A Movement on Trial: Inside the story of Tevet 5: the victory of the sacred books
Jewish Educational Media pulls back the curtain on the fascinating saga of the violation of Lubavitch’s sacred manuscripts and books—and their ultimate triumph. From the Rebbe’s earliest public references to the theft of Chabad’s treasured library, it was clear that this was a spiritual struggle over the movement’s very soul—as embodied in its holy writings—and even over the very definition of a rebbe. (Excerpt from the complete film)
| Topics: | Tevet 5, Lubavitcher Rebbe | |
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Spirits in midrash, Spirits are purported disembodied beings - wandering minds without the physical connections -- pure intelligence or thought. Many religions see them as what remains after one has died. The idea of spirits may have arisen from the awareness that something seemingly "non physical" and distinct from the body is what animates us. If one cuts off my foot, or my arm, or any part of the physical me, there is still something left. Some cultures define that essence as a soul, others a spirit, and still others as both. This duality, of physical body and 'soul' leads directly to the belief that consciousness will somehow continue even after the very organ of consciousness, the brain, has turned into worm-ridden tapioca pudding.
Most cultures posit some form of invisible spirits which may or may not be benevolent, but which generally all share the same characteristic of being an invisible friend or foe, that's not quite a deity, but not quite mundane.