HASIDISM:
Hebrew term for "PIETY" or "the pious." In the eighteenth
century it became associated with an Eastern European JEWISH sect founded by RABBI ISRAEL
ben Eliezer. It reacted against what it saw as the arid interpretation of the TALMUD
by RABBIS and drew upon the CABBALA to develop a rich MYSTICAL TRADITION. Union with GOD
was sought through ECSTATIC PRAYER and the coming of the MESSIAH was earnestly desired.
Today Martin BUBER is the best known interpreter of Hasidism even though many scholars
question his understanding of the tradition.
