as the leader of our generation because the deepest needs of this generation did not outgrow his response. The main role of a leader of the generation is not just to be physically present.
What is the real job of a leader of the generation?
It is to help people understand the Creator’s goodness in a world full of confusion, pain, and concealment (suffering), and to care for each individual in a real way.
That is exactly what the Rebbe built.
How did the Rebbe answer that need?
On the physical side, he created a system of shluchim to care for people everywhere. On the inner side, he revealed ideas that help people trust that the Creator is good, even after enormous suffering. And those ideas did not begin with him.
Chabad chassidus has been explaining the deepest ideas about the Creator’s goodness for over 200 years. The Rebbe took that depth and made it accessible, structured, and alive for this generation. And he didn’t leave those ideas vague.
Why is his influence still growing?
He published over 70,000 pages of original teachings, clear, structured, and deep, so they could be studied, revisited, and applied across generations. And his influence is not fading. It is increasing every year.
More people are learning his teachings.
More communities are being built.
More individuals are being reached and cared for.
And that matters.
What about the people who lived through the Holocaust?
Because if his way of explaining the Creator’s goodness was strong enough to help people who lived through the Holocaust, then those ideas did not become irrelevant for later generations that went through lesser trauma.
They are still enough.
They still speak to the human condition.
They still answer the same pain, confusion, fear, and distance, even if the scale is smaller.
How do we know his leadership is still active?
So the question is not only: “Is the leader physically here?”
The question is: “Whose teachings still guide the generation in the place where the generation most needs guidance?”
If a leader’s ideas are still being learned, still making the Creator’s goodness more understandable, and if his system is still caring for individuals across the world, and his influence is still growing, then his leadership is still active.
Questions people ask
Is the Lubavitcher Rebbe still the leader of the generation?
In the way this article describes it, yes. A leader of the generation is not only someone who is physically present. If his ideas are still being learned, if his system of shluchim is still caring for individuals across the world, and if his influence is still growing, then his leadership is still active.
Where do the Rebbe’s teachings come from?
The ideas he revealed about the Creator’s goodness did not begin with him. Chabad chassidus had already been explaining those deepest ideas for over 200 years. What the Rebbe did was take that depth and make it accessible, structured, and alive for this generation, instead of leaving the ideas vague.
How many pages of teachings did the Lubavitcher Rebbe publish?
He published over 70,000 pages of original teachings. They are clear, structured, and deep, so that they can be studied, revisited, and applied across generations. He did not leave the ideas vague. And his influence is not fading. It is increasing every year, and more people are learning his teachings.
Are the Rebbe’s teachings still relevant for people today?
Yes. If his way of explaining the Creator’s goodness was strong enough to help people who lived through the Holocaust, then those ideas did not become irrelevant for later generations that went through lesser trauma. They still answer the same pain, confusion, fear, and distance, even if the scale is smaller.
“If the Lubavitcher Rebbe's way of explaining the Creator's goodness could help people after the Holocaust, it is still more than enough for generations living through less.”
Explore the NextSelf Blog. Start with this post explaining the world of souls. And my Youtube.
The blog lists all the difference patterns to study, understanding patterns is how one can develop 'Daas' [felt knowing].
Update: As awe, trust, and love deepen, they can allow greater openness and intimacy with the Creator. That intimacy can include sadness when you notice how much more of His goodness can be revealed.