Chassidim is one of the great succes stories in world history of religious movements. When the Baal Shem Tov died in 1760, there were no more than twenty to thirty followers linked and could claim to his legacy. All of his followers were within the far southeastern corner of Poland, near the border of Russia. There is little knowlegde of any influence of the Baal Shem Tov beyond his followers and his Hometown Miedzybozh. Half a century later, larger parts of Eastern European Jews, considered themselves followers of the Baal Shem Tov - The Chassidic movement.
The Baal Shem Tov's teachings were mostly in the original oral form given by Rabbi Dov Ber -the Maggid of Mezritch and a circle of his students. They belonged to the second and third generation of the Chassidic leadership. It was this circle of students who brought Chassidism into the public arena, and a few key figures within this circle who created Chassidim as a historical movement. This had a huge impact upon the history of the Jews and Judaism for 250 years, in a period by changing and evolving Chassidic agenda and conflicts, between the followers and opponents of Chassidim.
The Mezritch years represent a formation of a close spiritual circle, groups of students intensly devoted to their leader, to set ideals of spreading the Baal Shem Tov's teachings to one another. The students continued their work for decades after the Mezritch death. At the end of the third generation of Chassidic leadership, was the nature of shared Chassidic faith. Devotion to the BeSHT, the Maggid, and their teachings, created a deep bond of loyality and commitment.
Defining the Chassidim by commitment to their followers;
🔸️Avodah b'Simcha. The purpose of life is the joyous service of HaShem. HaShem created the world derived pleasure from the devotion of human beings, especially our neshamos. To partner in his plan, and be careful of anything that might led you astray of serving HaShem.
🔸️Kavanah. Through Torah learning, davening and performing mitzvos, we are serving HaShem with intention, concentration and devotion from the heart. This transforms and uplift every act we do and is serving HaShem with all of our Heart, soul, and might.
🔸️Penimiyyus. Meaning that the essence of observant life lies inward with spiritual intensity. Deeds are important and mitzvos are to be fulfilled, a vessel for Divine light which floods the neshama an embodiment of our heart's inward devotion to HaShem. Devekus, attachment to HaShem is our goal. All of life is to serve as a means to that end.
🔸️Tsimtsum. Existence in the mind of HaShem, is being a simple uniform whole. The words spoken by HaShem in creation of the world, are the essence of existince. Because HaShem is beyond space and time, this reality never changes. Our existence as separate beings is the result of tsimtsum, a de- intensification of the Divine Presence so that our minds can stand it and continue to function as separate selves in order to fulfill our mission. Only in reality that separate being is most of the time an illusion.
🔸️Nitsotsos. HaShem's presence ( shechinah ) fills and includes all of existence. The sparks of Divine light can be found everywhere. Our mission, as Jews, is to seek out and dicover those sparks, within ourselves, sometimes at the most unlikely places, to reestablish Divine Unity that embraces all of beings into oneness.
🔸️Tefillah. Davening is the most essential way of devotional experiences. All of life, including, but not limited to Torah learning and mitzvos, should be seen as a extension of the davening experience, which involves the entire self, and is offered as a gift to HaShem, as were more than 2000 years ago the sacrifices of the Beis HaMikdash.
🔸️Middos. Our mission is that of uplifting and transforming our emotional self to become a better version of ourselves in serving HaShem. Love and fear, two strong emotions, which we need to purify in our lives, when we realize that the only true love comes from HaShem. Our only fear should be our great awe of standing in front of HaShem. True love and fear becomes a channel were HaShem's blessings can flow to us.
🔸️Tzaddikim. A Tzaddik is a person who lives accourding within the teachings of the Torah, a Tzaddik, a channel for bringing a flow of blessings, mainly to those around them and ultimately to the entire world. Tzaddikim, the only proper Jewish leaders to the Jewish people, should be in the public arena. A Tzaddik is capable of transforming his conciousness, leaving the ordinary perspective behind, and raising to a state of mind, were he can see the Shechinah in all existence. Sometimes this can even go acompanied by true light and other supernatrural actions. This is so powerful and a Tzaddik will only implant good that flows into the channel of Divine blessings.
Chassidism is a devotional mysticism, it is not to ask the question " What is the nature of Being? " but rather "How do I serve HaShem properly ?" The way of Emes is the way of service, or of devotion. Finding HaShem everywhere should never diminished the need to serve Him. Our mission is to gain a glimpse of Emes that lies beyond tsimtsum, while living our daily lives as it represents reality.
The Chossid is constantly seeking sparks to uplift him. Faith carries a devotional message in Chassidic piety ;
" HaShem wants to be served in all ways."
The Jewish path of Torah learning , fulfilling the mitzvos, and daily davening - a realms of life untouched. In those places we do seek and find HaShem. Everything we do becomes an act of service. This gives us the posibility of finding and serving HaShem through all things, in each moment, and an understanding of devekus, which is the closest to mystical experience that lies in the heart and soul of Chassidic faith.