Which Jewish Denomination is the Correct One?

This week, a well-known secular artist told me during an interview that it's a shame Judaism isn't a 'registered patent' - a field about which there is no doubt. But what can you do? It's not the case. In fact, it's quite the opposite. A person who wants to draw closer, to observe Torah and mitzvot, is faced with quite a bit of confusion. Today, there isn't just one stream in Judaism, but several: Haredim, Chabadniks, Breslovers, and more. So, how do I know which path to follow? And even after I decide, perhaps my neighbor's path is greener and more correct?

There are many questions in this field, but upon examining the issue, a surprising picture emerges: from Judaism's perspective, in general, this division among the different streams is not necessarily a disadvantage, but in certain aspects, even an advantage. Similar to how different partners complement each other. 'Each person, according to his tendencies and soul skills, should join one of the streams in Judaism,' starts Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger addressing the issue.

 

'Our track is the Halacha, meaning the book "Shulchan Aruch." Whoever observes the Shulchan Aruch has no problem with anyone. But if he distorts things and takes an entirely new path, it's completely different. Someone within the path can be protested against and disagreed with, but it's not that his entire system is out of the framework. Chabad, for instance - I can disagree with the faction there that claims the Rebbe of Lubavitch is the Messiah, but it doesn't mean I can dismiss all of Chabad, God forbid. Chabad is an enormous movement with a tremendous legacy, which has brought outstanding books to the world. There's no one who can dismiss them. Only regarding a specific point in their path can I disagree with them, just as, metaphorically, in a harmonious coalition there are different parties. By the way, there were once 12 tribes in the people of Israel, different from each other. The Holy Ari even writes that there were different prayer rites for each tribe, and they complemented one another.'

 

Rabbi Fanger explains that each stream in Judaism has a primary strength. Chabad's strength, for example, is in knowledge. Thus their initials stand for 'Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge'. Breslov, on the other hand, has taken the power of speech. Therefore, seclusion, prayer, and yearning hold a central place with them. Among the Lithuanians, Torah and Halacha are very strong. Among Sephardim, there is more focus on Kabbalah and Halacha. 'Each has its own qualities,' explains the rabbi. 'You cannot say one is better than the other or that one can be dismissed while the other cannot. It's just important, of course, that the consensus is Shulchan Aruch.'

Rabbi Pinchas Badoch also speaks of mutual completion. 'If the entire army consisted of just one corps, there would be malfunctions. It is precisely this completeness that forms a whole system. If a hospital were composed only of surgeons, it wouldn't be able to operate. You need nurses, kitchen staff, people responsible for cleanliness, and so on. Thus are the streams within Judaism - all streams form one unit called Judaism. But certainly, all rivers flow to the same sea. The purpose of everyone is the same - to do Hashem's will.'

 

'It's tradition - "Ask your father, and he will tell you." The Torah also says, "Do not exchange positions." That is, it's very undesirable for a Litvak to suddenly become a Chabadnik.'

 

'A baal teshuva has the option to choose where he feels more attracted and where he feels he belongs. Every baal teshuva usually has a rabbi guiding him, and this is what typically outlines the stream. But in principle, he indeed has a crossroads where he can choose which stream touches him more.'

 

'Just as in the army, it is prohibited to leave a corps without a justified reason. There are indeed situations where a person feels they need to move to another yeshiva or a particular method. If he sees he is not succeeding, he feels a crisis - he is given a kind of 'conversion.' Perhaps in a Chasidic context, he will feel different, for example. But it should not be done without thought. It is very important to continue the family tradition and not break the link. It's like changing a family name - you don't change your family name just like that.'

 

'There are things that are a bit hidden from us, to help us understand how everything fits like a puzzle. Take the patriarchs - Abraham was the pillar of kindness, Isaac was the pillar of prayer, and Jacob was the pillar of Torah. Even among them, each contributed a certain part - but together, this created a complete puzzle. If you look at each one separately, the question is understandable. But if you look at all of Israel as one unit - it is more understandable. Of course, in essential matters, there are no differences - everyone prays, eats kosher, observes Shabbat. The difference is more on a deeper level, in the perception of how to fulfill the mitzvot. In the tefillin, you have a tefillin of the hand with one compartment, and in the tefillin of the head, four sections are in four different compartments. Why? Because the hand is the fulfillment. In the head, there are several chambers, meaning there are several streams, but in the actual performance of the mitzvot, as it were by hand - everyone does the same thing.