STATEMENT FROM CHABAD-LUBAVITCH OF OREGON:
We of Chabad-Lubavitch of Oregon were shocked to read about the beliefs of Ariel Sokolovsky in the Haaretz Newspaper. His beliefs are heretical and anathema to Torah.
Ariel Sokolovsky has no position in the Chabad Lubavitch movement. He is not a rabbi certified by our movement. He cannot possibly be described as a Chabad activist. He acts in numerous ways in complete contradiction of the Shulchan Aruch – The Code of Jewish Law.
His blasphemous blog is his own private initiative, just as the concubine blog that advocates ideas inimical to Torah and Jewish Tradition. His blog is not part of the Chabad web system. The statement by Haaretz that it is a Chabad website is false.
We strongly protest any assertion that he has any connection to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Rabbi Moshe Wilhelm Regional Director Chabad-Lubavitch of Oregon
Here’s the Feb. 12, 2007 Haaretz article that got Ariel in trouble:
Rabbi Ariel Sokolovsky is a Moldova-born Chabad rabbi in Portland, Oregon, and a more amiable soul would be hard to find.Yet Sokolovsky maintains a blog he entitled "Rebbegod" and refers to Schneerson as "Rebbe-Almighty" among other adulatory sobriquets. Drawing on rabbinical sources, he attempts to show that this is not as revolutionary as it sounds. He concedes that there are few people like him who will openly call the Rebbe God. He claims, however, that many people believe it, but do not say so openly for fear of scaring people away from Chabad altogether. "The Rebbe and God are not the same thing exactly, but I do not object to people thinking that they are the same thing." He recounts an incident in which he confronted his teacher – a senior Chabad rabbi from the former USSR – as to why he would not openly declare the Rebbe to be God. According to Sokolowsky, the senior rabbi jokingly warned him: "there can be many gods but only one Moshiach."
Ariel told me Feb. 12 that every reporter since me has misquoted him. I profiled Ariel in November, 2002.
By the grace of G-d
Shalom everyone!
This “STATEMENT FROM CHABAD-LUBAVITCH OF OREGON Inc.” makes no sense:
1) How can Rabbi Wilhelm be “shocked” when he knows my beliefs for 2 years I have been here in Portland and 1 year I had http://www.RebbeGod.blogspot.com blog when we had a number of 1 on 1 conversations on these topics with him?
2) How can he accuse me of “blasphemy” if he gives me aliahs to the Torah fully knowing what my public statements and beliefs are (a blasphemer doesn’t get aliah’s among other things) ?
3) He asserts that I have no position in Chabad Lubavitch movement. I don’t know what that means.
If it means I have no position in his non profit corporation Chabad of Oregon Inc fine I never claimed I did.
Yet on the other hand the Rebbe King Moshiach clearly said a number of times that every Jew is His shaliach (emissary) thus is automatically part of Chabad Lubavitch movement. That every Chabadnik should turn his home into a “Chabad House” to offer physical and spiritual assistance to others including putting a Chabad House sign on the door thus I have a number of such “doors” here in Portland in Boston and online which welcome thousands of visitors daily spreading Torah and Chassidus including the Rebbes teachings about the excitement of living in the Messianic era unfolding before our eyes and the identity of Moshiach.
4) He asserts that I’m not a rabbi certified by Chabad movement which is extremely deceptive as Chabad movement doesn’t certify Rabbis nor is an ordination at one of the Chabad Yeshivah’s is or has ever been a requirement for serving as a Chabad emissary a number of well known emissaries ordained elsewhere are are a clear proff to this fact.
5) He claims that I cannot be called a Chabad activist as my actions are supposedly against the code of Jewish law. Since none of these sins are actually listed this vague slander deserves no reply.
6) He reiterates that my blog is my private initiative as if I ever claimed otherwise.
He mentions another blog and a site which are now run under a pen name “Noah Smith” that I have recently took over and improved with the Rebbe’s blessings thru the Holy letters http://www.igrot.com (as is the Chabad custom to ask the Rebbe’s blessing thru holy letters) that “it should be published as soon as possible as it will bring merit to many” (mezakeh et ha’rabim) and claims that this particular blog and site is against the Torah and Jewish tradition ignoring the fact that this site is under the supervision of a qualified Dayan (Rabbinic Judge) from Jerusalem an expert in Jewish family law related to this site and author of many books on this and other topics who has more knowledge than Rabbi Wilhelm Shlit”a whose main functions as far as I can see are teaching the basics of Judaism, kosher supervision and especially fundraising (which often causes people to write and publish such statements which have nothing to do with Chabad teachings or Jewish law but are an example of duplicity, backstabbing Orwellian doublespeak and empty propaganda.)
PS. It has been mentioned to me by a person with connections within “Lubavitch Headquarters” that supposedly Rabbi Wilhelm didn’t write this shameful statement of his own volition but only after facing much pressure from “Lubavitch Headquarters” to do so after the HaAretz article came out.
While I don’t know for sure if this is true or another bit of misinformation this statement does look very strange much unlike anything I have seen or heard from Rabbi Wilhelm Shlit”a whom I have grown to respect as a decent and kind human being that he is who I would never had imagined would lend his name and web site to spread this strange defamatory, obscenely foolish and slanderous statement.
With respect and blessing.
Rabbi Ariel Sokolovsky
Bais Moshiach Center of Greater Boston and Portland Oregon
http://www.BostonChabad.com
And where does Luke Ford stand in all of this? Amalek wants to know.