Chabad Without Lubavitch — A Conversation with Rabbi Avrohom Wilner

Rabbi Avram Wilner (Jerusalem, originally Brooklyn) has been republishing and annotating the works of Rabbi Aharon of Staroshelye—one of the Alter Rebbe’s foremost students. In this conversation we dive into:

Chabad vs. “Lubavitch” today: Learning Chabad Chassidus as a personal avodah path vs. belonging to the contemporary Lubavitch movement.

Two layers of Kabbalah/Chassidus: The “for everyone” layer that births real ahavah and yirah, and the rarified “names/unifications” work for advanced souls.

Hispa’alus (ecstatic excitement) & bittul: Why emotion isn’t optional, how to start even if it’s imperfect, and why suppressing it can kill the fire of service.

Middle Rebbe vs. Rabbi Aharon: Style, language, and method—head-driven hisbonenus leading to emotion vs. allowing emotion early as a stepping stone.

Living examples of bittul today: Communities and teachers (e.g., Rav Meir Morgenstern) focused on inner transformation more than affiliation.

Wilner’s editions: How his digests serve as “stepping stones” into more dense originals.

If you’re serious about inner work, mystical vocabulary, and the psychology of Chassidus, this episode will give you both a map and honest friction points inside the Chabad corpus.

👉 Get Rabbi Wilner’s sefarim: Ask your local sefarim store (Berman’s, etc.) or online retailers. New prints are rolling out—stay tuned.

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