|
Devekut
Devekut, debekuth, deveikuth or deveikus (; traditionally "clinging on" to God) is a Jewish concept referring to closeness to God. It may refer to a deep, trance-like meditative state attained during Jewish prayer, Torah study, or when performing the 613 commandments. It is particularly associated with the Jewish mystical tradition. Etymology דבק, or ''deveq'', the modern Hebrew word for glue, literally means 'to cling'. It is sometimes referred to as ''devequt'', "dvequt" or ''devequs''. The concept of Devequt is important in Jewish culture, particularly in Hasidism and in the history of Jewish thought, mysticism, and ethics. In modern Israeli Hebrew, "Devequt" or "dvequt" is also often a synonym for dedication toward a particular goal. In religious Judaism and in academia, "Dvequt" refers most commonly to the philosophical, mystical and Hasidic understanding of "Devequt" as "cleaving" or "attaching oneself" to God in all areas of life. It refers to the highest form of lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hasidic Philosophy
Hasidic philosophy or Hasidism (), alternatively transliterated as Hasidut or Chassidus, consists of the teachings of the Hasidic movement, which are the teachings of the Hasidic ''rebbes'', often in the form of commentary on the Torah (the Five books of Moses) and Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Hasidism deals with a range of spiritual concepts such as God, the soul, and the Torah, dealing with esoteric matters but often making them understandable, applicable and finding practical expressions. With the spread of Hasidism throughout Ukraine, Galicia, Poland, and Russia, divergent schools emerged within Hasidism. Most if not all schools of Hasidic Judaism stress the central role of the Tzadik, or spiritual and communal leader, in the life of the individual Etymologically, the term, ''hasid'' is a title used for various pious individuals and by various Jewish groups since biblical times, and an earlier movement, the Hasidei Ashkenaz of medieval Germany was also called by this name. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baal Shem Tov
Israel ben Eliezer (According to a forged document from the "Kherson Geniza", accepted only by Chabad, he was born in October 1698. Some Hasidic traditions place his birth as early as 1690, while Simon Dubnow and other modern scholars argue for a date around 1700. –1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov (; ) or BeShT (), was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. A ''baal shem tov'' is a "Master of the Good Name," that is, one able to work miracles using the secret name of God. Other sources explain his sobriquet as arising from a reputation of being a saintly, or superior, Baal Shem "miracle-worker", hence he was given the nickname Baal Shem ''Tov'', the "good Baal Shem". Biographical information about the Baal Shem Tov comes from contemporary documents from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the legendary traditions about his life and behavior collected in the ''Praise of the Besht'' (). A central tenet of the teachings associa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tzadik
Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ''ṣadiq'', is '' ṣ- d- q'' ( ''tsedek''), which means "justice" or " righteousness". When applied to a righteous woman, the term is inflected as ''tzadeket'' singularly or ''tzidkaniot'' in the plural. ''Tzadik'' is also the root of the word '' tzedakah'' ('charity', literally 'righteousness'). The term ''tzadik'' "righteous", and its associated meanings, developed in rabbinic thought from its Talmudic contrast with ''hasid'' ("pious" honorific), to its exploration in ethical literature, and its esoteric spiritualisation in Kabbalah. Since the late 17th century, in Hasidic Judaism, the institution of the mystical tzadik as a divine channel assumed central importance, combining popularization of (hands-on) Jewish mysticism with soci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jewish Mysticism
Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), draws distinctions between different forms of mysticism which were practiced in different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in 12th-century southwestern Europe, is the most well known, but it is not the only typological form, nor was it the first form which emerged. Among the previous forms were Merkabah mysticism (c. 100 BCE – 1000 CE), and Ashkenazi Hasidim (early 13th century) around the time of the emergence of Kabbalah. Kabbalah means "received tradition", a term which was previously used in other Judaic contexts, but the Medieval Kabbalists adopted it as a term for their own doctrine in order to express the belief that they were not innovating, but were merely revealing the ancient hidden esoteric tradition of the Torah. This issue has been crystalized until today by alternative views on the origin of the Zohar, the main text of K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
God In Judaism
In Judaism, God has been conceived in a variety of ways. Traditionally, Judaism holds that Yahweh—that is, the God in Abrahamic religions#Judaism, god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the national god of the Israelites—delivered them from The Exodus, slavery in Egypt, and gave them the Law of Moses at Mount Sinai (Bible), Mount Sinai as described in the Torah. Jews traditionally believe in a Monotheism, monotheistic conception of God ("Shema Yisrael, God is one"), characterized by both Transcendence (religion), transcendence (independence from, and separation from, the material universe) and immanence (active involvement in the material universe). God is seen as unique and perfect, free from all faults, and is believed to be omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and Absolute infinite, infinite in all attributes, with no partner or equal, serving as the sole Creator deity, creator of everything in existence. In Judaism, Aniconism in Judaism, God is never portrayed in any ima ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kvitel
Kvitel or Kvitl ( ''kvitl'', "little note"; plural: קוויטלעך ''kvitlekh'', kvitels, kvitelech, kvitelach / kvitls, kvitlech, kvitlach) refers to a practice developed by Hasidic Judaism Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most ... in which a Hasid (a follower of Hasidic Judaism) writes a note with a petitionary prayer and gives it to a Rebbe (Hasidic Jewish leader) in order to receive the latter's blessing. This prayer may be a general request for health, livelihood, or success, or a specific request such as recovery from illness, the ability to bear children, a wedding match, etc. The writing, giving and reading of a ''kvitel'' is treated very seriously by Hasid and Rebbe alike, and is executed according to specific protocols. Because of their inherent sanctity, kvi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Halachic
''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mitzvot''), subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic laws, and the customs and traditions which were compiled in the many books such as the ''Shulchan Aruch'' or ''Mishneh Torah''. ''Halakha'' is often translated as "Jewish law", although a more literal translation might be "the way to behave" or "the way of walking". The word is derived from the root, which means "to behave" (also "to go" or "to walk"). ''Halakha'' not only guides religious practices and beliefs; it also guides numerous aspects of day-to-day life. Historically, widespread observance of the laws of the Torah is first in evidence beginning in the second century BCE, and some say that the first evidence was even earlier. In the Jewish diaspora, ''halakha'' served many Jewish communiti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musar Literature
Musar literature is didactic Jewish ethical literature which describes virtues and vices and the path towards character improvement. This literature gives the name to the Musar movement, in 19th century Lithuania, but this article considers such literature more broadly. Definition Musar literature is often described as "ethical literature." Professor Geoffrey Claussen describes it as "Jewish literature that discusses virtue and character." Professors Isaiah Tishby and Joseph Dan have described it as "prose literature that presents to a wide public views, ideas, and ways of life in order to shape the everyday behavior, thought, and beliefs of this public." Musar literature traditionally depicts the nature of moral and spiritual perfection in a methodical way. It is "divided according to the component parts of the ideal righteous way of life; the material is treated methodically – analyzing, explaining, and demonstrating how to achieve each moral virtue (usually treated i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanya (Judaism)
The ''Tanya'' () is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1796. Its formal title is ''Likkutei Amarim'' (, Hebrew, "collection of statements") but is more commonly known by its first word (''tanya''), which in Aramaic means "it has been taught". Zalman is referring to a baraita in "Niddah" chapter 3 in the word’s first usage. The ''Tanya'' is composed of five sections that define Hasidic mystical psychology and theology as a handbook for daily spiritual life in Jewish observance. The ''Tanya'' is the main work of Chabad philosophy and the Chabad approach to Hasidic mysticism, as it defines its general interpretation and method. The subsequent extensive library of the Chabad school, authored by successive leaders, builds upon the approach of the ''Tanya''. Chabad differed from mainstream Hasidism by its philosophical investigation and intellectual analysis of Hasidic Torah exegesis. Thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Menachem Mendel Of Kotzk
Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk (Kock, Poland), better known as the Kotzker Rebbe and the Kotzker (1787–1859) was a Hasidic rabbi and leader. Life Born to a non- Hasidic family in Goraj near Lublin, Poland, he became attracted to Hasidic philosophy in his youth. He was known for having acquired impressive Talmudic and Kabbalistic knowledge at an early age. He was a student of Reb Bunim of Peshischa, and upon the latter's death attracted many of his followers. Morgensztern was well known for his incisive and down-to-earth philosophies, and sharp-witted sayings. He appears to have had little patience for false piety or stupidity. From 1839 he lived in seclusion for the last twenty years of his life. Students and legacy The Kotzker Rebbe never published any works. He wrote many manuscripts, but he had them all burned before his death. Several collections of his sayings have been published, most notably ''Emes VeEmunah'' (Truth and Faith). The Kotzker Rebbe's disci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teshuvah
Repentance ( /tʃuvɑː/; "return") is one element of atoning for sin in Judaism. Judaism recognizes that everybody sins on occasion, but that people can stop or minimize those occasions in the future by repenting for past transgressions. Thus, the primary purpose of repentance in Judaism is ethical self-transformation.Telushkin, Joseph. ''A Code of Jewish Ethics: Volume 1 - You Shall Be Holy''. New York: Bell Tower, 2006. p. 152-173. Maimonides defines the essence of repentance as follows: A Jewish penitent is traditionally known as a ''baal teshuva''. How to repent According to ''Gates of Repentance'', a standard work of Jewish ethics written by Rabbenu Yonah of Gerona, a sinner repents by: * regretting/acknowledging the sin; * forsaking the sin (see below); * worrying about the future consequences of the sin; * acting and speaking with humility; * acting in a way opposite to that of the sin (for example, for the sin of lying, one should speak the truth); * understand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
