Judaism, Judaism And How Hasidism Changed Traditional Judaism

“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” (W. Somerset Maugham) This quote demonstrates that tradition can be changed, similar to the way Hasidism changed traditional Judaism. Hasidism began in Southeast Poland-Lithuania and sparked a revolution in Judaism. The breakup of Judaism paired with the lack of trust in Jewish leaders, lead Hasidism to form and pave a new way for Judaism. Kabbalah, Mass enthusiasm and ecstasy acted as the foundation for the movement and fear of separatism lead many people to oppose Hasidism. The many oppositions of Hasidism demonstrated the fear that established Jewish leaders possessed that Hasidism would become so popular that it would over power established Jewish tradition. The differences in tradition and prayer …show more content…
Traditional Jewish minds scoffed at Hasidism due to it’s disregard for traditional Judaism. A major difference in Hasidic Judaism regards the laxness in time of prayer. Hasidic culture saw prayer as a time for one to communicate with God and if one was not ready for the experience, a delay would be allowed. In traditional Judaism it is regarded that one should “pray as an obligation tied to the cycle of hours and days” which is clear difference from Hasidic laws. Furthermore, the Hasidic revolution altered the texts of the prayer service, but rather then a complete switch, they just transitioned to the liturgy of Rabbi Isaac Luria. In traditional Judaism Ashkenazic liturgy is used. Despite the size in these changes, it did not matter. The changes formed a revolution and a major change in Judaism. A community once unified by texts, prayers and traditions became separated due to them. Hasidism also made other changes in order to distinguish themselves from the other Jews. The ritual of slaughter was altered as Hasidics used only particular knives in order to avoid eating with non-hasidim. Though Hasidism did not deny the importance of Torah studies, it was not as important to the movement as it was to traditional Judaism. Leaders did not necessarily possess great Halakhic knowledge but rather met other criteria that met the needs of the movement. All of these changes are crucial in differentiating Hasidism from traditional Judaism. This movement was revolutionary due to it’s direct challenge to Jewish norms. The definition of revolution is “a sudden, extreme, or complete change in the way people live, work, etc.” It is quite evident that Hasidism altered the way in which Jews lived there lives and changed the way they thought, thus it Revolutionary due to it’s change in Jewish