The Religions Book

188

Hasidic men dance at a wedding

celebration. The distinctive clothing of

Hasidic Jews, drawn from earlier styles

of Eastern European dress, sets them

apart from other branches of Judaism.

See also: Mysticism and the kabbalah 186–87 ■ Mystical experience in

Christianity 238 ■ Sufism and the mystic tradition 282–83

H

asidic Judaism, founded

by Israel ben Eliezer (known

as Baal Shem Tov, or the

Besht) in the 1740s, is characterized

by enthusiasm and rituals of mass

ecstasy, performed under the

guidance of a spiritual leader, or

zaddik. One of its main teachings

is that the divine dwells within

everyone. It is now one of the major

branches of ultra-Orthodox Judaism.

The movement emerged from

the Jewish communities of Central

and Eastern Europe during the 18th

century. These communities were

often small and isolated, and their

lifestyle was very different from that

of urban Jews living elsewhere.

Mainstream Jewish philosophy had,

by then, become more intellectual,

and theology more legalistic. This

development was at odds with the

needs of the inhabitants of small

villages, or shtetls, especially in

areas such as southern Poland.

To maintain cohesion in these

communities, especially in the

face of persecution by the Cossacks

(East Slavic people), religious leaders

traveled around from place to place.

They offered worshippers not only

guidance, but also an opportunity to

participate more actively in religious

observances. Where rabbinical

teaching had become detached from

the people, charismatic leaders such

as Baal Shem Tov explained that the

Torah was not the exclusive realm of

the rabbis. Spiritual learning was

available to all: the holy sparks,

or divine light—a manifestation

of God—outlined in the mystical

tradition of the Lurianic kabbalah

could be found in everyone. ■

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

Israel ben Eliezer

WHEN AND WHERE

1740s, Ukraine

BEFORE

16th century Isaac Luria

and other teachers reawaken

interest in the mystical

elements of the kabbalah.

AFTER

19th century Hasidism

gains adherents in reaction

to the intellectualization and

secularization of Judaism.

1917 The Bolshevik Revolution

in Russia breaks up many

Hasidic communities.

1930s With the rise of Nazism,

Jews from Germany, Eastern

Europe, and Russia flee to the

US; all Hasidic communities in

Europe are destroyed during

World War II.

1948 The State of Israel is

founded. Many displaced

Hasidic Jews settle there.

THE HOLY

SPARK DWELLS

IN EVERYONE

MAN AS A MANIFESTATION OF GOD