Eli Rubin: Is the Rebbe the Messiah? [Mysticism II 4/4]

07/30/24 • 103 min

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Eli Rubin—a scholar, Lubavitcher Hasid, and author of the forthcoming book Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism—about life’s big cosmic questions.
Chabad and the Rebbe are so ubiquitous in Jewish life that we tend to overlook Chabad’s underlying philosophy. Here, we take the time to look under the hood of the Mitzvah Tank. In this episode we discuss:

At its core, what is Hasidism about, and how did the Rebbe implement these essentials in a new time and a new land?
What should we picture when we imagine moshiach?
Has Chabad splintered off from mainstream Judaism the way some have feared?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to want moshiach now.
Interview begins at 11:27.
Eli Rubin, a contributing editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism (forthcoming from Stanford University Press). He was a co-author of Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World (Herder and Herder, 2019). He studied Chassidic literature and Jewish Law at the Rabbinical College of America and at Yeshivot in the UK, the US and Australia, and received his PhD from the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University College London.
References:
Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism by Eli Rubin
Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World by Philip Wexler, Eli Rubin, and Michael Wexler
18Forty Podcast: “Eli Rubin: How Do Mysticism and Social Action Intersect”
Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 32
Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 36
Open Secret: Postmessianic Messianism and the Mystical Revision of Menahem Mendel Schneerson by Elliot R. Wolfson
Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 12
Eruvin 13b
The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger
The Messiah Problem by Chaim Rapoport
Iggeret HaKodesh: Epistle 27
Engaging the Essence: The Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Rabbi Dr. Yosef Bronstein
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

At its core, what is Hasidism about, and how did the Rebbe implement these essentials in a new time and a new land?
What should we picture when we imagine moshiach?
Has Chabad splintered off from mainstream Judaism the way some have feared?

Previous Episode

Yosef Bronstein: Only for Chabad? Modern Orthodoxy and the Rebbe [Mysticism II 3/4]

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Yosef Bronstein—a rabbi, writer, and scholar—about the philosophy of Chabad and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
For much of the Jewish world, the Chabad movement plays a part in our lives, but it’s not necessarily something we understand deeply. Rabbi Bronstein, author of the newly published Engaging the Essence: The Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Koren), helps us fix that. In this episode we discuss:

What draws a Litvak to the Torah of the Lubavitcher Rebbe?
What were the Rebbe’s essential innovations of Judaism?
How might a messianic consciousness enhance our Torah lives?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what Orthodox Jews outside of the Lubavitch community can learn from Chabad.
Interview begins at 15:33
Yosef Bronstein received rabbinic ordination and a PhD in Talmudic Studies from Yeshiva University. He is the Rosh Bet Midrash of Machon Zimrat Ha’aretz, a community learning center and rabbinical training program in Efrat, Israel, and also teaches Jewish philosophy at Yeshiva University’s Isaac Breuer College. Rabbi Dr. Bronstein is a beloved lecturer, writer, and teacher on topics of Jewish thought, and is the author of The Authority of the Divine Law: A Study in Tannaitic Midrash and Engaging the Essence: The Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
References:
Engaging the Essence: The Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Rabbi Dr. Yosef Bronstein
Tanya
The Steinsaltz Tanya
Lessons in Tanya
Heaven on Earth Reflections on the theology of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Faitel Levin
Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
18Forty Podcast: "Yosef Bronstein: Rav Tzadok & Rav Kook on Jewish History"
Pirkei Avot 1
Kuzari
Mishneh Torah
Open Secret by Elliot R. Wolfson
The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger
Sichos
“Bittul Torah or a Taste of the World To Come? Fathers and Young Children” by Yosef Bronstein
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Next Episode

Yehoshua Pfeffer: 'The army is not ready for real Haredi participation' (18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers)

We're taking a week off from our main podcast, but we want to share with you an episode of our new podcast, 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers Subscribe to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch the latest episode every Monday.
The Israeli government’s draft of Haredi men is no simple matter—but Yehoshua Pfeffer has some ideas for moving forward.
Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer is a Haredi social thinker and activist intimately involved in Haredi affairs. He heads the Iyun Institute—which operates programs and publications in the Haredi space—is the founding editor of Tzarich Iyun journal, and serves on the executive board of Netzah Yehuda, which serves Haredi soldiers in the IDF.
While also teaching as a professor at Hebrew University’s law school, he is the rabbi of Ohr Chadash in Ramot Bet, Jerusalem. Yehoshua’s life is guided by his convictions.
Now, he sits down with us to answer 18 questions on Israel, including the Haredi draft, Israel as a religious state, Messianism, and so much more.
This interview was held on July 2.
Here are our 18 questions:

As an Israeli, and as a Jew, how are you feeling at this moment in Israeli history?
What has been Israel’s greatest success and greatest mistake in its war against Hamas?
What do you look for in deciding which Knesset party to vote for?
Which is more important for Israel: Judaism or democracy?
Should Israel be a religious state?
Do you think the State of Israel is part of the final redemption?
Is Messianism helpful or harmful to Israel?
Should Israel treat its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens the same?
Should all Israelis serve in the army?
Now that Israel already exists, what is the purpose of Zionism?
Is opposing Zionism inherently antisemitic?
If you were making the case for Israel, where would you begin?
Can questioning the actions of Israel’s government and army — even in the context of this war — be a valid form of love and patriotism?
What do you think is the most legitimate criticism leveled against Israel today?
Do you think peace between Israelis and Palestinians will happen within your lifetime?
Are political and religious divides a major problem in Israeli society?
Where do you identify on Israel’s political and religious spectrum, and do you have friends on the “other side”?
Do you have more hope or fear for Israel and the Jewish People?