The historical development of Habad-Lubavitch Hasidism and the religious origin of mission activities

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement is a branch of hasidic tradition and has been led by leaders known as rebbes. This movement carried out its activities in Russia during the first five rebbes and in America during the last two rebbes. Each leader contributed to the movement and the new conditions were adapted with the teachings developed under their guidance. With its missionary character, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement is distinctly different from other hasidic schools. The study aims to investigate "the factors that led to the emergence of Habad-Lubavitch, the elements shaping its missionary character, and the steps taken by the movement in response to crises". The movement built its teaching of mission on the creation theory of the Kabbala tradition. In this perspective, actions of each individual Jew would contribute to the salvation. Jews have been regarded as ontologically different from other people, as they possess the divine soul along with the animal soul. This categorical distinction by the movement is the most important religious motivation that encourages missionary activities towards the Jews. The emergence of Zionism and immigration to America played an important role in Chabad-Lubavitch's being a universal religious movement, as well as the belief that salvation is only possible with the spread of Hasidic teaching. The coming of the Messiah has an important place in Jewish tradition. The activities of the seventh rebbe, who placed special emphasis on this idea, created a great expectation that he was the Messiah. His death in 1994 disappointed the movement's adherents. This movement, which has adopted the principle of serving all Jews with its institutions and emissaries, continues its activities today without a rebbe. All these thoughts and actions paved the way for the emergence of Chabad-Lubavitch as a worldwide Jewish missionary group.