Soul, Body, Essence

Engaging the Essence: The Torah Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe makes a bold claim in its title: to define the philosophy of a particular thinker suggests an explanation not just of what is being said, but how it is being said and why. Is this claim justified? Let’s see.

The author, Rabbi Dr. Yosef Bronstein, is a scion of Yeshiva University, where he currently teaches Jewish philosophy. He has said that he feels Chabad thought carries an existential depth that has not been sufficiently appreciated, and this book is his attempt to fill that gap. This is an important contribution to be sure, as Chabad Chasidism, and especially the works of the last Rebbe, has become a significant resource for the whole Jewish people (indeed, for humanity in general), and not only for members of the Lubavitch movement, who currently are the ones most likely to study it. 

Bronstein draws upon the published output of the Rebbe’s transcribed teachings, letters, and personal notes (Reshimot); the full gamut of academic research into Chabad, and Chasidism in general; works by Chabad scholars such as the late Rabbi Yoel Kahan and many others; and discussions with leading scholars of Chabad. Anyone trying to say something new and worthwhile may find themselves overwhelmed by this enormous wealth of material, but Bronstein claims to have found a lens through which to view the whole and to make sense of it.  

Chabad Chasidism, employing and extending Kabbalistic concepts, speaks of the spiritual realm of the sefirot, the Divine Attributes such as Wisdom, Understanding, Kindness, Severity, and Kingship. These exist in a hierarchy—indeed, they are often depicted as a Kabbalistic flowchart—the lower levels closer to our physical world, the higher levels more removed. But beyond all these sefirot, there is the Divine Essence. In relation to this essence, there is no hierarchy. The most exalted level of the spiritual and the lowest level of the physical can join together. All is connected. In a sense, potentially, all is one. 

Bronstein sees “engaging with the Essence” as the guiding principle in the Rebbe’s thought, applying it to the Torah, to each person as an individual, to the Jewish nation as a whole, to the world. But this admittedly mystical principle functions in the context of the full gamut of the rabbinic tradition, and it is in terms of that tradition that the Rebbe explains his vision for the Jewish people and humanity: to draw down the Essence and “reveal” it at the lowest level of existence, our practical and problematic world. 

After providing an accessible biography of the Rebbe and a brief, well-constructed presentation of the first section of Tanya, by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad, Bronstein arrives at his subject. In his careful analysis of the Rebbe’s first public discourse, Bati LeGani, delivered in January 1951, we encounter the power of Essence for the first time. 

The discourse, which also served as his formal acceptance of the role of rebbe, expounds a Midrash (Song of Songs Rabbah 5:1) which declares that at the beginning of Creation, the essence of the Divine Presence (ikar Shechinah) was in the Garden of Eden together with Adam and Eve. However, on account of their sin with the Tree of Knowledge, and six subsequent sins (such as Cain’s murder of Abel), the Divine Presence departed upwards, away from the physical world. Then came seven righteous people, beginning with Abraham and culminating with Moses, who drew the essence of the Divine Presence back into the world, thus achieving the goal of Creation. Bronstein writes that “Moses’ descent from the heavens with the Torah provides the tools and the blueprint for the Jewish people throughout history to draw down the Divine Essence… [a task which culminates in] the Messianic Era.”    

This observation neatly summarizes the Chabad view of the goal of existence in less than fifty words. The discourse goes on to clarify a triple path to achieve this goal, with three loves: love of G-d, love of Torah, and love of one’s fellow, particularly emphasizing this latter aspect. Bronstein persuasively sees the goals and values expressed in this discourse as the kernel of the teachings the Rebbe would expound over the next forty years, including promoting the self-sacrifice of Chabad emissaries. 

In the remainder of the book, Bronstein parses the practical applications of this initial mission statement. A series of chapters explore issues that have historically been considered as polarities in Jewish thought: What is more paramount, this world or the next? What is greater, study or action?   

Bronstein explores how these issues have been considered in the Talmud, by medieval figures like Maimonides and Nachmanides, by more recent figures like Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin or Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, then how they have been discussed in earlier Chabad sources, before finally presenting the Rebbe’s perspective based on the concept of the Essence, in terms of which all polarities are deconstructed. Thus, in the case of practical activism, intensely focused action, versus deep Torah study, it is practical action that wins out as the need of the time—even though there is the simultaneous demand on each individual activist to also study Torah.

An interesting chapter in this section explores the Rebbe’s own approach to Talmud study. This starts with examining the difference between halachah (legal texts and discussion) and aggadah (narrative passages) in the Talmud. In contemporary times, some Talmudists considered the study of aggadah a lesser activity than the subtle analysis of a halachic discussion. For the Rebbe, however, the entire Talmud was one unit, expressing the essence of the Divine. In this he was greatly influenced by Rabbi Joseph Rosen, the Rogatchover Gaon (1858–1936), with whom he corresponded in his youth.

Another area in which the Rebbe was highly innovative was his discussion of Rashi’s commentary on the Pentateuch. Bronstein mentions in a footnote that limitations of space prevent him from providing an in-depth discussion of this aspect of the Rebbe’s teachings. It is to be hoped that a subsequent edition of the book will include that as well.

A similar lacuna is that the author does not attempt to discuss the Rebbe’s Chasidic discourses as a genre in their own right. These occupy a special place of their own among the Rebbe’s teachings. It is true that Elliot Wolfson’s Open Secret (often cited in Bronstein’s book) focuses more intensely on the teachings imparted by the discourses. But Bronstein’s own analysis of them would benefit both his argument and his readers.

Bronstein also considers how the Rebbe treated contemporary issues like science and faith, Zionism and the Land of Israel, and the advent of the Messiah. In his final chapter,  “Mending the Fragmented Life,” Bronstein addresses the difficulty implicit in the Rebbe’s unifying approach: In a world where activism and study are equally weighted, how can one prioritize both? The author’s solution, based on quotations from the Rebbe, is that all is one. From the point of view of the Essence, all is equal. Whether studying Torah, working in one’s profession, organizing an outreach activity, or eating a meal with one’s spouse and children, every moment can be an opportunity for connection with the Divine. Well-researched and lucidly written, Engaging the Essence lives up to its bold claim, providing a comprehensive resource for anyone seeking to understand one of the most important Jewish thinkers of our time.