The Rebbe’s Legacy

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, also known simply as Rebbe, died twenty years ago. He was the leader of the the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic movement and, according to this interesting clip from PBS Religion & Ethics he was probably the most influential Rabbi in modern history.

Why? Because, according to Shmully Hecht in the New York Times, “He stood for the acceptance of all individuals, a belief in the importance of the individual act, and in the value of bringing together people of different faiths.”

What was the Chabad movement?  The Lubavitch movement is a branch of Hasidc Judaism and began in Russia in the 1700’s and spread through parts of Europe. According to Chabad.org, “it provided scholars with answers that eluded them, and simple farmers with a love that had been denied them.”

The word “Chadbad” means knowledge, wisdom and comprehension.