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Revision as of 07:36, 12 February 2006
The phrase "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v'Rabbeinu Melech haMoshiach l'olam va'ed!" (יחי אדוננו מורנו ורבנו מלך המשיח לעולם ועד) is used by some Lubavitch Chassidic Jews to proclaim that the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), is the awaited messiah as prophecied in the Hebrew Scriptures. It may be translated "Long live our Master, our Teacher, and our Rabbi, the King Messiah, for ever and ever." The phrase can be seen printed in various settings, notably on pamphlets and small prayer cards circulating in Crown Heights, NY and Safed, Israel and elsewhere, and may be heard chanted at the end of daily communal prayers in several congregations, including the main Lubavitch synagogue in Crown Heights, "770". Yechi has a complex and controversial history; it remains the topic of serious debate within the Lubavitch community.
Early history
Yechi began as the phrase "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu Verabbeinu," ("May our master, teacher and Rebbe live!") to which the response was a shout of "Yechi" ("May he live!"). It appears to based on the statement made by Bathsheba "Yechi Adoni Dovid LeOlam," ("May my master, King David, live forever!") (Kings I 1:31). Generally, it was recited in the presence of Rabbi Schneerson after twelve special verses known as "the Twelve Pesukim" whose recitation the Rebbe encouraged in his teachings.
A child honored with reciting the last verse of the Twelve Pesukim would call out the phrase, to which everyone would respond. This was repeated three times. The response would be accented on the second syllable. After three calls, everyone would chant the word Yechi together in a 2-3-2-3 pattern. This was followed by singing Am Yisro'el ("The People Israel.")
Unverifiable sources trace the origin of the full, messianic version of Yechi to after Rabbi Schneerson's heart attack and subsequent recovery in the fall of 1977.
In 1988 Rabbi Schneerson spoke of the importance of declaring the ancient Jewish cry of Yechi Hamelech ("May the king live") as a prayer to express their desire that the Jewish Messiah should come. Many of his followers began to consider this term synonymous with the above Yechi, using it to refer to Rabbi Schneerson himself.
The Rebbe's response
On Simchat Torah 1985, in response to reports that certain people were publishing material and singing songs with this content, the Rebbe publically stated at a farbrengen (gathering) that those involved were starting a new war against Chabad (i.e., Lubavitch chassidism) and all its Rebbeim, even including the eventual messiah, and that he should never have to speak about it again.
In the early 1990s, some Hasidim became more vocal about Rabbi Schneerson being Moshiach, even serving him with a petition to reveal himself as the long-awaited messiah.
The first singing of the full version of Yechi in front of Rabbi Schneerson took place on April 29, 1991 as he was leaving the main synagogue of 770 Eastern Parkway. Some Hasidim began to sing, and the Rebbe reportedly encouraged the singing.
However on Shabbas Parshas Noach 1992 when some chassidim started to sing the song, the Rebbe stopped them and remarked that it was strange that he should remain sitting there. He complained that he should have stood up and left the room, his only deterrent being a desire not to disrupt the farbrengen.
After Rabbi Schneeerson's stroke in 1992, which left him partially paralyzed and unable to communicate readily, it became customary for chassidim to recite the Yechi chant after prayers and at general prayer gatherings for his recovery. Slowly but surely, the full text of Yechi, with its messianic implications, began to be introduced into the mainstream.
In the summer of 1992, the staff of the Lubavitch overnight camp in Kalakaska, Michigan (known as Gan Yisro'el Detroit), decided to introduce the full version of the chant. Few objections were raised by the Lubavitch community elders.
The "liturgy" for Yechi is as follows: An individual or group of individuals recites the entire phrase, and the congregation responds with the entire phrase; this is done three times. Often, the chanting is followed with the song of Yechi, which has the same text. The song consists of the chant being sung twice to the chorus of an old Yiddish folk-song, Zol Shoin Kumen Di Ge'uleh ("The Redemption should come soon!"), followed by a wordless Nigun. Some Chassidim replace the lyrics of other traditional tunes, such as Od Yishama, with Yechi.
In the fall 1992, on Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Schneerson was brought to a window constructed on the upper level of the synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway overlooking the main sanctuary. Chassidim sang the full version of Yechi, and he made motions with his left hand (his right side had been paralyzed by the stroke). This gesture was perceived by many as encouragement.
After his passing
In the years following the histalkus of the Rebbe, there came to be a policy of either acceptance or rejection of Yechi on a community by community basis. Generally speaking, Yechi is the modus operandi of the Crown Heights Lubavitch community, as well as that of Safed (Tzfat), Israel, while it is discouraged in many satellite communities around the United States.
It is difficult to establish a map of "who's who"; in both practice and principle, there exist entire spectra of levels of commitment to the Yechi campaign, subject to variables such as: whether one believes in its message; what exactly one believes that message to be; whether one says it aloud, or believes others should do so, or be allowed to do so, etc. In fact, of those opposed to Yechi (the so-called "anti" faction), many admittedly accept the message contained therein. Many believers, or meshichisten, say Yechi under their breath after prayer. ("The King Messiah" has similarly made its way into Grace after Meals for the meshichisten, with a similar degree of variability.)
None of this has been recognized or codified by Lubavitch officials, whose trend has always been to minimize its importance and to take an ideologically neutral — and politically negative — stance. Furthermore, due to their extremely sensitive political nature, no statistics are available regarding these phenomena. It is claimed by both sides that a majority of Lubatchers hold as they do (and therefore would naturally determine the "official" position of Chabad Lubavitch).
In Israel, a very small minority of Lubavitchers began to recite Yechi with the additional epithet "our Creator" — in other words, proclaiming that Rabbi Schneerson is G-d Himself. There is debate as to whether this faction exists today; pro-Yechi chassidim argue this faction was excommunicated, and is therefore negligible, while outspoken opponents consider this an unfortunate but inevitable progression from the "normal" Yechi, and therefore always a latent reality. Lubavitch officialdom has publicly distanced itself from this extreme, blatantly idolatrous meshichist subfaction.
Non-Lubavitch Orthodox Jews often frown on the recitation of Yechi during prayer, though according to halacha it poses no threat to the kosherness of the prayer to which it is appended. R. Aharon Feldman has written concerning the proper behavior of a Jew who finds himself in a congregation where Yechi is chanted, extending to whether he has an obligation to leave and even speak up. (excerpt here) Meanwhile, most Lubavitchers do not consider these pronouncements significant. With few total exceptions, they at least tolerate occasional declarations of Yechi, if not actually condone them as an appropriate development in Lubavitch chassidic custom.
See also
External links
- Countdown to Moshiach, a Book giving a comprehensive overview about why many Lubavitchers say "Yechi"
- New York Daily News article about violent activity in Crown Heights related to the "Yechi" controversy