After Moses, leadership didn’t disappear. It’s the rabbi whose teachings are guiding the most Jewish people toward real relationship with the Creator.
I think the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the leader of the generation, his teachings, published through 70,000+ pages, still guide people today, just like Moses still leads through his Torah.
How did the Rebbe become the leader of the generation?
The shift began with the previous Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, in the early 1900s, bringing Chassidus outward and reaching every Jew, and risking his life to support their spiritual survival.
The 7th Rebbe accepted that leadership in 1951 and expanded it. By around 1987, after litigation, he said the mission was successful, acting as an extension of Moses in guiding the generation.
Where does a real relationship with the Creator begin?
In the United States alone, a 2021 study by Pew Research Center found that 38% of Jewish adults — about 2.2 million people — have engaged with a Chabad-Lubavitch center or event (digitally it is much higher). Chabad Chassidus, beginning with the Tanya, explains how a real relationship with the Creator begins:
You build awe, through thinking about His greatness and noticing He is good, awe is a mix of humility, fear (responsibility), and wonder (vastness).
A practical way to feel that awe is through the words of King David in Psalms, they train you to feel the Creator’s greatness, closeness, and your place in the relationship.
How does awe turn into love and joy?
That awe allows love and joy to be felt if you trust he is good.
Without joy, distance grows, like a child pulling away from a parent. But the Creator built a world where this, joy, doesn’t happen automatically. You have to choose it, beginning with choosing to meditate. And even that relationship isn’t enough.
Why is inner strength needed too?
To live with real goodness and kindness, you need inner strength, which grows through deeper Torah learning, especially Chassidus. So the question becomes simple:
Whose teachings are reaching the most people and helping them return to real relationship with the Creator?
If no one is named, it usually means the idea of leadership is being avoided, not clarified. And avoiding that question doesn’t help people find real guidance.
How does joy bring the Messianic era closer?
The Rebbe also emphasized that increasing in joy helps bring the Messianic era closer, (it’s simple) because joy reflects a stable, real relationship with the Creator.
Today, it’s even more clear, his teachings are still guiding the most Jewish people toward real relationship with the Creator.
“Want to feel awe? Read the worlds of King David in psalms. They train you to feel the creators greatness, closeness, and your place.”
Questions people ask
Who is the leader of the generation after Moses?
The author says it is the Lubavitcher Rebbe. After Moses, leadership did not disappear; it belongs to the rabbi whose teachings guide the most Jewish people toward a real relationship with the Creator. The Rebbe's 70,000+ published pages still guide people today, the way Moses still leads through his Torah.
What if someone will not name a leader of the generation?
If no one is named, the article says the idea of leadership is usually being avoided, not clarified, and avoiding the question does not help people find real guidance. Answering it honestly is an emotional skill, and the test is simple: whose teachings are reaching the most people and helping them return to a real relationship with the Creator?
What is awe, and how do you build it?
Awe is a mix of humility, responsibility and wonder, built by thinking about the Creator's greatness and noticing that He is good. Chabad Chassidus, beginning with the Tanya, teaches that a real relationship with Him begins with this awe. Building it is an emotional skill, and the words of King David in Psalms train you to feel it.
Why does joy have to be chosen?
The Creator built a world where joy does not happen automatically; you have to choose it, beginning with choosing to meditate. Without joy, distance grows. Choosing joy is an emotional skill, and the Rebbe emphasized that increasing in joy helps bring the Messianic era closer, because joy reflects a stable relationship with the Creator.
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.