Today, the word Chassidism refers to a large number of Jewish groups that share one common feature: following a spiritual leader, the Rebbe. The names of the groups usually refer to the place of origin of the Rebbe in question. Where does the movement come from and what meaning does it still have?
Origin of Hasidism in the 18th century
In the first half of the 18th century, Pietism emerged within widespread Christianity. In Eastern Europe it was a reaction to the rigid formalism of the Russian Church, but the movement also spread rapidly in Germany, Switzerland and other countries. Pietism in Eastern Europe in particular was characterized by full dedication in prayer, praise and worship. Various pietistic groups included people with prophetic gifts. There was a special emphasis on the tangible presence of God, on healing of body and soul, on casting out demons. Things were often emotional and there were all kinds of physical and emotional manifestations during the meetings. Pietism attracted large masses from the lower social classes who sought a touch from God under the guidance of a spiritual leader. These pietistic tendencies were
not ignored by Jews . The Jews had to contend with a rigid rabbinic Judaism, in which emotions were restrained and the leaders had withdrawn within the walls of the schools. There had been centuries of suffering for the Jews, usually because of their Jewishness, but sometimes also because of general unrest (for example because of the Cossack armies in Poland).
In addition to persecution and discrimination, Jewish faith had suffered because of the failure to fulfill Messianic prophecies and expectations and thus the bankruptcy of Kabbalism. The Eastern European pietistic emphasis on emotion and personal fulfillment in the relationship with God was adopted by the Jewish community and adapted to the Jewish religion and to the insights of individual Jewish leaders. This gave rise to Hasidism, a movement that would have an indelible influence on Jewish religious experience.
The founder of Hasidism is Israel ben Eliezer. He was a Baal Shem, master of the name. He was born in 1700 in Okopie, a town in southern Poland. He spent much of his youth in meditation, wandering the forests and living as a hermit. From the age of 36, after a special revelation, he performed publicly as Baal Shem. He healed people through prayer, traditional herbal mixtures, amulets and exorcisms of demons. By his devoted followers he was called Israel Baal Shem Tov (Besht), master of the good name.
Characteristics
Because of the Besht, the emphasis of faith shifted to experience. Prayer became a passionate reaching out to God, worship was focused on the experience of unity with Him. For the Besht, joy was an important characteristic of true communion with God. Unlike Kabbalism, the Besht taught that the world was full of God’s presence. God’s commandments were not to be kept as a condition for the coming of the Messiah and the redemption of the world, but in order to experience the joy of God’s presence. He emphasized the fatherhood of God with characteristics of forgiveness, love, compassion. This made everyday life shine. Faith no longer focused exclusively on a distant future, but focused on the here and now. The experience of God’s comforting and loving presence was within reach.
People remained faithful to the Jewish teaching regarding the Messiah: I believe in the coming of the Messiah, and even if He delays, I will continue to believe. However , due to the Hasidic interpretation of this, the focus is not primarily on the future, in which the Jews would play an important role in the realization of the Messianic expectation. The Hasidim were concerned with the present, in which the foretaste of the Messianic era could be fully tasted.
Development
It is understandable that many were attracted to the Besht. The Besht had many disciples, especially among the Jewish working class. These followers organized themselves into congregations. Much emphasis was placed on coming together, where people reached out together for the experience of God’s presence and for direct revelations.
In 1760 the Besht died. After a number of confusing years he was succeeded by the great preacher of the southern Polish city of Mezhrich, Dov Bär. Under his leadership, Hasidism took off. Hasidic missionaries spread across Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine. Hasidic communities, havurot, emerged everywhere, often organized in prayer groups. The men made sure to wear hats (as a sign of respect for God, the Creator and Almighty) and black clothes (traditional clothing within Judaism to show respect). The beard was worn full (after Lev 19:27). The women often dressed themselves festively, with wigs and scarves.
Such a community was led by a rebbe or tzadik. The Rebbe was the one who helped light the flame of Torah among the followers. His authority was not primarily based on knowledge and observance of the Jewish scriptures, but on his relationship with the (first) Besht or his first disciples. In later times his authority rested mainly on the extent to which he had direct experiences with God and proved able to share this with others. Through the rebb e, the community was able to enjoy the healing and joyful presence of God. In many cases the tzadikat became hereditary: the z(ts)addikim.
From 1795, when Poland was divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia, Hasidism increasingly advanced towards Russia. Here the Hasidim formed the group of the Lubawiters. It was a new generation. The charismatic fire had died down somewhat, and there was a renewed emphasis on scripture study. Hasidic schools for the study of the Talmud were established and a multitude of Hasidic works were published. These intellectual activities firmly anchored Hasidism in Judaism and allowed it to grow into a full-fledged movement within Judaism.
Opposition
As Hasidism began to spread rapidly, opposition to Rabbinism grew. The Grand Rabbi of the city of Vilna (Lithuania), Lei Ben Solomon Zalman, considered Hasidism a form of paganism. He saw the gatherings of the Hasidim with their emphasis on prayer as a threat to the study and observance of the Torah and ultimately to the authority of the rabbis. According to him, Hasidism aimed to shatter the walls of the Torah.
In 1772 Zalman issued a ban on Hasidism and burned Hasidic works. The Hasidim responded by issuing a counter-ban and burning the rabbis’ polemical works. In 1781 a new excommunication decree was issued in Vilna against the Hasidim and other Jews were forbidden to maintain contact with them. The conflict intensified and Chassidim and Rabbis often took each other to court.
Further growth
Despite great opposition on the part of the rabbis, Hasidism continued to grow steadily, at least until about 1830. In 1777 a group of Hasidim, led by Menahem Mendel, arrived in Israel. The group soon numbered about 300 members and settled in Safed and later in Tiberias and other places in Galilee. Heavy pressure from Rabbinism led to continued decentralization of the Chadian leadership and the emergence of many different small communities.
From 1881, with the waves of emigration to the Far West, Hasidism found a place within American Jewry. In most cases these were relatively moderate groups, which were tolerated by Orthodox Jews without much protest. In the second half of the 19th century, Hasidism was represented in most countries where Jews lived, including Palestine.
From the end of the 19th century until the Second World War, Hasidic groups increasingly gained influence. They acquired important positions in society and became actively involved in politics. The Rebbe’s influence was increasingly used to achieve secular goals, causing Hasidism to lose much of its original spiritual character. People remained faithful to Jewish traditions and opposed the rise of Zionism, which defied all tradition. This created a great rapprochement with Rabbinism. This process of rapprochement was further strengthened by the emergence of a new, common enemy: secularism. The Enlightenment had already claimed many victims among Christianity, and the Jews also proved to be very sensitive to the absolutization of science and reason. Through the Jewish enlightenment, the haskala (from the word sekhel, reason), the scriptures were subjected to the critical mind and many laws of the Torah and Jewish tradition were considered no longer relevant. Rabbi and rabbe found each other in their shared recognition of the divine revelation of the Torah and the value of tradition.
The emphasis on the study of Torah led to the establishment of Hasidic schools. These schools had a strongly conservative character, mainly to protect the Hasidim from the bad influence from outside.
During the Second World War, the Chassidian centers in Eastern Europe were destroyed. The Hasidim who survived the Holocaust often left for Israel or America (Canada and US). Here they joined existing Hasidic centers or founded new ones. The works of philosophers such as Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel firmly established the movement in the Jewish people and culture. Currently there are dozens of large Hasidic communities. Most are well organized, with web sites on the Internet, clear presentations and clear teachings and precepts. The best-known Hasidic group today is the Lubavitch group, headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with about 100,000 followers. The group, represented in most major cities where Jews live, is active in the fields of music, media and politics. In this climate, intellectual and influential Jews in particular feel at home, making the movement a major influence on Judaism in general and even beyond.