Posted by a young chabad blogger:
I've been thinking a bit about what the Lubab world will be like in another 20 yrs.
The fridiker Rebbe was adamant that 'America iz nisht anderish' when he came to the US some 60 years ago, but he was one of very few. Indeed, American jewry has vastly assimilated, paradoxically under democratic governments and their call for egalitarianism. When the jews were finally allowed to be themselves, they decided to be like everyone else. In another 20 years, what will be?
Unfortunatley, in the past few years, Chabad has similarly been grossly influenced by western civilisation. Its taken about 60 years, but the cons of freedom are slowly catching up. Before Shlichus, the shtetl's of Russia were closeted and held their own structure, mini 'autocracies' complete with 'Rebbe' and holy Chassidim who were not influenced by other ways of life. Ordinary jews looked up to these father figures and emulated them. They saw a direct connection to G-d. Therefore, even when Lubavitch headquarters changed to New York, because Chabad still had a Rebbe and the Tzaddikim of that generation, the doctrine of the old world continued to hold sway.
All that has changed now. The people who believe that the Rebbe is here with us are few and far between. Those people are you, of previous generations. But to us, the Rebbe is some distant figure, we can't figure him out, all those miracles belonged to a bygone era. The majority of Lubavitch are in g-d forsaken or totally westernised cultures. It sounds apikorstic, but the Rebbe sent us and then left us. He thought we had so much potential, that we could withstand the bad of the world, but we have not lived up to his dreams. Slowly, the boundaries which were once the baselines are being reworked and changed. I have seen TV's in many a Chabad family house. The internet is the norm. Skirts are slowly getting higher, and Kapota's are swapped for tshirt and jeans.
Its interesting that the Shidduch process is still very much the same, but I believe that in a few years time even those age old guidlines will be rewritten. Who will care about Yichus if you don't have a business degree? A Rabbi is great, but a lawyer is even better. Girls nowadays are going to college, and to tell you the truth, if if I was a bit younger and thought I could get away with it, I too would go to a mixed college. But as of yet, the guidlines haven't changed, and the repurcussions will be too great at least for a few more years. But after those years, the Chabad world will be a different place. Girls will be doing Graphic Design (my desired profession) and we all know what Graphic Design and the world of Advertisement is about. The music industry, business, accounting, we are doing it already. And the numbers just keep growing. Boys going to university instead of Smicha and the Rabbinate. Shlichus for so many of us is already ! a no no, with all the politics and undercover blackmail that it involves.
The new generation isn't a bad one, we are just different, more 'modern'; products of the society which in which you brought us up. There is no deeply rooted hiskashrus, because we don't remember the Rebbe. The elder Chassidim have long since passed away, but even with those who are still alive, it is so difficult to relate! What does it mean, to give up your life for religion, when many of us will easily eat chalav akum when no one is looking! (Just because it tastes better.) Why would someone spend 18 years of his life in the gulags of Russia when he could be sunbathing on Bondi beach? In our heart of hearts, we know that there is something so deep and spiritual and totally unexplainable, but those feelings aren't attainable to us.
We are missing the faith.
I don't like to think what will happen if we don't regain it soon.
posted by Dilemma
I've been thinking a bit about what the Lubab world will be like in another 20 yrs.
The fridiker Rebbe was adamant that 'America iz nisht anderish' when he came to the US some 60 years ago, but he was one of very few. Indeed, American jewry has vastly assimilated, paradoxically under democratic governments and their call for egalitarianism. When the jews were finally allowed to be themselves, they decided to be like everyone else. In another 20 years, what will be?
Unfortunatley, in the past few years, Chabad has similarly been grossly influenced by western civilisation. Its taken about 60 years, but the cons of freedom are slowly catching up. Before Shlichus, the shtetl's of Russia were closeted and held their own structure, mini 'autocracies' complete with 'Rebbe' and holy Chassidim who were not influenced by other ways of life. Ordinary jews looked up to these father figures and emulated them. They saw a direct connection to G-d. Therefore, even when Lubavitch headquarters changed to New York, because Chabad still had a Rebbe and the Tzaddikim of that generation, the doctrine of the old world continued to hold sway.
All that has changed now. The people who believe that the Rebbe is here with us are few and far between. Those people are you, of previous generations. But to us, the Rebbe is some distant figure, we can't figure him out, all those miracles belonged to a bygone era. The majority of Lubavitch are in g-d forsaken or totally westernised cultures. It sounds apikorstic, but the Rebbe sent us and then left us. He thought we had so much potential, that we could withstand the bad of the world, but we have not lived up to his dreams. Slowly, the boundaries which were once the baselines are being reworked and changed. I have seen TV's in many a Chabad family house. The internet is the norm. Skirts are slowly getting higher, and Kapota's are swapped for tshirt and jeans.
Its interesting that the Shidduch process is still very much the same, but I believe that in a few years time even those age old guidlines will be rewritten. Who will care about Yichus if you don't have a business degree? A Rabbi is great, but a lawyer is even better. Girls nowadays are going to college, and to tell you the truth, if if I was a bit younger and thought I could get away with it, I too would go to a mixed college. But as of yet, the guidlines haven't changed, and the repurcussions will be too great at least for a few more years. But after those years, the Chabad world will be a different place. Girls will be doing Graphic Design (my desired profession) and we all know what Graphic Design and the world of Advertisement is about. The music industry, business, accounting, we are doing it already. And the numbers just keep growing. Boys going to university instead of Smicha and the Rabbinate. Shlichus for so many of us is already ! a no no, with all the politics and undercover blackmail that it involves.
The new generation isn't a bad one, we are just different, more 'modern'; products of the society which in which you brought us up. There is no deeply rooted hiskashrus, because we don't remember the Rebbe. The elder Chassidim have long since passed away, but even with those who are still alive, it is so difficult to relate! What does it mean, to give up your life for religion, when many of us will easily eat chalav akum when no one is looking! (Just because it tastes better.) Why would someone spend 18 years of his life in the gulags of Russia when he could be sunbathing on Bondi beach? In our heart of hearts, we know that there is something so deep and spiritual and totally unexplainable, but those feelings aren't attainable to us.
We are missing the faith.
I don't like to think what will happen if we don't regain it soon.
posted by Dilemma
1 comment:
believe me friend, if I didn't think of the pain it would cause I would write about the problems too on my blog, and in much greater detail.
Where do we start if we just cannot get along?
Post a Comment