A chassid’s connection to his or her Rebbe is one of the most fundamental aspects of chassidic life. In the Jewish world at large, it is also one of the most misunderstood. Like many of the more spiritual concepts in Judaism, the role and function of a Rebbe has been largely cloaked in mystery, misinterpreted, or simply unknown.
So what exactly is a Rebbe? Is he a tzaddik (a completely righteous person)? A Torah genius? Is he a leader who inspires, guides, teaches, and counsels his followers in matters of personal and religious life?
A Rebbe is all of the above. But no matter how many lofty qualities and superlatives you attribute to a Rebbe, he is much more than that. A Rebbe is someone whose entire being is permeated with G-dliness; one of the few people whom G-d has “planted in each generation” to give the Jewish people a window into depths of spirituality they could not possibly perceive, understand, or sense on their own.
A Rebbe has no worldly desires other than connecting to G-d, following the laws of the Torah and guiding others to do the same. This unique dimension is what differentiates him from common Torah scholars and leaders.
There are many different groups of chassidim, each with their own unique customs and way of life. Nevertheless, common to all chassidic groups is the connection between the chassidim and their Rebbe.
Fearing comparisons to other religions, Jews, out of a lack of knowledge, have often rejected and even publicly condemned some of the most basic concepts of their own tradition. If Jews have a direct connection to G-d, say some, how can a Jew or a Jewish group place so much importance on a human being of flesh and blood?
The lack of understanding of the Rebbe-chassid relationship and the role of a Rebbe in the overall scheme of Judaism can easily lead to misconceptions. The purpose of this book will be to address these misconceptions and provide a clear and enlightening explanation of the historical origins and ongoing importance of a Rebbe in Jewish life and his connection with his followers.
The Origins of the Chassidic Movement
The spiritual dimension of Judaism known as Chassidism existed since the beginning of time but was kept a guarded secret, passed down from tzaddik to tzaddik in each generation. It was only revealed to the masses by Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, known as the Baal Shem Tov, “the Master of the Good Name,” in the early 1700s, when dire circumstances among the Jewish people necessitated the revelation of its teachings.
Many Jewish groups rose up in fierce opposition against the chassidic movement, claiming that it added new aspects and practices to Judaism — a clear violation of Torah law. Ignorant of the truth and validity of chassidic philosophy, and not wanting to repeat the calamities that accompanied the false messiah, Shabtai Tzvi, these Jewish groups committed themselves to eradicating the movement. It took nearly a century to satisfy the questions and concerns posed by other Jewish groups regarding the legitimacy of Chassidism. Through systematic and intellectual exposition, chassidic Rebbes and their followers successfully demonstrated how every aspect of Chassidism is firmly rooted in Torah — whether the Written Torah, Midrash, Oral Torah, or the Zohar — and how chassidic teachings are not additions to, but deeper dimensions of, already existing Torah lore.
Everything in Chassidism has its source in Torah. The only “new” thing that the Baal Shem Tov introduced was that previously unstressed details and aspects of the Torah way of life were brought to the fore and given more attention.
An analogy can be drawn from the medical field. More than a century ago, the practice of medicine was primarily performed by general practitioners. Medical specialty did not exist; medicine was practiced for the most part by a family practitioner who treated everything. He treated the heart. He treated the brain. He treated the bones. He delivered babies. He performed surgery.
The concept of medical specialization emerged in the 19th century, when certain areas of medicine were singled out for special practices which demonstrate appropriate aspects of joy for each of the holidays.
Simchah
A common factor in all chassidic groups, being b’simchah (happy) was one of the fundamental concepts taught by the Baal Shem Tov. So basic is happiness to chassidic life that before the chassidic people were called chassidim, one of their transitory names was the Yiddish term “de freilicha — the happy ones.”
Opponents to the chassidic movement would erroneously condemn simchah in one’s G-dly practice as negative or frivolous, yet the importance of joy in one’s Divine service was not an innovation of the Baal Shem Tov — it’s an essential part of Torah. As the verse in the Book of Psalms states: “Ivdu es Hashem b’simchah” — “You should serve G-d with joy.” And the Talmud states special practices which demonstrate appropriate aspects of joy for each of the holidays.
Even though joy is the general mood of these holidays, the essence of one of the holidays, Sukkos, is joy itself. In the special holiday prayers, Sukkos is called z’man simchaseinu (the time of our joy). In the times of the Holy Temple (Beis HaMikdash) in Jerusalem, there was so much singing, dancing and rejoicing during the holiday of Sukkos and the intermediate nights of Simchas Beis HaSho’evah, that if a person did not experience that joy it was considered as if he never experienced real joy in his life.
Clearly, then, joy has always been part of the Torah and an important aspect of the Jewish way of life. What the Baal Shem Tov revealed was that his times necessitated an increased emphasis and focus on this particular area of Torah practice in greater measure than before.
Song
Another heightened aspect of chassidic life is serving G-d through song. Song is so intrinsic to the chassidic way of life that someone well-versed in chassidic melodies can actually hear a particular melody and identify from which chassidic group it originated.
Critics of Chassidism called the use of song as a vehicle for inspiration a waste of time, claiming that inspiration can only be stimulated through learning Torah.
But the idea of serving G-d through song is hardly new. After the Jews were miraculously saved at the Splitting of the Sea, the first thing the Torah records is the Song of Moses and the Song of his sister Miriam in praise of G-d.
One of the main services performed in the Beis HaMikdash by the Levites was praising G-d through song. Regardless of whether they sang or played instruments, an integral part of their holy service there was to fill the Holy Temple with music. Often attributed to an innovation of Chassidism, song has always played a role in Jewish practice. The Baal Shem Tov merely recognized the need to bring this aspect of Torah life to the forefront.
Prayer
An emphasis on deep and heartfelt prayer is another practice that characterizes the chassidic movement.
The Talmud discusses certain individuals from early Talmudic times who would spend up to nine hours a day on prayer. For each of the three daily prayers, they would prepare an hour before prayer, spend an hour on the actual prayer, and then take an hour to absorb and internalize what they gained from each experience, totaling nine hours of daily prayer.
Even though these people lived approximately 1,800 years before the chassidic movement, they were called chassidim, so when the Baal Shem Tov instituted a revival of lengthy prayer, his adherents also became referred to as chassidim.
When the time came for Reb Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the great Torah genius and future first Rebbe of Chabad, to decide where to further his studies, he considered two opportunities. Of the two Torah centers in the world at that time, one emphasized Torah study and one emphasized prayer. In Vilna, whose central figure was the Vilna Gaon, Reb Schneur Zalman would be in the court of one of the greatest Torah masters of all time. In the city of Mezritch, he would focus on the service of prayer under the great chassidic master, the Maggid of Mezritch.
In weighing his choice, he reasoned, “I have already had a lot of training in how to study Torah, but not a lot of training in how to pray.” And so he chose Mezritch.
In this defining moment, the chassidic movement gained its most central figure.
The emphasis on lengthy and heartfelt prayer was not an innovation of the chassidic movement. On the contrary, praying at length was a practice that took on great importance at various times throughout Jewish history. If there was an innovation, it was that the Baal Shem Tov recognized that extra focus on the service of prayer was a necessary ingredient in the overall service of all the Jews in our times — regardless of Torah scholarship and level of observance — and not just the practice of an elite few.
Jewish Mysticism
The mystical teachings of the Torah — the Zohar, the writings of the AriZal, and other Kabbalistic texts — are an authentic and essential part of the Torah. Many people were confused and disturbed when the Baal Shem Tov began teaching these secrets of Torah to the masses. Some questioned the legitimacy of the Kabbalah and mystical teachings in general, and some, recognizing their authenticity, objected to making them accessible to simple people.
Regarding their legitimacy, a bit of background is in order. Kabbalah and the teachings of Jewish mysticism are referred to as nistar. Nistar means “hidden,” and these teachings are considered the hidden dimensions of Torah. The revealed part of the Torah is called nigleh which means “revealed.”
A very great scholar known as the Chasam Sofer once said, “When a person argues b’nigleh against nistar, this is an indication that b’nistar he argues against nigleh,” meaning, that when a person openly (b’nigleh) denies the teachings of the hidden part of Torah (nistar), it’s an indication that in secret (in his heart — b’nistar), he also denies the teachings of the revealed part of Torah (nigleh), because the hidden and the revealed parts of Torah are all one.
The mystical teachings of Torah were always studied by the greatest Torah scholars and sages throughout Jewish history, but even among this elite group, there were only a select few in each generation who had access to this wisdom. In later times, revealing the hidden secrets of the Torah (i.e., Kabbalah) to the public — in this case, to a much broader group of Torah scholars — came about two hundred years before the Baal Shem Tov through the AriZal, when he declared, “It is a mitzvah to reveal [the wisdom of the Kabbalah].”
With his holy vision, the Baal Shem Tov recognized the need to take this a step further and make these mystical teachings available to the masses.
Going Beyond the Letter of the Law
One last example of a basic principle in chassidic life is the idea of going “beyond the letter of the law” in Torah study and mitzvah observance.
Every practicing Jew follows halachah — the things required of a Jew according to Torah law. A person, though, can go beyond the call of duty, doing more than what is required. The Talmud calls such a person a chassid, and because the chassidic movement adopts going beyond the letter of the law as a way of life, this is another reason why its adherents are called chassidim.
In a well-known story, a certain chassid once related how he himself became a chassid as a result of experiencing this practice of going beyond the letter of the law. He was a Rabbi in a small shtetl and was totally disassociated with everything outside of the shtetl, including the raging conflict between the chassidic movement and its opponents.
At that point, the conflict was so intense that the opponents of Chassidism arranged to have the Alter Rebbe, the first Rebbe of Chabad, accused of high treason and arrested by the Russian government. Through this arrest they hoped he would be executed, G-d forbid, and this would take care of the chassidic movement once and for all.
After serving 53 days in jail, he was eventually freed, but during his jail term, several of his followers were also arrested. When two of these chassidim, the great chassidic scholars Reb Meir Raphaels and Reb Boruch Mordechai of Babroisk, were en route to jail, they were scheduled to pass through the shtetl in which the Rabbi in this story lived.
Several of the residents came to him and said, “The head of the community told us that two chassidim would soon be passing through this town and when they do, we should all stand at the corner where their carriage stops and throw rocks at them. As our Rabbi, we are asking you if we have permission to do that.” Needless to say, the Rabbi was shocked.
“Throwing stones at other Jews?! Why?” “Because we were told that they are apikorsim (nonbelievers),” they answered.
“Really?!” he said. “Explain this to me. Do they not put on tefillin?”
“No,” they said. “They put on two pairs of tefillin.”
“Well then tell me, do they eat chometz on Pesach?”
“No!” they replied. “They don’t even let the matzah get wet. They suspect that if the matzah were to get wet, there might be a small chance that the dough would become chometz.”
“So, do they not wear tzitzis?”
“No! They wear tzitzis that hang down to the ground!”
“Well, then, they don’t daven? They don’t pray?”
“Actually, they spend hours a day in prayer.” This went on and on. Finally the Rabbi said to them, “These are very peculiar nonbelievers indeed. You tell me that not only do they perform all the mitzvos, but they do more than is required. I have to see this for myself!”
The Rabbi went down to the square and saw these two chassidim with his own eyes, explaining later, “Looking at their faces, I saw such a brilliance and such a spiritual shine, I knew it was impossible for these people not to be G-dly, spiritual people. I began to do some research, and once I began to understand what Chassidism was all about, I was so impressed that I myself became a chassid.”
To this day, chassidim are known throughout the world as “ultra” Orthodox Jews, a reference to their going beyond the letter of the law. But this aspect of chassidic life is also nothing new. Throughout Jewish history, there was always a select group of people who expressed their love for G-d with a heightened observance of the mitzvos. The Baal Shem Tov merely emphasized this mode of practice in Jewish life and brought it to the masses.
Reviving the Soul of Judaism
What was the Baal Shem Tov’s goal in bringing the chassidic movement to the Jewish public at large? Did he simply encourage the observance of a random collection of practices or was there some common thread connecting them all that contributed to an overall vision?
