Rachel Elior, Littman Library, 2006
Rachel Elior, a leading expert in Hasidic thought and Jewish mysticism, has published numerous books and articles. This excellent work appeared in 1999 in Hebrew, but has only recently been published in English. The author traces the origins of Hasidism in the 18th century to earlier mystical thought. She demonstrates conclusively that while Hasidism was an innovative mass-movement, its ideals, modes of practice and Kabbalistic innovations were firmly based in previous scholarship and elite activity. Its main deviation was to promote these to the masses. She also shows how the critics of Hasidism were mistaken in many of their assumptions, especially their concern that there were Sabbatian aspects to the Hasidic teachings. Elior’s chapters on the phenomenon the tzaddik and autonomous religious leadership are superb: I also found her section on the development of the
