Search Results

This chapter assesses the author's proposal of a resolution about messianism to the Rabbinical Council of America. The proposal reads as follows: ‘In light of disturbing developments which have arisen following the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt''l, the Rabbinical Council of America declares that there is no place in Orthodox Judaism for the belief that Mashiach ben David (Messiah son of David) will begin his Messianic mission only to experience death, burial and resurrection before completing it’. The RCA resolution evoked substantial coverage in the Jewish media. It was not formulated as an attack against Lubavitch and addressed the messianist belief in a mild language. Nevertheless, some Lubavitch hasidim levelled strong attacks against the RCA and even stronger attacks against the author.

This chapter describes how, in the autumn of 1995, the author published an article in Jewish Action, the journal of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, which decried the silence of rabbinic leaders about the declaration on the part of many Lubavitch hasidim that the late Rebbe is the Messiah. This silence, the author argued, combined with the treatment of messianists as Orthodox Jews in good standing, fundamentally transforms Judaism, betrays the messianic faith of the ancestors, and grants Christian missionaries victory with respect to a key issue in the millennial debate between Judaism and Christianity. At its annual convention in June of 1996, the Rabbinical Council of America responded to this challenge with a declaration that ‘there is not and never has been a place in Judaism for the belief that Messiah son of David will begin his messianic career only to experience death, burial, and resurrection before completing it’. In the aftermath of both the article and the RCA resolution, defenders of Lubavitch presented sources which allegedly demonstrate the acceptability of this patently un-Jewish doctrine. They argued that Lubavitch hasidim, unlike Christians, observe Jewish law and do not regard their Messiah as the Deity.

This chapter details the author's attempts to reach the Council of Torah Sages. In the world of Modern Orthodoxy exemplified by the Rabbinical Council of America, the author has friends, acquaintances, former students, and a modicum of standing, so that the author could accomplish something from within. The leaders of Traditionalist Orthodoxy, marked by greater insularity and profound reservations about higher secular education, are far less accessible to the author. Committed to the authority of da'at torah, or ‘the opinion of the Torah’, the Traditionalist Orthodox Agudath Israel has set up a group of distinguished rabbis (gedolim) empowered to decide issues of both Jewish law and public policy. This Council of Torah Sages (Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah) and its equivalent bodies in Israel hold a position of unparalleled influence in a major segment of Orthodoxy, and the leading authorities in that community command great respect among Modern Orthodox Jews as well. The author sent the rabbis copies of the exchange in Jewish Action, the author's letter to the RCA, and two additional letters commenting on the RCA resolution and the controversy over Rabbi Soloveichik's statements. In the absence of any response, the author had no way of assessing the reaction.