The Messiah part 10

There are numerous legends, theories, and interpretations of the rise and meaning of Hasidism. I have already gone into many of these in earlier posts. One approach, however, is that of the noted historian of Kabbalah, Gershom Scholem. Scholem saw Hasidism as a redirecting of Messianism inward. (Sort of a parallel to the Christian "the Kingdom is within you"). He posited that the Hasidic form of Messianism is more of a personal, rather than a Cosmic, transformation. I think that there is much merit in this view, but it does not tell the entire story. It is well known that Hasidic Kabbalah transfers the emphasis from the macrocosm to the microcosm. But, just as it doesn't deny the importance of the macrocosm, neither does it deny a personal Mashiach. But, for the most part, the focus on a transformed and rectified world is dulled. Yes, we are to hope for and believe that deliverance is coming; but, in the meanwhile, let's get our lives in order. Let's learn how to be happy in the midst of adversity. Let's find G-d in prayer and every experience. A famous letter from the Baal Shem Tov, Hasidism's founder, tells of a vision, in which he encountered the Mashiach. "When are you coming?" asked the Baal Shem Tov. "When your wellsprings overflow" was the answer. That is, a joyous awareness of the presence of G-d must precede Mashiach. (More recent research casts doubt upon this letter.In any case, it is at a minimum  indicative of the ideology of early Hasodosm). Early Hasidic literature gives little indication of a speedy redemption. Even the Tanya, the cornerstone of Chabad Hasidism, only mentions the Mashiach a couple of times. Yes, several Hasidic leaders swore before their deaths, that they would give G-d no rest until He had sent the Mashiach. Many Hasidic stories explain the failure of these efforts by saying that when they got to Heaven, they were distracted by the many wonderful things they saw, and simply forgot. Yes, there was a collective effort in 1814 of several Hasidic greats to bring Mashiach with their meditations during the Simchat Torah celebration. But all those involved met with personal calamities; including death in some of the cases. The time had not yet come. What we do find, is the idea that one who is spiritually "together", is already living in the Messainic era. Many Hasidic leaders were seen as pre-Messiahs. They were worthy to be Mashiach if the world was ready, but it wasn't. But that didn't stop them from making great "rectifications" even now, which will pave the way for THE Mashiach. One telling story has it that the Baal Shem Tov actually promised a man that he would live to see Mashiach. Time passed, and the man grew old. His friends and family were all dead. He was well over a hundred years old, and tired of living.He visited many Tzaddikim, who expressed respect for the assurance he had received, but told him they could do nothing. He finally came to Rabbi Nachman, who simply smiled at the man. The man walked out, and told the people gathered around that he believed that the Baal Shem Tov had meant this young rabbi. He passed away peacefully a few hours later. Did Rabbi Nachman consider himself Mashiach? There is no indication of that. He said that he had paved the way for Mashiach. When an infant son was born to him, he named the baby Shlomo Ephraim. Shlomo (Solomon) was the son of David. Ephraim was the son of Joseph. A hint of both stages of Mashiach! He said that if the generation was worthy, the boy would live and become Mashiach. But the boy died in infancy one year later. Rabbi Nachman said "Now, Mashiach is delayed at least for a hundred years". That was in 1806. Rabbi Nachman predicted that before Mashiach came, there would be machines that fly in the air! (Some of the Breslov Hasidim danced for joy when they heard about the Wright Brothers.) One of the leaders of Breslov in the early twentieth century was asked if we could now expect Mashiach. He answered" "It looks to me like his grandfather has not yet been born". So Hasidim wait for Mashiach, but they do not put everything on hold while waiting. It is true that the Chabad Hasidim have, in the last century, put a great deal of emphasis on "bringing Mashiach". I have heard Chabad rabbis say that this is our main purpose in life. When the Lubavitcher Rebbe was asked why, if this is the case, there is no indication of this in early Hasidic, or even Chabad literature, he responded that when a craftsman first begins fashioning a project, no one looking on can have a clue what that project is to become. But the craftsman knows from the beginning. Most other Hasidim do not share this view, They wait until the time that G-d will choose for deliverance. But, in the meanwhile, pursue their lives in constructive and holy ways. When I lived in Israel, I had a friend who was a member of the Gur Hasidic community. He once said to me "I don't need Mashiach. I study Torah all day, every day. The unlearned need Mashiach". While that is a rather extreme expression, it is a fair representation of a general feeling. We must make our lives holy, even magical. We seek people whose lives are already that way and look to them for guidance. Together, we await the person and time that will put everything together. "Pushing the envelope" will only lead to disaster, as has already happened too many times.