Major Chassidus Openly Worships Idolatry!

Chassidim and Yeshivish circles often criticize Chilonim relentlessly, sometimes even going so far as to deny their Jewishness altogether.

One prominent leader of a major Chassidus even questioned Chabad’s campaign to encourage secular Jews to put on tefillin, offering the twisted logic that such efforts are futile since they have “hirhurim.” It sounds absurd, but I’ve seen people on my own blog defending this childish sevarah.

And yet, when one of their own makes far more outrageous claims, the silence is deafening. Reb Mendele Viznitzer — who himself once referred to his own role as a “shvantz,” a tail — has followers who treat him as immortal, even divine. 

If he calls himself a “shvantz,” who am I to argue?

The irony is glaring. The very Chilonim whom these groups disparage do not worship avoda zara. But within their own ranks, they tolerate and even celebrate behavior that borders on idolatry.