Most universal and most parochial and particular. Dealt with universal issues, saw the entire Jewish community as a unified entity, there was no “my people” and “your people,” notwithstanding his fierce defense and promotion of Lubavitch.
When the Rebbe encouraged the study of Talmud for women to the Belzer Rebbe, the Belzer Rebbe remarked, “Do you mean even for our children?” The Rebbe’s answer was “All Jewish children are our children.”
When the religious parties in Israel were fighting against conscription for girls, they worked out a compromise: religious girls would be exempted from military service. The Rebbe opposed this compromise because it distinguished between religious and non-religious. The Rebbe argued that if it is against Halacha then we must apply it across the board.
There is a story of a Belzer Chasid who was a vocal critic of the Rebbe’s approach of being mekarev non-frum Jews. Then his own son drifted away from Judaism and from his family.
One day a Chabad bachur met him in the central bus station and offered to put on Tefillin with him. The erstwhile Belzer lad acceded to his request and a friendship ensued. Ultimately, the young man was brought back to Judaism and his parents.
The father was so grateful for having a Lubavitcher bring his son back to him that he traveled to the Rebbe from Israel to express his gratitude to the Rebbe for giving him back his child.
The Rebbe’s response to him was “To my father-in-law (the Rebbe always attributed his accomplishments to the Previous Rebbe) every Jewish child is his own child.”
Yet, the Rebbe strongly promoted Chabad philosophy and defended the honor of Lubavitch when it came under criticism from various circles. The Rebbe was simultaneously a promoter of Jewish unity and Jewish individuality.
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Did not approve of unjustified criticism of his followers from the outside but would take his own followers to task when it was necessary.
Related to the previous paradox concerning the Rebbe’s parochial concerns, we see another paradox in the way he reacted to criticism of Chabad.
While the Rebbe himself would take his followers to task when they fell short of his very high expectations of them, he did not appreciate and spoke out against those on the outside who would level the same or other charges. ■