Tzvi Freeman is a Canadian rabbi and author associated with the

Chabad-Lubavitch Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

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

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

, 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), draws distinctions between different forms of mysticism which were practiced in different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbal ...

and

Jewish meditation Jewish meditation includes practices of settling the mind, introspection, visualization, emotional insight, contemplation of divine names, or concentration on philosophical, ethical or mystical ideas. Meditation may accompany unstructured, perso ...

. 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 ( – June 12, 1994; Anno Mundi, AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was an American Orthodox rabbi and the most rec ...

, the seventh

Rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () 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 Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...

of the Chabad movement. His writing style includes a blend of

Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...

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 cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and became involved in

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

spirituality and practices before joining the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

movement in the mid-1970s. Prior to his writing career, Freeman taught Game Design and Documentation at the

DigiPen Institute of Technology DigiPen Institute of Technology is a private for-profit university in Redmond, Washington. It also has campuses in Singapore and Bilbao, Spain. DigiPen offers bachelor's and master's degree programs. History In 1988, DigiPen was founded by ...

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, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. As of January 2020, he was residing in

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and a suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's 7th most populous city. It is the site of several corporate headquar ...

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

. 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

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 (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

.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 () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most ...

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 A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...

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