Steinsaltz has an incredible ability to take lofty concepts and explain them in a way that an average layman can understand. His analysis of the Rebbe’s view on the founding of the state of Israel, the peace accords and “who is a Jew” or, as he correctly describes it, “who is a rabbi,” is fascinating.
The author’s portrayal of the Rebbe after his tragic stroke is truthful and heartbreaking. The controversy surrounding the Rebbe’s possible Messianic candidacy is important for those wishing to understand how this type of speculation started. Steinsaltz makes his opinion abundantly clear, however, that after the Rebbe’s death, this is no longer a viable possibility.
My favorite part of the book by far is the chapter where Steinsaltz deliberates on whether the Rebbe performed miracles or whether he was a seer.
He tells the story of his 15-year-old-son diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and given a poor prognosis. The Rebbe blessed the boy with long life, and despite the doctors’ strong recommendations, advised against a bone marrow transplant. Steinsaltz and his wife listened to the Rebbe’s advice. Their son was cured, eventually married and had children. There was another boy in the same hospital unit with a better prognosis whom the Rebbe did not bless. He said he would “raise the issue again at his father-in-law’s grave.” The boy unfortunately died that same year. Interestingly Steinsaltz claims that years later the doctors admitted that in his child’s case “their approach had been wrong.”
“Were these really miracles?” Steinsaltz wonders. When the Rebbe made a prediction or gave great advice, it did not matter if it was based on the supernatural or good guesswork…. I believe much of his power came through Ruach Hakodesh, the holy spirit within a person that connects him to a reality beyond our world,” he speculates.
Despite his own experience and theories, and with a little of that cynical humor that makes Steinsaltz so lovable, he writes:
“But to define something as a miracle – and not just chance – we would have to begin a statistical accounting. No one, yet, has done that for the many miracles attributed to the Rebbe. If the Rebbe gave ten thousand blessings, how many outcomes materialized clearly and relatively quickly? How many positive outcomes will be there among the totality of blessings, compared against a controlled population?
“When we adjust the data for coincidences and other factors, the chances of correlating events and outcomes shrink considerably. After all, when the Rebbe meets a young, healthy couple and blesses them with children, even someone who is not a miracle worker has a better-than- even chance of being right…. “The Rebbe’s outstanding memory and ability to integrate information may have also played a role. He met thousands of people over the years, and each was a source of information….
“Perhaps many of the ‘miracle’ stories therefore do require a more cautious approach.”
I recommend Steinsaltz’s book to anyone who wants to understand the Chabad philosophy and mindset. Even Chabad insiders – devotees, ba’alei teshuvah and yeshiva students – will find themselves enlightened by it. In my opinion, My Rebbe should be mandatory for Chabad rabbinical students. Too many of our brightest are turned off by the larger than life Messianic propaganda taught in our schools. The Rebbe was an excellent strategist, visionary leader, brilliant scholar, but someone who lived his life for others. This book will go a long way in helping those who never knew the Rebbe to understand him as a human being and appreciate his powerful personality.