Chazal say that one who is knowledgeable in Torah but did not receive guidance from Torah scholars is reckoned an ignoramus. Since he has not been taught the principles according to which one should approach Torah scholarship, he is likely to apply incorrectly that which he has learnt.
(סוטה כב ע"א)
In a letter to a certain eltere chossid, the Frierdiker Rebbe pleads with him to farbreng with the younger chassidim: "Guidance in Chassidus can only be transmitted from one chossid to another, just as one candle is lit from another. It has been the practice of Anash throughout the generations to devote time to hearing a rich vort from eltere chassidim.
"My father, the Rebbe Rashab, praised this practice and once told me, 'This practice has produced true chassidim! In whom will you find the meaty essence of Chassidus? Only in those who, like humble disciples, cleaved closely to eltere chassidim (shimshu es ziknei hachassidim). Their perceptions are distinctively superior. Many think that Chassidus is haskala, scholarship; that is a mistake! Chassidus is recognizing how Elokus permeates everything. And this recognition was always brought about through the eltere chassidim.' "
(אג"ק מוהריי"צ ח"א ע' תרטו)
The Frierdiker Rebbe related: Chassidim would often ask eltere chassidim to explain to them the meaning of the words they had heard from the Rebbe at yechidus.
Reb Hillel Paritcher writes: Whoever wants to walk in the paths of Chassidus must be connected to the tzaddik of the generation, such as the Rebbe. In addition, one needs to have an elder chossid who will teach him and explain the Rebbe's teachings and Chassidus. This will enable the chossid to see and hear Elokus.
(סה"ש תש"ב ע' 123, מגדל עז ע' שנג)
Guided Thinking
The Tzemach Tzedek would often direct yungeleit to the eminent chossid, Reb Hillel Paritcher, to be guided in the ways of Chassidus. Reb Hillel in turn would entrust each newly-arrived yungerman to the hands of two elder yungeleit, who in addition to explaining the basics of Chassidus, would most importantly tell him sippurim about the Rebbeim and about chassidim of earlier generations. They would retell each story numerous times, until it penetrated the yungerman and he knew its details well. They would then ask him what lessons – in refining one's middos, in yiras Shomayim and hashgacha protis – could be learned from the story. They would urge the yungerman to toil, as one does in serious study, to find the lessons, and they would help him in his search. Finally, they would tell him what lessons they had been told by their own madrich, Reb Hillel.
On the first three Shabbosim of a newly-arrived yungerman, Reb Hillel would relate a sippur in addition to the teachings of Chassidus that he delivered every Shabbos. After the sippur they would all sing niggunim, and then discuss the lessons to be derived in avoda of the heart and the mind.
Reb Hillel explained the reason for this procedure: "The beginning of avoda is 'Adam ki yakriv mikem' – a person has to offer of himself to HaShem. Those words appear at the beginning of Sefer Vayikra. However, in order that one should know that he is an adam, and how an adam should conduct himself, the seforim of Bereishis and Shmos, which are mostly sippurim, come first."
(אגרות קודש מוהריי"צ ח"ד ע' נ"א)
Reb Groinem, the revered mashpia in Lubavitch, would invest time and effort to hear what eltere chassidim had to say, and would go to wherever he could hear a gut vort, an insightful teaching. Whenever an elterer chossid visited Lubavitch, Reb Groinem would visit him and listen to what he had to say.
(רשימו"ד חדש ע' 264)
One Yom-Tov, at a seuda with his chassidim, the Frierdiker Rebbe related the following.
When a chossid is actively involved in his shlichus he is mekushar to the Rebbe. His entire being is bound to the Rebbe. He walks like a chossid, eats like a chossid, and sleeps like a chossid. However, this is only true of chassidim who have a mentor and accept guidance. If, however, one is his own teacher and guide, the above does not apply.
The Rashbatz would tell the story of a Russian non-Jew who found a pair of tefillin. Grabbing them by the straps, he headed for the market to sell his new metzia. A yid walking by was shocked to see a non-Jew holding tefillin by the retzuos and dragging the batim on the ground.
He asked him in astonishment, “Where did you get those?”
The non-Jew responded arrogantly, Ya sam sapozhnik! ("I myself am a cobbler!”), as if to show off his craftsmanship by claiming to have made them himself.
The Frierdiker Rebbe concluded, “The lesson is self understood...”
(סה"ש תרח''צ ע' 264)
Consider
Why specifically because Chassidus is a 'recognition' does it require guidance from eltere chassidim? And had it been scholarship?
Why is it impossible to be a self-made chossid? How does the story of "sam sapozhnik" express this?
