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Today marks the beginning of 2016’s Passover. Usually Easter is closer to this Jewish celebration and it’s easy to combine the two. This year is the off year. To our Jewish friends I wish you and all of us a Happy Passover. http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/default_cdo/aid/109747/jewish/Passover.htm https://www.facebook.com/israeliamericancouncil/videos/10154204979724208/ The above is one of my favorites
We have had the honor and blessing to share Passover a handful of times with dear Jewish friends. I love the symbolism and the tradition. Thank you, mom3. I have to admit to being envious of this tradition. I became engrossed in reading and clicking around from the Chabad link in the OP. From an article called “Unpacking Chabad”:
Quote:Will this model of organizing work for other [branches of Judaism]? One needs to keep in mind the religious imperative that sustains Chabad. This highly focused commitment to traditional practice and to service is not easily transportable. This unique alignment of faith with outreach clearly requires a particular type of community and movement where individuals are able to transcend their personal agendas in order to foster a shared global mission, as Prager noted, “The self is subordinate to the good of the organization.”
Similar to the Mormons, Chabad effectively combines the elements of religious fervor and conviction with a worldview. Here passion and mission are aligned, and that type of social construct does not easily fit the framework of liberal Jewish religious or communal institutional models. Chabad is not without its critics. Controversy and tension exist within the organization over an array of legal matters and religious issues, and the voice of dissenters can certainly be heard outside of Chabad critical of this movement on a number of fronts.
In the end, no one should discount Chabad’s impact on the American and global Jewish scene. It represents a unique and significant presence. At best, organizations may seek to emulate certain elements associated with Chabad’s methodology of outreach and engagement. However, it is unlikely that other groups within the Jewish community have the capacity or commitment to enter the marketplace to construct a competing model of service or religious activism.
Quote:I love the symbolism and the tradition.
I also love it.
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