Jacob Immanuel Schochet
Encyclopedia
Jacob Immanuel Schochet is a rabbi
, academic and scholar who has written and lectured on the history and philosophy of Hasidism and on themes of Jewish thought and ethics. He is a well known member of the Chabad
movement.
(Telshe, Telz) Lithuania, and alumnus of the Telshe yeshiva
. He served as rabbi in Basel
, Switzerland from 1930 until 1947, and from 1947 to 1951 he served as chief rabbi of The Hague and the adjacent regional towns, in the Netherlands. Shortly after emigrating to Toronto in 1951, Rabbi and Mrs. Schochet and most of their ten children joined the Chabad-Lubavitch
movement. One source indicates a potential motivation might have been the involvement of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in saving the life of the youngest daughter of Rabbi Dov Yehuda Schochet after she had suffered severe burns.
Rabbi Immanuel Schochet had a relationship with the Rebbe from the time he was a young student in the Yeshiva, and thereafter the Rebbe urged and encouraged his academic pursuits and literary efforts.
in New York from which he graduated in 1958. He received his academic education in Canada, attending the University of Toronto
, University of Windsor
, McMaster University
, and University of Waterloo
, he hold degrees of BA (Phil), MA (Religious Studies), MPhil (Phil) and PhD (Phil). His specialties in philosophy are Logic, Epistemology, Ethics, and Philosophy of Religion. His Master's thesis at McMaster University was titled: The Treatment of Anthropomorphism in Targum Onkelos (1966). His PhD thesis at the University of Waterloo was titled: The Psychological System of Maimonides (1974).
and Chabad Hasidism. He has written 35 books, mostly on the history and philosophy of Chabad Hasidism. Other topics included biographies of the founder of modern Hasidism the Baal Shem Tov and the second generational leader of Hasidism Dov Ber of Mezeritch. Other published works focus on Chabad Hasidism and topics related to that Hasidic school of thought, including: Mystical Concepts in Chassidism, The Mystical Dimension (3 volumes), and annotated translations of the classical Hasidic texts Tanya
, Tzava'at Harivash, and Likkutei Sichot. Most of Schochet's work was published by Kehot Publication Society
and Merkos Publications, the publishing arms of the Chabad Lubavitch movement.
He has also penned numerous articles in academic and popular publications dealing with philosophy, Jewish Mysticism and socio-ethical issues. He has lectured at the Chabad societies at the universities of Yale, UCLA, Berkeley, McGill, Oxford, London, Cape Town, Melbourne, and has spoken to communities throughout the USA, Canada and Europe, Australia, South Africa, the Far East and Israel.
Schochet is editor of critical editions of the principal Hasidic texts Keter Shem Tov, Tzava'at Harivash, Maggid Devarav Leyaakov and Or Torah.
Schochet is professor-emeritus of Philosophy, and Comparative Religion, at Humber College
, in Toronto
, Canada, and served as adjunct-professor on Jewish Bioethics at University of Toronto Medical School, and professor of Jewish Law and Philosophy, and dean of degree studies at Maimonides College in Toronto.
Regarding Jews who practice Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and other streams of Judaism, Schochet stated: "To be sure, we must condemn wrong and misleading ideologies and practices. But simultaneously we must be of the disciples of Aaron the High Priest: 'Loving peace and pursuing peace, loving our fellow-creatures and bringing them near to the Torah'!".
to recognize only halachic (orthodox) conversions, as opposed to conversions performed by non-Orthodox movements. He published a book entitled Who Is A Jew? on the subject, wherein he rejects the notion that Jews are a part of one race or that Jewishness is a nationality. Instead he stated that Jews are united by their Judaism.
Schochet adheres to the classical definition of a Jew as "those who partook in the original covenant of the Jewish faith, which established the eternal bond between God, Torah and Israel, and those who decided to join this covenant at later stages, they and their descendants are Jews.".
, accusing it of distorting the teachings of the Kabbalah
. He has characterized their actions as cultish practices. In 1993, the Kabbalah Centre opened a slander lawsuit in Canadian Court against him, but eventually withdrew their allegation.
In 2007, Schochet called the teachings of the Kabbalah Centre "rubbish"; stating, "it's phony; it's manipulative; it has no spirituality whatsoever. It's not related to the authentic Kabbalah.".
is tantamount to idolatry in the fullest sense of the word. There is then no way that a Jew can ever accept Jesus as a deity, mediator or savior (messiah), or even as a prophet, without betraying Judaism. To call oneself, therefore, a 'Hebrew-Christian,' a 'Jew for Jesus,' or in the latest version a 'messianic Jew,' is an oxymoron. Just as one cannot be a 'Christian Buddhist,' or a 'Christian for Krishna,' one cannot be a 'Jew for Jesus.'" Dr. J. Immanuel Schochet said.
Schochet responded to attacks on Chabad-Lubavitch by Rabbi Chaim D. Keller of the Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago that appeared in the Jewish Observer, and in Prof. David Berger's book The Rebbe, The Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference. Schochet demonstrates many of the practices of Chabad they criticized are well-founded in normative orthodoxy of Jewish tradition, and other criticisms are unfounded or distorted. He questioned the many anonymous anecdotes and attributions in Berger's book, as well as Berger's reliance on the innuendo and unsubstantiated accusation by individuals known for their persistent opposition to Hasidism.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, academic and scholar who has written and lectured on the history and philosophy of Hasidism and on themes of Jewish thought and ethics. He is a well known member of the Chabad
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
movement.
Family background
Schochet is a son of Rabbi Dov Yehuda and Sarah Schochet born in TelšiaiTelšiai
Telšiai , is a city in Lithuania with about 35,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on Lake Mastis.-Names:...
(Telshe, Telz) Lithuania, and alumnus of the Telshe yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva was a famous Eastern European yeshiva founded in the Lithuanian town of Telšiai. After World War II the yeshiva relocated to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is currently known as the Rabbinical College of Telshe, It is one of the most prominent Haredi institutions of Torah...
. He served as rabbi in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland from 1930 until 1947, and from 1947 to 1951 he served as chief rabbi of The Hague and the adjacent regional towns, in the Netherlands. Shortly after emigrating to Toronto in 1951, Rabbi and Mrs. Schochet and most of their ten children joined the Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
movement. One source indicates a potential motivation might have been the involvement of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in saving the life of the youngest daughter of Rabbi Dov Yehuda Schochet after she had suffered severe burns.
Rabbi Immanuel Schochet had a relationship with the Rebbe from the time he was a young student in the Yeshiva, and thereafter the Rebbe urged and encouraged his academic pursuits and literary efforts.
Education
He received his early education in his native Switzerland and in the Netherlands. After moving to North America, he attended the Chabad Central Yeshiva Tomchei TemimimTomchei Temimim
Tomchei Temimim is the central Yeshiva of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement...
in New York from which he graduated in 1958. He received his academic education in Canada, attending the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, and University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
, he hold degrees of BA (Phil), MA (Religious Studies), MPhil (Phil) and PhD (Phil). His specialties in philosophy are Logic, Epistemology, Ethics, and Philosophy of Religion. His Master's thesis at McMaster University was titled: The Treatment of Anthropomorphism in Targum Onkelos (1966). His PhD thesis at the University of Waterloo was titled: The Psychological System of Maimonides (1974).
Scholarship
Schochet is an authority on Jewish Philosophy, MysticismMysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and Chabad Hasidism. He has written 35 books, mostly on the history and philosophy of Chabad Hasidism. Other topics included biographies of the founder of modern Hasidism the Baal Shem Tov and the second generational leader of Hasidism Dov Ber of Mezeritch. Other published works focus on Chabad Hasidism and topics related to that Hasidic school of thought, including: Mystical Concepts in Chassidism, The Mystical Dimension (3 volumes), and annotated translations of the classical Hasidic texts Tanya
Tanya
The Tanya is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim , but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita"...
, Tzava'at Harivash, and Likkutei Sichot. Most of Schochet's work was published by Kehot Publication Society
Kehot Publication Society
Kehot Publication Society and Merkos Publications, the publishing divisions of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, were established in 1942 by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn...
and Merkos Publications, the publishing arms of the Chabad Lubavitch movement.
He has also penned numerous articles in academic and popular publications dealing with philosophy, Jewish Mysticism and socio-ethical issues. He has lectured at the Chabad societies at the universities of Yale, UCLA, Berkeley, McGill, Oxford, London, Cape Town, Melbourne, and has spoken to communities throughout the USA, Canada and Europe, Australia, South Africa, the Far East and Israel.
Schochet is editor of critical editions of the principal Hasidic texts Keter Shem Tov, Tzava'at Harivash, Maggid Devarav Leyaakov and Or Torah.
Schochet is professor-emeritus of Philosophy, and Comparative Religion, at Humber College
Humber College
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
, in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada, and served as adjunct-professor on Jewish Bioethics at University of Toronto Medical School, and professor of Jewish Law and Philosophy, and dean of degree studies at Maimonides College in Toronto.
Rabbinic career
For 37 years he was the rabbi of Kielcer Congregation in Toronto, Canada, and since 1996 he served as rabbi of Cong. Beth Joseph. Schochet is a member of the executive committee of the Rabbinical Alliance of America.'Other movements within Judaism'
In his book Who is a Jew he states: "There can be peaceful co-existence on the communal level, and even cooperation in matters of common concerns; but there is no common ground on the religious-doctrinal level. 'Reform' and 'conservative' can live with 'orthodox' standards and recognize the titular status of 'orthodox' rabbis. After all, 'orthodox' rabbis are ordained on the basis of their proficiency in knowledge and adjudication of Jewish law (Shulchan Aruch). This will not work in reverse, however, because the requirements for conservative and reform ordination are altogether different.".Regarding Jews who practice Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and other streams of Judaism, Schochet stated: "To be sure, we must condemn wrong and misleading ideologies and practices. But simultaneously we must be of the disciples of Aaron the High Priest: 'Loving peace and pursuing peace, loving our fellow-creatures and bringing them near to the Torah'!".
'Who is a Jew?'
Regarding the issue of 'Who is a Jew' that arose in Israeli politics in the 1970s, Rabbi Schochet was a leading proponent for amending the Israeli Law of ReturnLaw of Return
The Law of Return is Israeli legislation, passed on 5 July 1950, that gives Jews the right of return and settlement in Israel and gain citizenship...
to recognize only halachic (orthodox) conversions, as opposed to conversions performed by non-Orthodox movements. He published a book entitled Who Is A Jew? on the subject, wherein he rejects the notion that Jews are a part of one race or that Jewishness is a nationality. Instead he stated that Jews are united by their Judaism.
Schochet adheres to the classical definition of a Jew as "those who partook in the original covenant of the Jewish faith, which established the eternal bond between God, Torah and Israel, and those who decided to join this covenant at later stages, they and their descendants are Jews.".
'Kabbalah Centre'
Schochet is an opponent of the Kabbalah CentreKabbalah Centre
The Kabbalah Centre is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that provides courses online and through its local centres and study groups. The Kabbalah Centre teaches principles of Kabbalah...
, accusing it of distorting the teachings of the Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
. He has characterized their actions as cultish practices. In 1993, the Kabbalah Centre opened a slander lawsuit in Canadian Court against him, but eventually withdrew their allegation.
In 2007, Schochet called the teachings of the Kabbalah Centre "rubbish"; stating, "it's phony; it's manipulative; it has no spirituality whatsoever. It's not related to the authentic Kabbalah.".
'Jews for Jesus' and Schochet's approach to debating Christian missionaries
In the 1970s and 1980s, Schochet was involved in anti-cult and anti-missionaries activities, and working with Jewish youths to bring them back to their Jewish roots. "For a Jew, however, any form of shitufShituf
is a term used in Jewish sources for the worship of the God of Israel in a manner which Judaism does not deem to be monotheistic. The term connotes a theology that is not outright polytheistic, but also should not be seen as purely monotheistic...
is tantamount to idolatry in the fullest sense of the word. There is then no way that a Jew can ever accept Jesus as a deity, mediator or savior (messiah), or even as a prophet, without betraying Judaism. To call oneself, therefore, a 'Hebrew-Christian,' a 'Jew for Jesus,' or in the latest version a 'messianic Jew,' is an oxymoron. Just as one cannot be a 'Christian Buddhist,' or a 'Christian for Krishna,' one cannot be a 'Jew for Jesus.'" Dr. J. Immanuel Schochet said.
Chabad Messianism and modern Orthodoxy
He wrote Mashiach: The Principle of Mashiach and the Messianic Era in Jewish Law and Tradition, which has been translated into eight languages.Schochet responded to attacks on Chabad-Lubavitch by Rabbi Chaim D. Keller of the Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago that appeared in the Jewish Observer, and in Prof. David Berger's book The Rebbe, The Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference. Schochet demonstrates many of the practices of Chabad they criticized are well-founded in normative orthodoxy of Jewish tradition, and other criticisms are unfounded or distorted. He questioned the many anonymous anecdotes and attributions in Berger's book, as well as Berger's reliance on the innuendo and unsubstantiated accusation by individuals known for their persistent opposition to Hasidism.