ג׳ כסלו ה׳תשפ״ז | November 12, 2026
Before Drawing Conclusions From the Rebbe’s Letters
When the Rebbe says something at a Farbrengen, and certainly when the Rebbe writes to a specific person or entity, it must be taken in the right context and background. A Shliach wanted to make a teen hub for teenagers who would likely never attend a regular program. What would this hub be for? What would its hours be? Who would it be open to? What would be done there? All of this is not said.
By a Shliach
It is not too often that we see an article such as the recent article on Anash.org, titled “Since When Is Mixed Programming Okay on Shlichus?” In fact, it is very nice to see a point brought across so well, not in an accusing or blaming way, but respectfully bringing something up for discussion, with the goal of perhaps changing the status quo.
On that note, there is something that needs to be said, and this topic is extremely pertinent now, especially when Baruch Hashem (and I cannot put into words how excited I am) the English Letters are starting to come out, making the Rebbe’s correspondence and practical guidance more accessible to the world at large.
When the Rebbe says something at a Farbrengen, allows something to be published in the name of Chabad, or issues a Michtav Kloli, it is obviously meant for the public, and should be learned, analyzed, and put into practice. At the same time, it must be taken in the right context and background.
Needless to say, if the topic at hand was previously discussed at a Farbrengen, one would have to learn both in order to come to the right conclusion, and if it was discussed numerous times, he would have to learn all of them (or speak to a Rav and/or Mashpia who has) before deciding in a specific case, all the more so before making a policy.
All of this applies to a Farbrengen, or something else that was given over to the public. (Derech Agav, it is well known that there were Sichos said in public that the Rebbe told the Manichim not to publish.) With a letter or Maaneh, however, this rule becomes much broader and more complex, stemming from the fact that originally it was addressed to a specific person or entity.
This leads us into a few basic precautions and several more nuanced and delicate issues.
One: This is probably the most basic and fundamental rule: The exact story, issue, or situation must be extremely clear, from the very beginning till the very end, with every detail and nuance clear (needless to say, from a reliable source).
In the context of this article, it is brought up as a simple story about a Shliach who wanted to make a teen hub for teenagers who would likely never attend a regular program. So what would this hub be for? What would its hours be? Who would it be open to? What would be done there? All of this is not said.
Two: Once the story is clear, the answer must be equally, if not more, clear. If there was a back-and-forth, that too must be known. In this case, it seems from the article that he was writing to Rabbi Hodakov about an understanding he already had of the Rebbe’s position, but this is not one hundred percent clear.
Three: Just like with public things, even more so with letters, one cannot take only one place where the matter is discussed and base things off of it. I am not knowledgeable enough in the letters or Maanos of the Rebbe to know even a few places where this is discussed, but even a simple search will bring up several places (although it does seem like there is not too much available on this subject).
While writing this, I looked around for a few sources on this topic and am including them below for anyone who would like to look them up as well.
This is besides any letters that haven’t been published, or Maanos and the like.
These are all basic things. The nuance of how to understand the Rebbe’s words, and the implications of different places, is already a much bigger and more complex issue, way beyond the scope of any article (and very possibly does not have a single, clear answer, and definitely not one that everyone can or will agree on).
So while the point may be true, and does definitely deserve further attention, it must be done correctly, namely, by finding at least a few, if not all, of the places where it is discussed (and perhaps having a discussion with Shluchim who have gotten answers about this) and trying to find a kav that could be followed.
For example, in our case, that a Shliach (just like any Yid) has to follow Shulchan Aruch in its entirety, even when it’s hard. (This should also not be done on an individual basis, or based on the understanding of one person, much like anything in Yiddishkeit and Chassidishkeit, where, when in doubt, we confer with a Rov or Mashpia.)
The Rebbe’s words must be taken in their true context and meaning.
Some sources on the subject:
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