Analysis
The novel reflects the then-current debate within the Lubavitcher movement of Hasidim about the anticipated death and succession of their rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson. The rebbe in both the story and in reality had no children, so succession was a serious issue. The real-life group has not chosen a successor, while the novel reaches a possible solution to the problem in choosing the grandson of a major supporter.
There are several parallels between the Ladover group in the novel, and the real-life Lubavitcher group. For example the Ladovers' headquarters is on 'Brooklyn Parkway', whereas the Lubavitchers' HQ is on Eastern Parkway. The Lubavitchers' secretary was Rabbi Hodakov. In the novel, the Ladovers' secretary is Rabbi Chodorov. Both groups featured a worldwide network of emissaries, a childless rebbe who was widely considered a candidate for Messiah, and a Rebbe who had spent time in Paris and was somewhat worldly in his youth.
The novel also hints at the succession in Karlin-Stolin Hasidim, where, when the last prewar rebbe died, his son was only a year old. That son is the current Karlin-Stolin Rebbe, but during his growing years, a subgroup split off and hired a new rebbe, at least temporarily. Perhaps a third book might have dealt with the problems of a child-rebbe interregnum in the Ladover group.
Read more about this topic: The Gift Of Asher Lev
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