Not every rabbi or leader needs to be a Rambam or an Einstein. Not every rabbi needs to know Shass or Talmud by heart.

The other day I saw a Meshulach standing at the gate of a friend’s house. He wanted a donation. He was holding a large leather bag. I later asked my friend what was in the bag. It was a laptop. He must have been a corporate Meshulach.

His name is Pinchas. The Torah itself calls him a fanatic. He takes the law into his own hands and kills some people who were publicly showing disregard for the high moral standards required by Jewish Tradition.

THE REBBE WHO DIDN”T LIKE MYSTICISM We have seen how the Kotzker Rebbe has shattered notions of a Chassidic leader. He doesn’t disappoint us when it comes to his attitude towards mysticism either.

MUST IT ALWAYS MATTER? The Kotzker Rebbe was asked by one of his foremost students: “I often feel uninspired during prayer. Is there something that I can focus on to uplift myself when I pray?”

CHAINS OF SPIRIT Our tradition is replete with accounts of great good people dedicating themselves to helping others. Long may such people continue their good, charitable and spiritual work.

KICK THE HECK OUT OF THE BALL The Kotzker Rebbe questions conventional wisdom and asks: “Wouldn’t it be better to rather discourage people from eating of Matza, than to risk possibly eating Chametz (which could be contained within the very Matza itself)?”

The Kotzker Rebbe was very close to his brother in law R Yitzchak Meir, also known as the Chidushei HaRim.

The two studied together under their mutual teacher R Simcha Bunim of Pshischa, and later married two sisters.

The Kotzker Rebbe had three teachers, R Simcha Bunim of Pshischa, the Yid HaKadosh and the Chozeh of Lublin. The Chozeh once asked the Yid HaKadosh whether he had any students of substance. “No” came the reply, “but I have a student called Mendel (who later became the famous Menachem Mendel of Kotzk) who wants to be of substance.”

IF YOU DON’T ENJOY DAVENING…THIS MAY BE FOR YOU

This time Rabbi Gavin Michal explains that he thinks many people’s view of religion is that it is eighty percent prayer\study and twenty percent good deeds.

"In some circles the eighty percent prayer\study is probably quite accurate. I haven’t yet got the stats on the latter.

"When I was in yeshivah, the morning prayers used to take about an hour and a half. One of my early teachers was a legendary man who on Shabbat would pray from 8am to 4pm."

This time Rabbi Gavin Michal explains what he tells desperate parents that come to him asking “Please speak to my child about G-d and Judaism,” because of addictions.

This week Rabbi Michal writes a blog about the questions a non-frum congregant made him ask himself. He found answers through the Kotzker Rebbe's philosophies.

I write this blog with no agenda. There is no formal movement of Kotzker Chassidim today, calling out for adherents or followers (or donations). In fact the Kotzker movement (if it can be argued that it ever existed as a movement) did not survive the generation of Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787–1859). His obsession with Truth was just too much for mere mortals. A movement based on an unconditional commitment to Truth is doomed to fail before it even starts.