By the early 19th century, Hasidism became "the first religious trend in Judaism since the days of the Second Temple which had a self-defined way of life and recognizable rite of worship, but yet was acknowledged by those who differed from it as a legitimate Jewish phenomenon" ("Hasidism," Encyclopedia Judaica). The Hasidism I am referring to is not to be confused with the group of people, probably Sabbatians, organized by Rabbi Jehuda Hasid on a crusade to the Holy Land in 1699 and 1700 (Scholem 331). The Hasidism I am referring to was formed by Israel Baal Shem ("Master of the Holy Name") and replaced Sabbatianism in Volhynia and Podolia after its fall.
There are several reasons why Hasidism has become a successful movement. One of the biggest reasons is its appeal to the unsophisticated and uneducated; it attempted to spread mysticism to the masses (Blumenthal 136). Its founder was not even a scholar in Jewish law. Hasidism comes from direct religious experience, not a theory or vision. An obvious way to attain a religious experience is through prayer.
Because of Hasidism's spiritualistic focus, prayer is its central activity (Blumenthal 111). There are several types of prayer: Zoharic-Lurianic-Habad type, unifying-the-letters type, devekut type (meditative ecstasy and tumultuous ecstasy), and the intimate presence type. There is no single main or central type of prayer practiced within Hasidism, but they all incorporate Kavvana. Kavvana is the act of spiritual consciousness-raising. The goal is to completely focus one's senses and one's soul on God during prayer.
There are two types of the devekut prayer: the meditative and tumultuous. They both grew from the same structure of thought and lead to a true mystical ecstasy (Blumenthal 127). The meditative presents a more serene external behavior while a sense of burning or steady ecstasy is internal. The tumultuous is an uncontrollable, wild external behavior from the volatile ecstasy felt from within.
In Blumenthal, volume 2, p.135, there are three examples of meditative ecstasy prayer. The second passage illustrates what comes to my mind when I think of meditative ecstasy. The person has turned his attention, energy, and thoughts toward God. There is sincerity in his prayer as well; he is not begging for his wife to recover from an illness, nor is he asking to succeed in a job interview. He wants to praise and serve God because he loves Him, not because he is requesting a favor.
When the customary time for practice of meditation had passed, Godiva rose. It was now evening.¨ (Hesse 5-6). Siddhartha´s actions represent the last step, Right Contemplation, of the the Holy Eightfold Path. Meditation self-teaches the practitioners to clear their minds of
Judaism is a religion that can be traced back as far as 2000 B.C.E. It was founded in Canaan and it has an estimated 14 million followers. The sacred texts that are associated with it are the Torah, Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures), and the Talmud. Judaism has influenced a variety of religions including Christianity and Islam. It promotes a single god belief for all Jewish people and the belief that all people are created in the image of god. There are a vast number of individuals who were influenced by the principles surrounding Judaism, and this dissertation will present the most significant figure in the history of Judaism, Moses Maimonides.
Yates, Joshua. “Haredim vs. Secular: Israel’s Internal Culture War and the Fight for Israeli Identity.” In Levitt Fellowship Research, edited by Shoshana Keller, 2-71. Clinton: Hamilton College, 2012.
The Hasidim, or "pious ones" in Hebrew, belong to a special movement within Orthodox Judaism, a movement that, at its height in the first half of the nineteenth century, claimed the allegiance of millions in Eastern and Central Europe--perhaps a majority of East European Jews. Hasidism gained popularity among the common people because of its charismatic leaders and the emotional appeal of its messages which stressed joy, faith and ecstatic prayer, accompanied by song and dance. Hasidism experienced a great decline during World War II and the Holocaust, but it was transplanted by immigrants to America, Israel, Canada, Australia, and Western Europe. Hasidism thrives today in areas such as New York and other American cities. Hasidic Jews thrive as a creative minority because they have conserved many of ...
Deleanu, Florin. "Agnostic Meditations On Buddhist Meditation." Zygon: Journal Of Religion & Science 45.3 (2010): 605-626. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Religion has been a major focal point in any society and in any culture. Starting from the first civilizations in Sumer and Ur to the vast metropolitans of today like New York and London, religion has been around and played a key part in lives of people. Possibly two of the oldest religions in the world, Judaism and Zoroastrinism share distinct qualities that are still alive today. Both religions are practiced but Zoroastrianism is not as popular as it once was. Meanwhile, Judaism is one of the world’s largest religions. These two religions are similar in the way that they are designed and practiced throughout history.
When Hasidim, who belong to an ultra-pious movement within Orthodox Judaism, immigrated during the post World War ll era in large numbers to America, they sought to build a community similar to the European Shtetl culture to which they were accustomed. In the Shtetl they had lived a traditional and insular lifestyle. Hasidic leaders of the new immigrants founded communities that shunned contemporary Western Culture. Their successors continue to lead the mainstream Hasidic establishment with the same ideals. The only contact with society at large these communities accept is the contact that is necessary for them to nourish themselves.
Hasidic Judaism is a branch of Orthodox Judaism established in Eastern Europe during the 1800’s that put spirituality and a connection with God through mysticism at the forefront of its beliefs. In order to understand Hasidic Judaism, one must understand that Judaism is not only a religion; it is also a philosophy and a way of life for the Jewish people. One of the oldest monotheistic religions, Judaism has evolved over the years since the time of the founding fathers. Like any culture or religion, however, Jews have never been without conflict or disagreement amongst its people. Schisms amongst Jews over long periods of time have led to a branching out of sects and Jewish institutions. What led to the separation of denominations within was a fundamental disagreement on the interpretation and implementation of Halakah (Jewish religious law). Before the 18th century there was little differentiation between sects of Judaism; Jewry was based on Talmudic and Halakhic study and knowledge. Constructed as an overly legalistic religion before the 18th century, the Hasidic movement popularized by Rabbi Israel Ben Eliezer sought to spread Judaism through the common man’s love of and devotion to God.
A life of simplicitic values and self-awareness is crucial in reaching an internal meditative state. Transcendentalism was a spreading movement based upon values of self-enlightenment through reaching a state of living on basic necessities. These beliefs integrated that humankind, nature, and God were somehow all interconnected, but the link was out of reach to the participant of normal society. Likewise, they believes that one should extend the limitations that a normal way of life builds, to experience something greater. This pursuit of passion integrated a way of living independent from an outer society. These set of beliefs were based upon the internal need to find one’s identity through free will. The challenge of withdrawing from a life
"Orthodox Juadism." Jewish Virtual Library. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .
Hasidic Judaism came into this world around the 18th century. During this time many of the Jewish people sought out a new approach to their Jewish life. Baal Shem Tov is the founder of Hasidic Judaism. He encouraged unschooled and underprivileged people to focus on mysticism and to be more emotional. One must be, “Less focused on gaining knowledge and more focused on feeling exalted”(http://judaism.about.com); this was one of Baal’s main focuses. From that, Hasidic Judaism was created; successors to Baal or a rebbe/rabbi, headed different groups or courts, which were derived from the original form of Hasidism. The United States was introduced to Hasidism through immigration. During the 1940s and 1950s Hasidism flourished, bringing more and more Hasidic courts. Rapid growth of the Hasidic courts, made New York known for having one of the largest populations of Hasidic Jews in t...
There are so many different concepts and ideas to the Jewish religion and lifestyle. One of the most important concepts among them is Hasidism; the act of practicing Judaism enthusiastically and joyously because God is everywhere. In addition to that, Hasidism also incorporates a pietistic manner of prayer, put more simply, it means intense devotion and to follow religious principles faithfully. The Baal Shem Tov founded Hasidism in order to provide alternatives to the normal style of worship, and the population of the Hasidim (people who practice Hasidism) is still increasing today. Hasidism is vital to Jewish life and culture because without its enthusiastic and pietistic ideas, Jewish religion would be dull, less exciting, and much less intense and meaningful.
The purpose is to investigate the following; “Meditation in Christianity and Buddhism are different pathways leading to the same destination.” Buddhism is a philosophy than a religion was originated about 2,500 years ago in India and about 376 million followers worldwide. Prince Siddhartha Gotama (Buddha) worshipped for years to enlighten himself and found a “middle way” between his two lives, meaning finding moderation and balancing life’s extremes. Whereas, Christianity has about 2.4 billion followers worldwide and based on his teachings of Jesus, who lived about 2000 years prior. In Christian meditation, metaphysics and transcendentalism are used as philosophies because individuals think during their prayer to reflect on unseen things in a spiritual way, including Holy spirit and are observed to connect with God intellectually and spiritually. Nevertheless, Buddhist meditation is to focus on relaxing the brain by forgetting about the meaningless things.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Meditation is not a time devoted to thinking or reflecting about oneself, but a time to redirect one’s thoughts and emotions away from the outside world and onto something simple, such as the wind or one’s own breathe. By learning how to meditate, an individual can learn how to react appropriately to “the circumstances one finds oneself in, i...