העורך Editor

In “Toras Menachem” volume 7, p. 212-216, 223-225 Siman Alef (Hisvaadus Yat Kislev of the year 5713) the Lubavitcher Rebbe says one may not become a non-Chabad chassid. He likens regular Chassidus to following Beis Shamai after the halacha was decided in accordance with Beis Hillel.

So, if you respect the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s opinion, but cannot see your way clear to joining Chabad, it’s easy: don’t be Chassidic at all!

(Not sure the Mitteler Rebbe would agree, which is why Chabad didn’t publish one of his books (wherein he writes Chabad is a new path, unrelated to the Ba’al Shem Tov), but that’s for another time.)

From “My Father, My Rebbe” (p. 101):

To this day my mother feels she cannot understand how anyone can merely write the word “Hitler” or “Mengele without writing immediately afterwards, ‘Er zol brenen in Gehinnom leilam vo’ed – Their name and remembrance should be wiped out forever and ever.’

Usually, the Yiddish translations in the book are better than that.

I don’t know whose shameful idea it was that we need to be ashamed of wishing our enemies burn forever, but I suspect this behavior is less common among Bnei Eretz Yisrael.

A: Whoever Has the Gold Makes the Rules!

The hand pointer, of course.

(Um, is it original to us?)

משנה כתובות פרק ו ב’:

הפוסק מעות לחתנו, ומת חתנו, אמרו חכמים, יכול הוא שיאמר, לאחיך הייתי רוצה לתן, ולך אי אפשי לתן.

הרע”ב שם:

…ואע”ג דאחיו עם הארץ והוא ת”ח יכול הוא לומר לאחיך הייתי רוצה ליתן ולך איני רוצה ליתן.

קול הרמ”ז שם:

הרע”ב ד”ה יכול וכו’, והוא ת”ח וכו’. ומש”ה לא תני לאחיך, ליתן (ר”ל לאחיך הייתי נותן), אלא רוצה, כלומר ואין טעם לרצון.