Avakesh and Chabad
One of my favorite religious blogs, Avakesh, has turned out to have a relationship with Chabad, even though he is not a Chabadnik.
Avakesh writes,
I am a fellow traveler of Lubavitch and frequently daven in a Chabad Shul. I also study Chabad seforim along with other chassidic works. I absolutely agree and have personal experience that the Rebbe was a great man, probably the greatest that I met[...]In many ways I am suspended in between. I have an emotional attachment to Chabad and share a history, even with the Rebbe. My personal relationships within Chabad preclude frank questioning for I do not wish to offend and I am enough of an outsider that I might offend. On the other hand, I came up through a very different educational system. I also know enough to question effectively.
I enjoy many of Avakesh’s writings, and have often wondered what his background his. Now I guess we know a piece of the puzzle. Certainly having different lenses will increase a person’s wisdom and perspective.
Having said that, I never regularly davened at any Chassidic synagogue, and once even stopped attending a synagogue on Friday nights because a rabbi instituted singing yedid nefesh, a Chassidic custom. Even though they fired him (on parshas Korach, how awesome is that?!?) they continued to sing this song at the wrong time (Friday night), and in my humble opinion, in the wrong place.
My place.
6 comments
Boy you are resolutely dedicated to misnagdish apikorsus. What an interesting and oddly intolerant hashkofoh.
I can hardly tolerate that nonsense either. I would sooner daven in a Chabad minyan (as I did for many years, especially when I was a pup during law school in Chicago; but this was before the Rebbe was officially pronounced to be Moshiach), however, than one of those “Carlebach” minyanim.
Preferable to both: “Davening at the kosel” (the kosel in my living room).
Yedid Nefesh is sung in most Ashkenazi shules. Mizrachi in Israel for sure.
If is started as a Chasidic custom, it is widespread now.
What don’t you like about it, aside that it takes about 7-8 minutes?
“Yedid Nefesh is sung in most Ashkenazi shules.” Are you sure?
“Mizrachi in Israel for sure.” All of them?
“What don’t you like about it, aside that it takes about 7-8 minutes?”
I need another reason? Well, I don’t like so much singing. Most people don’t have music lessons as a kid like I did, so most people don’t sing in tune.
So we should keep it to a minimum.
Also, we added way, way too much Friday night based on mystical reasons these past few hundred years. Save that stuff for shalosh sheudas. Cause I won’t be there, even if I was frum.
I am very anti-mysticism also. Sadly it started a long time ago. But that doesn’t make it any better.
I recently heard about a Rabbi Kapach, z’l, who was also very anti-mysticism.
I am glad some people agree with me.
If you want a Friday night service that’s devoid of mysticism, go to most Reform shuls. Classical Reform liturgy often skips Kabbalat Shabbat altogether and heads straight for the meat of Maariv. Who needs mystic love poetry and psalms when we’ve got v’Shamru?
Personally, I love Yedid Nefesh. I find I have a Pavlovian relaxation response to the waltz melody I hear most often (perfect for starting Shabbat). But maybe that’s just due to association with a childhood of lakeside Camp Ramah Shabbatot.
Oh, and I agree that it’s pretty widespread beyond Chassidic circles these days. It seems to be the minhag to start Kabbalat Shabbat with it at many Conservative (including Camp Ramah) and Recontructionist and even some Modern Orthodox shuls.
I’m Sephardic, so when I pray at home I pray from the Spanish and Portugese prayerbook of London, and I just skip anything remotely mystical.
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