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Hasidim
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Hasidic Judaism is a Haredi Jewish religious movement often referred to as "Ultra-Orthodox" Judaism, because it thought to be the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. The term Haredi is derived from Harada (fear, anxiety), which could be interpreted as "one who trembles in awe of God" — cf. Isaiah 66:2,5).
Haredi Jews, like other Orthodox Jews, consider their belief system & religious practices to extend in an unbroken chain back to Moses & the giving of the Torah (the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament) on Mount Sinai. As a result, they consider non-Orthodox denominations to be unjustifiable deviations from authentic Judaism, both because of other denominations' dubiety concerning verbal revelation of Written & Oral Torah, & because of their rejection of Halakhic (Jewish legal) precedent as binding. The word Hasidic has its roots in the Hebrew words meaning "piousness" & "loving kindness."
The Hasidic movement emerged in the Ukraine during a time of persecution when Jews had turned inward to Talmud study. The pessimism generated from the decline in religious & economic fortune, & general dissatisfaction with religious formalism in European Jewry created a favorable breeding ground for mystical movements & religious sectarianism.
Many Jews felt that Jewish life had become too "academic," & that there was a lack of spirituality & joy. The goal of early Hasidism was not dogmatic or ritual reform but the creation of a new type of religious Jew, one who places emotion above reason & rites and religious exaltation above knowledge.
Hasidic Judaism was founded by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760), who is also known as the Ba'al Shem Tov or Besht, (Master of the Good Name). He taught that true religion consisted not only of religious scholarship, but also of a sincere love of God combined with warm faith & belief in the efficacy of prayer, and that the ordinary person filled with a sincere belief in God, & whose prayers come from the heart, is more acceptable to God than someone just versed in & fully observant of Jewish law. The Besht's democratization of Judaism had great appeal, & he & his movement attracted many followers.
In the beginning, most Hasidic sects were established in the Ukraine. These were followed by Hasidic sects in Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Western Europe, & finally in the United States in the 1880s.
Mitnagdim, non-Hasidic Jews, rejected & opposed Hasidism. The mitnagdim denounced the Hasidic emphasis on different aspects of Jewish law; were troubled by the overwhelming exuberance of Hasidic worship; condemned the Hasidic ascriptions of infallibility & miracle-working to their leaders; were concerned that Hasidism might become a messianic sect; decried the Hasidic way of dress; & chastised Hasidim for not following a more scholarly approach to Judaism.
The Bolshevik revolution & the Holocaust resulted in the disintegration of Hasidic centers in Europe. The survivors moved to Israel, the United States, and various other countries & established new centers of Hasidic Judaism modeled after their original communities. Today, the more well-known sects include Breslov, Lubavitch (Chabad), & Satmar.
The Hasidim have a reputation for their distinctive attire. Hasidic men characteristically wear all black with a white shirt. On Shabbat, they wear a long black robe with a sash for a belt. Contrary to popular belief, Hasidic dress has little to do with the way Polish nobles once dressed. The classical Hasidic outfit consisting of the kaftan, white undershirt, sash, knee-breeches, white socks & slippers is allegedly Babylonian in origin. Hasidim customarily wear black hats, the specific style varying with the sect. Hasidic women dress modestly, attired in long, conservative skirts & sleeves past the elbow; married Hasidic women cover their heads.
The males of some Hasidic sects wear long, uncut sideburns (peyes); however, all sects discourage the cutting of one's beard. The white threads seen at the waists of male Hasidim have the name tzizit. The requirement to wear fringes comes from the Book of Numbers: "Speak to the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations" (Numbers 15:38). Hasidim pray exuberantly in Hebrew with Yiddish nuances, & prayer is accompanied by a distinctive repertoire of melodies (nigunim); has the reputation of taking a long time; involves a lot of mental concentration, & a considerable amount of swaying, shaking & vocalization.
Both female & male Hasidim are required to periodically immerse themselves in a mikvah, a ritual pool of water, in order to achieve spiritual cleanliness. Hasidic women & men usually meet through a matchmaker (shidduch), but marriages involve the consent of both the couple & the parents. The assertion that couples have sexual intercourse through a sheet with a hole in it is patently false. Hasidic Jews, like many other Orthodox Jews, have large families, following the Biblical mandate to "be fruitful and multiply," & to replenish a Jewish population that was badly decimated during the Holocaust. Hasidim speak the vernaculars of the lands in which they live & use Yiddish as an additional way of keeping themselves distinct & maintaining tradition.
What do you think?
Hasidim
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Hasidic Judaism is a Haredi Jewish religious movement often referred to as "Ultra-Orthodox" Judaism, because it thought to be the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. The term Haredi is derived from Harada (fear, anxiety), which could be interpreted as "one who trembles in awe of God" — cf. Isaiah 66:2,5).
Haredi Jews, like other Orthodox Jews, consider their belief system & religious practices to extend in an unbroken chain back to Moses & the giving of the Torah (the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament) on Mount Sinai. As a result, they consider non-Orthodox denominations to be unjustifiable deviations from authentic Judaism, both because of other denominations' dubiety concerning verbal revelation of Written & Oral Torah, & because of their rejection of Halakhic (Jewish legal) precedent as binding. The word Hasidic has its roots in the Hebrew words meaning "piousness" & "loving kindness."
The Hasidic movement emerged in the Ukraine during a time of persecution when Jews had turned inward to Talmud study. The pessimism generated from the decline in religious & economic fortune, & general dissatisfaction with religious formalism in European Jewry created a favorable breeding ground for mystical movements & religious sectarianism.
Many Jews felt that Jewish life had become too "academic," & that there was a lack of spirituality & joy. The goal of early Hasidism was not dogmatic or ritual reform but the creation of a new type of religious Jew, one who places emotion above reason & rites and religious exaltation above knowledge.
Hasidic Judaism was founded by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760), who is also known as the Ba'al Shem Tov or Besht, (Master of the Good Name). He taught that true religion consisted not only of religious scholarship, but also of a sincere love of God combined with warm faith & belief in the efficacy of prayer, and that the ordinary person filled with a sincere belief in God, & whose prayers come from the heart, is more acceptable to God than someone just versed in & fully observant of Jewish law. The Besht's democratization of Judaism had great appeal, & he & his movement attracted many followers.
In the beginning, most Hasidic sects were established in the Ukraine. These were followed by Hasidic sects in Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Western Europe, & finally in the United States in the 1880s.
Mitnagdim, non-Hasidic Jews, rejected & opposed Hasidism. The mitnagdim denounced the Hasidic emphasis on different aspects of Jewish law; were troubled by the overwhelming exuberance of Hasidic worship; condemned the Hasidic ascriptions of infallibility & miracle-working to their leaders; were concerned that Hasidism might become a messianic sect; decried the Hasidic way of dress; & chastised Hasidim for not following a more scholarly approach to Judaism.
The Bolshevik revolution & the Holocaust resulted in the disintegration of Hasidic centers in Europe. The survivors moved to Israel, the United States, and various other countries & established new centers of Hasidic Judaism modeled after their original communities. Today, the more well-known sects include Breslov, Lubavitch (Chabad), & Satmar.
The Hasidim have a reputation for their distinctive attire. Hasidic men characteristically wear all black with a white shirt. On Shabbat, they wear a long black robe with a sash for a belt. Contrary to popular belief, Hasidic dress has little to do with the way Polish nobles once dressed. The classical Hasidic outfit consisting of the kaftan, white undershirt, sash, knee-breeches, white socks & slippers is allegedly Babylonian in origin. Hasidim customarily wear black hats, the specific style varying with the sect. Hasidic women dress modestly, attired in long, conservative skirts & sleeves past the elbow; married Hasidic women cover their heads.
The males of some Hasidic sects wear long, uncut sideburns (peyes); however, all sects discourage the cutting of one's beard. The white threads seen at the waists of male Hasidim have the name tzizit. The requirement to wear fringes comes from the Book of Numbers: "Speak to the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations" (Numbers 15:38). Hasidim pray exuberantly in Hebrew with Yiddish nuances, & prayer is accompanied by a distinctive repertoire of melodies (nigunim); has the reputation of taking a long time; involves a lot of mental concentration, & a considerable amount of swaying, shaking & vocalization.
Both female & male Hasidim are required to periodically immerse themselves in a mikvah, a ritual pool of water, in order to achieve spiritual cleanliness. Hasidic women & men usually meet through a matchmaker (shidduch), but marriages involve the consent of both the couple & the parents. The assertion that couples have sexual intercourse through a sheet with a hole in it is patently false. Hasidic Jews, like many other Orthodox Jews, have large families, following the Biblical mandate to "be fruitful and multiply," & to replenish a Jewish population that was badly decimated during the Holocaust. Hasidim speak the vernaculars of the lands in which they live & use Yiddish as an additional way of keeping themselves distinct & maintaining tradition.
What do you think?
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