What is Hassidisim (the Beshtian Judaic movement as opposed to the modern societal subculture)? There seem to be inconsistencies about the nature of Hassidism.
Hassidism is generally thought of as a folk movement, but the early-generation disciples (Hassidim) were strictly scholars. The romantic and archetypical future Hassidic leader is tortured by a poignant hankering to an eluding spirituality his young soul cannot achieve through Torah study alone until it finds contentment with the teachings of a Hassidic court. And Hassidic leaders are said to have plied their prowess to lure the elite, and many a strife erupted over the seduction of the rabbi’s-prodigal-son into the cult. Stories do abound about charismatic rebbes traversing the shtetels to inspire peasants, and profound maxims that ennoble the value of the simple Jewish soul are quoted. However, those were merely services provided by the movement to the populace. Hasidism has not, it seems, invited those peasants into its own ranks, leastways not during its early stages.
The rejection of asceticism is considered a core principle of Hassidism. It is generally believed the Besht taught that self-infliction and masochism is sinful and that spirituality can be attained through joy and everyday life activities. Tradition has it, however, that the most prominent rebbes did afflict their bodies with week-long fasts, snow rolls, and other torments. Putative, even among Hassidim, is the notion that an earthly being cannot reach spiritual heights without self-denial. “Tzetil Koton,” R’ Elimelech’s puritan handbook that includes the proverbial disclaimer “I do not eat for bodily pleasure,” is an obsessive code of depressive chastity that can easily drive a sound yeshiva youth to insanity.
What is it precisely that Hassidim has renounced, and what has it embraced?
>Hassidism is generally thought of as a folk movement, but the early-generation disciples (Hassidim) were strictly scholars.
ReplyDeleteWell some of them clearly were true scholars, but others perhaps were not. The Besht himself left us with nothing tangible by which we can measure his sagacity. The same can be said for the Maggid and others. Perhaps the Besht was merely a charismatic gift of the gab preacher who preached a new brand of Judaism, one that would appeal to the peasantry, and some radical but nice, free thinking or disillusioned scholars thought the new gospel to be a worthy calling.
As for "R’ Elimelech’s puritan handbook", that clearly still serves its purpose. It is not so much about its tall order and obviously OTT substance, but rather is perhaps just a catalyst for lofty trance and fantastical spiritual regiment.
Indeed, the Maggid and the Tanya were known scholars, and the produced the works to prove it. But the Bashe"t and R' Elimelech and a host of other tzadikim and gite yiden - we'll just have to "believe" that they were.
ReplyDeleteAs a friend of mine says, The Toshe rabbi is unaware about the "Thou shall not steal" commandment because it's not mentioned in tzetil kuten.
More to the point: An attempt to search for consistency with modern Hasidim and its patriarchs may be based on some incorrect assumptions.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the difference between a cult and a religion? someone once asked. His answer: A hundred years.
We may try to understand the Hasidim as a cult; or Hasidim as a religion. But perhaps we cannot reconcile the two. And that makes Hasidim no worse than any other movement, including – indeed - Judaism.
Tree,
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong, but I don't think HH is trying to reconcile modern hasidism with its original premise, but rather trying to ascertain the nature of the original premise itself.
You're right, RF. HH in his opening paragraph: Beshtian Judaic movement "as opposed" to the modern societal subculture.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit too quick to comment.
> The romantic and archetypical future Hassidic leader is tortured by a poignant hankering to an eluding spirituality his young soul cannot achieve through Torah study alone until it finds contentment with the teachings of a Hassidic court.
ReplyDeleteAck! This sentence sounds like nails screeching on a chalkboard.
> Hassidism is generally thought of as a folk movement, but the early-generation disciples (Hassidim) were strictly scholars.
I'm no scholarly academic, but in the ultra-orthodox world I came from, it's widely taught that Hassidism started out specifically as a response to the ivory tower spirituality of the Litvaks and was deliberately meant to appeal to the unlettered masses. Aside from a few prominent leaders, the majority of early Hassidim were not at all scholars.
Are you saying this is simply untrue?
>>> Are you saying this is simply untrue?
ReplyDeleteCertainly untrue. Beshtian teachings, as propogated by the Besht's disciples (learned scholars to a man: the Maggid, the Toldos Yakov Yosef, et al), are very clearly in the domain of the scholarly. One cannot engage with these works without extensive training in Talmudic/Kabbalistic thought and methodology. And while these works might be considered second-hand sources, neither Beshtian teachings nor the Beshtian movement as such were known before propagated by these disciples.
The common misconception stems from the fact that Hasidism teaches the intrinsic value of the common folk, but the teachings themselves are hardly accessible to the "unlettered masses."
A (somewhat imperfect) analogy might be the the works of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose ideas of a "social contract" form the basis of liberal politics. Their ideas highlighted the value of human liberty, including that of the common folk -- who might ultimately have been the greatest beneficiaries of their ideas. But that doesn't mean their ideas were anything but profound philosophical concepts, hardly accessible to the great unwashed.
Notation to last comment (in italics):
ReplyDelete... Hasidism teaches the intrinsic value of the common folk, among many other things ...
To add to Hasidic Rebel's comment, contemporary scholars tend to agree that it's outdated to present the besh"t as some simpleton, working to create something of a peasant spiritual awakening. Although there is definitely merit to the view of him as a charismatic folk leader (and not renowned as a scholar), the full picture is more nuanced. I want to recommend two books that shed some light on hasidism's rather bourgeois roots (although not all deal directly with the besh"t).
ReplyDeleteFounder of Hasidism: A Quest for the Historical Baal Shem Tov by Moshe Rosman
Men of Silk: The Hasidic Conquest of Polish Jewish Society by Glenn Dynner
HH-Does that stand for Hershey Hershkowitz?
ReplyDeleteIt stands for Hershey Herskovits
ReplyDelete