Jerusalem – The international Chabad-Lubavitch movement opposed the issue of an Israeli postage stamp to memorialize the last Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, out of concern that licking the back of it would be “disrespectful.”
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Instead, in 2004, the movement approved the issue of a stamp depicting his red-brick Brooklyn house. (Facsimiles of the building that Schneerson, who died in 1994, made his headquarters were constructed at Kfar Chabad and in Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo quarter.) While the Lubavitcher hassidim opposed the issue of a stamp showing the face of the first in the line of Chabad rebbes – Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi – for the same reason, his visage now appears on a new first-day cover (official envelope). But the stamp, released recently by the Philatelic Service, depicts an open copy of the Tanya, Zalman’s main work that was published in 1797.
A few weeks after the stamp issue, the philatelic material has aroused a great deal of interest in the Jewish world, and millions of the stamps are expected to be purchased by hassidim for personal use in Israel and for educational efforts at Chabad centers around the world.
The drawing of the Admon Hazaken is presented on the envelope as an out-offocus portrait. Thus, there is no “danger” that it could be licked, as there is no glue on the opposite side, but only on the back of the perforated stamp showing the book.
The 2004 first-day cover and stamp issue was sold in the millions of copies, many of them to Israeli Chabad hassidim for saving and sending mail and for educational use by Chabad Houses around the world. The same is likely to occur to the new philatelic issue.
Also known as Admor HaZaken, Zalman was author of many important Jewish works including the Shulchan Aruch HaRav Code of Jewish Law. The Tanya presents his approach to hassidic mysticism and is widely read by members of the movement today. Chabad hassidim say the book, which constitutes a collection of practical tools, solutions and instructions, is designed to help the reader attain mental balance while coping with life’s difficulties and internal crises.
The government approved the issue of the stamp to mark 200 years since the death of the found of Lubavitch hassidism.
Shneur Zalman of Liadi, a town then near Poland that is now in Belarus, is often described as the spiritual grandson of Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
It is similar to what happened in the UK when they had a stamp of the Queen and people did not want to lick the stamp.
Zalman’s?! What is this author? Buddy buddy w him?
Why don’t they just pixellate out the Rebbe’s face on the stamp?
They are 100% right because when the envelope will be in the mailbox & other stamps will be from females it might be a problem with tzniyus & shmeeras eneiyam so rather let’s not cause shaalos
They are joking right? Is this a Purim shpiel?
Ok…anyone over there ever hear of self sticking stamps.
Perhaps the simplest solution would be for the Israel Post Office to join the 20th century and transition to the “no lick pressure adhesive” that the US Postal Service has been using for 20 or so years. None of the standard USPS stamps need moisture these days.
They do realize we have come a long way since stamp licking, right? They can in fact make it an adhesive stamp and no licking required.
I find it it odd that they would find licking a stamp objectionable, yet young 3 year olds are encouraged to lick honey off letters of Torah in celebration of their hair-cutting (upsherin).
I also find it ironic that Chabad should oppose licking a stamp when there is no clear disrespect intended, yet ALL Lubavitchers spit in shul 3 times a day during ‘ALEINU’, because of the mistaken notion that ‘hevel VaRik’ means to spit..(though its based on a Passuk in Isiah)
baffling…
Take a sponge and wet the stamp. We have a raised a generation of morons.
According to an Admur the disrespect comes from the post office that cancels the stamp blotting out the portrait
Hey guys . . . can we just stop the madness . . . licking stamps an issue? Don’t we have more important things to worry about?
I am quite surprised about this whole issue, as we do use self-adhesive stamps from the Post Office in Israel!
Spitting at the mention of Avoda Zara….maybe(?)
But not in SHUL !!!
secondly, the part of Aleinu in which people spit is based on a pasuk in ISIAH..Hevel Varik means emptiness and void…not Avodah Zara…Or, NOT as some Jewish apostates claimed in the past, refers to Jesus.
Nevertheless it is a complete and utter disgrace that people spit in front of the Aron Kodesh…!
To # 18.
I have not made it personal…you have. Who’s the hater now??
I was commenting on a minhag that has its origins in amaratzus. Not casting aspersions on Lubavitch or Chabad. You, however have no qualms about letting your tounge ‘reign’ free….
Maybe they should put the Israeli flag on the stamp, that way the zealots will have no problem spitting on the stamps!
With all respect to the TAZ and posters here, the TAZ never says it was HIS minhag nor does the TAZ encourage it.( The Shulchan Aruch is refering to Lochesh al HaMakah. Not our disscussion)
However the Gemara in Chagiga 5a states:
רבי
יוחנן כי מטי לתאי קרא בכי 5כי את כל
מעשה האלהים יביא במשפט על כל נעלם
עבד שרבו שוקל לו שגגות כזדונות תקנה
יש לו מאי על כל נעלם אמר רב זה ההורג
כינח בפני חברו ונמאם בה ושמואל אמר
זה הרק 7•בפני חבירו ונמאם
Pretty clear that the Gemarah considers it sinful to spit in front of another person.
first of all if the taz feels the need to DEFEND it he obviosly had no probloms with it (even if it wasnt his minhag)
and if the taz is not good enough for you is shulchan aruch o”c siman 151 s’ 7 that says you ARE allowed to spit in shul
and if shulchan aruch is not good enough for you what about gemoro brochos samech beis amud beis where it says you COULD spit in shul
It may not be prohibited but it isto certainly mauss.
The shulchan Aruch never says one should spit, he says it’s not forbidden.
Funny you should accuse me of arguing with the Shulchan Aruch (who, I am sure never spit in Shul). But, you yourself argue with the shulchan Aruch in so much as you perform Kapparos – a minhag the shulchan Aruch himself considered (pagan) Darkei Emori.
I come to you with gemaras, RambaMs and civility. You come with empty rantings and insults. It would do you good yo read my posts carefully, you may learn something.
It is precisely your attitude which proves my point!
Not the gemara nor the RambaM nor the Shulchan Aruch nor the Tax believed you SHOULD spit in Shul. They don’t forbid clearing one’s throat. But to make it a minhag and to defend it so vociferously, in spite of the fact that most don’t do it, proves your cult like adherence to this Minhag.
Furthermore, you argue with the Shulchan Aruch and still do Kapparos. And you have still to answer the sources I brought.
It is precisely your attitude which proves my point!
Not the gemara nor the RambaM nor the Shulchan Aruch nor the Tax believed you SHOULD spit in Shul. They don’t forbid clearing one’s throat. But to make it a minhag and to defend it so vociferously, in spite of the fact that most don’t do it, proves your cult like adherence to this Minhag.
Furthermore, you argue with the Shulchan Aruch and still do Kapparos. And you have still to answer the sources I brought.