Is Chabad User Friendly???

[CheBraccia]

Hi all,

Just some thoughts I had.

Seems like Chabad is not putting enough emphasis on becoming user friendly, I'll explain what I mean.

A non-religious man walks into the shul and picks up a siddur to pray, he is at a total lose, the English translation/ease-of-use of the old Tehillat Hashem Siddur is imposible for him to follow. And supposing he is someone who reads Hebrew and he begins Shmona Esre, he says tal umatar, veten bracha, ata chonantanu etc. because he doesnt know better.

This is the same in many aspects of reaching out. Another example would be on the internet. Where is the Massive unbelievable Chabad website for non-affiliated Jews living in dark corners of the world??? No disrespect for the existing Chabad sites, but unfortunetly they fall short of what (I think) the Rebbe would have wanted them to be. The Rebbe sent shluchim and bochurim to every possible place just to reach out to the few Jews living there... Would the Rebbe not want to have the biggest "Chabad House" in a place where the most Jews are exposed to it?

There is no need to specify other Jewish website which I think we could compete with if not out-do. We have a lot to give, its only a matter of presentation.

I know that both of these subjects I have mentioned are being worked on, but I think it's important that the people heading them are open to constructive criticism and instead of taking it personal when someone comments on it, they should think a second maybe what that person is saying is right and they can benefit from his remarks/ideas.

Unfortunetly, too many times we give in to our "yetzer hara" thinking that we are the best and unable to make mistakes. We have to learn to respect what others have to say, and learn from their ideas.

We must invest in these project as much as in any other Chabad project, because without these and other things similar to them, we will not be able to help the newcomers the way we should...

I'm sure there are many other fronts where we can improve, I'll be interested to hear what your thoughts are on the subject...

[Jude]

First of all, about the siddur - just this year, an English translated Tehillas Hashem siddur WITH INSTRUCTIONS was published, to solve the very problem you mention! :)

I'll add another example to what you brought up. A non-Chabad organization has a system in which partners are paired up all over the world to learn b'chavrusa, both in person, or over the phone. They give the "teacher" free long distance to make these calls. They have thousands of people in their files, and have someone hired fulltime to make "matches," other people to make follow-up calls, have a newsletter, etc.

Does Chabad have anything like this on a massive scale, the way you'd expect Chabad to have? NO.

N'shei Chabad in C.H.'s had a miniscule thing going. And there's an Israeli bachur in C.H.'s who's doing wonderful work, pairing up bachurim with people who want to learn.

But when you consider that this is CHABAD!! it shouldn't be on such a small scale. This should be a MAJOR project. You know what the problem is of course: $$$$$ Who's taking the project on? Whose fundraising for it? etc.

[Press]

About chabad web sites you are right that chabad could do much better, but take a look at the new chabad.org (http://chabad.org) , AskMoses (http://askmoses.com) or Moshiach (http://Moshiach.com) .

[CheBraccia]

Jude : re the new siddur I saw it, I think its a good start but there is still room for improvement for it to be in par with the Artscroll. And I think we are both refering to the same organization...

I am hopeful bringing up such arguments would only benefit us by trying to put something together and being where I'm sure the Rebbe wants us to be...

Shabbat Shalom everyone...

[Sholom]

CheBraccia - try not to go off topic. If you wish to specifically talk about websites, start a new thread.

But on the whole, yes I do agree. It is about time we produced the "basicis" such as a DECENT English Siddur. But I think this has been discussed, and needs to stop here, due to political intentions. But yes, it is about 20 years behind times.

[Bittul]

Without the political aspects, the Rebbe specifically did NOT want an Artscroll type Siddur in the sense of all the commentaries on the bottom. A siddur is meant to daven, and should not be confused with learning. But yes to the instructions.

Che, a non-frum person walks in to a shul, is totally bewildered, is however welcomed warmly by the Shliach and the other attendees, glides through the service with some helpful prompting, and after the service the Shliach asks him if he would like to learn how to daven, either one-on-one or in an existing program that he has. That is MUCH MORE accurate description of what would happen.

Walk in to any Chabad House and on the margins of some of the Siddurim you will find comments of what to say, when , when to stand or sit etc. These are comments written by those who where taught by the Shliach and are now "fluent" Daveners.

In a sense, Chabad is extremely user friendly in each individual community of Chabad, and Chabad strives to be everywhere there is a Jew. In addition to that, the central offices in NY put the effort they can, mainly being limited by finances, to give whatever support system they can to those in the field. There have recently been tremendous strides in this: Guest programs for the non-Frum at the Kinus of Shluchim and Shluchos, material co-ordinated for programs and Shiurim, and user-friendly material for Chabad houses.

As far as internet, where else can you find a Rabbi or Rebbetsin to answer your question 24 hours a day? Where else can you find beginners, advanced and kids stuff on the holidays? The biggest Chabad House is the one in which the individual Jew finds his true home: In his own city.

B'Kitsur, no one calls Chabad for a telephone Shiur. Why? Because they call for much more: to send a permanent Shliach to give Shiurim and more in their city!

[Shliachwannabe]

The misconception is that we see a non-chabad project and we become envious and ask ourselves, "Why can't CHABAD do this?" And the answer (I think) is that chabad is a full-service network. We're not just a web-site, not just a publishing house, not just a yeshivah, etc. - We are every response to EVERY JEWISH NEED IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. It's equivolent of asking, "Why doesn't Sears have the same selection of sneakers as The foot locker" (L'havdil Alpayim Havdolos)

[masbir]

Nice spin!

[CheBraccia]

Shliachwannab: I agree with you on what you say Chabad is doing. My point is that we are underestimating the medium of the Internet. We do great off of it, and I think we should be able to do great on it.

I didin't know there were politics and I am not interesting in that, all I was talking about is an observation I had which I hope we can improve on.

Bittul: Thanks for sharing that with us. I didn't mean a siddur with commentary, I mean a simple siddur with English instructions, nothing more. What you're saying about a shliach helping new comers when they arrive in shul, that is true in small "Shtibel" like Chabad houses where there are not too many people, I must disagree however when it comes to large "Shul" type Chabad houses, where there is not someone to check in the back for those people who are at a lose.

[masbir]

About the Rebbes directives not to print such a siddur, I heard about it many years ago, and since then I am searching who heard it? To whom was it given?

To many times our own shortcomings is the Rebbes fault. The Rebbe said so and such.

I don't get Bittuls explaination that the Rebbe was against commenteries because Tfiloh and Torah don't mix. Is there not a "Siddur Dach", published by the Miteler Rebbe himself?

But the ground that was lost to Art scroll, which more or less they controll the brains of any thinking non Hebrew speaking Jew, we won't be able to recoup.

Chabad is indeed people friendly but not user friendly. Our texts and ideas are closed off to the English-speaking world. To the English-speaking world there is only the Alter of Kelem and not the Alter Rebbe, The Masgiach of Telz and not the Mashpia of Nevel.

[BLewbavitch]

Hi-

I hate to contradict people, however when something has to be said...

I have BH been to many, many Chabad Houses all over the world, the only "valid" complaint you have is the Siddur. I for one worked 3 months and produced a very user friendly Siddur with transliteration (the Hebrew in English text) it also has where to stand and what to do, we also have a display where one can see the page number and on the top of that there is a stand/sit display so that everyone can feel comfortable in the Chabad House.

That's only what we do, other Shluchim I've seen incorporate various other brilliant ideas that would strongly suggest you do a little research before you come and say anything.

The new Siddur. (Excellent for those that read Hebrew but need a "guide".
Other Siddurim that are being worked on.
The Shabbos Companion from Zalman Goldstein's Jewish Learning Group. (Which as of now is only for Fri. night and a Table Companion which are both of extreme excellence.
And the many other projects people are working on, I just don't think it's fair to speak so openly of what you do NOT know.

Re: Web sites??? What is wrong with the Chabad web sites? A lot of places now offer their own beautiful, creative web sites. Look at Lubavitch of London's new web-site www.lubavitchuk.com, everything mapped out understandable, user friendly....

Hope you forgive me for being so outspoken towards you.

[CheBraccia]

I don't consider what you said to be "outspoken" and against me. We are only posting our own respective opinions, and I therefore hope you don't take this against you either.

I have seen the UK website and think its very nice. Notice I commented on a different website as I thought (and still think) there was room for improvement.

I think we can elaborate on the Chabad websites elsewhere in this bulletin where it would be more appropriate (just saying what the admin told me).

Anyway, everyone should realise that no one is out to critasize for the sake of it, but only so lessons can be leart and improvements can be made.

[Sholom]

What CheBraccia just said hits the nail on the head, and I hope everyone took note:

"no one is out to critasize for the sake of it, but only so lessons can be leart and improvements can be made."

Well done!!

[Bittul]

And now that I understand Che's point about large shuls of Lubavitch which are not "Chabad Houses" in the sense that they do not have user-friendly davening, I agree completely, and truly wish that every Chossid WOULD see themself as a Shliach in the sense of helping every Jew they meet, and not just DECLARING themself a Shliach because the Rebbe said every Jew is a Shliach of Hashem.

I think that is the main problem - If you are not on Shlichus an entire day, most people tend to feel that they are excused from the Rebbes demand from every Chossid to teach Yiddishkeit to a fellow Jew.

[BLewbavitch]

BH

Re: <"I don't consider what you said to be "outspoken" and against me. We are only posting our own respective opinions, and I therefore hope you don't take this against you either.">

When I apologize, it's for the sake of an insult that may stem from something of what I wrote.

Let me explain with a story; One Erev Yom Kippur, the Alter Rebbe assembled ten men together saying that he wanted to beg forgiveness from the Ramah (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) for having affronted him (at the time the Ramah was deceased).
-The difference in opinions was about the Ramah's ruling of being very stringent about the laws of 9'th of Av yet lenient in regard to adhesions on the lungs of cattle.-
The Alter Rebbe said, better he should have been more stringent about adhesions and lenient when it comes to the laws of 9'th of Av! The Alter Rebbe declared before formally asking for forgiveness.
In any event, the Alter Rebbe concluded, I stand by my convictions and will not retract them, it would have been preferable had the Ramah ruled the other way!

I'm not in any way trying to compare myself to the Alter Rebbe C"V.

I'm sure you get the point. Some things have to be said regardless, and I do appreciate the fact that you didn't take it to heart.