The Encyclopedia of World Religions

192 S Hasidism

but the poor and the uneducated. His teachings emphasized a kind of mystical communion with G OD that could and should be found in any sphere of life. When the Baal Shem Tov died, his mantle was taken up by his followers, especially Dov Ber (d. 1772). Dov Ber turned his house into a court, similar to those of the minor nobility. People would flock to hear him hold court, that is, to preach and teach. His disciples formed courts or “houses” of their own. Each of them became the center of a community. The leadership of the communities soon became hereditary. Fathers would pass it down to their sons or occasionally their sons-in law. Thus, a distinctive feature of Hasidism was born: the special relationship of the community to its leader. The Hasidic leader is known as a tzaddik, a “righteous one.” As Hasidic Jews see it, a tzaddik has no SIN of his own. Instead, he takes upon him self the EVIL done by his community and transforms it into good. Thus, the tzaddik stands between the community and God. He is the sole authority in the community over private as well as public mat ters. It is inspiring just to be in his presence. Hasidic teachings and practices vary from one community to another. Hasidism arose, how ever, as a movement that played down the form of Judaism customary in eastern Europe at the time. This form emphasized studying T ORAH and T ALMUD and meticulously acting on what one had studied, God’s instructions. In Hasidism, by contrast, one strove to experience an intimate communion with God. This attitude still characterizes most Hasidic groups. During the 20th century, many Hasidic commu nities moved from eastern Europe to either Amer ica or Israel. In 1941 the most influential Hasidic community set up its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. It is often called the Lubavitch com munity, after the town in Belarus (an independent nation formerly in the Soviet Union) where it was first located. Its technical name is Habad Hasidism. The Lubavitch community emphasizes study more than most Hasidic communities do. It has also taken a leading role in promoting Jewish tradition

Many Hindus worship Hanuman as the ideal devotee or worshipper of the gods. The Ramayana tells how a demon in the for est kidnapped king R AMA ’s wife, Sita. To rescue her, Rama made an alliance with the forest mon keys. Hanuman, the general of the monkey armies, discovered that Sita was being held in the city of Lanka. While spying in Lanka, he was caught, and his tail was set on fire as a form of torture. Hanu man escaped and set all of Lanka ablaze. Later, Rama’s brother, Laksmana, was wounded in battle by a poisoned arrow. When it looked as if he would die, Hanuman flew to the far north. (As the son of the wind god Vayu, Hanuman can fly.) He brought back the top of a mountain where a medicinal herb grew. As a result, Laksmana was saved. After Rama rescued Sita and killed the demon, Hanu man returned to Rama’s capital with Rama and Sita. From there he oversaw the affairs of state for 16,000 years. Images of Hanuman show him with a human body but a monkey’s face and tail. He also holds a large mace. One common image shows him fly ing through the air holding the mountain with the medicinal herb. Another shows him standing and holding open his chest to reveal Rama and Sita in his heart. This symbolizes his utter devotion to Rama, whom many Hindus worship as G OD . Hindus have built many temples to Hanu man in northern India. In Ayodhya, Rama’s city, worshippers visit structures in which they believe Hanuman actually lived. Hasidism From the Hebrew word hasid, mean ing “pious”; a movement within J UDAISM . Hasidism began in the 18th century as a rejection of a rigid legalism and intellectualism in favor of an emo tional, heartfelt religion. Today it is most often thought of as an ultraconservative form of Judaism that clings tightly to the ways of the past. Hasidism began with a wandering healer and teacher in eastern Europe known as the B AAL S HEM T OV , the “Master of the Good Name” ( c. 1700–60). Like most wandering healers and teachers at the time, he addressed not the elite of the community