About

I am The Unlikely Chassid – And my name is Adam Rosenblum

Here I hope to provide you with regular Divrei Torah with an innovative Chassidic Twist. My name is Adam Rosenblum and I live in Melbourne, Australia. In the last five years I have delved into the world of Chassidic philophy particularly through the lens of the Ishbitz / Radziner dynasty. This was the dynasty of my grandfather before the second world war. In fact, my great grandfather was named Mordechai Yosef after the first Ishbitza Rebbe (Mei Hashiloach). As you can see this is deeply personal for me. I have been particularly taken by the Mei Hashiloach. I spend a lot of time each week learning. As we are in a COVID shutdown I have decided to open this blog to put out my thoughts out there. I hope you enjoy.

Why call the blog The Unlikely Chassid?

When you think of Chassidim one typically thinks of austerely dressed pious Jews. One would associate them with tight knit spiritual communities with ancient sprititual heritages. One might see their rejection of the modern outside world in an attempt to preserve past glories. One might associate them with uncompromising insistance on full compliance with all small and large precepts of religius observance. Further more, the rejection of other expressions of Jewishness as being unauthentic. Chassidim can be seen as ultra traditionalists epitomising the way Judaism has been forever.

How can a clean shaven, university educated, progressive thinking, business director associate with this. Is this not the direct opposite approach. For me Chassidism is a innovative movement of renewal within Judaism. It has been very successful at reinvigorating passsion and commitment to ones spiritual essence by finding genuine truth from within. Its commitment to Emet (truth) and self improvement particularly as seen in the Polish movements from the line of Pershischa are messages for all people at all times. If one is able to roll up the shutters set in place in the recent generations of Chassidut and see inside, a whole wonderous world will be open to you.