Chabad of South Bay

Is it a synagogue, a school, or an outreach organization? Does it service the observant or the non-observant Jewish community? Who are the people at Chabad?

These and similar questions are constantly asked about Chabad. Many voice these questions verbally, while others ponder about it and remain uncertain - is Chabad for my family and for me?

First of all, some definitions: Chabad is synonymous with Lubavitch. Chabad describes the philosophy of the movement, whereas Lubavitch is the name of the town in Russia where the Chabad Rebbes lived and taught for 102 years. Chabad is an acronym for three Hebrew words - Chochmah, Binah, and Daas - wisdom, understanding and knowledge.

This acronym signifies the philosophy of the movement, which states that in addition to serving G‑d through joy, simple faith, trust, and sincerity, one must try, in accordance with ones abilities, to know G‑d through intellectual comprehension, thus generating feelings of love and fear of G‑d. Chabad philosophy expounds rationally the profound mystical concepts of G‑d, Torah, and Israel.

מתוך ChabadSB.org