Turning Judaism Outwards: A Biography of the Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson by Chaim Miller

Author:Chaim Miller [Miller, Chaim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Kabbalah, Chasidism, Chabad, Jewish History, Judasim, Habad, Hasidism, Schneerson, Rebbe, Biography, History
Publisher: Kol Menachem
Published: 2014-07-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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THE REBBE’S ARMY

1978–1987

As the Rebbe distributes wine (kos shel bracha) after a festival, he engages with a child.

Following the Rebbe’s heart attack at the end of 1977, there were significant changes at his court. Even after he returned fully to work, private yechidut appointments were vastly reduced, and in 1981, they were discontinued altogether as a regular fixture.1 While the correspondence from this period has not yet been fully published, there is no doubt that the number of letters sent from the Rebbe’s office from 1978 onwards was significantly reduced—though he did continue to respond to thousands of inquiries through brief written notes, verbal communication with the secretariat, and simply by underlining certain words in a letter that he had received, indicating the reply.2

What did expand significantly during this period were the sermons, which probably doubled in length, as farbrengens stretched on for five, six hours, or more.3 This afforded the opportunity to expand the time devoted to the analysis of Torah texts, to launch new initiatives, and to comment upon the local and international issues of the day.

By this time the Rebbe had amassed a sizeable following of devotees, most of whom had either grown up in his court or been drawn to it. The period, in general, was characterized by a huge army of followers who hung on to his every word and were poised to spring into action. While the late 1960s and early to mid-1970s had witnessed a number of campaigns launched at farbrengens, the late 1970s and 1980s saw this phenomenon expand significantly, and barely a month would go by without the Rebbe’s proposing a new venture. By way of illustration, the Chabad inspirational calendar Hayom Yom, whose introduction lists many of the Rebbe’s notable initiatives over four decades, devotes some five pages to the years 1950-1977 and twelve pages to the years 1978-1992.4

In many instances, the Rebbe did not single out a particular individual or group to carry out a new campaign. He simply presented the idea at a farbrengen, explaining its underpinning in Jewish sources and perhaps some details of the proposed implementation, then wait to see the response. While some suggestions were wildly successful and continue to this day, others did not proceed to swift implementation or fizzled out after a short period.

In a 1980 sermon, for example, the Rebbe complained about how an earlier suggestion to print pamphlets for children had failed to materialize.

I did not then appoint anyone to head this project and, apparently because of that, nobody has done anything about it! Five weeks have passed, and not one booklet has been published. Who suffers? The children. For five weeks children have had no booklets....

As in all other matters, I am held responsible. Why did I not appoint one individual to be in charge, instead of leaving it up to everyone? Know, however, that a person’s share in the World-to-Come is dependent on this thing—and it is not my business to apportion shares in the World-to-Come. Therefore I did not appoint any particular individual, for it is everyone’s business.

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