Does Every Community Issue Belong on the Front Page?

By Rabbi Aharon Lindenblit

There seems to be a growing assumption that whenever we identify a weakness in our community, the natural place to discuss it is in a public article, accessible not only to Anash but to the entire Jewish world and beyond. I’m not convinced that assumption is correct.

As bochurim, many of us spent long nights discussing shortcomings in our mosdos, our communities, and ourselves. Honest self-examination is healthy. But those conversations took place among people who loved Chabad, understood its context, and were seeking ways to improve it. Today, those same conversations increasingly find their way onto public websites for anyone to read.

When we criticize “Lubavitch,” we sometimes forget what that word means. This is the Rebbe’s Lubavitch. Every public description of Lubavitch inevitably shapes how people perceive the Rebbe’s life’s work.

Of course, no community is perfect. Every community has weaknesses, and honest introspection is one of the qualities that has always characterized Chassidim. But does every weakness belong in a public opinion piece?

Shlomo HaMelech teaches, כבוד אלקים הסתר דבר. Not every truth is meant to be broadcast. There is a time for public protest, and there is a time for private discussion. Wisdom lies in knowing the difference.

The Rebbe repeatedly demonstrated that public perception is itself a Torah consideration.

In 5748, a proposal was made to delay Selichos so the Rebbe could come for selichos and remain straight for shacharis. The Rebbe responded to Reb Zalman Gurary:

האומנם הזמן מתאים להכריז בכל העולם שחב”ד… אומרים סליחות קרוב לאחר זמן קריאת שמע… וה’ ירחם על כל בני ישראל שחב”ד בתוכם.

Besides, of course, the practical change, the Rebbe objected to publicly creating an image of Chabad that diminished its standards. Whether or not the proposal itself had any merit, the lesson was this: the image we project to the world is a value that deserves serious consideration.

On the possuk “ואהבת את ה’ אלקיך”, Rashi quotes what Chazal say: שיהא שם שמים מתאהב על ידך, that the name of Hashem should be loved because of you. 

Every Jew represents Hashem. A Chossid also represents the Rebbe and Chassidus.

Before publishing criticism, perhaps we should ask ourselves a few simple questions:

Will this increase people’s respect for Torah?

Will this strengthen their appreciation of the Rebbe?

Will it inspire confidence in Chabad, or leave readers with a diminished impression?

Those questions should be part of the calculation.

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What About “אל יבוש מפני המלעיגים”?

Some may argue: Should we hide the truth because of what others will think?

The Torah never tells us to compromise halacha or truth in order to gain public approval. If a halacha is unpopular, we remain faithful to the Torah. If fulfilling a mitzvah invites ridicule, we don’t retreat. אל יבוש מפני המלעיגים – Don’t be ashamed of scoffers.

At the same time, we should not conclude that public perception is irrelevant. I believe there are four distinctions that can help clarify the issue:

First, influence, by definition, depends on the listener’s ability to hear and respect what is being said. If I am speaking French to someone who understands only English, I may be speaking the truth, but I am not influencing anyone. If our mission is to bring people closer to Torah, we cannot ignore how our words are received. The effectiveness of our message depends, in part, on the impression we leave.

Second, there is an important distinction between matters of halacha and matters of presentation. When halacha requires us to take a stand, there is no room for compromise, regardless of how unpopular that position may be. Torah is not determined by public opinion. But many of our decisions are not questions of halachic obligation. They concern emphasis, strategy, educational approach, and the forum in which ideas are presented. In those areas, considering how others perceive our words is not a concession – it’s good judgment.

Third, even when there is opposition, not every battle is the same. If an important goal is at stake, we don’t buckle under pressure. However, where it’s just about additional spiritual benefit, we take into account how our actions will be perceived. 

Fourth, even when something is explicitly stated in Torah, it doesn’t automatically follow that it should be proclaimed from the rooftops or be the first thing we say to someone we are trying to influence.

There is a well-known note from the Rebbe to Rabbi Chodakov outlining a message to convey to Rabbi Sholom Dov Wolpo regarding the publication of one of his seforim. Rabbi Wolpo argued that his book merely presented the words of the Rambam and other Torah sources.

The Rebbe replied to him: When you, as a shliach, meet a new balabus, is the first thing he tells him that had he kindled a match on Shabbos in the times of the Sanhedrin he would have been liable for the death penalty, and that we pray three times a day for the restoration of the Sanhedrin?

Of course the statements are true since they are from the Torah. But, the Rebbe was telling him, truth alone doesn’t determine what should be emphasized, to whom it should be said, or when it should be said. A message can be completely true and yet entirely misplaced if it does not advance the goal of bringing another Jew closer to Torah.

The same principle appears elsewhere. The Rebbe once criticized Kfar Chabad magazine for publishing a quotation from Likkutei Dibburim, asking, in essence, “How many people do you think this quotation will encourage to learn Chassidus?” 

The issue wasn’t the accuracy of the quotation. It had also appeared in print for decades and anyone could study it there. But lifting a statement out of its natural setting and placing it on a magazine page created an entirely different impression.

Context matters. Audience matters. Presentation matters.

Thus, before publicly highlighting a weakness within our own community, we should ask not only, “Is this true?” but also, “Is this the wisest and most constructive way to advance the mission of the Rebbe and Chassidus?”

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Ambassadors of the Rebbe

Whether he realizes it or not, every Chossid is an ambassador.

The Mishnah teaches, כל שרוח הבריות נוחה הימנו רוח המקום נוחה הימנו. Chazal caution against conduct that brings Torah scholars into disrepute in the eyes of others.

The Navi declares: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר. Hashem takes pride in His people. Should we not ask whether our public words reflect that pride?

This does not mean we stop examining ourselves. On the contrary, self-examination is indispensable. But alongside that obligation stands another: safeguarding the honor of the Rebbe, Chassidus, and Torah in the eyes of those looking in from the outside.

These are not competing values; they are both Torah values. The challenge is knowing how to uphold both at the same time.

Perhaps before publishing any article about a weakness within our own community, we should ask ourselves one more question: Will this article help the world appreciate the Rebbe’s Lubavitch more or less? If the answer is not clear, perhaps the conversation belongs around a farbrengen table rather than on the front page.