Dovber of Mezeritch
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch (דוב בער ממזריטש) (1700/1704/1710(?) – 4 December 1772 OS
) was a disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism
, and was chosen as his successor to lead the early movement. Rabbi Dov Ber is regarded as the first systematic exponent of the mystical philosophy underlying the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, and through his teaching and leadership, the main architect of the movement. He established his base in Mezhirichi
(in Volynia), which moved the centre of Hasidism from the Baal Shem Tov's Medzhybizh
(in Podolia
), where he focused his attention on raising a close circle of great disciples to spread the movement. After his passing, avoiding the unified leadership of the first two generations, this third generation of leadership took their different interpretations and disseminated across appointed regions of Eastern Europe. Under the inspiration of their teacher, this rapidly spread Hasidism beyond the Ukraine
, to Poland
, Galicia and Russia
.
His teachings appear in Magid Devarav L'Yaakov, Or Torah, Likutim Yekarim, Or Ha'emet, Kitvei Kodesh, Shemuah Tovah, and in the works authored by his disciples. His inner circle of disciples, known as the Chevraia Kadisha ("Holy Brotherhood"), included his son Rabbi Avraham HaMalach (The Angel), Rabbi Nachum of Czernobyl, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk
, Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev
, Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh
, Rabbi Aharon (HaGadol) of Karlin
, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
, Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke of Nikolsburg
and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
.
where Jews resided and hence the influence of the local Yiddish
dialects. "Dov" literally means "bear
" in Hebrew
and "Ber" means the same thing (i.e. "bear") in Yiddish, a type of "double-barrelled name
" used by Jews when giving a name of an animal to a child whereby both the Hebrew and Yiddish versions of the name are combined into one.
He was known as the Maggid
— "Preacher" or literally "Sayer," one who preaches and admonishes to go in God's ways — of Mezritsh, and near the end of his life the Maggid of the town of Rovne
where he was buried.
The German form Meseritz is sometimes used instead of Mezeritch.
in 1710, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia
, though his year of birth is unknown and some sources place it around 1700. Little is known about him before he became a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. A Hasidic legend states that, when he was five years old, his family home burst into flames. On hearing his mother weeping, he asked: "Mother, do we have to be so unhappy because we have lost a house?" She replied that she was mourning the family tree
, which was destroyed, and is traced to King David by way of Rabbi Yohanan, the sandal-maker
and master in the Talmud
. The boy replied: "And what does that matter! I shall get you a new family tree which begins with me!"
When he was young, he reportedly lived in great poverty with his wife. One legend relates that when a child was born, they had no money to pay the midwife. His wife complained and the Maggid went outside to "curse" Israel. He went outside and said: "O children of Israel, may abundant blessings come upon you!" When his wife complained a second time, he went outside again and cried: "Let all happiness come to the children of Israel — but they shall give their money to thorn bushes and stones!" The baby was too weak to cry, and the Maggid sighed rather than "cursing". Immediately the answer came, and a voice said: "You have lost your share in the coming world." The Maggid replied: "Well, then, the reward has been done away with. Now I can begin to serve in good earnest."
's system of Kabbalah
, which was becoming popular at that time and was aware of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto
, whose writings, then only in manuscript, were well known among the Polish mystics of the period. Dov Ber followed the Lurian school, living the life of an ascetic
, fasting a great deal, praying intensely, and living in poverty. He is reported to have become a cripple as a result of poor nourishment.
One account has it that on account of his poor health he was persuaded to seek out the Baal Shem Tov for a cure.
He arrived at the Baal Shem Tov's house, expecting to hear expositions of profound mysteries, but instead was told stories of the latter's everyday life. Hearing only similar stories at each subsequent visit, Rabbi Dov Ber decided to return home. Just as he was about to leave, he was summoned again to the Baal Shem Tov's house. The Baal Shem Tov opened a "Eitz Chaim" of Rabbi Chaim Vital (Rabbi Isaac Luria's chief disciple), and asked Rabbi Dov Ber to elucidate a certain passage. The latter did so to the best of his ability, but the Baal Shem Tov declared that Rabbi Dov Ber did not understand the real meaning of the passage. He reviewed it once more and insisted that his interpretation is correct. Then the Baal Shem Tov proceeded to explain. The legend states that, as he spoke, the darkness suddenly gave way to light, and angels appeared and listened to the Baal Shem Tov's words. "Your explanations," he said to Rabbi Dov Ber, "were correct, but your deductions were thoughts without any soul in them." This experience persuaded Rabbi Dov Ber to stay with the Baal Shem Tov.
Rabbi Dov Ber is reported to have learned from the Baal Shem Tov to value everyday things and events, and to emphasize the proper attitude with which to study Torah
. The mystical philosophy of the Baal Shem Tov rejected the earlier emphasis on mortification of the body in Musar
and Kabbalistic
traditions, seeing the greater spiritual advantage in transforming the material into a vehicle for holiness, rather than breaking it. This could be achieved by the perception of the omnipresent Divine immanence in all things, from understanding the inner mystical Torah teachings of Hasidic thought. Under the guidance of the Baal Shem Tov, Dov Ber abandoned his ascetic lifestyle, and recovered his health, though his left foot remained lame. The Baal Shem Tov said that "before Dovber came to me, he was already a pure golden menorah (candelebrum). All I needed to do was ignite it." Regarding his holiness, the Baal Shem Tov also reputedly said that if Dovber had not been lame, and had been able to ritually immerse in the mikvah
, then he could have been able to bring the Mashiach (Messiah).
In contrast to the Baal Shem Tov, the man of the people, who is reported to have walked about, pipe in mouth, chatting to those he met, the Maggid was housebound because of his poor physical condition. A record of the Maggid's court in Mezeritch
was recorded by the Jewish philosopher and advocate of the Haskalah
(secularising movement), Solomon Maimon, in one of the first encounters of a Westernised Jew with Hasidism. He states in his memoirs that the Maggid passed the entire week in his room, permitting only a few confidants to enter. He appeared in public only on Shabbat
, dressed in white satin. On those occasions he prayed with people
, and kept open house for anyone who wanted to dine with him. After the meal he would reportedly begin to chant, and placing his hand upon his forehead, would ask those present to quote any verse from the Bible. These served as texts for the Maggid's subsequent sermon. Solomon Maimon wrote: "He was such a master in his craft that he combined these disjointed verses into an harmonious whole."
He attracted a remarkable group of scholarly and saintly disciples, including most of his fellow students of the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov had travelled across Jewish areas, reaching out to and inspiring the common folk, whose sincerity he cherished. He sought to revive the broken spirit of the simple Jews. At the same time, he would also seek out the great scholars of Talmud
and Kabbalah
, to win them over to Hasidism, to whom he taught the inner meaning of his teachings. Many Hasidic tales relate the stories of the Baal Shem Tov's travels, accompanied by his close disciples, and led by his non-Jewish wagon driver. Dovber, in contrast, set up his court in Mezhirichi
, where his lameness restricted him, and devoted his main focus to articulating the mystical-philosophical system within the Baal Shem Tov's teachings to his close circle of disciples, who would lead the future movement. The simple folk were also able to visit during the Sabbath public attendancies of Dovber, and receive spiritual encouragement and comfort. The Maggid's court became the spiritual seat and place of pilgrimage of the second generation of the Hasidic movement, and moved its centre north from the Baal Shem Tov's residence in Medzhybizh
. This move benefited the growth of the movement, as it was closer to new territories in Galicia, Poland
and White Russia
to reach. It was also nearer to the centre of Rabbinic opposition in Lithuania
, who perceived of the new movement as a spiritual threat. The holy disciples of Dovber related that:
The elite group of holy disciples, the "Chevraya Kaddisha" ("Holy Society"), included Rabbi Aharon of Karlin, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
, the brothers Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk
and Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol, the brothers Rabbi Shmelka
(later Chief Rabbi of Nikolsburg) and Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz
(later Chief Rabbi of Frankfurt-am-Main and author of profound Talmudic commentaries), and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
(author of the Tanya
, and by instructions of his master, author of an updated version of the Shulchan Aruch
Code of Jewish Law for the new movement). These disciples, being themselves great Talmud
ic authorities as well as well-versed in Kabbalah
and Hasidic philosophy
, were extremely successful in turning Hasidus into a vast movement.
, Lithuania
, and Little Russia
. The dissolution of the "Four-Lands" synod in 1764 proved favorable to its spread. The local rabbis were annoyed by the growth of the movement, but could not easily do anything about it. The Gaon of Vilna
was the only rabbi whose reputation extended beyond the borders of Lithuania. When Hasidism appeared in Vilna
, the Vilna Gaon enacted the first major excommunication
against Hasidism, which was issued on April 11, 1772. The Vilna Gaon believed the movement was antagonistic to Talmudic rabbinism and was suspicious that it was a remnant of the recent Sabbatean
movement. See Hasidim and Mitnagdim.
The Maggid's pupils Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
tried to visit the Vilna Gaon to bring about reconciliation, but the Vilna Gaon declined to meet them. Lubavitch legend has it that had the Gaon met with these two Rabbis, the Mashiach (Messiah) would have come.
The ban issued at Vilna drew the eyes of the world toward Hasidism. Rabbi Dov Ber ignored the opposition, but it is blamed in part for his death in Mezritsh on the 19th of Kislev December 15, 1772.
and Volynia (present day Ukraine
). After 1772, under the third generation of leadership, it rapidly spread far and wide, from Galicia and Poland
to White Russia (Belarus
) in the north. The disciples of the Maggid took different interpretations and qualities of their Master's teachings. This, combined with the new dispersal of their locations, meant that after the Maggid, the Hasidic movement avoided appointing one unifying leader to succeed Dovber.
began Hasidism in Poland. His classic work Noam Elimelech focuses on the unique Hasidic doctrine of the Tzaddik (Saintly leader and Heavenly intercessor for the wider community). Among all Hasidic works, it develops the theology and instruction of people of great spiritual ability in the different aspects of Tzaddikism. Schneur Zalman of Liadi described Noam Elimelech as the Hasidic "book of the righteous". In Hasidic history, Noam Elimelech became the spiritual doctrine for General-Hasidism, giving birth to the many leaders, successors and dynasties of mainstream Hasidism, and inspiring the emotional attachment and spiritual bond of the common folk to their Rebbe
. Through attachment to the saintly individual, who knew mystical secrets, and interceded in Heaven on their behalf, the followers could connect to Divinity. Where the mainstream role of the Tzaddik was emphasised, it often accompanied belief in the benefit of miracle-working, to channel spiritual and material blessing, and increase fervour. The followers would make pilgrimages to their Masters, where they would gain enthusiasm, receive teachings, or could gain private audiences.
Later dynasties such as Peshischa
-Kotzk
would break away from this General-Hasidic emphasis on Tzaddikim and mysticism.
Among the other followers of Dovber in the academy of Mezeritch, the brother of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol holds a beloved place in Hasidic tradition. Reputedly unable to receive a full teaching from the Maggid, as his excitement caused him to have to run out of the room in dveikus, his holy example personified the elevated soul of the Tzaddik. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who spread Hasidism in the Ukraine, authored the classic Hasidic commentary on the Torah Kedushas Levi
, and personified the advocacy of the Jewish people in its relationship with God. He innovated a new spiritual path in defending the people, and persuading their "Heavenly Father" to nullify harsh decrees. This is an argument with God from within the tradition, as Hasidic thought sees love of another person as an extension of love of God.
Later Hasidic lore, to contrast with these paths of mainstream-Hasidism, describes the work Likkutei Moharan by the subsequent, fourth generation Hasidic leader Nachman of Breslav, as the Hasidic "book for the wicked". It gives tremendous hope and encouragement to souls caught up in problems, and through attachment to the creative genius of Rabbi Nachman, receive spiritual redemption. It encourages its followers to pour out their hearts and concerns in simple prayer (hisbodedut), which would benefit especially those trapped by spiritual obstacles. Rabbi Nachman saw his own role as an innovation in Hasidism, and his teachings, directives (such as the Tikkun HaKlali
) and unique imaginative wonder-stories are concerned with the rectification of Creation. In this way, Breslav
Hasidism developed by itself, separate from mainstream-Hasidism, and arose after the life and circle of Dovber of Mezeritch. Because of its veneration of Rabbi Nachman, it became the only Hasidic group to reject succession. Its claims and emphasis on the emotional creativity of its followers, meant that it was often shunned by mainstream Hasidism.
, which he subtitled the Hasidic "book for the intermediate person". In the Tanya and in other Habad writings, the "Wellsprings" of the Baal Shem Tov's Torah teachings are brought into intellectual analysis and systematic understanding. This mystical philosophy of "Habad" was named after the intellectual powers of the soul in Kabbalah: Hochma, Binah, Daas (Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge). This articulation of Hasidic thought could incorporate the different disciplines of mysticism
and philosophy
, together with the other aspects of Jewish study, by relating to the Divine soul within each approach. The aim of Schneur Zalman was to offer his followers the ability to internalise the mystical philosophy of Hasidism.
The Tanya instructs the "intermediate", regular person in the methods of hisbonenus (intellectual contemplation). When the inner Divine concepts of Hasidic thought are understood and personally perceived, they can then awaken an internal emotional life and soul. Central to this is the Habad rejection of mainstream-Hasidic methods to externally inspire fervour, such as the mystical exhuberance of the Tzaddik, in favour of an inward emotional focus. The second leader of Habad, Dovber Schneuri
distinguishes in his "Tract on Ecstacy" between superficial emotional enthusiasm, and inner, intellectually based ecstasy. All branches of Hasidism follow the Baal Shem Tov's love of the sincerity of the simple Jew. The Baal Shem Tov took the Talmudic phrase that "God desires the heart" to the centre of his mysticism. The Habad approach did not seek to replace this, but to build on this natural sincerity, and through its approach, internalise the dimensions of the heart. The followers of the Habad school say that Schneur Zalman and his successors' achievement was to turn the cold faculty of the mind into a warm Hasidic faculty. In Habad, each Rebbe became firstly a teacher of Hasidic philosophy, though they also concerned themselves with the closest details of their followers' lives and welfare. Habad thought sees each subsequent leader as successively explaining Hasidic philosophy into greater comprehension and grasp. The Habad school downplayed miracle-working of the Tzaddik as an external source of inspiration.
Schneur Zalman excelled in both Talmudic and Hasidic thought. Dovber directed him to compile a new version of the Shulchan Aruch
. Because of his systematic intellectual orientation, the Maggid appointed him to disseminate Hasidus in White Russia, closer to the Rabbinic centre of opposition (Mitnagedim) in Lithuania. His intellectual articulation of Hasidic philosophy, as well as his greatness in Rabbinic literature
could appeal to the camp of opposition. The success of the reconciliation between the Hasidim and the Mitnagdim took about two further generations to bear fruit.
in 1780 (second edition with additions Korets 1784), and frequently reprinted; Likkutim Yekarim ("Precious Collections"), published at Lemberg in 1792; Or Torah (the largest collection)published in Korets 1804; Or Ha'emet published in Husiatin 1899; Kitvei Kodesh (small collection) published in Lemberg 1862; Shemu'ah Tovah (small collection) published in Warsaw 1938. A number of manuscripts with additional teachings are in the National Library of the Hebrew University. They consist of excerpts from his sermons, transcribed and compiled by his students. The first to be published (Likkutei Amarim) was collated by his relative, Rabbi Solomon ben Abraham of Lutzk, who, as he himself notes, was unhappy with the manuscript but did not have time to edit it properly.
There is a great deal of overlapping between all these texts, but each contains teachings that do not appear in the others. All the texts are corrupt, full of omissions, twisted order, printing-errors and other problems because they were based on whole chains of copyists who were not careful or had faulty manuscripts to begin with. It is only recently that serious work and editing has been done on them: Maggid Devarav Layaakov was edited by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (Jerusalem 1961). Later, a critical edition was edited by Prof. Rivkah Shatz-Uffenheimer (Hebrew University, Jerusalem 1976). Recently, Kehot Publishing of Chabad
put out another edition edited by Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet (Brooklyn NY 2008). These recent editions all contain comprehensive introductions, annotations and indices. Or Torah has appeared in an authoritative, annotated edition with introduction, commentaries, comprehensive cross-references and detailed indices, authored by Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet (Brooklyn NY 2006). Likkutim Yekarim annotated edition by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (Jerusalem 1974).
manifests Himself in creation, which is only one aspect of His activity, and which is therefore in reality a self-limitation. Just as God in His goodness limited Himself, and thus descended to the level of the world and man, so it is the duty of the latter to strive to unite with God. The removal of the outer shell of mundane things, or "the ascension of the [divine] spark," being a recognition of the presence of God in all earthly things, it is the duty of man, should he experience pleasure, to receive it as a divine manifestation, for God is the source of all pleasure.
was that it is the purpose of the life on earth to advance until the perfect union with God is attained. Thus the vegetable kingdom serves as food for the animal kingdom, in order that the lower manifestation of divinity, existing in the former, may be developed into a higher one. Man being the highest manifestation has a duty to attain the highest pinnacle in order to be united with God. The way to achieve this, he argued, is through prayer, in which man forgets himself and his surroundings, and concentrates all his thought and feeling upon union with God.
Like the Neo-Platonists, he said that when a man becomes so absorbed in the contemplation of an object that his whole power of thought is concentrated upon one point, his self becomes unified with that point. So prayer in such a state of real ecstasy, effecting a union between God and man, is extremely important, and may even be able to overcome the laws of nature.
is able to remove all his thoughts from earthly things and concentrate completely on God. Because of his union with God, he is the connecting link between God and creation, and thus the channel of blessing and mercy. The love that men have for the tzadik provides a path to God. The duty of the ordinary mortal is therefore to love the tzadik and be subservient to him. In this connection Hasidim cite the classical Jewish
teaching that Scripture considers one who serves Torah scholars to be cleaving to the Almighty Himself. Many Jews outside Hasidic circles argued that there can be no intermediaries between man and God,and this was one of the reasons that some non-Hasidic rabbis objected to Hasidism (see Misnagdim
). Hasidim believe that the root cause of this disagreement, as of all disagreements on questions of Torah, is lack of diligence in investigation. Eventually, many learned non-Hasidic rabbis accepted and even emulated this path.
Articles:
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
) was a disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
, and was chosen as his successor to lead the early movement. Rabbi Dov Ber is regarded as the first systematic exponent of the mystical philosophy underlying the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, and through his teaching and leadership, the main architect of the movement. He established his base in Mezhirichi
Mezhirichi
Mezhirichi is a village in the Korets Raion of the Rivne Oblast, Ukraine. It is located in western Ukraine, 13 miles W of Korets, 27 miles E of Rivne.- Names :Mezhirichi is also known as , , .- Jewish life in Mezhirichi :...
(in Volynia), which moved the centre of Hasidism from the Baal Shem Tov's Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh, previously known as Mezhybozhe, population 1731, is a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is located in the Letychivsky Raion , 25 kilometres from the Khmelnytskyi on the main highway between Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia at the confluence of the Southern Buh and...
(in Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
), where he focused his attention on raising a close circle of great disciples to spread the movement. After his passing, avoiding the unified leadership of the first two generations, this third generation of leadership took their different interpretations and disseminated across appointed regions of Eastern Europe. Under the inspiration of their teacher, this rapidly spread Hasidism beyond the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Galicia and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
His teachings appear in Magid Devarav L'Yaakov, Or Torah, Likutim Yekarim, Or Ha'emet, Kitvei Kodesh, Shemuah Tovah, and in the works authored by his disciples. His inner circle of disciples, known as the Chevraia Kadisha ("Holy Brotherhood"), included his son Rabbi Avraham HaMalach (The Angel), Rabbi Nachum of Czernobyl, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
, Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev
Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev
Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev , also known as the Berdichever, was a rabbi and Hasidic leader. He was the rabbi of Ryczywół, Żelechów, Pinsk and Berdychiv, for which he is best known...
, Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh
Boruch of Medzhybizh
Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh , was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov.Reb Boruch was the first major "rebbe" of the Hasidic movement to hold court in Mezhbizh in his grandfather's hometown and Beis Medrash, which he inherited.As recorded in the early Hasidic work...
, Rabbi Aharon (HaGadol) of Karlin
Karlin (Hasidic Dynasty)
Karlin-Stolin is a Hasidic dynasty originating with Rebbe Aaron the Great of Karlin in present-day Belarus. Karlin was one of the first centres of Hasidim to be set up in Lithuania....
, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk , also known as Menachem Mendel of Horodok, was an early leader of Hasidic Judaism. Part of the third generation of Hasidic leaders, he was the primary disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch...
, Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke of Nikolsburg
Shmelke of Nikolsburg
Shmelke of Nikolsburg was one of the great early Chasidic Rebbes. Born Shmuel Horowitz Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726 Chortkiv, Galicia - 1778 Nikolsburg, Moravia) was one of the great early Chasidic Rebbes. Born Shmuel Horowitz Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726 Chortkiv, Galicia - 1778 Nikolsburg,...
and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi , also known as the Baal HaTanya, , was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia...
.
Name
The most common transliterations are DovBer or Dov Ber; rarely used forms are Dob Baer or Dobh Baer which often depend on the region in Eastern EuropeEastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
where Jews resided and hence the influence of the local Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
dialects. "Dov" literally means "bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
" in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and "Ber" means the same thing (i.e. "bear") in Yiddish, a type of "double-barrelled name
Double-barrelled name
In English speaking and some other Western countries, a double-barrelled name is a family name with two parts, which may or may not be joined with a hyphen and is also known as a hyphenated name. An example of a hyphenated double-barrelled surname is Bowes-Lyon; an example of an unhyphenated...
" used by Jews when giving a name of an animal to a child whereby both the Hebrew and Yiddish versions of the name are combined into one.
He was known as the Maggid
Maggid
Maggid , sometimes spelled as magid, is a traditional Eastern European Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A preacher of the more scholarly sort was called a "darshan", and usually occupied the official position of rabbi...
— "Preacher" or literally "Sayer," one who preaches and admonishes to go in God's ways — of Mezritsh, and near the end of his life the Maggid of the town of Rovne
Rivne
Rivne or Rovno is a historic city in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Rivne Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivne Raion within the oblast...
where he was buried.
The German form Meseritz is sometimes used instead of Mezeritch.
Early life
Rabbi Dov Ber was born in VolhyniaVolhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
in 1710, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia
Jewish Encyclopedia
The Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
, though his year of birth is unknown and some sources place it around 1700. Little is known about him before he became a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. A Hasidic legend states that, when he was five years old, his family home burst into flames. On hearing his mother weeping, he asked: "Mother, do we have to be so unhappy because we have lost a house?" She replied that she was mourning the family tree
Family tree
A family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.-Family tree representations:...
, which was destroyed, and is traced to King David by way of Rabbi Yohanan, the sandal-maker
Yochanan Hasandlar
Johanan HaSandlar was one of the main students of Rabbi Akiva and a contemporary of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He is one of the tannaim whose teachings are quoted in the Mishnah...
and master in the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
. The boy replied: "And what does that matter! I shall get you a new family tree which begins with me!"
When he was young, he reportedly lived in great poverty with his wife. One legend relates that when a child was born, they had no money to pay the midwife. His wife complained and the Maggid went outside to "curse" Israel. He went outside and said: "O children of Israel, may abundant blessings come upon you!" When his wife complained a second time, he went outside again and cried: "Let all happiness come to the children of Israel — but they shall give their money to thorn bushes and stones!" The baby was too weak to cry, and the Maggid sighed rather than "cursing". Immediately the answer came, and a voice said: "You have lost your share in the coming world." The Maggid replied: "Well, then, the reward has been done away with. Now I can begin to serve in good earnest."
His visit to the Baal Shem Tov
Dov Ber later became an admirer of Rabbi Isaac LuriaIsaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
's system of Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, which was becoming popular at that time and was aware of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto , also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL , was a prominent Italian Jewish rabbi, kabbalist, and philosopher.-Padua:Born in Padua at night, he received classical Jewish and Italian educations, showing a...
, whose writings, then only in manuscript, were well known among the Polish mystics of the period. Dov Ber followed the Lurian school, living the life of an ascetic
Asceticism in Judaism
Asceticism is a term derived from the Greek verb ἀσκέω, meaning "to practise strenuously," "to exercise." Athletes were therefore said to go through ascetic training, and to be ascetics....
, fasting a great deal, praying intensely, and living in poverty. He is reported to have become a cripple as a result of poor nourishment.
One account has it that on account of his poor health he was persuaded to seek out the Baal Shem Tov for a cure.
He arrived at the Baal Shem Tov's house, expecting to hear expositions of profound mysteries, but instead was told stories of the latter's everyday life. Hearing only similar stories at each subsequent visit, Rabbi Dov Ber decided to return home. Just as he was about to leave, he was summoned again to the Baal Shem Tov's house. The Baal Shem Tov opened a "Eitz Chaim" of Rabbi Chaim Vital (Rabbi Isaac Luria's chief disciple), and asked Rabbi Dov Ber to elucidate a certain passage. The latter did so to the best of his ability, but the Baal Shem Tov declared that Rabbi Dov Ber did not understand the real meaning of the passage. He reviewed it once more and insisted that his interpretation is correct. Then the Baal Shem Tov proceeded to explain. The legend states that, as he spoke, the darkness suddenly gave way to light, and angels appeared and listened to the Baal Shem Tov's words. "Your explanations," he said to Rabbi Dov Ber, "were correct, but your deductions were thoughts without any soul in them." This experience persuaded Rabbi Dov Ber to stay with the Baal Shem Tov.
Rabbi Dov Ber is reported to have learned from the Baal Shem Tov to value everyday things and events, and to emphasize the proper attitude with which to study Torah
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
. The mystical philosophy of the Baal Shem Tov rejected the earlier emphasis on mortification of the body in Musar
Musar literature
Musar literature is the term used for didactic Jewish ethical literature which describes virtues and vices and the path towards perfection in a methodical way.- Definition of Musar literature :...
and Kabbalistic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
traditions, seeing the greater spiritual advantage in transforming the material into a vehicle for holiness, rather than breaking it. This could be achieved by the perception of the omnipresent Divine immanence in all things, from understanding the inner mystical Torah teachings of Hasidic thought. Under the guidance of the Baal Shem Tov, Dov Ber abandoned his ascetic lifestyle, and recovered his health, though his left foot remained lame. The Baal Shem Tov said that "before Dovber came to me, he was already a pure golden menorah (candelebrum). All I needed to do was ignite it." Regarding his holiness, the Baal Shem Tov also reputedly said that if Dovber had not been lame, and had been able to ritually immerse in the mikvah
Mikvah
Mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism...
, then he could have been able to bring the Mashiach (Messiah).
As leader of the Hasidim
Immediately after the death of the Baal Shem Tov in 1760, his son Rabbi Tsvi became the next Rebbe. After only a year he gave up this position. Among the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, two stood out as contenders to succeed him, Dovber and Yacov Yoseph of Polonne. Yacov Yoseph would later become the author of the first Hasidic book published ("Toldos Yaacov Yosef" in 1780), one of the most direct records of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. By collective consent, the Maggid assumed the leadership of Hasidism. In effect he became the architect of the Hasidic movement and is responsible for its successful dissemination.In contrast to the Baal Shem Tov, the man of the people, who is reported to have walked about, pipe in mouth, chatting to those he met, the Maggid was housebound because of his poor physical condition. A record of the Maggid's court in Mezeritch
Mezhirichi
Mezhirichi is a village in the Korets Raion of the Rivne Oblast, Ukraine. It is located in western Ukraine, 13 miles W of Korets, 27 miles E of Rivne.- Names :Mezhirichi is also known as , , .- Jewish life in Mezhirichi :...
was recorded by the Jewish philosopher and advocate of the Haskalah
Haskalah
Haskalah , the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews in the 18th–19th centuries that advocated adopting enlightenment values, pressing for better integration into European society, and increasing education in secular studies, Hebrew language, and Jewish history...
(secularising movement), Solomon Maimon, in one of the first encounters of a Westernised Jew with Hasidism. He states in his memoirs that the Maggid passed the entire week in his room, permitting only a few confidants to enter. He appeared in public only on Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, dressed in white satin. On those occasions he prayed with people
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
, and kept open house for anyone who wanted to dine with him. After the meal he would reportedly begin to chant, and placing his hand upon his forehead, would ask those present to quote any verse from the Bible. These served as texts for the Maggid's subsequent sermon. Solomon Maimon wrote: "He was such a master in his craft that he combined these disjointed verses into an harmonious whole."
He attracted a remarkable group of scholarly and saintly disciples, including most of his fellow students of the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov had travelled across Jewish areas, reaching out to and inspiring the common folk, whose sincerity he cherished. He sought to revive the broken spirit of the simple Jews. At the same time, he would also seek out the great scholars of Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, to win them over to Hasidism, to whom he taught the inner meaning of his teachings. Many Hasidic tales relate the stories of the Baal Shem Tov's travels, accompanied by his close disciples, and led by his non-Jewish wagon driver. Dovber, in contrast, set up his court in Mezhirichi
Mezhirichi
Mezhirichi is a village in the Korets Raion of the Rivne Oblast, Ukraine. It is located in western Ukraine, 13 miles W of Korets, 27 miles E of Rivne.- Names :Mezhirichi is also known as , , .- Jewish life in Mezhirichi :...
, where his lameness restricted him, and devoted his main focus to articulating the mystical-philosophical system within the Baal Shem Tov's teachings to his close circle of disciples, who would lead the future movement. The simple folk were also able to visit during the Sabbath public attendancies of Dovber, and receive spiritual encouragement and comfort. The Maggid's court became the spiritual seat and place of pilgrimage of the second generation of the Hasidic movement, and moved its centre north from the Baal Shem Tov's residence in Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh, previously known as Mezhybozhe, population 1731, is a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is located in the Letychivsky Raion , 25 kilometres from the Khmelnytskyi on the main highway between Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia at the confluence of the Southern Buh and...
. This move benefited the growth of the movement, as it was closer to new territories in Galicia, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and White Russia
White Russia
White Russia or White Ruthenia is a name that has historically been applied to a part of the wider region of Ruthenia or Rus', most often to that which roughly corresponds to the eastern part of present-day Belarus including the cities of Polatsk, Vitsyebsk and Mahiliou. In English, the use of the...
to reach. It was also nearer to the centre of Rabbinic opposition in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, who perceived of the new movement as a spiritual threat. The holy disciples of Dovber related that:
With the move of Rabbi Dovber, the Shechina (Divine Presence) "Packed up Her belongings and moved from Medzhybizh to Mezeritch, and all we can do is follow"
The elite group of holy disciples, the "Chevraya Kaddisha" ("Holy Society"), included Rabbi Aharon of Karlin, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk , also known as Menachem Mendel of Horodok, was an early leader of Hasidic Judaism. Part of the third generation of Hasidic leaders, he was the primary disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch...
, the brothers Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
and Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol, the brothers Rabbi Shmelka
Shmelke of Nikolsburg
Shmelke of Nikolsburg was one of the great early Chasidic Rebbes. Born Shmuel Horowitz Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726 Chortkiv, Galicia - 1778 Nikolsburg, Moravia) was one of the great early Chasidic Rebbes. Born Shmuel Horowitz Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726 Chortkiv, Galicia - 1778 Nikolsburg,...
(later Chief Rabbi of Nikolsburg) and Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz
Pinchas Horowitz
Rabbi Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz was a rabbi and Talmudist.-Life:The descendant of a long line of rabbinical ancestors and the son of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Horowitz of Chortkiv, he received a thorough Talmudic education, chiefly from his older brother, Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg, together with whom he...
(later Chief Rabbi of Frankfurt-am-Main and author of profound Talmudic commentaries), and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi , also known as the Baal HaTanya, , was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia...
(author of the Tanya
Tanya
The Tanya is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim , but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita"...
, and by instructions of his master, author of an updated version of the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
Code of Jewish Law for the new movement). These disciples, being themselves great Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic authorities as well as well-versed in Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
and Hasidic philosophy
Hasidic philosophy
Hasidic philosophy or Hasidus , alternatively transliterated as Hassidism, Chassidism, Chassidut etc. is the teachings, interpretations of Judaism, and mysticism articulated by the modern Hasidic movement...
, were extremely successful in turning Hasidus into a vast movement.
Opposition of the Rabbis
Hasidism spread rapidly as a result of Dov Ber's powerful personality, gaining footholds in VolhyniaVolhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, and Little Russia
Little Russia
Little Russia , sometimes Little or Lesser Rus’ , is a historical political and geographical term in the Russian language referring to most of the territory of modern-day Ukraine before the 20th century. It is similar to the Polish term Małopolska of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
. The dissolution of the "Four-Lands" synod in 1764 proved favorable to its spread. The local rabbis were annoyed by the growth of the movement, but could not easily do anything about it. The Gaon of Vilna
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kramer, known as the Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna and simply by his Hebrew acronym Gra or Elijah Ben Solomon, , was a Talmudist, halachist, kabbalist, and the foremost leader of non-hasidic Jewry of the past few centuries...
was the only rabbi whose reputation extended beyond the borders of Lithuania. When Hasidism appeared in Vilna
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, the Vilna Gaon enacted the first major excommunication
Cherem
Cherem , is the highest ecclesiastical censure in the Jewish community. It is the total exclusion of a person from the Jewish community. It is a form of shunning, and is similar to excommunication in the Catholic Church...
against Hasidism, which was issued on April 11, 1772. The Vilna Gaon believed the movement was antagonistic to Talmudic rabbinism and was suspicious that it was a remnant of the recent Sabbatean
Sabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi, , was a Sephardic Rabbi and kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement...
movement. See Hasidim and Mitnagdim.
The Maggid's pupils Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk , also known as Menachem Mendel of Horodok, was an early leader of Hasidic Judaism. Part of the third generation of Hasidic leaders, he was the primary disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch...
and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi , also known as the Baal HaTanya, , was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia...
tried to visit the Vilna Gaon to bring about reconciliation, but the Vilna Gaon declined to meet them. Lubavitch legend has it that had the Gaon met with these two Rabbis, the Mashiach (Messiah) would have come.
The ban issued at Vilna drew the eyes of the world toward Hasidism. Rabbi Dov Ber ignored the opposition, but it is blamed in part for his death in Mezritsh on the 19th of Kislev December 15, 1772.
The appointment of his disciples to spread the movement
Rabbi Dovber was intimately familiar with the different natures of his scholarly and saintly followers, and chose their future roles accordingly. To each leading disciple, Dovber appointed a future territory of influence across Eastern Europe, where they dispersed after the passing of the Maggid in 1772. Under the Baal Shem Tov and then the Maggid, Hasidism had flourished in PodoliaPodolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
and Volynia (present day Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). After 1772, under the third generation of leadership, it rapidly spread far and wide, from Galicia and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to White Russia (Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
) in the north. The disciples of the Maggid took different interpretations and qualities of their Master's teachings. This, combined with the new dispersal of their locations, meant that after the Maggid, the Hasidic movement avoided appointing one unifying leader to succeed Dovber.
General Hasidism from the Maggid's academy
The Maggid's disciple Elimelech of LizhenskElimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
began Hasidism in Poland. His classic work Noam Elimelech focuses on the unique Hasidic doctrine of the Tzaddik (Saintly leader and Heavenly intercessor for the wider community). Among all Hasidic works, it develops the theology and instruction of people of great spiritual ability in the different aspects of Tzaddikism. Schneur Zalman of Liadi described Noam Elimelech as the Hasidic "book of the righteous". In Hasidic history, Noam Elimelech became the spiritual doctrine for General-Hasidism, giving birth to the many leaders, successors and dynasties of mainstream Hasidism, and inspiring the emotional attachment and spiritual bond of the common folk to their Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
. Through attachment to the saintly individual, who knew mystical secrets, and interceded in Heaven on their behalf, the followers could connect to Divinity. Where the mainstream role of the Tzaddik was emphasised, it often accompanied belief in the benefit of miracle-working, to channel spiritual and material blessing, and increase fervour. The followers would make pilgrimages to their Masters, where they would gain enthusiasm, receive teachings, or could gain private audiences.
Later dynasties such as Peshischa
Simcha Bunim of Peshischa
Rabbi Simcha Bunim Bonhart of Peshischa was one of the main leaders of Hasidic Judaism in Poland. After studying Torah at yeshivas in Mattersdorf and Nikolsburg, he was introduced to the world of Hasidism by his father-in-law, and became a chasid of Rabbi Yisroel Hopsztajn , and then Rabbi...
-Kotzk
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk, better known as the Kotzker Rebbe was a Hasidic rabbi and leader.-Life:Born to a non-Hasidic family in Goraj near Lublin, Poland, he became attracted to Hasidim in his youth. He was known for having acquired impressive Talmudic and Kabbalistic knowledge at a...
would break away from this General-Hasidic emphasis on Tzaddikim and mysticism.
Among the other followers of Dovber in the academy of Mezeritch, the brother of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol holds a beloved place in Hasidic tradition. Reputedly unable to receive a full teaching from the Maggid, as his excitement caused him to have to run out of the room in dveikus, his holy example personified the elevated soul of the Tzaddik. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who spread Hasidism in the Ukraine, authored the classic Hasidic commentary on the Torah Kedushas Levi
Kedushas Levi
Kedushas Levi is a classic Hasidic commentary on the Torah written by Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev .- Links :**...
, and personified the advocacy of the Jewish people in its relationship with God. He innovated a new spiritual path in defending the people, and persuading their "Heavenly Father" to nullify harsh decrees. This is an argument with God from within the tradition, as Hasidic thought sees love of another person as an extension of love of God.
Later Hasidic lore, to contrast with these paths of mainstream-Hasidism, describes the work Likkutei Moharan by the subsequent, fourth generation Hasidic leader Nachman of Breslav, as the Hasidic "book for the wicked". It gives tremendous hope and encouragement to souls caught up in problems, and through attachment to the creative genius of Rabbi Nachman, receive spiritual redemption. It encourages its followers to pour out their hearts and concerns in simple prayer (hisbodedut), which would benefit especially those trapped by spiritual obstacles. Rabbi Nachman saw his own role as an innovation in Hasidism, and his teachings, directives (such as the Tikkun HaKlali
Tikkun HaKlali
Tikkun HaKlali Rectification"), also known as The General Remedy, is a set of ten Psalms whose recital serves as teshuvah for all sins — in particular the sin of wasted seed through involuntary nocturnal emission or masturbation...
) and unique imaginative wonder-stories are concerned with the rectification of Creation. In this way, Breslav
Breslov (Hasidic dynasty)
Breslov is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism...
Hasidism developed by itself, separate from mainstream-Hasidism, and arose after the life and circle of Dovber of Mezeritch. Because of its veneration of Rabbi Nachman, it became the only Hasidic group to reject succession. Its claims and emphasis on the emotional creativity of its followers, meant that it was often shunned by mainstream Hasidism.
Intellectual Hasidism of Schneur Zalman
Among the circle of disciples of Rabbi Dovber in Mezeritch, Schneur Zalman of Liadi articulated a different path in Hasidism from the mainstream. The separate school of Habad (subsequently named Lubavitch), begun by Schneur Zalman, sought the fullest intellectual articulation of Hasidic thought. The Baal Shem Tov and mainstream Hasidism cherished the simple sincerity and emotional fervour of the common folk. Schneur Zalman reinterpreted this by seeing the mind as the route to the heart. He encapsulated this approach in the TanyaTanya
The Tanya is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim , but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita"...
, which he subtitled the Hasidic "book for the intermediate person". In the Tanya and in other Habad writings, the "Wellsprings" of the Baal Shem Tov's Torah teachings are brought into intellectual analysis and systematic understanding. This mystical philosophy of "Habad" was named after the intellectual powers of the soul in Kabbalah: Hochma, Binah, Daas (Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge). This articulation of Hasidic thought could incorporate the different disciplines of mysticism
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
and philosophy
Jewish philosophy
Jewish philosophy , includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or, in relation to the religion of Judaism. Jewish philosophy, until modern Enlightenment and Emancipation, was pre-occupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism; thus organizing...
, together with the other aspects of Jewish study, by relating to the Divine soul within each approach. The aim of Schneur Zalman was to offer his followers the ability to internalise the mystical philosophy of Hasidism.
The Tanya instructs the "intermediate", regular person in the methods of hisbonenus (intellectual contemplation). When the inner Divine concepts of Hasidic thought are understood and personally perceived, they can then awaken an internal emotional life and soul. Central to this is the Habad rejection of mainstream-Hasidic methods to externally inspire fervour, such as the mystical exhuberance of the Tzaddik, in favour of an inward emotional focus. The second leader of Habad, Dovber Schneuri
Dovber Schneuri
Dovber Schneuri was the second Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic movement. Rabbi Dovber was the first Chabad rebbe to live in the town of Lyubavichi , the town for which this Hasidic dynasty is named...
distinguishes in his "Tract on Ecstacy" between superficial emotional enthusiasm, and inner, intellectually based ecstasy. All branches of Hasidism follow the Baal Shem Tov's love of the sincerity of the simple Jew. The Baal Shem Tov took the Talmudic phrase that "God desires the heart" to the centre of his mysticism. The Habad approach did not seek to replace this, but to build on this natural sincerity, and through its approach, internalise the dimensions of the heart. The followers of the Habad school say that Schneur Zalman and his successors' achievement was to turn the cold faculty of the mind into a warm Hasidic faculty. In Habad, each Rebbe became firstly a teacher of Hasidic philosophy, though they also concerned themselves with the closest details of their followers' lives and welfare. Habad thought sees each subsequent leader as successively explaining Hasidic philosophy into greater comprehension and grasp. The Habad school downplayed miracle-working of the Tzaddik as an external source of inspiration.
Schneur Zalman excelled in both Talmudic and Hasidic thought. Dovber directed him to compile a new version of the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
. Because of his systematic intellectual orientation, the Maggid appointed him to disseminate Hasidus in White Russia, closer to the Rabbinic centre of opposition (Mitnagedim) in Lithuania. His intellectual articulation of Hasidic philosophy, as well as his greatness in Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
could appeal to the camp of opposition. The success of the reconciliation between the Hasidim and the Mitnagdim took about two further generations to bear fruit.
Published words
The Maggid left no writings of his own. Many of his teachings were recorded by his disciples and appeared in anthologies "MaggiD DebaraV le-Ya'akoV" (מגיד דבריו ליעקב the last letters of which title spell "Dov"), known also under the title of Likkutei Amarim ("Collected Sayings"), published at KoretsKorets
Korets is a city in the Rivne Oblast in Ukraine. The city is located on the Korchyk river, 66 kilometers to the east of Rivne. It is administrative center of the Korets Raion. As of 2001, the population of Korets was 8,649....
in 1780 (second edition with additions Korets 1784), and frequently reprinted; Likkutim Yekarim ("Precious Collections"), published at Lemberg in 1792; Or Torah (the largest collection)published in Korets 1804; Or Ha'emet published in Husiatin 1899; Kitvei Kodesh (small collection) published in Lemberg 1862; Shemu'ah Tovah (small collection) published in Warsaw 1938. A number of manuscripts with additional teachings are in the National Library of the Hebrew University. They consist of excerpts from his sermons, transcribed and compiled by his students. The first to be published (Likkutei Amarim) was collated by his relative, Rabbi Solomon ben Abraham of Lutzk, who, as he himself notes, was unhappy with the manuscript but did not have time to edit it properly.
There is a great deal of overlapping between all these texts, but each contains teachings that do not appear in the others. All the texts are corrupt, full of omissions, twisted order, printing-errors and other problems because they were based on whole chains of copyists who were not careful or had faulty manuscripts to begin with. It is only recently that serious work and editing has been done on them: Maggid Devarav Layaakov was edited by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (Jerusalem 1961). Later, a critical edition was edited by Prof. Rivkah Shatz-Uffenheimer (Hebrew University, Jerusalem 1976). Recently, Kehot Publishing of Chabad
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
put out another edition edited by Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet (Brooklyn NY 2008). These recent editions all contain comprehensive introductions, annotations and indices. Or Torah has appeared in an authoritative, annotated edition with introduction, commentaries, comprehensive cross-references and detailed indices, authored by Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet (Brooklyn NY 2006). Likkutim Yekarim annotated edition by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (Jerusalem 1974).
His view of God
For the Maggid, GodNames of God in Judaism
In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title; it represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relationship of God to the Jewish people and to the world. To demonstrate the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for...
manifests Himself in creation, which is only one aspect of His activity, and which is therefore in reality a self-limitation. Just as God in His goodness limited Himself, and thus descended to the level of the world and man, so it is the duty of the latter to strive to unite with God. The removal of the outer shell of mundane things, or "the ascension of the [divine] spark," being a recognition of the presence of God in all earthly things, it is the duty of man, should he experience pleasure, to receive it as a divine manifestation, for God is the source of all pleasure.
On the ecstasy of prayer
Rabbi Dov Ber's view of prayerJewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
was that it is the purpose of the life on earth to advance until the perfect union with God is attained. Thus the vegetable kingdom serves as food for the animal kingdom, in order that the lower manifestation of divinity, existing in the former, may be developed into a higher one. Man being the highest manifestation has a duty to attain the highest pinnacle in order to be united with God. The way to achieve this, he argued, is through prayer, in which man forgets himself and his surroundings, and concentrates all his thought and feeling upon union with God.
Like the Neo-Platonists, he said that when a man becomes so absorbed in the contemplation of an object that his whole power of thought is concentrated upon one point, his self becomes unified with that point. So prayer in such a state of real ecstasy, effecting a union between God and man, is extremely important, and may even be able to overcome the laws of nature.
The role of the tzadik
Rabbi Dov Ber taught that only the tzadikTzadik
Tzadik/Zadik/Sadiq is a title given to personalities in Jewish tradition considered righteous, such as Biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q , which means "justice" or "righteousness", also the root of Tzedakah...
is able to remove all his thoughts from earthly things and concentrate completely on God. Because of his union with God, he is the connecting link between God and creation, and thus the channel of blessing and mercy. The love that men have for the tzadik provides a path to God. The duty of the ordinary mortal is therefore to love the tzadik and be subservient to him. In this connection Hasidim cite the classical Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
teaching that Scripture considers one who serves Torah scholars to be cleaving to the Almighty Himself. Many Jews outside Hasidic circles argued that there can be no intermediaries between man and God,and this was one of the reasons that some non-Hasidic rabbis objected to Hasidism (see Misnagdim
Misnagdim
Misnagdim or Mitnagdim is a Hebrew word meaning "opponents". It is the plural of misnaged or mitnaged. Most prominent among the Misnagdim was Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman , commonly known as the Vilna Gaon or the Gra...
). Hasidim believe that the root cause of this disagreement, as of all disagreements on questions of Torah, is lack of diligence in investigation. Eventually, many learned non-Hasidic rabbis accepted and even emulated this path.
External links
Maps:- Map showing The Baal Shem Tov-Medzhibozh, The Maggid-Mezhirech, and the dissemination of the Maggid's disciples after 1772
- Map of the spread of Hasidism from 1730 and 1760-75, and its encroachment on the Lithuanian centre of Rabbinic opposition
Articles:
- A biography of Dov Ber of Mezeritch
- אור תורה Fulltext (HebrewHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
), chabadlibrary.org