Hasidic Judaism
Hasidism (Hebrew חסידים Hasidim, the pious ' ) refers to several unrelated movements in Judaism.
Together these movements is the strict observance of religious rules, the high moral claim and a special feeling of closeness to God, the mystical expression has often been found.
In particular, can be distinguished:
- Hasidism from the time of the Second Temple,
- Hasidism in medieval Germany and
- The Eastern European Hasidism since the 18th century, which is distributed worldwide today.
Chassidim in the time of the Second Temple
Since everyone who is godly can be described as Hasid, is often unclear whether the Hasidim mentioned in the sources simply the totality of the devout Jew or a concrete, structured group is meant.
Fassbar as a group are Hasidim as a union eschatologically oriented groups around 300-175 BC, in search of justice and righteousness left after 1 Maccabees 2, 29-38 their homes and moved to the desert to the religious and political coercive measures the Seleucids to escape. Willingly let himself fall on the Sabbath, just to the Sabbath commandment not to profane. According to 2 Maccabees 5, 24-26 conquered Apollonius taking advantage of this mentality Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Only Judas Maccabeus decided to defend themselves on the Sabbath and obtained the support of the Hasidim. They managed to fight the Seleucids under Antiochus IV and successfully to expel from the country.
The German Hasidism of the Middle Ages
Against the background of threatening to Judaism Crusades Hasidism ( Speyer, Worms and Mainz ) in Germany developed in parallel with the emergence of Christian mysticism from about 1150 to 1250, especially in the Rhineland and the Palatinate. Influences were especially members of the family immigrated from Italy to the Kalonymiden:
- Samuel the Hasid ( Speyer )
- Judah the Hasid (son of Samuel, Regensburg )
- Eleazar ben Judah (Worms )
- Shlomo ben Jacob (Regensburg)
Hasidism is not a philosophical or theological doctrine, but religious practice of the Hasid (Hebrew, the Pious ', derived from the concept of grace ', ' benevolence '), which expresses itself in particular in prayer as a spiritual exercise. Determining moments are:
- Turning away from the world,
- Perfect mental equanimity.
The original Eastern European Hasidism
Hasidism in Eastern European Judaism has with the German Hasidism of the Middle Ages little more than the name in common and exceeds these considerable importance. It was created in response to the pogroms of Jews under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnytsky Cossack in 1648, as in Eastern Europe more than 700 Jewish communities were destroyed.
Founder of the Eastern European Hasidism, Israel ben Eliezer ( 1700-1760 to ), called Baal Shem Tov (, master of the good name '). Among his most important students are Rabbi Dov Baer called the " Maggid of Mezritch " or the "Great Maggid ," and Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Polonoje. Within a few decades of Hasidism spread to Jewish communities of Poland - Lithuania, Russia, Austria and Germany.
The Baal Shem Tov and his followers emphasized the value of the traditional study of the Torah and the oral tradition of the Talmud and its comments. In addition, the mystical tradition of the Kabbalah gained considerable influence. About this study is also in Hasidism, the personal and communal religious experience at the forefront.
The Hasidim (plural of Hasid ) congregate especially on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays to their Rabbi ( Rebbe in Yiddish ) to come closer to God in prayer, songs and dances and religious ecstasy. The Hasidic Rabbi, called Tzadik ( Righteous ', ' Proven ', from Hebrew zedek = 'justice' ), is a charismatic leader and center of the community and gives the Hasidic teachings - often in the form of stories and parables - to his students. Famous example of a tzaddik Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov and founder of a Hasidic own direction of Bratslaver Hasidism.
Hasidic communities are part of Orthodox Judaism.
At the time of its creation Hasidism arose within Judaism resistance from two opposite directions: on the one hand from the ranks of mitnagdim (literally, opponents '). These were trained Talmudic circles with center in Lithuanian yeshivot. The most important representative of mitnagdim was the Gaon of Vilna, the Hasidism occupied in 1772 and 1782 with a spell. He feared negligence in the fulfillment of the mitzvot ( bids ' ) due to the spontaneity and exuberance of the Hasidim; incomprehension also met with the rejection of mortification and ascetic way of life on the part of the Hasidim and the requirement that even a tzaddik must do Teshuva (Hebrew, reverse ',' return ') to evolve spiritually. On the other hand, felt the maskilim the spotter to Moses Mendelssohn, the Hasidism of Eastern Jews as backward. Between secular embossed, rational Enlightenment and the mysticism of Hasidism difficult to overcome a deep chasm was formed.
The most famous Hasidic rabbi in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose lives are retold by Chaim Bloch in his collection Hasidic stories are as follows:
- Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov ( 1700-1760 to )
- Dov Baer, the Maggid of large Meseritsch (around 1710-1772 )
- Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev (1740-1810)
- Naftali of Ropschütz (1760-1827)
- Jehiel Michael of Zloczow (1731-1786)
- Jacob Joseph of Polonoje († 1782 )
- Nachum of Chernobyl (1730-1787)
- Pinchas of Koretz († 1791)
- Zusya by Anni poles ( † 1800)
- Elimelech of Lyschansk (1717-1787)
- Shmelke of Mikulov (1726-1778)
- Moshe Chaim Efraim of Sedilkow († 1800)
- Baruch of Tulczyn and Medziborz (1757-1810)
- Schneur Zalman (1745-1812), founder of the Chabad movement
- Jacob Yitzhak of Pzhysha, the "Holy Jew " (1766-1814)
- Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, the Seer of Lublin († 1815)
- Israel Hapstein of Koschnitz, the Maggid of Kozienice (1733-1814)
- Abraham Joshua Heschel of Apta (1748-1825)
- Moshe of Ujhely († 1839)
- Wolf of Zbaraz († 1800)
- Rabbi Nachman (1772-1810)
- Moshe body of Sassow (1745-1807)
- Mendel of Kassow († 1825)
- Uri of Strelisk († 1825)
- Eisick of Kalev († 1821)
- Mendel of Rymanov († 1815)
- Deer of Zydatschow († 1831)
- Simcha Bunem Przysucha (1765-1827)
- Shalom Rokeach (1779-1855), the founder of the dynasty Belzer
- Yitzchak Meir Alter (1798-1866), the founder of the Ger dynasty
- Moshe of Sawrany († 1844)
- Meir of Przemyschlany (1787-1858)
- Chaim Halberstam († 1876)
- Rabbi Jacob Samson of Kossow († 1880)
Modern Hasidic personalities and movements
Hasidic traditions were nearly wiped out in Europe with the destruction of East European Jews by the Nazis. In Israel and America, but also in Western Europe (Antwerp, London, Zurich ), the Hasidism was able to successfully reorganize and today is also due to the rapid population growth of Hasidic groups, again in a strong upswing.
The best-known Hasidic community of the present is the Chabad movement. In addition, there are Satmar, Belz, Ger, Wischnitz and many other small groups.
Martin Buber (1878-1965) has examined the early 20th century Hasidism over many years and wrote several books about it. A central work are his Tales of the Hasidim, in which he collected traditional wisdom stories, making a wider public.
In the German -speaking world has illuminated the mystical tradition of Eastern Jewry in his books beside Friedrich Weinreb ( 1910-1988 ).