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.
The first search for a messiah started in the sixth century BC when the Jews of Babylonia were exiled, they called for an anointed one that would bring them back to their home. The second time was when Alexander the Great brought down the Achaemenid Empire and left it to his Macedonian generals. The Jews were peaceful and tried to fit in more with the Greeks to avoid confrontation through this time. Ultimately when the Greeks pushed it too far and destroyed the temple the Hasmonean family led a revolt that bought independence back to the Jews. This period is referred to as the Hasmonean Dynasty. In response to this change of priesthood, the Jewish people reorganized themselves into three major philosophies; the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. When the shift went to Roman, the Jews lost their sense of freedom. They were then ruled by King Herod the Great which didn’t improve. Herod the great was a powerful, brutal and ruthless leader, who accomplished a large amount, however under his rule Jewish people were extremely poor and highly taxe...
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.
Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much of the theology was based on the simple facts that: "Allah is god, the white man is the devil, and the so-called Negroes are the Asiatic black people, the cream of the earth."(1) And, in accordance with their bizarre view of creation, involving a mad scientist creating the white race from the black race, the twentieth century represents the time for black people to regain their rightful position as god¹s chosen people. (1) The Nation of Islam was spawned from Orthodox Islam, an age-old religion. However, Orthodox Islam has openly denounced the NOI as a heretic sect for three main reasons: the NOI¹s rejection of the belief in an afterlife, its tendency to view human leaders as deified figures, and its strong racist attitudes. (2) For a brief time, during the seventies, Wallace Deen Muhammed became the leader of the NOI and tried to take it in a new direction, more conforming to "true Islamic beliefs." This group is now called the American Muslim Mission and still exists in small numbers today. (1) ...
During the 1970s, in the United States, there was a rise in the movement of Jewish Christians known as Messianic Judaism. Messianic Judaism was formerly known as Jews for Jesus, which was organized by a man named Moishe Rosen. The primary focus of Rosen’s group was to focus on expressing their beliefs in Jesus. Messianic Judaism was created as this “exciting vision of Christianity that worked around traditional views of a faith alien to Jews” (Ariel 319). Like Rosen’s movement, Jews for Jesus, Messianic Judaism’s intention is to present Jesus as the Messiah. Not only do they want to show their attitudes towards Christianity, but they also want to identify themselves as the first Jewish followers of Jesus. Considering themselves as evangelical premillennialists, their view has proven them that they are the Chosen People of God.
Wolfson, Bernard J. "African American Jews: Dispelling Myths, Bridging the Divide." Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 33-51. Print.
Underlying each of these claims is the theme of the unification of body and mind into a state of consciousness which greatly facilitates clarity and order in one's awareness. Through the deep periods of rest achieved during levels of transcendental consciousness, t...
Hebrew religion began to give rise to Judaism after the destruction of the temple and the exile of Judah in 586 BC. The term "Jew," in its biblical use, is almost exclusively postexilic. The Jewish religion of the biblical period evolved through such historical stages as the intertestamental, rabbinic, and medieval to the modern period of the nineteenth century with Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism.
There are thousands of religions in this world, and of those, Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative. Throughout history Hasidism has not drifted from the rules and rituals of the 18th century. From the clothing, to the food, everything involved in Hasidic daily life is geared towards becoming closer to God. Around the world there are numerous Hasidic groups, and the largest population is in New York. Hasidic people live in small towns filled with members of the same group, and they all look towards their rebbe for guidance. The rebbe or the rabbi is the teacher of his followers and is responsible for inspiring his people. For Hasidic people everyday they must live by the 613 commandments of the Torah. Hasidic history, study, clothing, food, and communities prove that Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative and orthodox branch of religion for its time.
Judaism, the religion of the Jews, is one of the oldest religions in the world. Judaism in fact, is the oldest of the three major religions that believe in a single God. The other two, Christianity and Islam have been strongly influence by Judaism, which is a big part of western civilization today. In the beginning, Jews were a tribe, a band of nomads, more than likely shepherds that may have died out if they would have remained merely shepherds. Jews were one of many “nations” to be found in the ancient Near East.
Our present way of thinking; our perceptions, desires, feelings, and reactions control how we experience the world. Our minds are the core of our existence, everything we have thought is everything that we are, for everything is mind-made. If we are experiencing suffering, it is because our minds created it, and only our minds have the power of relieving it. Buddhist meditation is the practice of transforming the mind through the cultivation of mindfulness, concentration, detachment, insight, and objectivity. My background in psychology made me interested in discussing the concept of Buddhist mediation due its immense focus on mastering the mind. It has the crucial transformative effect on the mind that leads to new perspectives of oneself,
Religion has existed since the dawn of civilization and over time has evolved into the religions we have today. Today the most prominent religions are monotheistic, having one omnipotent god, and despite having many differences they share basic tenets of respect and kindness. Religions, such as Judaism, give explanations for the unknown, provide hope, and bring about a sense of community.
05 May 2014. Barbor, Cary. " The Science of Meditation.
Although the Nation of Islam is most widely known for their outspoken leaders and aggressive methods, the Nation of Islam is one of the most important black activist groups of the 1960’s. In a matter of just a few years the Nation of Islam’s members had increased from 400 to 400,000 (Taylor par.19). During the 1960’s, the emergence of the Nation of Islam constituted a change in the minds of many African-Americans. Therefore, caused a major influence in the Civil Rights Movement.
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.
Deleanu, Florin. "Agnostic Meditations On Buddhist Meditation." Zygon: Journal Of Religion & Science 45.3 (2010): 605-626. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.