How Is Simon Jacobson Regarded by True Chabad Intellectuals?
Comment by Ditto on FUCKING LUBI FAG, SEMEN JACOBSON, TRIES TO KICK OUT CHULENT
yiush writes: >>I am told that amongst Chabad intellectuals he is laughed at. His book, in the words of Dorothy Parker, “should not be tossed away lightly, but with great force.”<<
Funny. He is considered one of the great Chabad intellectuals. Which “chabad intellectuals” laugh at him — maybe some names would help.
I hear that his book is worshipped by Chabad as the best tool to reach anyone.
dittoman
Judaism.com
July 15th, 2008 at 11:16 am
whatever you want to say about simon, fact is that he was a choyzer from the ’70s till the ’90s & wrote the bulk of the sichos in english, mugah included. it is a known fact that ramash didn’t like his writing style (writing more than a couple of times on the margins “mavhil” or “mavhil me’od”) & favored lahak (feldman) over him. but to call him an ignoramous etc. is just not true. he is as bahavent in chabad as any other above-the-average tomim is.
the reason why he is looked down upon is because he made a career out of “watering down” the rebbe’s teachings into populist lore to reach a mass audience. also, he writes (dayke, not necessarily practices) about how to implement the esoteric teachings into practical psychological self-betterment.
what’s so wrong about that? no one claimed that he is a yoyel kahn or sholom charitonov, luftmentshn who cannot communicate with the average upper west sider. no one claims that he can finish sefer ho’arochim (although he would be capable to be on the team with his uncle berel if he applied himself to that task).
it seems that in his pursuit of self-promotion to the larger velt (a trait no doubt influenced by his dad’s journalistic endevours), he dumbed himself down.
but what’s so wrong about that? isn’t chasidus about dumbing down to the masses??
there also seems a sense of lethargy (laziness), of not steam-rolling ahead with more publications, more activities beyond weekly shiurim & essays.
but who are we/me lazy-heads to point fingers about this?
he may not be the greste kop in lubavitch, but he’s no tipesh either.
now yossi, well that’s a whole other story…
- enough rechilus for one day.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:16 am
i meant to say sichos in YIDDISH.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:49 am
shimon speaks very well and is a well likable guy …a gal from bro park told me she had a affair with him she described details and meeting him for overnite visits can this be true
July 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
It seems to be Chabad with their outreach that has started this whole “dumbing-down” (which may also tie in to their peculiar elitism - but i won’t argue the point here). I mean how are you gonna do “yefutzu” in this metumtamdige amerika? It is not at all like e=mc2 – explicating the symbol is not dumbing down but explaining - and i think that is a big difference…
July 15th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
The best thing about chabad is that they exept everyone.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
of course it could be true… that doesn’t mean necessarily that it is true….
anyway, if she wants us to know about it tell her to post it herself
July 15th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
does inscrutability = brilliance? just because you have some freakout crap like sefer yetzirah or a bunch of tzirufei sheymos does that make it a work of genius? just because chasidus is more understandable does that mean it’s dumbed down? the words of the messiah jesus are simple and profound as much of the torah is but you can’t make a golem with them.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I have actually inquired and asked quite a few Chabad intellectuals, including Yoel Kahan and others, and they consider Simon Jacobson as one of the greste kep in Chabad.
One person actually told me, to his credit, that some have natural jealousy and resentment due to his success, and therefore they resort to dismissing his brilliance. Hey, it happens everyday that people who think they are farshtayer (and sometime feel unappreciated) need to attack others who have achieved acclaim that they feel they deserve.
But of course, this website here is about open-minded people who are “above” such pedestrian feelings…
And again, to throw out lines “he is looked down upon,” “laughed at” — is pure hyperbole, a classical way of dismissing someone without providing names — something that is beneath you Zoro. Tell us exactly which intellectuals look down at him and is there any jealousy involved in this?
dittoman
July 15th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Ditto,
It is a sub-par book, which he didn’t even write and was written for him. Towards a Meaningful Life brings the Rebbe to the masses as much as Reader’s Digest brings literature to the masses. It is a very chitzoiniyidike book which does not offer the deep wellsprings of the Rebbe’s Chasiddus.
A true example of a superior author is Tzvi Freeman. His first book Bringing Heaven Down to Earth actually brings deep Chassidic concepts and applies them to every day goings on.
Yoiel Kahn told you. What a joke. What do you expect Yoiel Kahn to say when asked. Get his brother Yossi drunk and he will tell you himself of what laha”k thinks of Simen.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Well it happens to be not just Yoel Kahn but quite a few people, including many many Chabad Rabbis that worship his book and distribute ut widely — why don’t you ask around and provide some credible names.
The intelligent ones all say that there is defintely plenty of jealousy going around. I mean after all, who wouldn’t be envious — especially all us aspiring writers (me included) — of a book that has sold over 300,000 copies, and continues to be a classic in many people’s eyes.
Is everyone a fool except you?
Anyway, as we know, if people are convinced of some stereotype it’s hard to dislodge that type of thinking. Many of us sadly are recipients of such pidgeonholing, so maybe it’s a healthy type of venting and getting even by subjecting others to this torture as well.
July 16th, 2008 at 6:26 am
who’s the other groiser kop shmuely boteach? how many copies has kosher sex sold?
July 16th, 2008 at 8:11 am
accessibility=tipshus: what? i never read his book, but inaccessibility does not equal geonus - it equates with out of touch theoretical abstractions based on how you would like things to be rather than actual life experience. how can someone who spent his entire life in daled amos presume to inform you about life, spirituality, truth, good and other narishkeiten
July 16th, 2008 at 8:14 am
if simon had an affair, as claimed above, it would make him more credible in my eyes: although not as much as the knowledge that he has steaming hot, oozingly passionate sex with his wife on a regular basis
July 16th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
‘Intellectuals’ and Chabadskers are a contradiction in terms.Lubavitch is a wacked up movement with false messiahs and lots of shallow airy crap, that attracts the same.Many of their bt’s and other lost souls who have joined are of cult like material, who would either be in some Fucked up ashram in India sucking guru cock or reading or listening or sucking Yalha’ks silly ‘kannalistic’ dreque.
These petz are still busy ‘explaining’ why the Rebbe is really hiding out with Elvis.
Lomech oop!
July 16th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
“just because you have some freakout crap like sefer yetzirah”
“the words of the messiah jesus are simple and profound as much of the torah is but you can’t make a golem with them.”
The Jesus words are simpler than the Sepher Yetsirah? T’aint nothin’ simpler than the Sepher Yetzira! It’s like the straight forwardest thing ever! (What CAN you count before one?) Meanwhile, most of the great Christisms require so much context and darshaning before they can be meaningful at all.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:30 am
i heard thru the grapevine that the community is upset by simon trying to boot the chulent group and some are willing to expose simon with all his sexual liasons with woman.simon can have his secret life and affairs with woman exposed including his over nite trips with r.k of boro park
July 18th, 2008 at 8:44 am
yho,
sefer yetzirah i know from shit. if it actually makes sense maybe i’ll read it. as far as christ you have to read it in greek.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Sefer Yetzirah has been read by some as a children’s grammar-book…
July 18th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
i’m all for hearing the latest gossip about simon or other rabbis but lets hear it from the people who were involved themselves, no sense in ruining someones rep from third hand or fourth hand stuff
July 18th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
well, no wonder, i hate grammar.
October 31st, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Here is a preview of a new controversy about to break in the inside world of Chabad:
Many Chabad shluchim/emissaries who either are too lazy, too uneducated or simply don’t have time, are purchasing holiday and shabbat sermons from various vendors. One of the more popular ones is Rabbi YY Jacobson, who is selling these sermons — around $200 for High Holidays sermons, $30 for holiday ones, and $10 each f or Shabbat sermons.
Many of the Chabad shluchim are understandably upset that one of their one is exploiting them for money. Obviously, a man has a right to charge for his services, and in a free economy, driven by supply and demand, people have the choice to buy them or not. But now word has gotten out that Jacobson is making a nice killing. By selling it to each individual separately, as opposed to one flat fee for all shluchim, reliable sources report that he raked in close to $50,000 for the High Holiday sermons (selling sermons to around 200 shluchim at $200 each, and $60 more each for the Sukkot sermons), and is making approximately $1000 a week on the Shabbat sermons, selling on weekly average to of 100 shluchim at $10 each.
Some are also wondering whether David Schottenstein of Columbus Ohio, a serious sponsor of Jacobson’s, donating $60,000 a year, is aware of this income being generated from the shluchim. It would seem fair that Schottenstein’s donation should help subsidize the sermons, rather than charge the shluchim, many of who are struggling.
This issue will soon reach a boiling point, as these amounts of monies will become public knowledge, and more vendors will be trying to cash in on this bonanza.
Transparency is of course the best solution to any such issues.
November 13th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Publishers and professors have an arrangement:
When a teacher and students use a particular book to teach a class, the teacher’s copy is free.