The Tzaddik and the Rebbe

To sum up my understanding of this matter:

A Chossid accepts the words of his Rebbe fully and unconditionally with pure emunas Tzadikimas as emes laamitoi (the absolute truth). If he is indeed a Chossid, he has not the slightest shadow of doubt that what he is told by his Rebbe is Shechina medaberes mi’toch grono (the Shechinah speaking from the throat) of the Rebbe. Does he understand what his Rebbe says? Not necessarily. But his approach is not predicated upon intellect, but upon emunah. 

Thus it is out of the question for him to “second-guess” his Rebbe, G-d forbid, and decide that he knows better in some case. Not that he can’t try to understand why his Rebbe would have told him as he did; on the contrary, he can and he should. But even if he doesn’t understand, he accepts and obeys regardless because of his pure emunah that Hashem is speaking to him through his Rebbe. 

This is also an approach that according to various non-Chabad chassidishe stories I’ve heard is found in all Chasidic groups, and it’s one of the main differences between the way that a Chossid looks at his Rebbe and the way a non-Chossid looks at his gadol.

This is a sicha from the Previous Rebbe as a follow-up to the last post, with more details and an explanation not mentioned there. Obviously, both explanations are olim b'kaneh echad (complementary).

Many years ago a meeting was held in Warsaw at which the Rebbes of Ger, Radzmin, and my father (the Rebbe Rashab) were present. They discussed the issue of the Polish government’s requirement that Polish rabbis take a secular course promoted by the Enlightenment.

Even before my father had heard the possible advantages of this law, he declared explicitly with his holy mouth that he opposes it. When asked to explain why this law did not find favor in his eyes, he responded with his golden expression, “I don’t want it” (in the Yiddish, “es vilt zich mir nisht”). 

The Rebbe of Ger asked him, “Lubavitcher Rebbe, how can you base yourself upon this?” 

My father responded, “Yes. I decide based on my unwillingness when first weighing up the matter. For from my childhood I have accustomed my body not to desire that which is forbidden according to the Torah, and to bring every organ in my body to truly desire to perform the Mitzvah that is connected to it. I have so accustomed myself that this has become second nature, so much so that I believe my body.”

Sefer HaSichos of Summer 5685, pp. 91-92.

There is the known story of the Rebbe Rashab, of blessed memory, who once responded (at the Rabbinic conference of 1910) to one of the Rabbis who asked him why he is opposing a particular proposal that the government had put forth [concerning Jewish education] so vehemently? What is the proof that the proposal is so dangerous? He replied, because it felt right to him [in the Hebrew, “mipnei she’hunach etzloi kach”].


At first glance, how could he have stood with such vehemence [merely] on the basis of a “feeling,” [in the Hebrew, “hanocho”] without any proof?


Rather, in the case of the heads of the Jewish people the level of the comprehensive Yechidah-soul shines. (This is similar to the ray of Yechidah [that stems from the comprehensive Yechidah-soul] within every person [Jew]. The potential for self-sacrifice stems from this, and this is also the level of Chochmah [“wisdom,” the highest soul-power], (the head) of the soul. See the discourse Podoh Beshalom inSha’ar HaTefillah, ch. 12.) And it is not possible to err in a matter related to the soul-level of Yechidah. 

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 4, p. 1202.

The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe taught:

The concept of a Rebbe is to reveal down here [in this physical world] what he heard in Gan Eden. The Rebbe is the “I stand between G-d and you at that time to tell you the Word of G-d,” (Devarim 5:5) as is written of Moses, our teacher. “To tell you” means “to draw down to you” the Word of G-d.

Likutei Dibburim, vol. 4, p. 1408.

Put differently, a Rebbe does not say a word of his own. This also appears to imply the concept of the Tzaddik’s infallibility.

On a peripheral note, the Gemoro says that there was a difference between the way that the first four books of Chumash were revealed, and the last. The former was dictated word for word to Moshe Rabeinu, while the latter was vested first in Moshe Rabeinu’s mind and then expressed in his own words, albeit exactly according to Hashem’s Will. It is interesting that according to this quote, the divine revelation to a Rebbe appears to fall into the former category.