Nahman was Jewish Hasidic leader. As great grandson of Baal Shem Tov he was a large contributor to the Hasidut movement. Hasidut was pious movement in response to the Haskalah movement. The founder was Baal Shem Tov. There were two elements to the movement: populism and mysticism. Most important was for Jews to achieve closeness to God. The supernatural was viewed to be more important than 5 senses. There was a lot of drinking, singing, and dancing. The followers were known as Hasids and the master was referred to as a Tebbe or Tsaddik. By 1850, there were 10 Hasids for every Maskil.
Nahman differed from other leaders. He had consciousness of God’s absence from the world and he held concerns about sin. He believed that man is bound to have religious doubts and the only way to find God is through faith, which can raise the human soul beyond the void. He encouraged followers to practice “solitude”—man sets aside atleast an hour to be alone in room or field to feel closeness with God. This became known as hitbodedut. He promoted going into the forests and immerse in nature and feel close with God. He also preached Kabbalah and Torah study. There was a combination of mysticism and romanticism in his teachings. |