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Dispute between Rabbi Yitzhak Hutner and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson - Regarding Tefillin Stands (Mitzvahs require intention)

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 Taken from a longer blog post by Rabbi Dan Schneider all credit goes to him. The Chabad Hasidic tefillin ritual, which has become one of the most distinctive symbols of Judaism on the modern street, is generally perceived as an act of simple "community": a Jew meets a Jew, places tefillin on him, and behold, another Jew has been granted the commandment of tefillin. However, beneath the halachic surface of this action, lies a deep question about the nature of the mitzvah and the limits of awareness required of the person who performs it. At the center of the discussion is the brilliant and unsettling question of the author of "Pahad Yitzhak", the late Rabbi Yitzhak Hutner. In a pointed letter to his friend, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad, Rabbi Hutner questioned the halachic validity of placing tefillin on the masses. His argument was straightforward: If the person placing tefillin is unaware that written passages are placed inside the leather cases, the...
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Guest Essay What Zionism Has Always Meant

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  Opinion All credit goes to Rabbi ari D. berman and the New York TIMES July 1, 2026 Credit... Mauricio Lima for The New York Times Ari D. Berman Rabbi Berman is the president of Yeshiva University. In parts of America and Europe, the word “Zionism” has become little more than a slogan shouted by opposing sides at protests. It can be a term of pride or a biting shorthand for anger toward and condemnation of Israel and its supporters. This has led to a profound misunderstanding of what Zionism is and what it is not. The misuse of the word has flattened its dimensionality. It has, effectively, lost its meaning in the larger public. Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people possess the right to live freely in their ancestral homeland, to shape their future, defend their dignity, preserve their civilization and contribute their values and wisdom to humanity. A Jewish homeland is understood as the primary vehicle for Jews to build a flourishing society, with all its residents, non-Je...
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