283 —מחלוקת על טבע הזמן וגישת חב"ד

B"H, 14 Menachem Av 5707.

Brooklyn, NY.

BaYom HaZeh Ba'u Midbar Sinai. 5707.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your question regarding what you heard—that the righteous one from Zhidachov disagreed with the Chabad approach concerning the concept of time—and your request to know in which book this dispute is found and its content: The matter is found in his book "Ve'aseh Tov," near the beginning, where it says: "And I saw someone (and so it is also written in Siddur Sha'ar HaKriyat Shema under 'LeHavin Peirush Rishon of Kriyat Shema,' though I do not know if he refers to the Siddur) who wrote in the name of Reb Meharad"b (meaning the Maggid of Mezritch) an answer to this question (why was there not creation ex nihilo earlier), that time too was created, and at first there was no time. In truth, I do not believe this came from the holy one, etc. And what will the Rav do with Bereishit Rabbah (chapter 3), which says: 'It teaches that there was an order of times before,' and in the Gemara it says: 'The Torah preceded the world by two thousand years,' etc., alluding to Moreh Nevuchim, part II, chapter 30." See Shomer Emunim, second dialogue, from section 17 to section 27.

Now, aside from Rambam's view (there) that time was created—which is also explicitly stated by several great sages of Israel: Saadia Gaon (Emunot VeDeot III, s.v. "VeHaRa'ayah HaDaled"), Rashba (Responsa 418), Ramah MiPano (Maamarim Ma'ayan Ganim I, chapter 16), Sforno at the beginning of his commentary on Torah, and others. On a deeper level: There are two aspects in time—measured time (measured by any kind of movement) and the essence of duration itself (which is called by Jewish philosophers in Moreh Nevuchim II:13 'shiur zman', 'demut zman', or as Sefer HaIkkarim II:18 calls it 'immeasurable time'). Even this essence of duration was created (contrary to Sefer HaIkkarim there). See Sefer HaMitzvot by the author of tzt"z, mitzvah of faith in G-d section 11; also see Asarah Maamarot there. And our Sages' statement in Bereishit Rabbah above should not be interpreted as supporting pre-existence; it has been explained differently—see Ikkarim there, Bachya on Parshat Bereishit, and others.

According to Chassidus, there is a distinction between 'time' and 'order of times' mentioned in Bereishit Rabbah above. The order of times is more subtle than time itself (the opposite interpretation from Sefer HaIkkarim); it is actually the root of time—as explained at length in Sefer HaMitzvot there and elsewhere.

With blessings for immediate teshuvah and immediate redemption,
Rabbi Menachem Schneerson

Incidentally: Many people confuse these two concepts within time, leading to much confusion and error. For example—recently those involved with Einstein's Theory of Relativity; this only pertains to the first aspect of time. They erred as above and thus reached very strange conclusions—not for now.

Apart from the above dispute, the righteous one from Zhidachov generally disagreed with those engaged in philosophical investigation into Divinity—such as studies about unity or Seder Hishtalshelut—and held that faith alone suffices, as cited in his book above.

If the Rebbe from Komarna you mention in your letter is indeed he who once spoke with me about "the two shins on tefillin," etc., please convey my regards to him on my behalf; you may also show him this letter.

And last but most important (as our Sages say): Not study but action is primary. Last year when you were at a summer resort you worked on obtaining resources for Keren HaMitzvos; surely you will do so again now—and with even greater effort since necessity increases—and so does help from Hashem—as stated by Admor Hazaken in Iggeret HaKodesh section 14. The main thing is that here below we should not shirk under pretexts but become fitting vessels.

Summary

The Rebbe clarifies Chabad's nuanced view on time versus "order of times," referencing many sources while urging practical mitzvah action alongside intellectual inquiry. He warns against conflating scientific theories with Torah concepts and emphasizes faith and deed as central values.