The Ascetic Piety and Complex Worldview of the Medieval German Hasidim

Historically, there have been three major Jewish religious groups who referred to themselves as Hasidim, or individuals of extraordinary piety. The Assideans (a word derived from the Greek transliteration of hasid) of the 2nd century BCE were deeply opposed to Hellenization and played a crucial role in the Maccabean revolt. In the 18th century, the popular mystical movement of today’s Hasidim began. Between these were the 12th- and 13th-century Hasidei Ashkenaz, the German pietists, a small group with an outsized legacy. Talya Fishman discusses this peculiar network of rabbis, their relationship with trends in the Christian world, and their beliefs about the tension between sacred texts and minhag, or custom—a tension that has resurfaced in the past century. (Interview by J.J. Kimche. Audio, 77 minutes.)