Who is a Chassid?
A Chassid can be anyone! If you believe in and practice the principles of Chassidut, you're a Chossid!
What is a Chassid?"
- A chassid is someone who relates to the soul of a thing rather than to its body,
- A chassid is a revolutionary.
- a chassid is a pious person
- A chassid is alive.
- A chassid is selfless.
- A chassid is a mystic.
- The chassid reaches for the essence of Torah. - Chabad.org
Principles of Chassidut
Final words of the father of the Ba'al Shem Tov
Yisrolik, before I die I would like to share with you two final instructions
1. you should love every jew with your entire heart, flesh, and soul
2. Fear no person and no thing in the world besides for Hashem
The core principles of the Baal Shem Tov in 8 ideas - Rabbi YY Jacobson:
1. HKBH loves you unconditionally
2. God wants people to be successful, happy, satisfied, fulfilled, etc.
3. Your relationship with HKBH is who you are, everything else is external, AKA, you are a chelek elokai mi'maal.
4. There is no such thing as punishment as a punitive action,
5. every single moment is a moment of connection to HKBH
6. every word of torah can be understood literally, psychologically and metaphysically
7. Love every Jew, no matter who he or she is with every fiber of your being, and look at the soul of a person, not at the externals of the person.
8. challenges, skeletons and demons are not mistakes, but rather are part of your journey to fulfill your purpose in the world
Core Concepts
• Kabbalah & Mysticism.
• Dveikus – the ability to connect with and cling to God through all activities, including the mundane.
• Immanence, - Hashem can be found in everything.
• focus on joy, happiness and meaning in the fulfillment of mitzvos, & on the spirit of mitzvos as much as the form.
The Tzadik, a spiritually superior individual who is outstanding in achieveing d’veikus. • These individuals are role models, teachers and their merit can help those around them.