Chris Myers]

This is a brilliant new book about arguably the most important Jewish leader of the 20th century. The Rebbe was a social progressive, staking out important positions about topics ranging from education to the environment to gun control. The book publishes in recognition of the 25th year of his passing. It is a must-read for anyone with a social conscience.

[Hallie Cantor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory (1902-1994), was among the most influential Jewish figures of the 20th century. He certainly was a major influence in my own life, and my road to Orthodoxy. Because of my affiliation with Chabad-Lubavitch, the Rebbe's branch of Hassidism, I am not unbiased in my review here. I can't be. I was bothered, in spite of the book's earnest arguments.

The author lauds the Rebbe's achievements, which he feels have a universal appeal and which may offer possible solutions, or at least palliatives, to global challenges -- i.e. social justice, environmentalism, feminism, inequity. The author views the Protestantism of Max Weber, whose emphasis on a redemptive work ethic fueled capitalism and basically this nation's economic success, as obsolete. "The art of creative destruction" has created too many evils. Eradication may lie within the Rebbe's teachings of restraint, sanctity, and mutual care.

Certainly, it is nice to see the author's appreciation of the Rebbe's messianism. The Rebbe was in the forefront in expanding intellectual roles for women and proved prescient in devising alternatives to energy (e.g. solar, wind). The Rebbe, who had studied at the Sorbonne and worked as an engineer, maintained active interest in science and technology, as well as sociology, ethics, and education. He might have been the first Hassidic "Grand Rabbi" to be a sort of Renaissance man. The Rebbe encouraged respect for all human beings, all of whom were created in G-d image, and saw the need for mutual cooperation with non-Jews. He met with presidents, even establishing an Education Day, and he earned a Congressional Medal of Honor (which is displayed on my mantel). He practiced compassion, courtesy, and kindness toward all he perceived as kind to the Jews.

However, it is the author's reference to the Rebbe's writings and communications -- letters, holy works, conversations, and Hassidic discourses -- where I questioned the direction this book was heading. There tend to be some faulty associations and generalizations. The Torah may be the blueprint of the world, but it is a blueprint that specifically Jews must follow. It was specifically the Jew with whom the seventh Rebbe corresponded or met in private audience (yechidus). Non-Jews also have a responsibility to care for the planet and maintain social order under the Noahide Laws, which the Rebbe had pushed, understanding the value of all human beings. However, the Rebbe's outreach was geared largely toward unaffiliated and alienated Jews, and not conversion. Hassidism is grounded in Orthodoxy; lofty ideas, no matter how noble, cannot be gleaned here and there, like a salad bar, and pulled out without the proper context. Hasidism cannot be studied, let alone practiced, without Torah observance. The definition of "Jewish values" becomes hazy, since there can be no Jewish values without the Judaism.

The Tanya, the seminal Chabad work by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, Schneur Zalman of Liadi ("Alter Rebbe" or "Ba'al Tanya"), was written specifically for the Jew, who according to the Alter Rebbe possessed two souls, G-dly and animal. Nowadays a SJW would scream "Racist!" (Or "Elitist"?) I doubt that secularists would agree with anything taught in the Tanya, let alone the Pentateuch. If anything, they would reject formal religion outright as backward, primitive, and crippling.

To be sure, the Rebbe highly respected this country, where his father-in-law, the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, had arrived from Nazi and Communist Europe and began to rebuild a near-extinct legacy. The Rebbe carried on his father-in-law's saintly work, with his own vision of Chabad Houses and prominent Jewish presence. The Rebbe considered the U.S. special because of its religious streak. As long as the U.S. retained its religious roots -- albeit Christian -- it was strong. Hard to know how the Rebbe might react today to the decadent leftism sweeping the country. Probably the decadence has a lot to do with his physical absence, as well as the absence of inspiring leaders. The Rebbe might have admired Donald Trump, although the former never endorsed a political party or candidate. The Rebbe simply said to vote for whomever the individual considered best for the country. In this the Rebbe maintained a healthy distance from his disciples, who according to Chabad philosophy used the Rebbe's wisdom as a guide, but must ultimately think for themselves.

Some of the other author's solutions mentioned here are questionable. There is no praise of socialism within the Tanya, or any of the Rebbe's writings or speeches. "Collectivism" entails a national community and a shared culture, which the current liberals seem to want to destroy, rather than create. In addition, the Tanya stresses the role of a Rebbe as a Moses-like figure, who led and commanded his people. Does the author truly expect any of these people to follow? Perhaps if they were thrown free goodies, which is basically what the SJWs want -- a place allowing them to do their own thing while receiving government support. Sorry, but a group of individualistic hedonists and narcissists do not a society make.

The problem: Judaism does not dovetail neatly into modern political or economic systems. There are elements of Torah in each one, which probably sustain it, but as a whole these systems fall flat. Charity, for example, is part of the Jewish DNA; however, it cannot be confused with government control of industries or institutions. Or public welfare. Nor is there any room in Tanya -- or Torah -- for women rabbis, LGBT, or whatever is currently in vogue. Torah-observant Jews will never be "with it," no matter what lofty slogans. The Rebbe expanded the role of the rebbetzin; however, he placed precedence on the home and family, rather than the synagogue or yeshiva, as the female base. The author's inclusion of non-Orthodox streams of Judaism is something the Rebbe would never endorse. To be sure, the Rebbe loved all Jews, regardless of their individual level or style of observance. Nevertheless, he did not love the liberal movements, which were assimilationist in nature and result, and he spent his life fighting them.

This book, nevertheless, is interesting for its application of the Rebbe's thought and its acknowledgment of the Rebbe's unique and holy gifts. It is possibly useful for Chabad Houses which can integrate some of the ideas here to attract today's very lost youth. But "progressivism" is not an end in itself; rather, an incentive toward full Torah observance. And without an appreciation of tradition and classic Jewish sources, this book, in the wrong hands, would be dangerous.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice content but a bit of a heavy read.

[Ori Tsameret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read exploring many of the tensions between mysticism and political realities, just fails to actually land on any assertions imo

[Nechamah Goldfarb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad that people who did not know the Rebbe ztzl, and/or were not aware of his take on the world, have the opportunity to learn and understand via this book.

I am not a Lubavitcher, but I did consider the Rebbe ztzl my Rebbe when he was alive and well, and I came to be aware of him and admire him initially because I found that my awareness and take on things intersected so much with what he said and taught.

This book, more than any other I've read (and there are many lovely wonderful books about the Rebbe, and/or based on teachings of the Rebbe), goes beyond the actual teachings to show the importance of his teachings, truly a 'transformative paradigm for the world.'

[Oren Mizrahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

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