What is Hasidism?
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- Опубликовано: 7 окт 2021
- The Hasidic movement is pretty famous. But few are aware of its deep mystical teachings and connections with Kabbalah. In this episode, we explore the early history of the Hasidim.
This episode was written by Seth Weprin and co-written by me (Filip Holm).
Check out Zevi's companion video: • The Philosophy of Hasi...
Sources/Suggested Reading:
Idel, Moshe (1995). "Hasidism: Between Ecstacy and Magic". SUNY Press.
Idel, Moshe. “Modes of Cleaving to the Letters in the Teachings of Israel Baal
Shem Tov: A Sample Analysis.” Jewish History 27 (2013): 299-317.
Jacobson-Maisels, James. “My Aid Will Come from Nothingness: The Practice of Negative Theology in Maggid Devarav Le-Ya’akov.” In Michael Fagenblat Negative Theology As Jewish Modernity. New Jewish Philosophy and Thought. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2017.
Krassen, Mosheh Aaron. “Introduction: Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov: Prophet of a New
Paradigm.” In Israel ben Eliezer. Pillar of Prayer. Translated by Menachem Kallus. Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2010.
Magid, Shaul. “The Intolerance of Tolerance: Mahaloket (Controversy) and Redemption in Early
Hasidism.” Jewish Studies Quarterly 8, no. 4 (2001): 326-368.
Nadler, Allan. The Faith of the Mithnagdim: Rabbinic Responses to Hasidic Rapture. Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997.
Scholem, Gershom. “The Neutralization of the Messianic Element in Early Hasidism.” In The
Messianic Idea in Judaism. New York: Schocken Books, 1995 [1971].
#Hasidism #Mysticism #Judaism
Really glad I found this channel. It's fascinating to learn about these beliefs from a respectful and secular perspective.
I wish it blew up and melted some of the prejudice and misconceptions towards religion that have become mainstream.
@@Slasgo lol, like what??
@@oldleatherstocking3185 Stuff like people thinking belief in God means having an imaginary friend or associating it with moralistic preachiness, generally viewing it in a negative light and thinking atheism is objectively right. Or thinking that it's generally anti-science. Sorry, my first comment came out a bit pretentious, lol
I am also glad that you found this channel!
i literally just found this channel last week & i echo your gladness.
Epic to collab with you again brother. Well done on this video, it came out superb. Looking forward to more. Much love, Zevi
Good stuff
Awesome!
גדול!
Great video!
Thank you Zevi!
I found this channel 2 days ago. I come from a background of academic comparative religious studies and I'm very impressed with your research, and with the approach of your presentations. I've been learning quite a lot! thanks for your hard work :)
Welcome!
👍
🎵 simply the Besht, better than all the resht 🎵
hahahaha damn you 😂
A fellow mlb fan! John3 :16 & have a blessed day byeeeee
I was looking for this comment 😂
Can you do a basic primer on the topic of mysticism in general and show how it manifests in different religions? It could even be a series that goes through some of the basic terminology that often comes up in these topics.
Check out the channel Esoterica! He covers all that.
@@taylorkirkland3529 thank you!
I agree with the esoterica channel reccomendation. As far as Jewish mysticism it's encouraged to thoroughly study the Torah before you study Kabbalah to get a full understanding.
I live in NYC. I have seen the Hasidic community for years everywhere in NYC (mainly Brooklyn and Manhattan). It’s nice to finally learn about what they believe in. Thank you for this highly educational video. By learning about each other’s religious beliefs, hopefully we can better learn to respect and co-exist in peace.
Your comments prove u dont know GOD. Learn about the heathen religions which u r in.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the true son of GOD the father with the holy spirit is the triune GOD .
U r in a cult who is waiting 4 antichrist
I love the way you treated this subject, even complicated for us orthodox Jews to summery.
Commendation for the excellent pronunciations!
All your videos are made with a great respect for each religion you researched carefully and what you present during your very clear and transparant expositions. Keep going. That's the spirit we need so much nowadays.
Remarkable and uncommon amount of tact, respect and consideration around some very difficult explanations that I have never heard much about but have always been curious about. It’s a huge influence in our culture that no one understands much about. Good to broaden that public understanding a little.
Thanks for posting this, I’m in middle of listening while I draw.
He is my 15th great grandfather. So I just wanted to hear about him through an unbiased perspective.
I by chance found this channel 4 days ago. Since I have learned tremendously with easy understanding with this young man, academically knowledgeable explaining things with pedagogy .
Glad I found this channel! It’s a great balance of precise information, yet being detailed enough.
One of the clearest and most concise explorations of chasidic mystical theology can be found in the ‘The Thirteen Petalled Rose’, a masterwork by recently departed Adin Steinsaltz.
Your video and research are golden nuggets for my Phd research on the topic of “spiritual intertwine in monolithic religions”. Thank you very much
Your channel is so unbelievable powerful. Do you realize how much people all over the world you're helping out with this work you're putting out? Notorious Big voice: "if you don't know, now you know". Thank you very much. Afz Shahier Moenna from the Netherlands.
Thank you for your work. I love how you talk from a objective perspective.
As much as I can!
Thanks for this fascinating and insightful over view of Hasidic history and practice Philip, always a good day when I learn something, and I always learn something on your channel.
Thank you!
I really love your keen insights and even handedness while explaining various religious practices. I also very much appreciate your educated pronunciations of important words. Thanks you so much!
Yes. I have been waiting for this one. Excellent work.
I've been trying to figure out what Kabbalah really is, but haven't had time to deep dive on the subject myself. Thank you so much for making this video. Love this channel.
@Bolek Kolek Shlomo Sand did some exceptional work on that topic. You cannot have chosen people esp when their belief ends up creating laws that are racist to others.
Brilliant as usual. Thanks for all the research you do to put such wonderful videos out to the public.
I am going to share this channel with all my friends thank you for all your hard work
Great docu for introducing one on this topic - made my evening. So, thanks a lot!
Wonderful video Filip!
It's amazing how far you've come both in the depth of your videos and the quality.
Love the pairing with Zevi 💙
Thank you very much!
As a Chabadnik I love this explanation of Hasidism. Much love!
Isn't it a cult?
@@ninjamusic9554 No it’s not
@@ninjamusic9554 😂😂 am I missing something?
Thank you very much!!!... Finally I understand why this kind of Jewish approach is more open to show their teachings to non Jews (of course, they put us in a status of Noah followers, so we don't need to follow all the commands/misbot); Nowadays their knowledge can make our lives more meaningful. Blessings to you my friend.
You should record audiobooks. Your voice relaxed me so much, I feel asleep. I do love your video subjects and find your research quite compelling and thorough.
Hey, hope you're having an excellent day! Have you thought of ever covering the afro-latino religions such as macumba, palo, candomblé or santeria? It'd be pretty interesting to have a respected voice from the community such as you cover these topics in an informative and non-biased way.
Thank you for sharing. This was really interesting! Heading off now to view the recommendation you made in your video. Thanks for putting the link in your description. :-)
Thank you for this in depth information. Very helpful for my study in Hasidism this summer ❤️
Love your effort in making the correct pronounciation! My grandfather was born in the city where the Baal Shem Tov was born
Brilliant channel very informative , researched and well presented .
Your pronunciation was a bit off in some places, but you really made an effort! I was impressed. Good video! (I am Jewish and was part of a Hasidic community for some years.)
I expect not less! I'm glad you liked the video!
Hello, may I know why you left the ideology?
@@saikouyayabarry9665 Because I was no longer interested in adhering to such a strict interpretation of Jewish law. None of my family are that observant. It's worth mentioning that Jewishness is an ethnic and cultural identity as well as a religious one, and I am still Jewish even if I no longer practice what some people call Orthodox Judaism.
@@LetsTalkReligion I've also lived in a chassidic community for years and studied it academically and am very impressed with the accuracy of your presentation overall, and your pronunciations were almost all correct. Well done.
@@oaktree__ op
Incredible work to come out with two videos so fast with such great research and quality. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much for this video, 🌻🍀
( I am from Lublin, Poland (Ha Baal Shem Tov had traveled, spreading his knowledge in these regions , very animated with hassidic movements.
(Olga Tokarczuk( Nobel Price 2018) in her novel "Jacob's books" ("Księgi Jakubowe") gave very interesting narrative portrait of people and different events, which took place in XVII century in these places :'Rzeczposloplita Polska))
@The Imperishable Star
Team's outfit.
It was very nice to watch the video.Explained in an extraordinary way.thanks for new video
I enjoy these videos and I appreciate the host’s fair mindedness.
I wonder if you’ve considered doing a video on Christian Eastern Orthodoxy?
I love your channel, I have learned so much and you present it in a true scholarly way
Wonderful video. Thank you Filip.
Amazing video once again! U are so objective and insightful, well done
Great channel. Loved it!
The early Hasidic outlook on “god” is eerily similar to the Daoist (Zhuangzi’s) interpretation of Dao. Shneur then takes it further especially. The contraction reminds me of the demarcation of the elements and bagua. The delimitation described by Nadler and others is nearly identical to the YiJing in many respects. Absolutely excellent content. I’ve been trying to reconcile and compare/contrast Qaballah and the heavenly palaces of Daoism and the yijing. Devokut is also nearly identical to the Daoist concept of “embracing the Dao until one becomes the Dao”; yichudim imho correlates to the daoist realisations of Wu/kung or more specifically realisation of wu wei and paradoxically weiwuwei in one’s life. It becomes a regular part of your life. Your life literally becomes your practice and or devotion.
Excellent content, Brilliantly done. Subscribed
Thanks for another great video and the link to the sister video. I’ll have to definitely check it out such a complex subject to learn. I attended Jesuit schools and college just now delving into Kabbalah and have a long way to go.
Thank you for sharing I find your videos very interesting and helpful in many ways,Blessings to you and your family always ❤
Another great video, thank you for your work 👍
That was really well-done. Thank you!
I haven't seen any of your videos, until now.
I have learned something new.👍
Thank you! So incredibly interesting. Glad I found your channel. 😊👍
Wow! Brilliant! Knowing sooo little about Judaism full stop, the amount I learned & was surprised about was incredible! Particularly how recent Hasidism is, & how much mysticism Judaism involves. Only knowing about Christianity, some aspects reminded me of Protestantism- a more personal relationship with God, & a more egalitarian approach to knowledge, like being allowed to read the bible yourself in your native language.
Protestantism isn't really steeped in mysticism though.
Nothing mystical about a charismatic professing that rabbi yeshua died to save us from financial hardship.
Another great teaching brother. Enjoyed it!
Fascinating how similar some of their ideas are to African Spirituality (isiNtu / Ifa / Vodoun).
Åşė, Shalom, Ndauwe, Camagwini.
Santeira Catolik black magic in Mexico-South America.
Lemu in Borneo
Black nazerene in Filipina
Leak in Bali
Ilm Gadam in Sumatra
Begig in Java
Sela from Sang he religion in NTT/NTb/Ambon
Pok2/Warekang in Celebes island
Palangkaran/palengkuhan West Sumatra
Kwa/Mwa from Goddes Zulu,China
Africa Ndzulu with Mbeh/Njah goddes
47 Goddes founder by Suffism Allah/Goddes active of Earth Crowlley research in Africa,Aiwa etc..
Quraisyh Saudi Arabia Goddes is Hanifah not Allah (they call Goddess of Jews Israel)
Sherapedik Jews in Ambon 1442,31 Maret going from Spain to Ambon.
Very well presented. Thanks!
Great Video as always.
Triple A content. Keep up the great job. Thank you.
Fascinating how all mystics strive for the unification of mind,the hasidic spiral reminds me of the concept of Wahdat al wujud
Never heard of Sabbatai Zevi. Story sounds fascinating.
wow! loved learning from this. 😊
I'm glad!
Wonderful video, as usual! 😁
thank you, absolutely enriching, all the best wishes
I saw my Lord with the eye of the heart
I asked, 'Who are You?'
He replied, 'You
Mansur Al Hallaj
Eyn Sof(Hebrew)Ain Sof(Arabic)Infinate God is in Pure Eye.
👀
Religion is for our primitive and ignorant ancestors. Still interesting though.
@@charlesrb3898 it isnt and cool genetic fallacy
Ein is actually "En" with the letter Alef and it means "there isn't" but some people, especially with English accent, say Eyn with strong y. Ayin means Eye, so Eyn or Ein (with the letter Ayin) means "Eye of"
I love this channel 💖
What a great surprise. Friday with let's talk religion!!!
Oh, this video appeared right on time for my afternoon coffee
whenevr i wanna make my mind up about a channel, a magazine, whatever - i look to see how it covers a sensitive topic i'm relatively familiar with the complexities of.
this was a good surprise. thoguhful, knowledgable and respectful. 🙂
(even the use of Hebrew terms was well done. surely not an easy task if you didn't know any before! and the pronounciation - all of it either accurate or very close to accurate. very impressive.)
This is a valiant attempt to discuss a very complex topic. For me the Baal Shem Tov was trying to convey that the Divine is found in the very essence of all things: in the Torah, in the starry sky, in the trees, in other people, even in the ordinary objects of life. Thus the Light of the Divine is found in the deepest nature of all things, if you look from the perspective of profound piety.
For those looking for more info on the fascinating life of Shabtai Tzvi, Sam Aronow has a great video about his life. Sam’s channel is great for those who want to learn more about Jewish history.
Thank you so much for a sane explanation of this movement. Sounds logical to me. You give me hope ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks for great videos you make man. Very entertaining and informative indeed.
Just wanted to make a tiny suggestion: I guess I've seen you using dark matter analogy elsewhere too. I think the analogy most likely bothers people who actually know about the dark matter issue in physics. It's probably wiser not to use this kinds of science analogies to explain theological concepts.
Wish you the best of luck!
I was laughing at your characterization of "mysticism" as expected to be associated with "hippies" (in our recent history). Then you added that "mystics" were "actually" following a strict model of practice (as opposed to the "stoned, frisbee-throwing hippies"?)... hah hah...
Being an OLD hippie myself, I am compelled to comment.
The hippies I knew were often the most focused, hard-working people, whenever it made sense. If there was a "system" or "practice" that was useful, then yeah, the hippies woke up at the crack of dawn and then dove in headfirst.
The "shabby style" (that described their hair and dress) wasn't to express their commitment to a lazy unstructured lifestyle, but it was an embracing of "nature" which had been defiled and stomped out of American culture due to militarism, consumerism, and worship of technology (during the 50s). Their choice was to identify themselves as "part of nature" as opposed to identifying with merely their national flag, or race, or religious affiliation (that they were born into), which of course made them open-minded enough to examine their own religion and be open to spirituality from Eastern sources that made the most sense.
But I'm not criticizing your comment at all, because there was certainly an abundance of lazy, stoned-out hippies throwing frisbees in the park, to reinforce that enduring stereotype.
But never forget that the disciples of those Indian gurus and Zen masters, that arrived in the 60s, were MOSTLY hippies. But, after they shaved their heads and traded in their faded denim for monk's robes, it became easy to forget that link.
😀
When I got to college in the early 1990s, the "hippie/stoner" dorm on campus was known to have the highest GPA collectively- including the hard/STEM science majors. Aside from the bongo-drum circles and purple haze on friday nights, I knew where to find a tutor for Stoichiometry and Math!
@@juniorjames7076 😂Ahh! Thank you!
Even in the 90s!
Once they discover what they want to do in the world, there is no stopping them... It's just that "normal inducements" such as fear of failure, and threats from parents were never really effective on them in high school... College is another thing altogether.
comment of the week
It's good to hear someone do this. It's tragic that this generation is falling out of living memory so no one will remember anything but the stereotypes.
Spirituality from the east doesn't make more sense, it is just exotic to the most. Those things are part of every religion. Mysticism, contemplation, awareness are part of all religions. The reason why eastern religions seem less stupid is, because you didn't grew up among the typical day-to-day believer. If you dive deep into Christianity, Islam or Judaism, you'll see the same level of deep insight.
Beautiful description
23:00 BOMBSHELL, whoa... never knew this. will need to research further
Love studying Chassidut. Good stuff man.
I'd love to see a video about mythical beasts especially all of the ancient Hebrews beliefs on dragons as I understand the Early Hebs even described God Himself as to be in a dragons form. And I've also heard the seraph angels could be likened to a dragon as well.And I'm curious to know if any this could be tied into Hermeticism where the dragon played a big part as well.Ive done alot of independent study on alchemy,hermeticism and I'd like to see filepes take on this.
Thank you. This was an excellent, albeit general, introduction to the Hasidic movement. It might be interesting to touch upon the present day manifestations of the movement and it's impact on contemporary Israeli politics. Habad for example. Also, the current day tensions, at times leading to violence between Hassidim and Mitnagdim (often called "Litaim", ultra orthodox who reject the Hasidic approaches).
@Bolek Kolek We may all come from a single source but we are not all equal.
@@user-bm3rc3os6d can you elaborate? What do you mean with "not all equal"?
@@luddewho You get from life what you put into it and not everyone applies the same amount of effort and everyone has a unique path from birth to death. So, by definition we cannot all be equal. We all deserve individual rights, and no one should be able to impose on our personal choices unless there’s harm but we are not equal. That is the principal America was founded on - Individual rights and liberties. Believing we are all equal is a slippery slope to socialism and communism. Ultimately, true equality’s impossible because there will always be a single dictator who controls the masses so while we have the illusion of equality, our master pulls the strings.
@@user-bm3rc3os6d You get from life what you put in to it, but not all people have the same prerequisites in life. Socially and economically we're not equal but as humans we are.
@@luddewho I disagree. Humans are not all equal. Sure, we’re all human but that is such a broad way of looking at humanity and we are far more complex than that. This is my view. I respect yours, but mine will not change.
Some of the things Vilna Gaon criticized the Hasidim for remind me of how certain Muslims accuse Sufis of not strictly adhering to Shariah.
We find those kinds of debates in many different religious traditions :)
S tier logo right there.
Thanks for the scholarship.
All great religions, philosophies and mythologies emanated from one source: God. Thanks for your hard work. Thumbs upped and subscribed.
But they cannot all be true. What does it mean when they're all conflicting with each other?
That's what the Baha'i, Unitarians and Omnists believe... totally agree 👍
No…..all religions, philosophies and mythologies did not come from God….that statement doesn’t make any sense as the majority of religions and philosophical ideas conflict with one another in significant ways. That’s like saying Absurdism and Humanism are the same or that their is not difference between Hinduism and Islam.
Furthermore, many religious founders believed that had visions from god, stating that their religion was the one true religion, Zoroaster had a vision of Ahura Mazda, Muhammad had a revelation from Allah and a Gurú saw a vision of God’s court leading to the birth of Sikhism. All of these visions cannot be from God, as they conflict and create confusion. God would not send visions to confuse or cause disorder and division.
@@AnonymousC-lm6tc You are looking at the differences ONLY. The spiritual/enlightened, look at the common ground. 🔆
@@gabrielleangelica1977 We call that cognitive dissonance, not enlightenment.
What I appreciate is boiling down religions it always comes back to god is here within and without us. God is all encompassing
Hi I really enjoyed your lectures about religons is it potentially possible you have one pogrom or some information about TANTRIC religion or is it religion or just the culet. Thank you for efforts and information.
Best wishes
Reach nothingness, possibly reincarnation and "meditation" to get in contact with the divine within. My association was to buddhism, several times, when listening to this excellent presentation.
Really appreciate your work, brother. Wondering if I can donate to you in anyway. Peace
Blessed is the naked man that only testifies to The Light.
interesting word derivations. always have a need for knowing where and how expressions come about. seek first to understand then be understood.
Glad to see you covering Hasidism on its own. Here in Brooklyn, NY, the men in black hats and clothing are what come to mind for a reason. They're everywhere! Jewish mysticism is absolutely fascinating. I could spend a long time studying more, and still wouldn't break the surface.
My family are Palestinian muslims with homes in Jerusalem very close to the old city and holy sites. I was brought back into religion from being agnostic first from Christianity and then into the more occult and mystic Christianity, judiasm and most importantly The Kabbalah, I have been blessed with like .000001% of the wisdom that is gained by studying it and my outlook on the universe and how i live my life have changed so much for the better, God and his creation is so unfathomable and beautiful and If most of the world knew or could grasp this divine wisdom and know what I know, their would be no wars and a utopia might be possible that's how powerful it is. My heart breaks seeing Palestinians and Jews harbor such hatred for eachother and kill eachother, The leaders of Israel will be judged by god for not taking the right steps to deescalate the conflict, I hope one day my Palestinian brothers can be given equal rights and protections under the law that Israeli citizens enjoy and through empathy and compassion for one another the wounds and trauma both sides have can begin to slowly heal and they realize that the land can infact be shared. God have mercy on us all I hope I can one day see the tide begin to turn in the right direction so we can all worship god in this holy land side by side and realize how much we all have in common especially with the same divine spark within us all.
@@timdillon4876 cool. have you perhaps considered that war, in all of its supposed evil, is a more generative and divine state for humanity to exist in? just a thought!
@@sjuvanet Maybe i'm having trouble understanding what you mean by this. But I'm a fan of Jesus's teachings and the importance of Chesed, of overcoming our animalistic and lower desire for revenge, for war or violence. I believe forgiveness and choosing peace not only is a incredible display of strength but is holy and righteous and brings our soul closer to God, For god is perfect and free of sin. War and violence does undeniably have it's place and has a purpose in the grand scheme of things as with all other "evils" but i believe choosing pacifism as hard as it can be to maintain to be a very sacred and righteous choice.
@@timdillon4876 I can tell by your words and response you are turning water to wine!!
My favourite youtuber ❤️
Did you/can you make a video about paganism? its probably something people in the west learn about, but from my understanding its a blanket term for any non christian religion but do we know specifics? like what sort of religions got wiped out during those times or new ones formed/merged under oppression?
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God almighty; the whole earth is filled with His glory!” I know no better expression of the paradox of the LORD’s simultaneous transcendance and immanence.
Ya!
And "if i ascend to Heaven, thou art there, and if i descend to "hell" thou art there!"
Meister Eckhart explains it thus: He is utterly distinct from everything, because He is the only thing that is everything.
No different than the atheism of Spinoza.
In Gersom Scholem's writings I tend to find him referencing the Medieval Hasids, do you think you can make a video about these Hasids?
It is absolutely not the same thing, despite the same word used.
The Mishna also has reference to "Hasidim Rishonim" (firsts Hasidic). The meaning is not about the Besht's Chasidic movement focusing on Dvekut and the Tzadik, but rather on Religious strictness of Adherens
You did a great short intro.
Piety and institutionalization are tense bedfellows. Institutionalization ends in hierarchy which end piety at every level of the 'social ladder'; hence ends the 'inner values' espoused.
What you said about Shabbatai Zevi converting to Islam to the dismay of his followers brought to my mind the idea of people converting to a religion en masse. I've heard that in India sometimes there are conversion events where hundreds of Dalits convert to Christianity or Islam together, but I don't know anything about it really, and would love it if you would touch on this, or even just conversion in general, in a future video. Thanks for your amazing work.
Very interesting. Thanks 🖖🏼
Very interesting !
Very interesting! Even thought I've been interested in judaism almost all of my life (not only being almost jewish by heritage), but the point that made me comment about something is the idea of being 40+ years old and having children compared to the idea of being able to understand godliness without having these 'things', which leads me to think about the situations where a christian holy man decides to deny all of these things to become a holy, and as we all know, christianity evolved from a judaism, so keeping in mind the all variations this is very fascinating.
It is amazing how Hasidim and Sanatana Dharma are teaching the same thing. It is just using a different vocabulary, but the major ideas and practices are all there.
True, that's what i tought at the first few min of the video.
This sort of intolerance should be embarrassing to you. Trying to make out that different religious traditions teach the same thing as Hinduism is profoundly intolerant. You should have learned when you were called out for doing this on other videos, under different account names in the past. Be better than this.
Very similar to HARE KRSHNA
Kabbalah is a combination of jewish thought and neoplatonism which in turn was constructed by Plotinus, who at the time attempted to merge all of the world traditions known to him through his study in Alexandria.
Would you say that the Hasidic philosophy is similar to dvaita or advaita?
Clarity of exposition! 🖖
Are you planning to do a video on Sikhism and The Voodo ?
Thank you!💙
I do associate Hasidism with mysticism, I find it amazing❤️