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Conservative and Hasidic
- Thread starter xkatz
- Start date
xkatz
Well-Known Member
Levite
Higher and Higher
I think that one can be a Conservative Jew who studies Hasidic texts, infuses one's practice with Hasidic customs and niggunim (tunes) and attitudes. But I don't think that one can truly be both Conservative and a Hasid at the same time. True Hasidim have a Rebbe that they follow, whose teachings they take as the most authoritative possible interpretation of halakhah and tradition. They have an extremely tight-knit community of which they are part: not only customs at prayer and ritual practice, or specific halakhic ideas, but in terms of modes of dress, niggunim, philosophy, worldview, even language sometimes (speaking Hebrew, or more often, Yiddish, and sometimes more specifically, a certain dialect of Yiddish). There is, as far as I know, no way to be truly Hasidic without being Haredi (ultra-Orthodox). This is in part merely because all the Hasidic dynasties (rebbes have courts, like nobility, at which their Hasidim attend them, and the next rebbe is almost always related to the previous one: a son if possible, or a grandson, but sometimes a nephew, or even a son-in-law; only occasionally is the new rebbe merely a favored student of the old rebbe, and not related to him) have remained Orthodox, and in part because the rebbe-hasid dynamic is not particularly compatible with the pluralism and the historicism and the willingness to critically analyze the tradition and one's teachers that is the essence of Conservative Judaism. A hasid is expected to mevatel himself (to abase himself, to understand his own smallness) before his rebbe. He must understand that his rebbe is on a much higher spiritual plane than he is himself, and so surely comprehends the mysteries of Torah and Kabbalah much better than any ordinary hasid; and what is more, many of the Rebbes can claim descent, through the Baal Shem Tov, from Saadiah Gaon, and he could trace his descent to King David, and so therefore one's Rebbe could very well have the potential to be the moshiach, and is to be treated accordingly. And so on, and on.
The Hasidic literature is incredible, and the Hasidic world has many appealing elements, but ultimately, I think it is not compatible with the Conservative Jewish worldview, which tends to be deeply valuing of the ideas and potential of every individual, and tends to encourage questioning and willingness to innovate, rather than obedience and self-abasement to authority.
xkatz
Well-Known Member
But does that hinder Conservatives from practicing certain aspects of Hasidism you feel?
One of the reasons I made this thread is because I feel that my Conservative synagogue doesn't embrace such ideals of the Conservative movement and I don't feel a lot of spiritual connectedness to G-d during the services.
I have been thinking maybe it's because of my approach to Judaism. Maybe I need to change it or rethink how I practice my faith...?
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Levite
Higher and Higher
No, I don't think there's anything preventing you from infusing Hasidic ideas, practices, literature, niggunim, or so forth into your own practice of Judaism, or from encouraging others around you to do the same. Far from it! I do this myself.
As you know, I'm a Conservative Jew, but my great-granddad was a Chortkover Hasid, and my favorite rav at rabbinical school was a scholar of the Me'or Enayim (Rebbe Menachem Nachum Twerski of Chernobyl, late 18th century, and the grandfather of the first Rebbe of Chortkov), so I have borrowed some of the customs and niggunim of the Twerski family; also one of my adopted uncles was a Lubavitcher Hasid, and an old family friend is a Breslover Hasid, and based upon their teachings, I have borrowed some customs and niggunim from their traditions also. My personal theology and Kabbalistic outlook has been greatly influenced by the Hasidic literature that I have read, especially the Me'or Enayim, the Mei Hashiloach of Rebbe Mordechai Yosef Lainer of Izhbicza, the Kedushat Levi of Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, the Noam Elimelech of Rebbe Elimelekh of Lizhensk, the Torat HaChozeh miLublin, by Rebbe Yakov Yitzchak Horowicz of Lublin, and Likutei Moharan of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. And in part because of my exposure to Hasidic practice, I usually pray not from a nusach Ashkenaz siddur (a siddur, or prayerbook, that follows the liturgical arrangements of most Ashkenazi, or German/European Jews), but the nusach S'fard (a liturgical arrangement which is essentially a fusion of the Ashkenazi and Sefaradi, or Spanish/Mediterranean Jewish, liturgical rites) commonly used by Hasidim.
So one can definitely borrow ideas and concepts and practices from Hasidism and still be a Conservative Jew. That's not a problem or an issue in any way. And yes, it does definitely add to the spiritual intensity and gratification of practice, no question in my mind.
My only point was that, while one can do all of these things, it doesn't mean that you or I would ever be accepted as a Hasid in the Hasidic world.
But do definitely pursue studying Hasidic works, by all means. It is a fruitful course of study and investigation.
And, BTW, that lack of spiritual connectedness and richness in a Conservative shul is not a unique problem. It's happening a lot. It's something that I and my fellow Conservative rabbis are trying to work on, and encourage to change within the movement....
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xkatz
Well-Known Member
Awesome, scholarly answer as usual and I will definitely try to pursue some aspects of Hasidism
However, do you have a good suggestion of were to start? 
Levite
Higher and Higher
Hmmmm.... Well, first of all, I would start listening to some niggunim, and try to get them into your head. Music is a big part of the Hasidic soul. Some online sources include this Modzitzer site, this Chabad site, this other Chabad site, and this nice little site from Mechon Hadar. And there are some nice niggunim and songs at this site. If you happen to live near a good Judaica store, a visit to check out their music section would be in order: if you just tell them you're looking for niggunim and Hasidic music, they should be able to help. Or, online Judaica stores often have good CDs: a quick examination of the music section at eichlers.com offered these four CDs that caught my eye....
Second of all, make friends with some Hasidim. Chabadniks and Breslovers are the easiest to make friends with, usually. If you tell them that you're interested in learning more about Hasidut (or, using the Ashkenazi pronunciation, Hasidus), they will probably be delighted to help. Once you've made friends, get yourself invited to Shabbat lunch or dinner. More than once, if possible. The heart of the Hasidic experience is Shabbat. If you don't learn to have a traditional shabbat, you will never grasp the fullness of the Hasidic experience, or truly touch the Hasidic soul.
And to be perfectly frank, in service of this, I recommend spending some of your shabbatot practicing an Orthodox shabbat: no phones, no electronic devices, no using electricity (you keep lights burning, or you put lamps on timers to turn on and off), no carrying outside the house, no driving, no cooking or turning on the gas in the stove (you leave the stove on low, heat up food that you've cooked before Shabbat, on Friday or Thursday). Say all the traditional brachot (kiddush, hamotzi, birkat hamazon, etc.), but take your time. Savor the words, the sound of the words, their meaning. Sing like you mean it. Sing zemirot (traditional shabbat songs). If you don't know any, you can learn them, among other places, online (at this site, search for keyword "zmiros", and there are some here-- virtualcantor.com is also a good place to learn tunes for leading services-- and there are some here), but also your Hasidic friends can teach you some, and my guess is that your rabbi and/or cantor would be happy to teach you what they know. Invite friends over (make sure they follow Orthodox practice while they are in your house) to sing, to eat, to make some l'chaims (good alcohol is a mainstay of a Hasidic celebration). Study the weekly Torah portion, if possible with Hasidic commentary or a companion reading from Hasidic literature; discuss with friends over lunch or dinner. Go to shul if possible; if not possible (i.e., none in walking distance), daven at home. Go to town. Make the most of the experience: sing, move around, try to connect as much as possible with the experience of prayer. Take a shabbat walk, and/or a shabbat nap. Read something good, or play a game (something requiring no writing, no electronics, etc.) with family or friends (I like Settlers of Catan, Rummikub, Parcheesi, Trivial Pursuit, Risk, or Uno). Make shabbat last. Don't make havdalah as soon as it's dark enough: push through. Really savor the experience of rest, of just being in the moment: a cleaner, purer moment, where you're not thinking about work or school, you're not doing anything you do during the week, you're only focused on holiness and good food and good drink and good friends and simple pleasures that you can thank God for. Understanding what it means to say that Shabbat is "a taste of the World To Come" is at the heart of what it means to live a Hasidic life. I'm not saying you should have an Orthodox shabbat all the time, forever. But you need to experience it enough to become clear on what it truly means to experience-- not as a bunch of "thou shalt nots" but as something joyous and sacred and quiet and precious and utterly unlike one's weekday life.
Say brachot. Don't just mumble one if you happen to remember it. Force yourself to say brachot: over food, over natural phenomena, over personal experiences (if you don't know some of these, look in your siddur, they should be listed, or check here for some of the good ones in transliteration). Don't get too hung up on precisely what order to say brachot in, or at precisely what time, or so forth. But do say them, not because "you have to," but because doing so, with focus and intention and conscious awareness, helps you find a spark of holiness and awe in every little mundane action or moment. And the heart of Hasidut is to try and be aware of God's spirit and presence in all aspects of our lives. Again, not something I am saying you should force yourself to do forever if you are not connecting with it, but it should be a life experience you really come to know. Something that helps you have a reference for what Hasidim are really talking about.
And finally, yes, read Hasidic literature, and biographies and stories about the great Rebbes. Aryeh Kaplan has done some fine translations of the stories of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, and a very good book on Breslover meditation, called Outpouring of the Soul: Rabbi Nachman's Path in Meditation; as well as two good general books called Chasidic Masters: History, Biography, Thought and The Light Beyond: Adventures in Hassidic Thought. Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, some of whose more new-age books are a bit dicey, nonetheless has a couple of truly excellent books on the Hasidic masters, Wrapped in a Holy Flame: Teachings and Tales of The Hasidic Masters and A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters. There are a couple of nice books on prayer and Hasidism, called Filling Words with Light: Hasidic and Mystical Reflections on Jewish Prayer, by Lawrence Kushner, and Your Word Is Fire: The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer, by Arthur Green, both very worth having. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz has a series of books, "Discourses on Hasidic Thought," that are all quite good. Rabbi Abraham Twerski has a very good little book called Four Chassidic Masters, wherein he gives stories about and teachings from four of the great early Rebbes. And Eliyahu Munk has done a comparatively decent traslation of the Kedushat Levi, it's quite worth having (unfortunately, there are very few translations of the early Hasidic Masters). Also, a guy named Zwecker, whose first name I am blanking on, did a little collection of excerpts from the Noam Elimelech that is supposed to be good-- although I confess I have not read it myself. Finally, though he is not, strictly speaking, a Hasidic author, Man's Quest for God, by Abraham Joshua Heschel is an absolutely indispensible little book about prayer, and Heschel, being a descendant of the Apter Rebbe, raised as a prodigy in a Hasidic court, was deeply influenced by Hasidic thought.
Those are starting points. If you're really serious about this, the things to do are to improve your Hebrew, and to gain facility with traditional text and study. Not only because Torah study and the study of Hasidic thought is best done in Hebrew, but because in doing so, you will meet more people with traditional Hasidic influences, will be exposed to more Hasidic culture and history and practice, and will be then able to better connect what you study and teach yourself with the actual traditions and practices.
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Dena
Active Member
Can I admit I am a little bit envious of the born Jewish male? I feel as someone converting outside of Orthodoxy who is also female there is so much that will always be outside my grasp. I wish you the best katz, I think you are on an exciting and beautiful journey. I enjoying your posts and your questions.
And as usual Levite, you give great responses.
And as usual Levite, you give great responses.
Levite
Higher and Higher
I will definitely have at try at some of those things Levite!
Yeah, this is a pretty crowded season. I think it's very smart of you to wait until you feel like you're in a good head-space to focus on a new kind of spiritual experience.
Chag Sukkot Same'ach! (Happy Sukkot!)
The word "chassidic" doesn't really do justice to the movement. For example. Misnagdim(Jews that oppose chassidism) can be just as frum as any given chassidic Jew. A lot of them look basically the same as some chassidim. I.e. Black hat, coat, sometimes payos(usually smaller but not in every case), and beards(not always, to my knowledge they're more leniant on the issue than most chassidim).
The only thing that seperates an chassidic Jew from any other orthodox Jew in essense, is that chassidic Jews study chassidus. That's what makes you chassidish. Chassidic really has become a blanket term for black hatted orthodox Jews.
To answer your question more or less, can you be chassidic and conservative? Technically as long as you study chassidus and hold it as a valid doctrine, by definition you are chassidish... Now, can you uphold what chassidus teaches and be conservative(as in masorti I presume you mean or skmething similar)... No. Not really. Chassidus, at least Tanya, expounds in a very deep manner on doctrines and the such which are more or less opposed by the conservative movement. I.e. Actual hard line Halacha from the Gemara and shulchan aruch and Torah. These are things that the conservative and reform movements do not hold to fully. In short, the answer is yes and no. In my opinion.*
The only thing that seperates an chassidic Jew from any other orthodox Jew in essense, is that chassidic Jews study chassidus. That's what makes you chassidish. Chassidic really has become a blanket term for black hatted orthodox Jews.
To answer your question more or less, can you be chassidic and conservative? Technically as long as you study chassidus and hold it as a valid doctrine, by definition you are chassidish... Now, can you uphold what chassidus teaches and be conservative(as in masorti I presume you mean or skmething similar)... No. Not really. Chassidus, at least Tanya, expounds in a very deep manner on doctrines and the such which are more or less opposed by the conservative movement. I.e. Actual hard line Halacha from the Gemara and shulchan aruch and Torah. These are things that the conservative and reform movements do not hold to fully. In short, the answer is yes and no. In my opinion.*