Chassidei Ashkenaz

Chassidei Ashkenaz (German Pietists)

Background

The Chassidei Ashkenaz was a Jewish movement in the German Rhineland during the 12th and 13th centuries. The individuals of the movement all descended from the great Kalonymos family of Northern Italy, a family that had immigrated to Germany apparently towards the close of the tenth century and the Abun family of France. The movement was known for its strict, almost radical religious observance, and its mystical doctrines. Some posit that its theology fits into the general cannon of Jewish mysticism, as it certainly parallels other Jewish mysticism ; however, it does deviate from the classical early Kabbalistic system. The extent of this community’s effect and influence during the Middle Ages is often debated, and sometimes questioned.

Prime Leaders

Rabbi Judah the Pious (Rav Yehuda Hachassid) of Regensburg was the foremost leader of the Chassidei Ashkenaz. His book Sefer Hasidim (Book of the Pious) is the most significant relic of this movement (see below). Interestingly, his name does not appear once throughout the whole book. He was born in 1150 in Speyer and died in 1217. He was a strong Talmudist and attended Tosafist schools. His experiences as a Tosafist may have contributed to his desperate plea to focus on the practical aspects of Talmud, the Halacha. He was taught the Kabbala at a young age by his father, Rabbi Samuel the Pious (Rav Shmuel Hachassid). Rabbi Samuel the Pious is said to have contributed some of the sections in Sefer Hasidim, and as the father and teacher of Rabbi Judah the Pious, he directly contributed to much of this movement’s thought. He authored the Shir Hakavod (Song of the Glory), which poetically describes Chassidei Ashkenaz theology, namely, the presence of the Divine Glory (Kavod). He also authored the Book of the Fear of God (Sefer Hayirah) and Book of Repentance (Sefer Hateshuva). Tradition maintains that he was the bearer of an esoteric lore that spanned generations. Rabbi Elazar of Worms was a leading Talmudist and Kabbalist in the 13th century and was the prime disciple of Rabbi Judah the Pious. He the last major member attributed to this movement. He died in 1230. He is best known for his work, Sefer HaRokeach, a halachic guide to ethics and Jewish law for the common reader. Some posit that he toned down many of R. Judah’s ideas.

Theology

The theology of the Chassidei Ashkenaz is certainly independent and unique; however, it does contain meaningful similarities to the theologies of both the early kabbalists and of Rav Sadya Gaon. Rav Sadya, in his Emunot V’deot grapples with the following conundrum: throughout Tanach, Prophets constantly describe their visions of the divine realm. These descriptions include majestic images of God sitting on His heavenly throne, surrounded to his right and left by the heavenly army. Since believing that God has perceivable, physical features is blasphemous for Rav Sadya, he elucidates that the visions do not portray God; rather, they portray the Kavod Nivra, the created Glory. This Kavod is God’s created messenger, his exalted angel, created to give the prophets something concrete to visualize. The Torat HaKavod of the Chassidei Ashkenaz imitated the Torat HaKavod of Rav Sadya with a fundamental difference. For the Chassidei Ashkenaz, the Kavod was not created by God, it emanated from God. What emerged for the Chassidei Ashkenaz is a tri-structured divine system. There is God who is beyond knowledge and impossible for man to relate to. The higher Kavod emanates from God, and is still very distant from man, but slightly more accessible. And finally, the lower Kavod is the element of God that man can access. It is at the lower Kavod to whom man directs his prayer and it is the lower Kavod that man can attempt to understand.

This description of God and His divine realm directly parallels the kabbalistic ten-headed sefiratic system, with Ain Sof beyond knowledge on the top, and the ten sefirot emanating downward, the lower the sefira, the more relatable it becomes. Just like the unity of the sefirot is an indispensable concept in Kabbala, the inter-connectedness of the lower Kavod and higher Kavod is crucial for the Chassidei Ashkenaz. The lower Kavod is not separate from the higher Kavod; rather, it emanates from it. Like Kabbala, there are many symbols and descriptions used to explain and refer to the Kavod. For example, in various Chassidai Ashkenaz literatures, the Kavod is referred to by the names of Demut Yakov Chakuk al Kisai HaKavod , Tiferet Yisrael, Kruv, Kisai Hakavod, Atara, Shin, Bas, and Sod.

Many of these references are present in Shiur Hakavod by Rabbi Samuel the Pious, a poem aimed to give praise to the Kavod.

Major Work

Sefer Chassidim, by Rabbi Judah the Pious, is the most important work of the Chassidei Ashkenaz. The themes depicted within most significantly portray the religious ideology of the Chassidei Ashkenaz.

Major Themes

Ratzon Haborei (The Will of the Creator): This central idea of Sefer Hasidim posits that there is a hidden will of God for his followers well beyond what is proscribed in the written an oral Torah, and the true worshiper of God seeks to fulfill the Ratzon Haborei. “We have not found it (the Torah) of ample strength (Job 27:23): - the Torah did not express the will of the creator, nor did it address itself to the needs of man.” Thus, there are an abundance of novel directives present in Sefer Hasidim, each one representing Ratzon Haborei. In fact, Rabbi Judah the Pious stipulates in the introduction to the book that one of his primary goals in writing Sefer Hasidim was to make this hidden will of God accessible to those who wish to find it.

[This book] is written for those who fear God and are mindful of His name. There is a Hasid whose heart desires, out of love for his creator do His will, but he is unaware of all these things [i.e. demands]- which thing to avoi and how to execute profoundly the wish of the Creator. For this reason, the Sefer Hasidim was written so that all who fear God and those returning to their Creator with an undivided heart may read it and know and understand what is incumbent upon them to do and what they must avoid. (Bologna)

The quest to fulfill the Ratzon Haborei was not just a commendable, optional one; rather, as the introduction to the book details, it was a requisite aspect of proper divine service.

And we find in the Torah that anyone who was capable of understanding [a demand] even though he was not [explicitly] commanded is punished for not realizing [the requirement] on his own. “And Moses was angry with the officers of the army . . . who had come from the service of the war. And he said to them, ‘Have you let all the women live?’” (Num. 31: 14-15). Why did they not reply, “You did not command us, for you did not tell us to kill the women”? But Moses knew that they were wise and perspicacious enough to infer [this command] on their own. For this reason I set myself to writing a book for the God-fearing, lest they be punished and think [it is] for no reason. Far be it from God to do such a thing! (Gen. 18:25). . . . Therefore I have set forth this Book of Fear so that those who fear the word of God can take heed. “More than these, my son, must you take heed” (Eccl. 12:12).

Sefer Hasidim is replete with edicts that illuminate this theme of searching beyond the revealed instructions of the written and oral Torah and searching for the Ratzon Haborei. A specific example of this type of statute in Sefer Hasidim is the law of Chelev. Even though the oral law states clearly that one is permitted to derive benefit from Chelev, the Sefer Hasidim posits that if not for man’s weaknesses it would have been forbidden, and thus it is forbidden to derive benefit from Chelev for any pious person.

Elitism of this group of Hasidim was another theme present in Sefer Hasidim. The Hasid is assertive, elitist, and in certain senses extreme in his efforts to impose his system upon his surroundings. The Hasid did not view his religious observance as merely admirable; he viewed it as standard duties of any Jew. Therefore, integral to the Hasid’s divine worship was an aspiration to positively influence others. In part, Sefer Hasidim is sated with praise for those who service the public and equally filled with admonition for those who cause others to stumble. Acting for the common good became a light motif in Sefer Hasidim, and failure to take a public stand against wrong-doing is perceived as a grave sin. It was the Hasid’s goal to enlighten those who needed enlightenment.

On the flip side, those who did not adhere to the “proper” lifestyle proscribed by Sefer Hasidim were constantly labeled as Reshaim (wicked ones). The “wicked” or the “unrighteous ones” were not to be called to the Torah, given honors in the services, blow the ram’s horn, or be a sandak at a circumcision. It is clear from Sefer Hasidim itself that this class of people was “wicked” simply from the perspective of the Hasidim. From the non-Hasid perspective, these often were scholars who make serious contributions to Halachic thought and give influential ruling on religious matters. “Wicked” to the Hasidic mind meant someone who did not live up to their austere standards.

Other themes include Penance and Lilmod al Mnat Lkayem (Learn in order to fulfill).

Influence/Extent of Movement

There has been much debate regarding the extent and influence that this movement had on the middle ages and beyond. Scholars debate whether or not this pious community described in Sefer Chassidim existed beyond the imagination of Rabbi Judah the Pious. For instance, Yosef Dan posits that Sefer Chassidim was an individual work by Rabbi Judah the Pious, not a “national work” of Ashkenazic Jewry. He concludes that the community depicted within Sefer Chassidim was merely a blueprint a blueprint for a structure that was never built. Rabbi Judah’s plans were never carried out. Many proofs motivated this approach. First, there is no reference in any Ashkenazic literature to any of Sefer Chassidim’s particular ideas. Additionally, there is no external proof of existence for Pietistic communities. A controversial movement such as this one, who castigated much of the broader community, labeling them Reshaim, would certainly have been referenced by contemporary literature. However, others such as Isaiah Tishbi maintain that Sefer Chassidim is an “enormous anthology, reflecting the work of generations of Ashkenazi Hasidic leaders.” This led him to formulate this phenomenon as a movement, which existed for generations and had a distinct group of leaders. Ivan Marcus raised support for the community’s historicity by pointing out references to Chassidei Ashkenaz practices in The Tur and Sefer Hamanhig. He further admitted that all of the points questioning its existence merely raise questions, but certainly do not provide any concrete evidence that it did not exist.

 Joseph Dan, “Ashkenazi Hasidim 1941-1991” in Major Trends of Jewish Mysticism 50 Years Later 1992
 T. Alexander “Rabbi Judah the Pious as a Legendary Figure” in Mysticism, Magic, Kabbala in Ashkenazi Judaism
 Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism
 Ibid. Dan
 Haym Soloveitchik, “Piety, Pietism, and German Pietism” The Jewish Quarterly Review Nos. 3-4 (January–April, 2002) 455-493.
 Ibid. Alexander
 Haym Soloveitchik, “Three themes in the ‘Sefer Hasidim,’” AJSR 1 (1976) 311-358.
 Ibid. Dan
 Ibid. Alexander
 Ibid. Alexander and Ivan Marcus quoted in Joseph Dan, “Was there really a Hasidic movement in Medieval Germany?” in Gershom Scholem’s Major Trends 50 Years After by Joseph Dan and Peter Schafer, pgs. 95-99. 
 Book of Kings: 22:19
 Joseph Dan, Torat Hasod Shel Chasidut Ashkenaz pg. 104-107.
 For Rav Sadya, there is also a concept of a higher Kavod. He uses this concept to explain the Shiur Koma literature. 
 This description of the divine realm is found in a Chassidei Ashkenaz manuscript. Joseph Dan in R. Yehuda Hachossid concludes that the manuscript was in fact the lost Sefer HaKavod of Rabbi Judah the Pious.
 For a basic description of the Kabbalistic sefirot, see Kabbala: A Very Short Introduction by Joseph Dan.
 See the beginning of Elliot Wolfson’s Along the Path.
 Shchina in Kabbala is also referred to as Bas.
 Much of the ensuing paragraphs will be derived from Haym Soloveitchik, “Three themes in the ‘Sefer Hasidim,’” AJSR 1 (1976) 311-358.
 Sefer Hasidim (SH) 1076
 SH 1076
 SH 125 158 641 745 1035 1036, as quoted in Haym Soloveitchik, “Three themes in the ‘Sefer Hasidim,’” AJSR 1 (1976) 311-358.
 SH 122 187 191, as quoted in Haym Soloveitchik, “Three themes in the ‘Sefer Hasidim,’” AJSR 1 (1976) 311-358.
 SH 470-471
 SH 1591
 SH 585
 Haym Soloveitchik, “Three themes in the ‘Sefer Hasidim,’” AJSR 1 (1976) 332.
 Joseph Dan, “Was there really a Hasidic movement in Medieval Germany?” in Gershom Scholem’s Major Trends 50 Years After by Joseph Dan and Peter Schafer, pgs. 95-99
 These proofs are cited in the name of Haym Soloveitchik in Dan’s article.
 Ibid. Dan
 Ivan Marcus, “The Historical Meaning of Haside Ashkenaz: Fact, Fiction or Cultural Self Image,” in Gershom Scholem’s Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism: 50 Years After, edited by Joseph Dan and Peter Schäfer, 105-107