Chabad Lubavitch is a philosophy, a movement, and an organization. It is considered the most dynamic force in contemporary Jewish life.
Philosophy
The word “Chabad” is an acronym for the three intellectual faculties: Chokhmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding), and Da'at (knowledge). The Movement's system of Jewish religious philosophy, the deepest dimension of God's Torah, teaches the understanding and recognition of the Creator, the role and purpose of Creation, and the unique importance and mission of each creature. This philosophy guides individuals to refine themselves and govern every action and feeling through wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
The word “Lubavitch” is the name of a town in Belarus where the Movement was centered for over a century. Fittingly, the word Lubavitch in Russian means “city of brotherly love.” The name Lubavitch reveals the essence of the Movement: responsibility and unconditional love for every Jew.
Motion
The Chabad Lubavitch Movement is part of the Hasidic Movement founded by the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory (1698-1760). After its emergence nearly 250 years ago, the Chabad Lubavitch Movement spread throughout Russia and neighboring countries. It provided great Torah scholars with answers that ordinary farmers could no longer find, offering them the love that had been denied them until then. Eventually, the philosophy of Chabad Lubavitch and its followers reached almost every corner of the world and influenced every aspect of Jewish life.
Leadership
The Movement is guided by the teachings of its seven leaders (Rebbes), beginning with Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, of blessed memory (1745-1812). These leaders delved into the most refined and subtle aspects of Jewish mysticism, creating a body of work comprising thousands of books. They embodied the ancient and biblical qualities of piety and leadership. They were concerned not only with Chabad Lubavitch but with the entirety of world Jewry, both spiritually and physically. No person or detail was too small for their love and dedication.
In our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of holy memory (1902-1994), known simply as “the Rebbe”, guided post-Holocaust Jewry from destruction and devastation to revitalization and flourishing.
Organization
The origins of the current Chabad Lubavitch organization can be traced back to the early 1940s, when the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, of blessed memory (1880-1950), appointed his son-in-law and later successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel, to lead the newly founded educational and social arm of the Movement.
Motivated by his deep love for every Jew and boundless optimism and self-sacrifice, the Rebbe set in motion a number of programs, services, and institutions to serve every Jew.
Today, 4,000 families of emissaries use the principles and philosophy developed over 250 years to manage more than 2,700 institutions (and a workforce of tens of thousands of employees) dedicated to the well-being of the Jewish people worldwide.
The Movement's headquarters are located in Brooklyn, NY, where the Rebbe worked, lived (during the last years of his life), and spread his teachings to the entire Jewish people. The building is known as "Seven Seventy" because it is located at 770 Eastern Parkway.
Just as in ancient times there was a lamplighter whose role was to light the way for passersby and ships, so too is the role of Chabad Lubavitch today. In a world of confusion, yet also of unprecedented opportunities, it reaches everywhere to kindle the light of the soul and of Torah, illuminating the path to spiritual fulfillment for every individual and the entire world.