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Hasidism: A New History
A must-read book for understanding this vibrant and influential modern Jewish movement
Hasidism originated in southeastern Poland, in mystical circles centered on the figure of Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, but it was only after his death in 1760 that a movement began to spread. Today, Hasidism is witnessing a remarkable renaissance around the world. This book provides the first comprehensive history of the pietistic movement that shaped modern Judaism. Written by an international team of scholars, its unique blend of intellectual, religious, and social history demonstrates that, far from being a throwback to the Middle Ages, Hasidism is a product of modernity that forged its identity as a radical alternative to the secular world.
Hasidism originated in southeastern Poland, in mystical circles centered on the figure of Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, but it was only after his death in 1760 that a movement began to spread. Today, Hasidism is witnessing a remarkable renaissance around the world. This book provides the first comprehensive history of the pietistic movement that shaped modern Judaism. Written by an international team of scholars, its unique blend of intellectual, religious, and social history demonstrates that, far from being a throwback to the Middle Ages, Hasidism is a product of modernity that forged its identity as a radical alternative to the secular world.
896 pages, Paperback
Published April 14, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 13, 2018
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game gets the best players in the game onto two teams every year. But what one see from this is that getting the best players together doesn’t always mean they are integrated team that plays well together. When it comes to book, getting a team of scholars together is fraught with the same potential problem; they may be experts, but the output may not always be all-star material.
In Hasidism: A New History (Princeton University Press 978-0691175157), an all-star team of authors David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński have joined forces to create a fascinating and engrossing history of the Hasidic movement.
In this ground-breaking work, the authors have written a reference that systematically details the history of the Hasidic movement. They write that far from being a monolithic group, the story of Hasidism is a saga of extraordinary vitality and adaptability.
Amazingly there has yet to be written a scholarly history of Hasidism. The authors quote extensively from Simon Dubnow, but his work is nearly a century old.
In 800 densely written pages, the authors cover nearly every aspect of the movement. Perhaps the hardest thing to cover is the founder of the movement himself, the Ba’al Shem Tov (Besht), given the insufficient quantities of historical information about him. The Besht wrote very little, and the authors write that in truth, he was not out to start a new movement. As to the dearth of reference material on the Besht, even the expert authors here were unable to determine his exact year of birth; leaving it as ca. 1700.
While tales of the Besht portray him as an uneducated wandering preacher, the authors show that he in fact worked for the Jewish community. The book includes a photo of the 1758 register of Jewish residents of Mezhbizh. At house number 95 is Balsam, namely the Ba’al Shem. The records also show he paid no taxes, as he was supported by the Jewish communal establishment, which gave him a tax-free house to live in.
As to the movement, it was only with the end of second generation of leadership that the rebbes began to start a movement. But since the Hasidim organized themselves as followers of specific rebbes, there really was no nucleus of a group.
A novel idea the authors propose (which is opposed to that of Dubnow) is that Hasidism was not a response to any crisis, as when it started as a movement by the 3rd generation, Poland was in a relatively stable state.
With 8 authors, the book could have turned into a chaotic mess. Many other books written by scholars in their field lack a semblance of unity and organization. The book reads as if it could have been written by a single author. Not only does the book cover the topic with significant depth and breadth; it’s tremendous editing makes this a compelling and fascinating read. The book covers the entire history of the movement, from the Besht until current times.
This is a massive book and the authors cover the history of Hasidism in encyclopedic detail. The minutiae of the many Hasidic courts and dynasties are well-detailed. The stories progress from the start of the movement and the progressive generation and development of the various factions. The authors takes no prisoners, and while the growth of the movement is often seen as harmonious; there were (and still are) significant battles for control of a dynasty. Generally the more sons and sons in law of the deceased rebbe, the greater the battle. Those that don’t want to see the sometimes all too human side of these rebbes, may opt to forgo reading this book.
The story of the growth of the Hasidic movement has often portrayed them are rivals to the traditional Jews of Europe, known as Misnagdim (translated literally as opponents). The authors write that these battles have often been exaggerated. While there was indeed bitter struggles between the Misnagdim and Hasidim; there were often in limited areas, and were by no means pervasive throughout all of Eastern Europe.
An interesting point is that while the Misnagdim tried to highlight the negative differences in their opponents; the Hasidism claimed that theirs was not a new sect, but had a lot more in common with their perceived opponents, than necessarily differences. The Hasidim were committed to halacha, and while it emphasized certain mystical aspects, they claimed to be basing it on prior accepted traditions.
What Hasidism did was change the consciousness of its followers. While the followers were fully observant with Jewish law, this new religious consciousness is what worried the Misnagdim. Since this occurred about a century after then devastation of Shabsai Tzvi, this new religious consciousness was seen as worrying deviation.
That’s not to say there were not indeed worrying aspects of the movement. The authors write in detail that what infuriated the Misnagdim was the Hasidim seeing their rebbe as a living channel of, and to God. Then, and to this day, many Hasidim won’t make significant decisions (and in some cases, insignificant) without the approval of their rebbe.
My only gripes with this book is its size, at well over 5 pounds, the editors should have made this two separate volumes. It’s weight and size makes it unmanageable at times to read. Also, the authors use the term modern recurrently when referring to Hasidism. While Hasidim may have certainly adapted well to their new surrounding in the United States and Israel, the term modern is an anathema to most Hasidim.
The All-Star Game is also known as the Midsummer Classic. While this book came out in the winter, in Hasidism: A New History, the authors have created a classic on the topic. Those looking to truly understand the growth, development, successes and failures of the movement, will find no better a source than this noteworthy book.
In Hasidism: A New History (Princeton University Press 978-0691175157), an all-star team of authors David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński have joined forces to create a fascinating and engrossing history of the Hasidic movement.
In this ground-breaking work, the authors have written a reference that systematically details the history of the Hasidic movement. They write that far from being a monolithic group, the story of Hasidism is a saga of extraordinary vitality and adaptability.
Amazingly there has yet to be written a scholarly history of Hasidism. The authors quote extensively from Simon Dubnow, but his work is nearly a century old.
In 800 densely written pages, the authors cover nearly every aspect of the movement. Perhaps the hardest thing to cover is the founder of the movement himself, the Ba’al Shem Tov (Besht), given the insufficient quantities of historical information about him. The Besht wrote very little, and the authors write that in truth, he was not out to start a new movement. As to the dearth of reference material on the Besht, even the expert authors here were unable to determine his exact year of birth; leaving it as ca. 1700.
While tales of the Besht portray him as an uneducated wandering preacher, the authors show that he in fact worked for the Jewish community. The book includes a photo of the 1758 register of Jewish residents of Mezhbizh. At house number 95 is Balsam, namely the Ba’al Shem. The records also show he paid no taxes, as he was supported by the Jewish communal establishment, which gave him a tax-free house to live in.
As to the movement, it was only with the end of second generation of leadership that the rebbes began to start a movement. But since the Hasidim organized themselves as followers of specific rebbes, there really was no nucleus of a group.
A novel idea the authors propose (which is opposed to that of Dubnow) is that Hasidism was not a response to any crisis, as when it started as a movement by the 3rd generation, Poland was in a relatively stable state.
With 8 authors, the book could have turned into a chaotic mess. Many other books written by scholars in their field lack a semblance of unity and organization. The book reads as if it could have been written by a single author. Not only does the book cover the topic with significant depth and breadth; it’s tremendous editing makes this a compelling and fascinating read. The book covers the entire history of the movement, from the Besht until current times.
This is a massive book and the authors cover the history of Hasidism in encyclopedic detail. The minutiae of the many Hasidic courts and dynasties are well-detailed. The stories progress from the start of the movement and the progressive generation and development of the various factions. The authors takes no prisoners, and while the growth of the movement is often seen as harmonious; there were (and still are) significant battles for control of a dynasty. Generally the more sons and sons in law of the deceased rebbe, the greater the battle. Those that don’t want to see the sometimes all too human side of these rebbes, may opt to forgo reading this book.
The story of the growth of the Hasidic movement has often portrayed them are rivals to the traditional Jews of Europe, known as Misnagdim (translated literally as opponents). The authors write that these battles have often been exaggerated. While there was indeed bitter struggles between the Misnagdim and Hasidim; there were often in limited areas, and were by no means pervasive throughout all of Eastern Europe.
An interesting point is that while the Misnagdim tried to highlight the negative differences in their opponents; the Hasidism claimed that theirs was not a new sect, but had a lot more in common with their perceived opponents, than necessarily differences. The Hasidim were committed to halacha, and while it emphasized certain mystical aspects, they claimed to be basing it on prior accepted traditions.
What Hasidism did was change the consciousness of its followers. While the followers were fully observant with Jewish law, this new religious consciousness is what worried the Misnagdim. Since this occurred about a century after then devastation of Shabsai Tzvi, this new religious consciousness was seen as worrying deviation.
That’s not to say there were not indeed worrying aspects of the movement. The authors write in detail that what infuriated the Misnagdim was the Hasidim seeing their rebbe as a living channel of, and to God. Then, and to this day, many Hasidim won’t make significant decisions (and in some cases, insignificant) without the approval of their rebbe.
My only gripes with this book is its size, at well over 5 pounds, the editors should have made this two separate volumes. It’s weight and size makes it unmanageable at times to read. Also, the authors use the term modern recurrently when referring to Hasidism. While Hasidim may have certainly adapted well to their new surrounding in the United States and Israel, the term modern is an anathema to most Hasidim.
The All-Star Game is also known as the Midsummer Classic. While this book came out in the winter, in Hasidism: A New History, the authors have created a classic on the topic. Those looking to truly understand the growth, development, successes and failures of the movement, will find no better a source than this noteworthy book.
April 19, 2021
It took me like a year, but I finally finished this monster of a book.
I really enjoyed it! It definitely wasn't an easy read, but was chock full of interesting information and truly a comprehensive history of hasidism.
I think my favorite parts were the Early Hasidism in the beginning of the book because I found their thought to be cool and new ideas. I also loved the late hasidism at the end of the book because it helped me understand communities I know already. My favorite part at the end was how dynasties break apart and rebuild, like munkatch and boyan.
I definitely will reread this book and recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Hasidism.
I really enjoyed it! It definitely wasn't an easy read, but was chock full of interesting information and truly a comprehensive history of hasidism.
I think my favorite parts were the Early Hasidism in the beginning of the book because I found their thought to be cool and new ideas. I also loved the late hasidism at the end of the book because it helped me understand communities I know already. My favorite part at the end was how dynasties break apart and rebuild, like munkatch and boyan.
I definitely will reread this book and recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Hasidism.
January 9, 2021
An incredibly enjoyable book. I read it faster than I've read any other book because it was so pleasant to come back to it until I finished the whole thing. It was really captivating as well as informative.
January 24, 2023
Fascinating, thorough, and nuanced.
July 1, 2023
If you’ve ever been to New York, be it upstate, downstate, or in the city itself, you have no doubt encountered Hasidic Jews at some time. Due to their distinctive clothing they are hard not to notice. Sooner or later, curiosity gets the better of us and we start to wonder who these people are and what they are all about. Answers are not always easy to come by. There are not many books written about the Hasidim and your average person isn’t well informed. Therefore, the acclaimed Jewish historian David Biale and a team of seven other scholars put together this 800 page cement block of a tome called Hasidism: A New History. Despite its size, it is an accessible book that should answer a lot of questions that any curious person might have about this enigmatic community.
As it should, this historical account begins with the founding of the movement. In the 1700s, there was a Jewish scholar named Israel Ba’al Shem Tov who lived in the Polish-Lithuanian Federation encompassing what is now Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. Israel Ba’al Shem Tov was a scholar of the kabbalah and a tsaddik which is something like a Jewish shaman. His practice emphasized trances, ecstatic prayer, singing, dancing, and the experience of devekut, a mystical union with God. He actually had no intention of starting a religious movement. He was simple a scholar who, at various times in his life, attracted other like-minded scholars of The Torah and other Jewish texts. Many of these scholars returned to their communities and shared their newfound knowledge with others and groups, known as Hasidim, began to form into courts around each tsaddik. The tsaddiks were elevated to the status of rebbes, which, if I understand correctly, are strong authority figures who guide their court’s beliefs, practices, and lifestyles. Membership in these Hasidic communities was initially limited to men only. Each Hasidic court operated independently of the others and they all varied from one another on matters of doctrine and ritual. Sometimes this led to conflict between competing Hasidic courts.
Another source of conflict came from other members of the Eastern European Jewish communities who came to be known as the Mitnaggdim. Since most of the Hasidim were illiterate, they never wrote down their own history so what we know about them came from the Mitnaggdim who wrote books and pamphlets in opposition to the new movement. Therefore it is up to the scholar to sort out what is fact and what is derogatory propaganda. When the Mitnaggdim characterized the Hasidim as a bunch of drunken, Dionysian revelers, we can’t dismiss the allegation entirely. Since the Hasidim practiced devekut through singing, dancing, and ecstatic ritual prayer, you can say that Hasidim valued experience over intellectualism. The Hasidim were not necessarily anti-intellectual; it is just that they valued communal ritual practice over scholarship and attention to Jewish law which is what differentiates them from other strains of Orthodox Judaism to this day.
As time went on, the tsaddiks got older and passed their leadership roles down to their sons so that dynasties were formed. These dynasties were named after their places of origin so when we hear names like Chabad-Lubavitch, Chernobyl, Ger, Belz, and others we can trace back the lineage to the location and rebbe of its first court.
The authors characterize the nineteenth century as the Golden Age of Hasidism. That was the time when the movement spread outside of Poland-Lithuania into Russia and the Austro-Hungarian territories. As they gathered momentum, they picked up new members along the way. The Hasidim were primarily rural people who survived by farming. With the invention of the railroad, pilgrimages to visit Hasidic courts became more frequent and these annual journeys became the high points of many adherents’ lives. All the while, the borders of the Hasidic community were porous so that some Jews attended the courts without being full-fledged members. Some Hasidim moved from court to court, sometimes belonging to two or more at the same time. Gentiles sometimes found themselves attracted to the courts as well and were known for seeking out medical aid, the blessing of talismans, or simple spiritual advice from nearby tsaddiks.
Of course, this burst of energy led to an eventual decline as Modernism set in. Impoverished Jews were forced to move to cities to live where they encountered more cosmopolitan ideas including socialism, anarchism, Zionism, and reformed Judaism. The Hasdic courts were decimated, but what remained became a bulwark of anti-modernity and a haven for traditional, and some would say reactionary and backwards, forms of Judaism.
Then came the two World Wars and the Holocaust. The authors don’t dwell too long on the Holocaust and for good reason. We all know what happened there and giving fine details about that nightmare wouldn’t lend much of value to the intentions of this history. What they do go into in great detail is how the Holocaust effected the Hasidim, the ways in which it influenced their self-concept as a religious movement, and what it did to change the structures of their communities. Of other great importance is the mass emigration of Hasidim to America and Israel. The most surprising thing to be learned from this book is that many Hasidim, even those who live in Israel, are anti-Zionist. The reasoning behind this is sufficiently explained but still a little hard to grasp for those of us who are outside the community. The experience of their immigration to America is entirely different. Not only are they now forced to live as an anti-modernist movement in a modernist society, but it is a multicultural society as well, a fact that has hurt and helped the Hasidim in many ways. But at the end of it all, the authors demonstrate how the American experience has been a great blessing to the Hasidim because it is the place where they have been able to thrive unlike any other place they have been in the world.
What is really impressive about this book is that it is so easy to follow. With eight different authors, you would expect it to vary in quality and style from chapter to chapter, but that just isn’t the case. The writing is consistent in its pacing and clarity all the way through. Even some of the more esoteric aspects of things like the kabbalah, theodicy, and devekut are explained with enough skill to make them comprehensible to those of us who aren’t so familiar with what they are. The tone is also as neutral as possible; the authors don’t exoticize the Hasidim like a species of strange animal nor do they judge them. They simple describe them and leave it at that. The biggest problem with the book is that it doesn’t provide enough of an insider’s point of view. As a reader, it made me feel like I was voyeuristically watching the Hasidim from a distance through a pair of binoculars. But this is a history book and not a work of social science. To get a better understanding of the experience of Hasidic ritual and practice, I found some good documentaries on the internet to supplement my reading. Some of the Hasidim are incredibly talented musicians and singers.
If you are not a member of the Hasidic community and you want to know what these people are all about, Hasidim: A New History is possibly the best place to start. Not only is it informative about who the Hasidim are, but I think it also goes a long way in explaining what it might be like to be an ethnic or religious minority in America. In conclusion, while I can’t speak for the Hasidim themselves, I do think they could benefit with a little more outreach to other Americans outside their community. It is true that some members of Chabad-Lubavitch are making some attempts at this, I know because I have spoken with a couple of them myself, but we are living in dangerous times when anti-Semitism is on the rise and the Hasidim mark themselves out visually as an American Other. This makes them a prime target for scapegoating by the more ignorant members of our society. As the Crown Heights Affair of 1992 proved, sometimes being the Other in America is not so easy. We should all make an effort to tolerate those who are different from us, but sometimes you have to be the one to initiate that first step. In the end I get the impression that the Hasidim are just a bunch of harmless, regular people like the rest of us. They just happen to live by a different set of rules. Besides, they dedicate their lives to the experience of joy. Shouldn’t that be a part of all our lives anyways?
As it should, this historical account begins with the founding of the movement. In the 1700s, there was a Jewish scholar named Israel Ba’al Shem Tov who lived in the Polish-Lithuanian Federation encompassing what is now Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. Israel Ba’al Shem Tov was a scholar of the kabbalah and a tsaddik which is something like a Jewish shaman. His practice emphasized trances, ecstatic prayer, singing, dancing, and the experience of devekut, a mystical union with God. He actually had no intention of starting a religious movement. He was simple a scholar who, at various times in his life, attracted other like-minded scholars of The Torah and other Jewish texts. Many of these scholars returned to their communities and shared their newfound knowledge with others and groups, known as Hasidim, began to form into courts around each tsaddik. The tsaddiks were elevated to the status of rebbes, which, if I understand correctly, are strong authority figures who guide their court’s beliefs, practices, and lifestyles. Membership in these Hasidic communities was initially limited to men only. Each Hasidic court operated independently of the others and they all varied from one another on matters of doctrine and ritual. Sometimes this led to conflict between competing Hasidic courts.
Another source of conflict came from other members of the Eastern European Jewish communities who came to be known as the Mitnaggdim. Since most of the Hasidim were illiterate, they never wrote down their own history so what we know about them came from the Mitnaggdim who wrote books and pamphlets in opposition to the new movement. Therefore it is up to the scholar to sort out what is fact and what is derogatory propaganda. When the Mitnaggdim characterized the Hasidim as a bunch of drunken, Dionysian revelers, we can’t dismiss the allegation entirely. Since the Hasidim practiced devekut through singing, dancing, and ecstatic ritual prayer, you can say that Hasidim valued experience over intellectualism. The Hasidim were not necessarily anti-intellectual; it is just that they valued communal ritual practice over scholarship and attention to Jewish law which is what differentiates them from other strains of Orthodox Judaism to this day.
As time went on, the tsaddiks got older and passed their leadership roles down to their sons so that dynasties were formed. These dynasties were named after their places of origin so when we hear names like Chabad-Lubavitch, Chernobyl, Ger, Belz, and others we can trace back the lineage to the location and rebbe of its first court.
The authors characterize the nineteenth century as the Golden Age of Hasidism. That was the time when the movement spread outside of Poland-Lithuania into Russia and the Austro-Hungarian territories. As they gathered momentum, they picked up new members along the way. The Hasidim were primarily rural people who survived by farming. With the invention of the railroad, pilgrimages to visit Hasidic courts became more frequent and these annual journeys became the high points of many adherents’ lives. All the while, the borders of the Hasidic community were porous so that some Jews attended the courts without being full-fledged members. Some Hasidim moved from court to court, sometimes belonging to two or more at the same time. Gentiles sometimes found themselves attracted to the courts as well and were known for seeking out medical aid, the blessing of talismans, or simple spiritual advice from nearby tsaddiks.
Of course, this burst of energy led to an eventual decline as Modernism set in. Impoverished Jews were forced to move to cities to live where they encountered more cosmopolitan ideas including socialism, anarchism, Zionism, and reformed Judaism. The Hasdic courts were decimated, but what remained became a bulwark of anti-modernity and a haven for traditional, and some would say reactionary and backwards, forms of Judaism.
Then came the two World Wars and the Holocaust. The authors don’t dwell too long on the Holocaust and for good reason. We all know what happened there and giving fine details about that nightmare wouldn’t lend much of value to the intentions of this history. What they do go into in great detail is how the Holocaust effected the Hasidim, the ways in which it influenced their self-concept as a religious movement, and what it did to change the structures of their communities. Of other great importance is the mass emigration of Hasidim to America and Israel. The most surprising thing to be learned from this book is that many Hasidim, even those who live in Israel, are anti-Zionist. The reasoning behind this is sufficiently explained but still a little hard to grasp for those of us who are outside the community. The experience of their immigration to America is entirely different. Not only are they now forced to live as an anti-modernist movement in a modernist society, but it is a multicultural society as well, a fact that has hurt and helped the Hasidim in many ways. But at the end of it all, the authors demonstrate how the American experience has been a great blessing to the Hasidim because it is the place where they have been able to thrive unlike any other place they have been in the world.
What is really impressive about this book is that it is so easy to follow. With eight different authors, you would expect it to vary in quality and style from chapter to chapter, but that just isn’t the case. The writing is consistent in its pacing and clarity all the way through. Even some of the more esoteric aspects of things like the kabbalah, theodicy, and devekut are explained with enough skill to make them comprehensible to those of us who aren’t so familiar with what they are. The tone is also as neutral as possible; the authors don’t exoticize the Hasidim like a species of strange animal nor do they judge them. They simple describe them and leave it at that. The biggest problem with the book is that it doesn’t provide enough of an insider’s point of view. As a reader, it made me feel like I was voyeuristically watching the Hasidim from a distance through a pair of binoculars. But this is a history book and not a work of social science. To get a better understanding of the experience of Hasidic ritual and practice, I found some good documentaries on the internet to supplement my reading. Some of the Hasidim are incredibly talented musicians and singers.
If you are not a member of the Hasidic community and you want to know what these people are all about, Hasidim: A New History is possibly the best place to start. Not only is it informative about who the Hasidim are, but I think it also goes a long way in explaining what it might be like to be an ethnic or religious minority in America. In conclusion, while I can’t speak for the Hasidim themselves, I do think they could benefit with a little more outreach to other Americans outside their community. It is true that some members of Chabad-Lubavitch are making some attempts at this, I know because I have spoken with a couple of them myself, but we are living in dangerous times when anti-Semitism is on the rise and the Hasidim mark themselves out visually as an American Other. This makes them a prime target for scapegoating by the more ignorant members of our society. As the Crown Heights Affair of 1992 proved, sometimes being the Other in America is not so easy. We should all make an effort to tolerate those who are different from us, but sometimes you have to be the one to initiate that first step. In the end I get the impression that the Hasidim are just a bunch of harmless, regular people like the rest of us. They just happen to live by a different set of rules. Besides, they dedicate their lives to the experience of joy. Shouldn’t that be a part of all our lives anyways?
July 22, 2024
As good as a 900-page book on the history of Hasidism could ever be. Given that Haredi Jews aren't generally interested in reading this history (and, for practical purposes, are not allowed to), it's a miracle a book of this quality and length exists at all, since the potential audience seems incredibly small.
If only a comparable book existed for Litvak Jews as well, but for that, atleast we have the Jewish History Soundbites podcast.
If only a comparable book existed for Litvak Jews as well, but for that, atleast we have the Jewish History Soundbites podcast.
April 30, 2019
I learned a lot about this quirky sect. Made me read a few Chaim Potok novels.
July 19, 2022
The biggest book I’ve read through all my life. Interesting read, informative. There were pages I had to read twice because I was astonished and grossed out. Traditions are always full of surprises!
Read
February 2, 2018296.8332 B576 2018
Read
September 3, 2018I had time to only skim it, but it was fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews