Yitzchak Kraus. Ha-Shevi'i--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]--The Seventh: Messianism in the Last Generation of Habad (Hebrew).

Shudnow, Sanford H.

Yitzchak Kraus. Ha-Shevi'i--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]--The Seventh: Messianism in the Last Generation of Habad (Hebrew). Tel Aviv, Israel: Miskal--Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books, 2007: ISBN 965-511-901-7.

"Behold! Darkness shall cover the earth, and thick clouds the nations;

But upon you God will shine, and His glory be seen over you." (Isaiah 60:2)

--quoted by Moses Maimonides, The Letter to the Jews of Yemen, 12th century

Hebrew books may not receive their due in the world outside of Israel and academia, but there certainly is a treasure trove to be mined by walking into almost any Israeli bookstore on Dizengoff or Allenby Streets in Tel Aviv. In fact, most of these books do not see the light of day in English translation, or any other language for that matter.

The past decade or so has seen a flurry of popular and scholarly books about the greater-than-life figure in world Jewry of the 20th Century, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (born 1902 in the Ukraine, died in the USA 1994).

It must be admitted, I was transfixed and transformed by Habad and the "Rebbe" as he is affectionately known, with my own contact in my formative years while studying in New York City in the 1970s. Droves of students made their way by New York subway to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn to the specific address of 770 Eastern Parkway, the world headquarters of the Hasidic Dynasty known alternatively as "Habad"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]--or "Lubavitch."

To get a glimpse of the "Rebbe" at a farbrengen (a Hasidic get together) was to be filled with a sense of uplift and bliss that is indescribable. Each time, the venue was filled to capacity: men filling the downstairs hall and women in the gallery above. Even in those electronically less sophisticated days, the Rebbe's voice was broadcast and heard in the outlying rooms and buildings, so that no one would miss even one word. Chartered planes brought in the Rebbe's Hasidim from the far-flung parts of the world, including Australia and South Africa.

For some of us this was amazing. The Rebbe spoke rhythmically in Yiddish, and it seemed to be of no consequence that so many of those present did not understand what he was saying so passionately. Some designated individuals with near photographic memories would transcribe everything said. Later, the text would be made available in various versions and translations and sent to enthusiastic supporters around the globe.

Since this was not my first and only contact with a Hasidic Rebbe and Hasidim, I was not completely surprised at the happenings. I had seen the marvel of the old Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua (Moshelle) Hager in Kiryat Vizhnitz, B'nei Brak, Israel. Indeed, his Hasidim were captivated by his aura. The Vizhnitzer Rebbe was venerated by them just as much as was the Lubavitcher Rebbe by his followers in Brooklyn.

The major difference was and is that almost no one outside of Kiryat Vizhnitz knows anything about the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, while it seems like the entire world knows about the Lubavitcher Rebbe--including practising and non-practising Jews, as well as non-Jews. Some, today, even mistakenly believe that Habad-Lubavitch is the only Hasidic dynasty in the world.

Why is this so? I believe that all the truly remarkable books on the subject shed needed light on the Rebbe's super-charisma and hypnotic pull. It seems that every book on the Rebbe and Habad, whether pro-Rebbe, or less so, accepts the amazing reality of the power of Schneerson and his uncanny ability to draw people to him, gaining their devotion and support for his reality-changing projects of outreach. Indeed, there has been a plethora of books on the Rebbe, including: The Rebbe and His Army by Sue Fishkoff (2003), The Rebbe by Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman (2010), The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger (2001), The Messiah of Brooklyn by Avrum M. Ehrlich (2004), Open Secret by Elliot R. Wolfson (2009), The Visual Culture of Chabad by Maya Balakirsky Katz (2010), and Can the Rebbe Be Moshiach? by Gil Student (2002).

What is unique about Yitzchak Kraus' book, The Seventh, is his ability to explain in lucid, modern Rabbinic Israeli Hebrew, the stageby-stage development of the Rebbe's almost architecturally created edifice for "Kibbush Ha-Olam" - Conquest of the World. This is a book that sets out in the clearest possible way the Rebbe's 'war' strategy and tactics on how he would move his Hasidim from their admitted complacency "sha'ananut"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]--into those who will transform the world from a world immersed in the 'galut"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (exile)--and bring them into the promised world of "geulah"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (redemption). The Rebbe forcefully proclaimed that this is the last generation of the exile and the first generation of the redemption.

By virtue of his charisma and energy, Schneerson set about his mission to transform the world into a place on the threshold of the "geulah shelaymah"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]--complete salvific redemption. This process had started under the 'Rebbeship' of his predecessor and father-in-law, referred to by adherents as the 'Previous Rebbe,' Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (d. 1950), the sixth Rebbe in the line of succession starting from their founder known as the 'Alter Rebbe' (the Old Rebbe), Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (d. 1812).

Kraus makes crystal-clear that to the mind of the Rebbe, the sixth and seventh Rebbes--his predecessor and the Lubavitcher Rebbe himself--were inextricably tied as if one, and that they were charged with the responsibility to bring about the redemption of the world. The Seventh presents extensive analysis with direct quotations from an essential collection known as Basi LeGani--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Ashkenazic pronunciation) containing the last Hasidic discourses of the Previous Rebbe and the earliest ones of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. This collection is available in English translation edited by Uri Kaploun (1990).

The Rebbe and his stance on his leadership role cannot be comprehended without this duo--the sixth and seventh. Kraus elucidates that although the sixth Rebbe served in his capacity for 30 years, the Rebbe counts his "nesiut"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (leadership)--as 70 years, which includes 40 year of Schneerson's own leadership.

It is well known that 70 (7x10) is a typological number in Jewish sources, thus 70 years of the sixth Rebbe. The Lubavitcher Rebbe considered the two of them--the sixth and seventh--to be crucial to bringing about the coming of the "mashiah"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Messiah). The two of them brought into motion something which the Rebbe believed, cannot be stopped and would change the world.

Accordingly, not only will all the Jews of the world religiously observe God's Torah and commandments, but all non-Jews will observe the Seven Noahide Laws as defined by the Sages of Israel. Kraus explains, often quoting from the translated transcripts from Yiddish of the Rebbe's addresses into a most powerful Hebrew, how the Rebbe set about the transformation of the world by sending out "sheluhim" (emissaries) to the far-flung corners of the known world, even to places where there may have been only one or two Jews. These emissaries were referred to by the Rebbe as "panasim"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII](lantern bearers or "lamplighters").

This process continues to this day, almost two decades after the Rebbe's passing. (We will not enter the question of the supporters of the Rebbe's "meshihut"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Messiahship). The Habad-Lubavitch movement is quite active in promoting the teachings of the Rebbe through its Kehot Publishing Society, which is one of the largest publishers in the world; its JLI (Jewish Learning Institute); "Tzivos Hashem" (Army of God) youth movement; and Habad (Chabad) Houses on university campuses and in residential districts.

Yitzchak Kraus wrote his book as his doctoral dissertation at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. As he explains in the introduction to his book, he began by believing that he would write a dissertation on a wonderful Jewish leader and a scholar, who was making his imprint on the Jewish world. He, as others before him, did not realize the full gamut of what can be called a schema of what Habad and its Rebbes were undertaking: the bringing of the Messiah and redemption of the world in our day!

In a sense, Kraus ends his impressive work with a disclaimer, in an epilogue-- Aharit Davar"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. He emphasizes under the heading "Tenuat Habad Le'an?-- [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]? (Where to for the Habad Movement?) that his research deals with the Rebbe and Habad in a fashion that is not subject to dispute. However, what about the future of the movement?

He writes, "Habad activism in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st can be tested in various ways: sociologically, psychologically and anthropologically. In this book an attempt has been made to reveal a world perspective and structures of thought from 'mibifnim--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (from within). This is to say, from the viewpoint of the creators of that perception, in this instance it is from within the manifold teachings of R.M.M. (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson)".

"Therefore," Kraus comments, "I have held back from delving into the theoretical sources, whether psychological, sociological or anthropological" (pp. 254-255). He ends his work with a series of questions to be answered in a subsequent work, not necessarily by him. He asks, "... Did the Rebbe see himself as the Messiah? And if he truly is the Messiah, must this approach be promulgated to the masses, even though this will not be accepted by the public?" (p. 256).

Kraus' final question, the last line of the book, "... Or perhaps a new leader [of Habad] will need to be appointed to the movement--number 'eight'--'[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]? These questions are worthy of a book unto itself" (p.256).

According to this presented schema, The Seventh--Ha-Shevi'i is the culmination of God's promise of the final redemption, thus no Eighth or successor is to be expected. Habad has enjoyed the dedicated leadership of seven Rebbes since its founding in 18th century Europe. According to some accounts, in the 21st century Habad maintains over 3,000 institutions in over 1,000 cities around the world.

In my personal experience, this missionary endeavour can be compared to the expansive efforts within Christianity to evangelize the world by the Campus Crusade for Christ, that has a presence in approximately 190 countries, which has "25,000 full-time missionaries, and has trained 225,000 volunteers around the world."

The Seventh by Rabbi Dr. Yitzchak Kraus appears in a worthy series of books by some of the greatest names in Israeli scholarship. This Judaic series is published by one of the most widely read newspapers in Israel, Yedioth Aharonoth. The series is known as "Kan v'akhshav"--[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Here and Now). In addition to two other titles in the series on my bookshelf, I intend adding others in the near future.

Sanford H. Shudnow

Emeritus US Navy

Jewish Chaplain