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in ultimately non-magical ways; the Kabbalist, through their soul's embodiment of divinity, is able to alter supernal judgments by uncovering a higher, hidden, ultimate divine will which reveals God's delight among the sephirot on high.[1]


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This page lists Rebbe leaders of Hasidic Judaism, the popular mysticism revival movement begun by the Baal Shem Tov in 18th century Eastern Europe. It adapted esoteric Kabbalah to a new doctrine of social Tzadik leadership among the common Jewish folk, giving rise to different schools in Hasidic thought, from "General-Hasidism" to particular ideologies. From the early 19th century, leadership established into Hasidic dynastic courts, passed on to descendents. Without family contenders, leading students were accepted for leadership, or broke away to form new offshoots, especially in the proliferation of leadership practice in 19th century Poland.

This lists central figures in Hasidism, which produced a very wide flourishing of leadership. Among these, only a select few are listed on the page Timeline List of Jewish Kabbalists (Hasidic section). Direct Kabbalistic study found a varying role among the different paths in Hasidism, which adapted Kabbalah to its own concerns of Divinity amidst materiality.

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Historical regions of Central Europe with today's national borders in grey. Hasidism began in Podolia-Volhynia (present day Ukraine) and surrounding areas. The Carpathian Mountains arc up from Romania, through Ruthenia, into Slovakia, dividing the North-East European Plain from Hungary. There were two non-Hasidic East-European traditional Jewish communities: the Lithuanian Rabbinic opposition to Hasidism, led originally by the Vilna Gaon (1720–1797), and the Hungarian Oberlander Jews, led originally by the Hatam Sofer (1762–1839)

Circle of the Baal Shem Tov (1730s-1760) edit

 
Baal Shem Tov stamp from Israel. Beshtian Hasidism taught ecstatic mysticism based on deveikut for the elite, and popular mystical encouragement for the unlettered masses
 
Jewish dress in Poland 17th and 18th centuries, modelled after Polish governing landowners. Shtetl culture included religious, agricultural and mercantile trades
 
The Council of Four Lands gave Jewish Kehillot communities of Greater Poland, Little Poland, Ruthenia and Volhynia, central authority from 1580-1764

School of the Maggid of Mezeritch (1760-1772) edit

Spreading and defining a Movement (1770s-1810s) edit

 
The three Partitions of Poland 1772-1795, ending the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, eliminated Polish sovereignty for 123 years. Its Jewish communities came under Russia, Prussia and Austria. Other communities were in the Habsburg Empire (Hungary) to the SW, and the Ottoman Empire (Eastern Romania region) to the SE
 
Korets, Volyhnia, near Mezeritch. First publications of Hasidic thought, as it became a popular movement, were made in Koretz, beginning with Toldot Yaakov Yosef (1780) by Jacob Joseph of Polonne[2] Other works defined new concepts of mystical leadership
 
Synagogue in Tiberias built first by Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and Abraham of Kalisk in 1786. They emigrated to Israel in 1777 with 300 followers. Other early Hasidic immigrants include Gershon of Kitov and Nachman of Horodenka
 
"Last prayer" by Samuel Hirszenberg. Various wives and daughters of Hasidic leaders were revered, including Sheina Rachel granddaughter of the Besht, and the Maiden of Ludmir, who both took tasks of a Rebbe

Podolia and Volhynia (Ukraine) edit

White Russia and Lithuania edit

Poland and Galicia edit

Hungary and Romania edit

Israel and Other edit

Development and Regeneration (1810s-1850s) edit

 
Areas of the Russian Empire permitted to Jews, showing Jewish percentages of the population 1905. The red line shows borders of the Pale of Settlement, which varied 1791-1835, lasting until 1917. The adjoining area to its west is Congress Poland, incorporated into Russia 1815-1867, lasting until 1915. The Russian Empire bordered Prussia (later Germany) to the W, Galicia/Hungary (later Austria-Hungary) to the SW and the Ottoman Empire (later Romania) to the S
 
Shivchei HaBesht-Praises of the Besht (1814, Kopys, White Russia) was the first publication of Hasidic stories.[3] Various collections of other leaders were made in the early 20th century
 
Cadets in the Russian army, early 1850s. From 1827-1856 over 50,000 Jewish children were conscripted as Cantonists to cause assimilation and conversion, as part of Imperial Jewish policies
 
Snagogue in Eišiškės, Lithuania. By the 1850s, the schism between Hasidism and Lithuanian Mitnagdim subsided, with Hasidic Talmudic learning and unity against Haskalah

Podolia and Volhynia (Ukraine) edit

White Russia and Lithuania edit

Poland and Galicia edit

Hungary and Romania edit

Israel and Other edit

Consolidation in a changing society (1850s-1914) edit

 
Expanse of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918), showing regions incorporated and nation-state ethnicities 1910. It replaced the Austrian Empire (1804–1867) along similar borders. High populations of Ashkenazi Jews (not shown) outside of Russia's Pale of Settlement, lived in Galicia, Northern Hungary and Bukovina, and the cities of Budapest, Vienna and Prague. Independent Moldavia (later NE Romania) also had high Jewish densities
 
Synagogue in Góra Kalwaria, base of Ger, the largest Hasidic group in Poland. With movement consolidation from the 1850s, after its earlier mystical revival, dynastic succession replaced charismatic studentship in Mainstream Hasidism
 
Hasidic Judaism and East European shtetl culture attracted the outside interest of Yiddish writers, Folkists, Neo-Hasidism, and 20th-century academia
 
New York immigrants, 1887. Antisemitism in Russia led 2.5 million Jews to emigrate 1881-1914. Early Hasidic leaders in America include Rebbes of Boston (from 1915) and Boyan (from 1927)

Podolia and Volhynia edit

White Russia and Lithuania edit

Poland and Galicia edit

Hungary and Romania edit

Israel and Other edit

Destruction of Hasidic centres (1914-1945) edit

 
Katowice, southern Poland. World Agudath Israel was established at a conference there in 1912, a joint Hasidic Lithuanian German religious response to secular Jewish political movements that had made inroads in Hasidic society
 
Jews in Ukraine 1917. World War I and Soviet persecution after 1917, dissolved Hasidic communities, causing migration across borders, and villages to cities. Various Hasidic courts relocated to Warsaw and Vienna
 
New nation-states and borders in the Interwar period between 1922 and 1938. Soviet Union without Poland and the Baltic states (east-pink); Poland reconstituted (centre-beige); a smaller Lithuania reconstituted excluding Vilna (north-grey); disjointed east of Germany (west-redish); a new Czechoslovakia (south west-grey) from part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; a split Austria and Hungary (south west-dark and light brown), a larger Romania (south-dark pink). Towns with important Jewish communities shown

Post War rebuilding (1945-Present) edit

 
Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky and Aharon Roth, two leaders in the insular, anti-Zionist faction of Hasidism. Hasidic groups diverge over politics and openess to society
 
Gathering of Hasidic leaders in 1947. European Hasidic communities were ended in the Holocaust. After the war, Hasidic leaders rebuilt following in Israel and America

New York and America edit

Israel edit

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References edit

  1. ^ Studies in East European Jewish Mysticism and Hasidism, Joseph Weiss, Littman Library new edition 1997, chapter: The Saddik - Altering the Divine Will. Discusses the Hasidic doctrine of the Tzadik in the works of Dov Ber of Mezeritch, Hasidism's early systemiser. The former Kabbalistic problem of reconciling supplicatory prayer versus theurgic magic became acute in Hasidism's innovation of a communal theurgic role for the elite mystic, as the problem of reconciling religion and philosophy had been acute for medieval Jewish philosophy. The Hasidic institution of Tzadikism extended the Kabbalistic problem by applying it to the material abundance for their followers, dependent on the Tzadik, though they saw this as a continuation of trends of the righteous saint in the Talmud, Zohar, and Hebrew Bible, such as the Talmud declaring "the righteous tear up Divine decrees". The Maggid of Mezeritch was concerned to justify that the Tzadik was not a magician manipulating Divine attributes to draw down blessing, but through their soul's monistic embodiment of divinity, God took delight when the Tzadik's will and supplications reverse Divine judgment with blessing from on high, revealing a hidden true Divine Will
  2. ^ Hasidic books history blog
  3. ^ Excerpt from Founder of Hasidism: A Quest for the Historical Ba'al Shem Tov by Moshe Rosman

External links edit

Maps of the spread of Hasidism:

Hasidic dynasties

Category:Jewish mysticism Category:Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic Judaism Category:Lists of Jews|Hasidic leaders Category:Jewish history timelines|Hasidic leaders