The word “Chabad” is a Hebrew acronym for the three intellectual faculties of:В chachmah-wisdom,В binah-comprehension andВ da’at-knowledge. The movement’s system of Jewish religious philosophy, the deepest dimension of G-d’s Torah, teaches understanding and recognition of the Creator, the role and purpose of Creation, and the importance and unique mission of each Creature. This philosophy guides a person to refine and govern his and her every act and feeling through wisdom, comprehension and knowledge.В
The word “Lubavitch” is the name of the town in White Russia where the movement was based for more than a century. Appropriately, the wordВ LubavitchВ in Russian means the “city of brotherly love.” The nameВ LubavitchВ conveys the essence of the responsibility and love engendered by the Chabad philosophy toward every single Jew.В
Following its inception 250 years ago, the Chabad-LubavitchВ movement — a branch of Hasidism — swept through Russia and spread in surrounding countries as well. It provided scholars with answers that eluded them and simple farmers with a love that had been denied of them. Eventually the philosophy of Chabad-LubavitchВ and its adherents reached almost every corner of the world and affected almost every facet of Jewish life.В
The movement is guided by the teachings of its seven leaders (“Rebbes”), beginning with RabbiВ SchneurВ ZalmanВ ofВ Liadi, of righteous memory (1745-1812). These leaders expounded upon the most refined and delicate aspects of Jewish mysticism, creating a corpus of study thousands of books strong. They personified the age-old, Biblical qualities of piety and leadership. And they concerned themselves not only with Chabad-Lubavitch, but with the totality of Jewish life, spiritual and physical. No person or detail was too small or insignificant for their love and dedication.В
In our generation, theВ LubavitcherВ Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem MendelВ SchneersonВ of righteous memory (1902-1994), known simply as “theВ Rebbe,” guided post-holocaust Jewry to safety from the ravages of that devastation.В
