כ״א מרחשון ה׳תשפ״ו | November 11, 2025
Why I’m Hopeful About Chabad Leadership
This past week, I was deeply disturbed by a public display of politics among some representing Chabad leadership. But further thought leads me to find hope in the true leaders of Chabad.
By Rabbi Aharon Lindenblit
The Tanya of Chitas in recent days has focused on the enduring life of a tzaddik – that even after histalkus, the tzaddik continues to guide and inspire those connected to him. Since Gimmel Tammuz, we have been constantly reminded that the Rebbe’s leadership did not cease. He continues to be deeply involved in our lives, guiding us, individually and collectively. Personally, I have experienced this many times, and I often hear the same from others.
Yet, on a communal level, things can sometimes appear different.
This past week, I was deeply disturbed by a public display of politics among some representing Chabad leadership. The fact that such behavior could occur – and so close to the Ohel – felt to me like a betrayal of everything the Rebbe stands for. I caught myself imagining the Rebbe saying: “If this is what occupies you, leave me out of it.” It wasn’t an intellectual question; it was a feeling of abandonment.
If you don’t know what I’m referring to, keep it that way. You are truly blessed. (It’s been said that “if ignorance were bliss, there’d be a lot more happy people around,” implying that it’s actually better to know. Yet, cases like these are an exception.)
The next day, during Mincha, I stood near a chassidishe yungerman whose mind and heart are filled with Chassidus. I was embarrassed by my thoughts. I sensed that even if he knew about the “politics,” it wouldn’t shake him – because his connection to the Rebbe has nothing to do with askonim busy with power. His life is about Elokus, not politics.
The following morning, I davened in a Poilishe shtiebel. After davening, a Poilishe chossid struck up a conversation. Somehow, we began discussing how the Rebbe insisted that our mosdos accept every Jewish child. He asked: “How can you maintain standards if you accept everyone?”
I explained that our whole approach is different. Our communities aren’t held together by social pressure, but by each person’s personal connection to Hashem. That’s why a shliach can remain strong and passionate after fifty years in spiritual isolation — because his Yiddishkeit comes from within, not from outside approval.
And suddenly, it dawned on me: that’s also how the Rebbe’s leadership continues after Gimmel Tammuz.
Just as every Yid must cultivate a personal bond with Hashem, every Chossid must cultivate a personal bond with the Rebbe. On a communal level, Hashem ensures that “Lo yomush hatorah mipi zaracha” – Torah and Yiddishkeit will endure. But on the individual level, each of us must take personal responsibility for our connection, our avodah, and our shlichus.
On Chof-Ches Nissan, the Rebbe handed us the mission to bring Moshiach – not as a slogan, but as a personal charge. And on Hoshana Rabbah Nun-Beis, the Rebbe famously said that in some way, each one of us carries the title “Admur” – a leader within our own circle of influence. The Rebbe empowered us to be his emissaries and representatives, regardless of what happens “on the global stage.”
A Satmar Chossid who became close to Chabad once told me that when he was first learning Chassidus, he asked a bochur how he could overlook the shortcomings he saw in the Chabad community. The bochur replied, “My father told me when I was young: Chabad is not a community, Chabad is seforim.”
That line has stayed with me.
Because indeed, aside from a Rebbe, a path in avodah, and deep haskalah – Chabad is about inner connection and personal responsibility. It’s not about belonging to a social group; it’s about living with the Rebbe’s teachings.
That having been said, Chabad does have a culture. Admittedly, it is not anywhere near as important as the other aspects, but it exists nonetheless.
After my marriage, I learned a great lesson from my brother-in-law – a dedicated shliach, fully committed to his community and family. He is learned, disciplined, warm – yet culturally different from the “typical” Lubavitcher mold. He had grown up more “American” than I had and served as an example of how the Rebbe has many kinds of dedicated Chassidim, and there is no need to try to produce everyone in one mold.
This shliach made ample time for his own family and for his own avodas Hashem. He learned with his kids every night, and had a shiur Gemara every day with another shliach. Yet, he was missing “lachluchis” and lacked knowledge of Lubavitch lore and culture.
We were discussing some internal Lubavitch issue, and he was clueless. I don’t recall the topic of discussion, but I felt the need to clue him in. I took the book Cheshbono Shel Olom – which recounts the Rebbe’s preparations for Gimmel Tammuz – from our shver’s library and suggested that he read it. After he finished, I asked, “Nu, what do you think?” He responded, “I know what the Rebbe wants from me; how is the role of Aguch or Merkos relevant to me?!”
That perspective has never left me.
Because the Rebbe’s leadership is alive – not necessarily in institutions or committees, but in every chossid who carries the Rebbe’s mission within. They are the true Chabad leadership.
The Rebbe continues to lead, inspire, and guide – one neshama at a time.
COMMENTS
Everything the Rebbe said and did was for a reason, for our benefit; to get us to The revolution of moshiach… To say that Aguch (from the friediker rebbe is “not relevant ” to you is disrespectful at best……
The shliach clearly meant that the role and job description of Aguch is not relevant to his avodah.
The statement “Everything the Rebbe said and did was for a reason, for our benefit; to get us to The revolution of moshiach…To say that Aguch (from the friediker rebbe is “not relevant ” to you is disrespectful at best……” implying everything the Rebbe did must be relevant to everyone, is just wrong. If a 60 year old woman would say the Rebbe’s horo’os to yeshiva bochurim has nothing to do with my avodah, it is not disrespectful…
Great take.
One correction… Chabad is Rebbe! (Which is in seforim, ala Rebbe Rashab)
“book Cheshbono Shel Olom” -is that a kehos book?
Never heard of it either, and i doubt too many of my chaverim from oholei torah in the 90s ever heard of it.
My Gemorah, Shulchan Aruch and Chassidus Mevueres are not Kehos seforim, is that a reason not to know about them?
https://www.nli.org.il/he/books/NNL_ALEPH990020448750205171/NLI
בנימין ליפקין לוד תש”ס
Also available on Otzar here https://tablet.otzar.org/#/book/27845/p/-1/t/827980/fs/0/start/0/end/0/c
I fully believe that
The rebbe, in his role
Tzu ainemen di velt
Is continuing to win.
We can see this
On many fronts –
From the charedi yid
Who recognizes the
Need of mivtza tefillin
To the israeli government.
And i think it
Is only a tiny amount of time
Before the rebbe will
Conquer us all.
I was surprised and disappointed to see Anash.org, which has generally maintained a higher standard than most sites, allow such language about Agudas Chassidei Chabad.
Regardless of one’s opinion about what transpired, publicly criticizing and bashmutzing the Rebbe’s Aguch crosses a line. The writer himself admits he doesn’t fully understand what took place — and neither do most of us — yet still calls it “political.” That kind of uninformed commentary risks undermining the very concept of leadership in our community.
We can disagree respectfully, but publishing something like this should have been beneath Anash.org’s standards.
The point of the article was not about a specific incident. It touches on a fundamental question on who constitutes the “leadership” of our community. Is it the chassidishe Yidden? Or the askonim who do organizational work?
Calling something which is divisive and controversial “politics” not bashmutzing or uninformed commentary, it is a neutral description of the events. It’s ironic that the commentator and the writer of the article bemoan the very same thing -“undermining the very concept of leadership in our community”. The focus of the article was how to deal with a sense of abandonment and lack of leadership, by harnessing one’s own duty to the Rebbe.
The sentiment of “I know what the Rebbe wants from me; how is the role of Aguch or Merkos relevant to me?!” may be an approach for someone who indeed knows his role in the Rebbe’s army. However, ignorance of the seder which the Rebbe himself set up, can (and has unfortunately) lead to some who consider themselves to be chassidim of the Rebbe to do things against clear directives of the Rebbe, thinking that anyone can speak in the name of the Rebbe/Lubavitch, anyone can print seforim with the Kehos logo, anyone can introduce ‘minhogim’ in 770 and the list goes on and on. Yes, for the shliach out there his ignorance may work for him, but for Lubavitch as a whole, which the Rebbe fought for with sweat and tears with might (I’m referring to the parshas haseforim) to establish lonetzach, this attitude is dangerous and undermines the Rebbe’s will.
The majority of the life of a chossid revolves around learning nigleh and Chassidus, davening, and leading his family etc. They need a rov/mashpia to guide them in those. Grand organizations, as important as they are, play no role in the life of a normal chossid.
Having every person thinking about “Lubavitch as a whole” (instead of his own avodas Hashem) is a problem we have, not a good thing.
I agree with Rabbi Schmerling’s point and I agree with the article. The points are not mutually exclusive. As someone who also was disappointed at least about the optics of the unfortunate event, I found encouragement from the article’s main point, that the focus of the Rebbe’s involvement in our lives should be more about the individual than the collective. I’ll add a point of chizuk I told myself after feeling very farekelt. Have lower expectations and you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you! For not being afraid to see what needs to be said. Loving every Jew does not mean that we pretend Emes and Sheker are all the same.
If the point of lubavitch was all about focusing on my individual avoda – as in halevai beinoni and so on – then why would anyone be going on shlichus?…
On the contrary,
Up until the rebbe rashab,
There was more of an individual stress,
But ever since the establishment of tomchei temimim, as the vanguard who would secure the flourishing of judaism,
The rebbe gave us the title of חיילי בית דוד
And as an army, we have a collective spirit.
Anyone who wants to separate between the individual and the klal, is being עוקר
The very fundamentals,.
The rebbe spoke many sichos about hakhel, and how we need to unite the jewish people.
Now this doesnt mean that each person should be a decision maker,
But on a general level the people in charge need to know what an achrayus they have
The fact that each chossid devotes himself to other Yidden has nothing to do with organizational and political issues. A true chossid doesn’t care about power and politics.
One of the best articles ever written on a Chabad website.
You have put into words the inner hearts and feelings of thousands of Chabad chassidim, shluchim and Anash.
Merkos et al. has no more of an effect on our lives than a Maggid shiur at a mesivta that we didn’t know existed. They’re both tyrer yidden whom I love but have no immediate bearing on my everyday Avodah, Shlichus or Family life.
We are the leaders. We are the Rebbe. The Rebbe is the Rebbe, Nosi hu hakol. Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
Take up the helm and bring Moshiach now!
I believe there are sichos in which the rebbe bemoans the chasid that is focused on what is going on in n.y instead of being focused on his shlichus. I believe this is especially true today when there is so much machlokes surrounding these orginazations. Thank you to anash.org for providing a platform for chasidim to discuss these issues respectfully