1. Hassidism (Chassidim)
“Serve the Lord with joy”
Deuteronomy 28:47

2. • The Hasidic movement started in the 1700's in Eastern
Europe in response to a void felt by many Jews.
• They created a way of Jewish life that emphasized the
ability of all Jews to grow closer to God via everything
that they do, say, and think.
• Today, Hasidim are differentiated from other Orthodox
Jews by their devotion to a dynastic leader (referred to as
a "Rebbe"), their wearing of distinctive clothing and a
greater than average study of the inner aspects of Torah.
• Hassidic communities are named for the villages and
towns in which they originated e.g. Lubavitch

3. • Rabbi Yisrael ben
Eliezer, the Baal Shem
Tov (Besht) Master of the
Good Name.
• Born around 1700 in the
Ukraine.
• While there was no
particular element in his
teachings that could be
viewed as new to
Judaism, nevertheless his
teachings revolutionized
the Jewish world.

4. • 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.

5. • He emphasized the importance of having a close
relationship with a rebbe, a great Torah scholar who
would be one's spiritual mentor and leader. This is a
feature of Hassidism today.
• The Besht was particularly fond of a talmudic
statement, "God desires the heart" (Sanhedrin 106b). He
interpreted as meaning that for God, a pure religious spirit
mattered more than knowledge of the Talmud.
• "No child is born except through pleasure and joy, by the
same token, if one wishes his prayers to bear fruit, he
must offer them with pleasure and joy." - Besht

6. • ―I came into this world to point a new way, to prevail
upon men to live by the light of these three things: love of
God, love of Israel, and love of Torah. And there is no
need to perform mortifications of the flesh.‖ - Besht

7. • To
outsiders, unaccustomed
to the Besht's
teachings, Hasidic prayer
services sometimes
seemed undignified, even
chaotic. In fulfillment of
the declaration, "All my
bones shall
say, Lord, who is like
You?" (Psalms
35:10), worshipers were
capable of performing
handstands.

8. • ―When I would see the
Rebbe he touched the
depth in me, and that was
true of everyone who
came to see him.
Somehow when people
left, they felt that they
had lived deeper and
higher, on a higher level
and with a deeper sense
of life, a quest for life and
meaning.‖ – Elie Wiesel
(Nobel Peace Prize 1986)

9. • Contribution
– Revitalised Jewish worship making it joyful
emphasising simcha shel mitzvah — the joy of
performing a commandment.
– Integrated religion into everyday life so that every
activity could be seen as praising God.
– Made Torah study available to all regardless of their
level of education through Rebbes.
– Promoted the study of esoteric Jewish books such as
the Kabbalah and examining inner aspects of the
Torah.

10. – Joined forces with the Mitnagdim during the Haskalah
to protect orthodox Judaism.
– While originally regarded as revolutionary and
religiously liberal, after the Haskalah it became more
orthodox putting less emphasis on meditation and
communing with God, and more on traditional Jewish
learning.
– Took European orthodox Judaism to other
countries, notably USA, and kept it alive during and
after the Holocaust.

11. • Developed a different
approach to Judaism that
stressed the importance of
the Tzaddik (Rebbe) who
had a closer relationship
to God than the average
Jew.
• The Besht taught that the
Tzaddik should serve as a
model of how to lead a
religious life. Many
Rebbes established
dynasties.

12. – One Hassidic group, the Lubavitch in
Brooklyn, operates a Jewish outreach movement
called Chabad running seminaries, day
camps, schools, and websites etc. worldwide. The
Chabad- Lubavitch operates an extensive outreach
effort to encourage Jews to return to traditional
practices.
– The movement's major thrust focuses on observing for
one's self and transmitting to others the
beauty, depth, awareness and joy inherent in the Torah
-true way of life. By doing so, it strives to revitalize
Jewish life by intensifying the individual's relationship
to God, and deep sense of devotion and love towards

13. Hassidic Jews differ from
other Orthodox Jews in:
-Their allegiance to a Rebbe
-Their style of dress
-Their style of praying
-Their commitment to the
Torah and adherence to
the mitzvot
-Their customs