Tzvi Freeman is a Canadian rabbi and author associated with the

Chabad-Lubavitch Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

movement. Freeman is known for his work as a writer and editor for

Chabad.org Chabad.org is the flagship website of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. It was one of the first Jewish internet sites and the first and largest virtual congregation. History In 1988, Yosef Yitzchak Kazen, a Chabad rabbi, began creating ...

, and is notable for his work on the topics of

Jewish mysticism Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), distinguishes between different forms of mysticism across different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in 1 ...

and Jewish meditation. Freeman's book ''Bringing Heaven Down to Earth'',Slonim, R. & Rosenberg, L. (2008). ''Bread and Fire: Jewish Women Find God in the Everyday''. Page 453. as well as his other writings and teachings, are primarily based on the teachings of Rabbi

Menachem Mendel Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Modern Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסון; old-fashioned spelling: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 5, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to man ...

, the seventh

Rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...

of the Chabad movement. His writing style includes a blend of Kabbalah and science fiction.

Personal life

Freeman was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and became involved in New Age spirituality and practices before joining the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

movement in the mid-1970s. Prior to his writing career, Freeman taught Game Design and Documentation at the DigiPen Institute of Technology School of Computer Gaming in Vancouver, and conceived and designed the ''A to Zap!'' educational video game for Sunburst Communications. Freeman also served as '' mashpia'' of the West Coast Rabbinic Seminary in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. As of January 2020, he was residing in

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

Chabad.org

Freeman works as a senior editor at

, the Chabad movement's official outreach website. He works as a member of the "Ask the Rabbi" team. His writing style is described as an attempt to blend Kabbalah and science fiction, using language from computer science to explain esoteric ideas.

Jewish mysticism and spirituality

Freeman's work includes both writings as well as multimedia productions on Jewish mysticism and spirituality, emphasizing the contemplative tradition of Chabad. A section of the Chabad.org is dedicated to his video guides on Jewish meditation. Freeman's other multimedia production on Jewish mysticism is ''KabbalaToons'', a children's cartoon series. The series includes over 100 episodes, and in line with the Chabad mission of publicizing Chasidic teachings, the animated series is designed to make the esoteric teachings of

Kabbalah Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

accessible to children of all ages. In another direction, Freeman's book ''Heaven Exposed'', originally serialized on Chabad.org, blended Kabbalah and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

.Greenberg, I. (2005). "Author exposes inner self." ''Exodus Magazine'' Issue 28, February 2005.

Publications

* ''Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: 365 Meditations from the Teachings of the Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson'' (1996) * ''Men Women & Kabala: Ancient Wisdom & Practical Advice'' (1999) * ''Be Within, Stay Above: Meditation from the Wisdom of the Rebbe'' (2000) * ''Heaven Exposed'' (2004) * ''The Book of Purpose'' (2004) * ''Trembling with Joy: 18 Paths of Joyous Life from the Baal Shem Tov'' (2011) * ''The Hyper-Modern Ancient With-It Traditional Haggadah'' (2012) * ''Wisdom to Heal the Earth'' (2018)

Views

Definition of Judaism

Freeman's views on the debate over the definition of Jews and Judaism goes beyond the conventional theological stance of Orthodoxy, with Freeman stating that "Judaism is not a religion." Freeman calls the notion a "modern invention" and offers a Jewish mystical view of the Jews as a single soul or body formed of the collective of Jewish individuals, where the sin of one individual is in fact the sin of the collective. For Freeman, Judaism cannot be defined as a religion as that would imply a faith and a practice of separate individuals. Similarly, although Freeman is a leading voice in the

movement, he describes himself as an "unOrthodox rabbi," as he views

Hasidism Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

as a guide to the spiritual life.

Antisemitism

On the topic of antisemitism, Freeman argues that Orthodox communities must share their cultural wisdom with their non-Jewish neighbors which will enrich society in general and promote mutual respect and understanding for all communities.

Bar and bat mitzvah

Freeman views the timing of the bar and bat mitzvah rituals within Judaism as both biologically and existentially significant. The rituals, which takes place around the onset of puberty, are, according to Freeman, are also linked to the increase of "internal dialogue" and "reflective consciousness" in the young adolescent which Freeman sees as requirements for the newfound responsibilities associated with the bar and bat mitzvah initiation ritual.Freeman, T. (2017). The Blossoming of Human Consciousness in Halakhah and Kabbalah. ''B'Or Ha'Torah'', Vol. ''24'', pp. 189-208.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Tzvi Canadian Orthodox rabbis Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim Living people Writers from Vancouver 21st-century Canadian male writers Year of birth missing (living people) Hasidic writers