Would be nice if you identified where this was taken from.
Substitute any near-eastern religion for hassidism and Dalai Lama for Besht and the adherents would say the same statement makes perfect sense. In fact, once you are reduced to saying things cannot be explained in print or lecture, they can only be "understood" in context of a subjective, personal experience, you can justify any mumbo-jumbo as "true" so long as you get some adherents to profess their belief in whatever snake oil you are selling.
"There has been no one like him in the last 1000 years." I guess the Rishonim, including Rashi, Tos, the Rambam,etc. the ARI and Ramak, the Beis Yosef, etc. all did not add up to too much in this writer's eyes.
Its a guess the author post because some people might not like the author.
"things cannot be explained in print or lecture, they can only be "understood" in context of a subjective, personal experience, you can justify any mumbo-jumbo as "true" so long as you get some adherents to profess their belief in whatever snake oil you are selling." - It does not prove the truth of the movement but the author is grappling with why there seems to be a lack of scholars to be able to truly understand and identify the movement. He is saying it is not a movement of a written word, it is a living movement that can't be defined by a mere book. He is not trying to prove its truth. And indeed a real soul searcher should realize that a movement can only be understood by living it not by merely studying some of its works and then one can determine the truth on their own. I actually find that is more authentic than by merely reading some sociological study of a movement but that just may be because I'm not so brainy.
"I guess the Rishonim, including Rashi, Tos, the Rambam,etc. the ARI and Ramak, the Beis Yosef, etc. all did not add up to too much in this writer's eyes"- I think that the point is that all though yes these were great scholars, they did not start a great new awakening in Jewry.
Would be nice if you identified where this was taken from.
ReplyDeleteSubstitute any near-eastern religion for hassidism and Dalai Lama for Besht and the adherents would say the same statement makes perfect sense. In fact, once you are reduced to saying things cannot be explained in print or lecture, they can only be "understood" in context of a subjective, personal experience, you can justify any mumbo-jumbo as "true" so long as you get some adherents to profess their belief in whatever snake oil you are selling.
"There has been no one like him in the last 1000 years."
I guess the Rishonim, including Rashi, Tos, the Rambam,etc. the ARI and Ramak, the Beis Yosef, etc. all did not add up to too much in this writer's eyes.
Its a guess the author post because some people might not like the author.
Delete"things cannot be explained in print or lecture, they can only be "understood" in context of a subjective, personal experience, you can justify any mumbo-jumbo as "true" so long as you get some adherents to profess their belief in whatever snake oil you are selling." - It does not prove the truth of the movement but the author is grappling with why there seems to be a lack of scholars to be able to truly understand and identify the movement. He is saying it is not a movement of a written word, it is a living movement that can't be defined by a mere book. He is not trying to prove its truth. And indeed a real soul searcher should realize that a movement can only be understood by living it not by merely studying some of its works and then one can determine the truth on their own. I actually find that is more authentic than by merely reading some sociological study of a movement but that just may be because I'm not so brainy.
"I guess the Rishonim, including Rashi, Tos, the Rambam,etc. the ARI and Ramak, the Beis Yosef, etc. all did not add up to too much in this writer's eyes"- I think that the point is that all though yes these were great scholars, they did not start a great new awakening in Jewry.