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The Making of Chassidim
(A translation of a letter sent by the Rebbe Rayatz to his daughter, Rebbetzin Chayah Mushka)
Pirkei Avos “Know from where you came.” An awareness of our people’s roots in the past tells us much about defining our direction in the future. As we probe the inner challenges and struggles which they underwent in previous eras, we discover how to tap those same resources of personal growth and express them in our contemporary settings.
“The Making of Chassidim” describes the motivating factors which spurred several of the more prominent early Chassidim to adopt this way of life. It recounts their personal spiritual strivings, the love and fellowship they shared, their longings, and their joys. In doing so, it chronicles the revolution Chassidism wrought within the Jewish community.
True - the Baal Shem Tov did not change the external situation of our people, but he changed the internals. From his revelation of Chassidism onward, the Jewish pulse beat to a different rhythm - one with more energy, joy, and depth.
And this is not merely history. The insights we can glean from this chronicle give every person the spiritual resources to work such a revolution within his own personal setting.
Pirkei Avos “Know from where you came.” An awareness of our people’s roots in the past tells us much about defining our direction in the future. As we probe the inner challenges and struggles which they underwent in previous eras, we discover how to tap those same resources of personal growth and express them in our contemporary settings.
“The Making of Chassidim” describes the motivating factors which spurred several of the more prominent early Chassidim to adopt this way of life. It recounts their personal spiritual strivings, the love and fellowship they shared, their longings, and their joys. In doing so, it chronicles the revolution Chassidism wrought within the Jewish community.
True - the Baal Shem Tov did not change the external situation of our people, but he changed the internals. From his revelation of Chassidism onward, the Jewish pulse beat to a different rhythm - one with more energy, joy, and depth.
And this is not merely history. The insights we can glean from this chronicle give every person the spiritual resources to work such a revolution within his own personal setting.
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First published September 8, 2011
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March 15, 2024
It feels funny to rate a personal letter from a Rebbe to his daughter, but for the sake of the algorithm, here it is.
This is part of an essay Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson wrote to his middle daughter, the future Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. At the time of its writing (January 1935), the Rebbe was in the spa town of Purkersdorf where he had gone to attend to his health; the future rebbetzin was living in Paris, where she and her husband had fled from Berlin, just under two years prior. The 'letter' follows one that the Rebbe had written to his youngest daughter, Sheina Horenstein (who would be murdered in Treblinka) about the early days of chassidus. This prompted an even longer letter, written over the course of a few months, which detailed many of the early figures of the chassidic movement. There are many touching and interesting moments in these tails, including a lengthy description of a couple who were not blessed with children. At this point in time, the rebbetzin would have been married around six years, and I tried to imagine these vignettes through her eyes.
This "Langer Brif" is much more than a letter, it's a series of tales somewhat akin to the Zichronos (Memoirs) later completed in the US.
Much for the casual reader as well as the historian, and many important chassidic concepts are addressed.
This is part of an essay Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson wrote to his middle daughter, the future Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. At the time of its writing (January 1935), the Rebbe was in the spa town of Purkersdorf where he had gone to attend to his health; the future rebbetzin was living in Paris, where she and her husband had fled from Berlin, just under two years prior. The 'letter' follows one that the Rebbe had written to his youngest daughter, Sheina Horenstein (who would be murdered in Treblinka) about the early days of chassidus. This prompted an even longer letter, written over the course of a few months, which detailed many of the early figures of the chassidic movement. There are many touching and interesting moments in these tails, including a lengthy description of a couple who were not blessed with children. At this point in time, the rebbetzin would have been married around six years, and I tried to imagine these vignettes through her eyes.
This "Langer Brif" is much more than a letter, it's a series of tales somewhat akin to the Zichronos (Memoirs) later completed in the US.
Much for the casual reader as well as the historian, and many important chassidic concepts are addressed.
Displaying 1 of 1 review