Hasidism

Hasidim The Hasidim, or "pious ones" in Hebrew, belong to a special movement within Orthodox Judaism, a movement that, at its height in the first half of the nineteenth century, claimed the allegiance of millions in Eastern and Central Europe--perhaps a majority of East European Jews. Soon after its founding in the mid-eighteenth century by Jewish mystics, Hasidism rapidly gained popularity in all strata of society, especially among the less educated common people, who were drawn to its charismatic leaders and the emotional and spiritual appeal of their message, which stressed joy, faith, and ecstatic prayer, accompanied by song and dance. Like other religious revitalization movements, Hasidism was at once a call to spiritual renewal and a protest against the prevailing religious establishment and culture. The history of Hasidism, which encompasses a variety of sometimes conflicting outlooks, is a fascinating story. The movement survived a century of slow decline--during a period when progressive social ideas were spreading among European Jewry--and then near-total destruction in the Holocaust. After World War II, Hasidism was transplanted by immigrants to America, Israel, Canada, Australia, and Western Europe. In these most modern of places, especially in New York and other American cities, it is now thriving as an evolving creative minority that preserves the language--Yiddish--and many of the religious traditions of pre-Holocaust Eastern European Jewry. The Hasidic ideal is to live a hallowed life, (Sacred) in which even the most mundane action is sanctified. Hasidim live in tightly-knit communities (known as "courts") that are spiritually centered around a dynastic leader known as a rebbe, who combines political and religious authority. The many different courts and their rebbes are known by the name of the town where they originated: thus the Bobov came the town of Bobova in Poland (Galicia), the Satmar from Satu Mar in present-day Hungary, the Belz from Poland, and the Lubavitch from Russia. The Hasidic way of life is visually and musically arresting, with rich textures, unusual customs, and strong traditions of music and dance. Hasidic tales, intriguing and memorable doorways into a complex world of Hasidic thought, religious themes, and humor, are fruits of a long and continuing oral tradition. Popularized in the non-Hasidic world by writers such as Martin Buber, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Elie Wiesel, they are famous for their particular wisdom and wit. Yet this world is virtually unknown to most Americans, who are apt to confuse Hasidic men, who wear beards, sidelocks, black hats, and long coats, with the similarly-dressed Amish. This shared style of dress does indeed reflect similar values of piety, extreme traditionalism, and separatism. But where the Amish are farmers in rural communities, the great majority of the approximately two hundred thousand American Hasidim live and work in enclaves in the heart of New York City, amid a number of vital contemporary cultures very different from their own. Most of the approximately 165,000 Hasidim in the New York City area live in three neighborhoods in Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Crown Heights, and Boro Park. Each of the three neighborhoods is home to Hasidim of different courts, although there is overlap and movement between them. There are approximately forty-five thousand Satmar Hasidim in Williamsburg, over fifty thousand Bobover Hasidim in Boro Park, and at least fifteen thousand Lubavitch in Crown Heights. The population of each of these groups has increased dramatically since the first American Hasidic communities were formed in the late 1940s and 1950s, with especially rapid growth in the last two decades.

The Hasidic Parable

The teachers of Hasidism gave new life to the literary tradition of parable, a story that teaches a spiritual or moral truth. In The Hasidic Parable, acclaimed author Aryeh Wineman takes readers through the great works of the hasidic storytellers.

 

Telling parables, explains Rabbi Wineman, was a strategy that the hasidic masters used to foster a radical shift in thinking about God, the world, and the values and norms of religious life. Although these parables date back 200 years or more, they deal with moral and religious themes and issues still relevant today. Each is accompanied by notes and commentary by the author that illuminate their ideological significance and their historical roots and background.

These parables have been culled from classical hasidic homiletic texts, chosen because of their literary qualities, their explanation of key concepts in the hasidic world-view, and also because of what they say to us about the conflicts and tensions accompanying Hasidism's emergence and growth.

 

Some Parables of Hassidism

From the Depths of the Heart

One time a Jewish peasant boy came to the big town to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. He didn't know how to pray. He could not even read the letter Alef. He only saw that everyone was traveling to the synagogues to participate in the holy prayers. He thought, "If everybody is going to town I must go too!"

He arrived at the town synagogue with his father and watched the congregants crying and singing together swaying to and fro. He turned to his father and asked, "Father, what is this all about?"

His father turned to him and said, "The Holy One blessed be sits enthroned in the heavens and we pray all year long to Him. We especially pray during these two days of Rosh Hashanah when the whole world is being judged and each person is being judged for the rest of the year."

The son responded, "Father, what am I to do since I do not know how to pray?"

His father quickly said to him condescendingly, "All you have to do is be quiet and listen to the other Jews praying. That is enough for you."

"But Father, if I don't know what these people are saying how is that going to effect God's decision? How is being silent going to help me?"

His father became unnerved and blurted out, "Listen, you should be quiet so no one will know you're an ignorant peasant!"

The son stood still for a couple of minutes as his father and the rest of the congregation continued praying and then - the young boy stood up and spoke loudly.

"I am going to pray to God in the way I know best. I will whistle to God as I whistle to my flock of sheep."

He began whistling the sweet calling as most shepherds know. His father was enraged. The boy continued whistling with all his might not caring what other people thought.

Now, it happened to be, that this particular Rosh Hashanah, all the heavenly gates were shut and suddenly because of this pure whistling of the heart, all the gates burst open. The prayers of Israel were finally heard.

What is the Problem?

A downcast hasid came to his rebbe. "Rebbe, I am in serious financial trouble."

"So, what is the problem?"

"Rebbe, I lost my job. I lost every job I ever had."

"And why do you keep losing them?"

"Well, whatever job I take, it seems my heart is not really in it."

The rebbe looked hard at his disciple. "You are an outstanding student of the Torah. You work well with people. Why don't you become a rabbi?"

The hasid grimaced. "Rebbe, I have yearned to be a rabbi. But rabbis interpret the Law for people. Their judgements might affect the destiny of a person's soul. I can't be a rabbi. I'm afraid I might make a mistake!"

The rebbe met the hasid's eyes. "So? Who should become a rabbi? Someone who is not afraid of making a mistake?"

About Baal shem

Rabbi Yisrael was born in Okop, a small village in the Ukraine on the Polish Russian border (Podolia). His parents, Eliezer and Sarah, were quite old when he was born and they passed away when he was a still a very young child. Many legends are told about Eliezer, the father of the Baal Shem Tov. We are told that his last words to his son were "Fear nothing other than God."

The young orphan was cared for by the community and presumably received the same education most children received. Nevertheless, he was different from most children. He would wander in the fields and forests surrounding his home and seclude himself, pouring out his heart to God. Young Yisrael had an unusually strong emotional relationship with God.

Finally, when he was thirty-six years old in the year 1734, Rabbi Yisrael revealed himself to the world. He settled in Talust and rapidly gained a reputation as a holy man. He became known as the Baal Shem Tov, Master of the Good Name. (The title Baal Shem (Master of the Name) was used for holy men who were known as miracle workers since they used the power of the Name of God to work miracles.)

Rabbi Yisrael's fame spread rapidly. Many important scholars became his disciples. It was during this period that the movement, which would eventually be known as Chassidus (piety), began. The Baal Shem Tov's teachings were largely based upon the Kabalistic teachings of the AriZal (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-72)) but his approach made the benefits of these teachings accessible even to the simplest Jew. He emphasized the profound importance and significance of prayer, love of God, and love of one's fellow Jews. He taught that even if one was not blessed with the ability or opportunity to be a Torah scholar, one could still reach great spiritual heights through these channels. It is important to note that while the Baal Shem Tov taught that Torah study was not the only way to draw close to God, he did not teach that Torah study was unimportant or unnecessary.

There is no way that this essay can really do proper justice to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. Let us simply conclude that while there was no particular element in his teachings that could be viewed as new to Judaism, nevertheless his teachings revolutionized the Jewish world. At the time of his death the Chassidic movement had grown to approximately ten thousand followers and after his death it grew to include a significant portion of European Jewry.

The Baal Shem Tov did not write down his teachings, and today we only know them through the writings of his disciples.

The Baal Shem Tov passed away in the year 5520 (1760).

Balshem’s Stories

Your Last Hour

(Stories in the form of a song)

A rabbi had three students,

And posed them a question:

"If you had one hour

remaining in your lifetime,

What would you do

in that one hour?"

The first one read and studied,

then answered the question:

"I would spend that hour

studying the Torah."

The second one closed his eyes,

then answered the question:

"I would spend that hour

in the ecstasy of prayer."

The third one looked at the rabbi,

then answered the question:

"I would spend that hour

loving my family."

The rabbi looked at his students,

stroked his beard, and smiled;

"Each of you has given

a deep and holy answer."

But the students turned to the rabbi

and asked him the question:

"What would you do,

in your last hour?"

"Me? I would spend that hour,

doing what I'd been doing.

Doing what I'd been doing,

for all of life is sacred."

The rabbi looked at the students,

stroked his beard and smiled:

"Doing what I had been doing,

for all of life is sacred."

About Hasidim

Hasidism comes from the Hebrew word hasid, which means "pious." The Hasidism we know today was founded in the middle of the 18th century by a cabbalist named Israel Baal Shem Tov (1700-1760), later known as the "Besht". Early on, it attracted a following both among uneducated and scholarly Jews in Eastern Europe and the Ukraine.

The movement both filled spiritual needs among people and provided a creative outlet for their spiritual beliefs. Hasidism is extremely orthodox, requiring people to adhere to every basic doctrine and principle in traditional Jewish belief and practice. Nevertheless, it has a strong mystical element which emphasizes personal communion with God. Thus, mysticism is not an esoteric position for a few ascetic monks, but is instead an integral part of the community of believers.

Not everyone welcomed the coming of Hasidism, especially the traditional authorities like the rabbis. Between the growing influence of Hasidic authorities (Zaddikim) who served as intermediaries between the people and God and the stress on salvation coming through faith rather than works and study of the Torah, the position of rabbis was threatened.

This movement which originated in the 18th century was not the first "hasidic" movement in Jewish history. Another group of Jews who called themselves hasidim arose in the 2nd century BCE in reaction to the repressive measures enacted by Antiochus IV after he invaded and took over Jerusalem. Events of this era were the context for the writing of the Book of Daniel.

Hasidic Poem

Be happy without reason
Dance and sing
When the inner music comes-
Do not fear-
‘Love and laugh and be happy’
God will be Happy too.

Shalom Freedman

You who love my soul

Compassion’s gentle source,

Take my disposition and shape it

to Your will.

Like a darting deer I will flee to

You.

Before Your glorious Presence

Humbly do I bow.

Let Your sweet love

Delight me with its thrill

Because no other dainty

Will my hunger still

This Void was needed

For the world’s sake,

So that it could be put into

a place.

Don’t strain to understand the

Void!

It is a Mystery not to be realized

Until the future is the now…

Few Fundamentals of Hassidism

(Replace G-d with GOD)

·         Everything is by Divine Providence. If a leaf is turned over by a breeze, it is only because this has been specifically ordained by G‑d to serve a particular function within the purpose of creation.

·         "Love your fellow as yourself" is an interpretation of and commentary on "Love the L-rd, your G‑d". He who loves a fellow Jew loves G‑d, because the Jew has within himself a "part of G‑d Above". When one loves a fellow Jew, he loves the Jew's inner essence, and thereby loves G‑d.

·         The love G‑d has for every Jew extends not only to the Jew's soul but also to his body. G‑d loves all Jews without distinction; the greatest Torah genius and scholar and the simplest Jew are loved equally by G‑d.

·         Your fellow is your mirror. If your own face is clean, so will be the image you perceive. But should you look upon your fellow and see a blemish, it is your own imperfection that you are encountering - you are being shown what it is that you must correct within yourself.

Reiki as healing systems

Perhaps no one in the west has grown up with legends about Devas or Bodhisattvas, but with tales about angels - this is our tradition, yet a lot of people look for wisdom and spiritual guidance in the Eastern Traditions such as Yoga or Buddhism, because they are disappointed by the dogmatic views of the church, and the seeming lack of a true spiritual path in the western world. It is due to the inquisition that the Western Mystery Tradition is not as well-known even in the western world as its eastern equivalents. There have always been a few great initiates such as Agrippa of Nettesheim, John Dee or Israel Baal-Shem-Tov, but apart from those special people the tradition itself was kept in secrecy.

Due to this fact still today the Qabbalah is relatively unknown and many seekers have invested their hopes in Yoga or Buddhism and not seen the riches the Western Mystery Tradition has to offer.

Today Reiki is perhaps the most popular system of esoteric healing. In a few weekend workshops you can become a master of the system. But is that really all there is to spiritual healing?

How did Usui Mikao develop Reiki? Did you know that he was a lay priest of the Tendai Mikkyo Tradition (later called Taimitsu) which is a Japanese Form of esoteric Buddhism? Reiki is very strongly based upon Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, much stronger than most people even realize. The deeper secrets that lie behind Reiki are only available to the student of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism.

Some Parables of Hassidism as told by Bal Shem

Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov was teaching his disciples when they were disturbed by a knock on the shutter. A peasant, hauling a cart of tools, peered through the window. "Need any fixing?" he cried. "Any shaky tables, broken chairs? A loose brick in the hearth, perhaps?"

"No, no," came the impatient reply from within, where all were eager to get on with the interrupted lesson. "Everything is in perfect condition. There's no need for any repairs."

"Indeed? Nothing to repair?" called the peasant. "That simply cannot be. Look well, and you're sure to find something that needs fixing!"

The Baal Shem Tov then addressed his students: "Many times have I taught you that nothing is by chance in G-d's world; that every event and experience is purposeful, that everything one sees or hears is a lesson for one's service of the Almighty. Think of the words we just heard from this simple peasant. How profoundly relevant they are to each and every one of us! Is everything really in perfect condition? At times it might seem so; but if one truly searches his heart and evaluates his life, is he not sure to find something that requires repair...?"

Reb Eliezer Lipa was guiding his wagon with its full barrel of water through the center of town, when he spotted his friend and fellow water-carrier Reb Zalman Dov along with some other men, gathered around a simply dressed itinerant and listening intently with heads inclined to catch his every word.

His interest sparked, Reb Eliezer Lipa went over to join the circle of listeners. The Baal Shem Tov was telling the story related in the Talmud of a wealthy man who lived in the days when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem still stood.

“The wealthy man was taking a fattened ox to the Temple for a sacrifice. It was a massive beast, and when it decided, for reasons of its own, to stop still in its tracks, nobody was able to convince it to walk further towards their destination. No amount of pushing and prodding could make that animal budge.

“A poor man who was on his way home was watching the scene. In his hand was a bunch of freshly picked greens. These he now held to the muzzle of the ox, and when the animal began to nibble, he drew them away and thereby led the animal to its destination at the Holy Temple.

“That night the owner of the ox had a dream. In his dream he heard a voice which called out, ‘The sacrifice of the poor man, who gave up the bundle of greens he was bringing to his impoverished family, was a more desirable sacrifice than your fattened ox.’

Lyrics of Balshem

On a day when a man was born, up from one world to another
I don't know who you are, even when we face each other
When I wake up I know you're here this is everything that you've done
I've got nothing to fear cause the battle's already been won.

This is the time of divine favor
Sublime love cuts like a razor
Burning up our fear and pain
Ascend in fire like a laser beam

Search heaven and the seven seas
The answer lies inside you
You know it won't come easy
You've got to find your own truth

When I returned to the lower garden
I saw many souls living and dead
Rushing back and forth
Descending from one world to the next
The joy was to great for ears to hear or for words to express
All will be forgiven for our stolen time & debts

Ask me to come with the
Cause of the glory of your contemplation
You’ve been given eyes to see
Looking for a prophet to accompany me

A long lost soul alone
Fly with my very own set of wings
I reached the highest heights
Knocking on the door of the king of kings

It’s your life to live
And I can’t live it for you
It’s your time to give
And I can’t give it for you
It’s your fear to lose
And I can’t lose it for you
Death or life so choose
And I propose it for you

So Find your word of truth
You got to find your word of truth

It’s your life to live
And I can’t live it for you
It’s your time to give
And I can’t give it for you

Search heaven and the seven seas
The answer lies inside you
You know it won't come easy
You've got to find your own truth