Introduction to Chasidic Thought:
How we think of God: Immanence versus Transcendence.
The main point of this lecture is the dramatic change brought about by the Chasidic movement in how we think of God. Whereas previous generations - especially those following Kabbalistic thought - tended to think of God as distant and transcendent, the Chasidic movement understood Him to be immanent and near-at-hand. The ramifications of this change, as is evident from the teaching material. This is the key to understanding all of the "Ten Principles," that are presented in this course series.
To understand this change better, we highly recommend reading the following material:
1. On the basic history and ideas of the Chasidic movement. (Click here to open new window.)
2. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's introduction to his classic work, The Light Beyond.
3. The chapter on Divine immanence from R. Norman Lamm's book, The Religious Thought of Hasidism: Text and Commentary.
4. There are a number of academic articles that are also extremely useful. If you are interested in reading them, please contact me directly.
Teaching material can be downloaded here. There are two versions of the material: one for the teacher, and the other for the students. The teacher's version has notes and questions in the right-hand margin. These are meant to be used to engender and facilitate group discussion. However, if the students are bright and motivated, you may want to distribute to them the teacher's version, and let them think or work though the questions themselves.
Class handouts:
For Teachers
For Students
Mindmap summarizing the points. I use this for review, and for reference, even during class. It can also be handed out to student's at the end of class for summary and review. Not every point on the mindmap is covered in the handout material. Depending on the feedback for this sample, I will make it available either in a fuller version of this lesson, or via an online webinar.
Class One: Mindmap
To understand this change better, we highly recommend reading the following material:
1. On the basic history and ideas of the Chasidic movement. (Click here to open new window.)
2. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's introduction to his classic work, The Light Beyond.
3. The chapter on Divine immanence from R. Norman Lamm's book, The Religious Thought of Hasidism: Text and Commentary.
4. There are a number of academic articles that are also extremely useful. If you are interested in reading them, please contact me directly.
Teaching material can be downloaded here. There are two versions of the material: one for the teacher, and the other for the students. The teacher's version has notes and questions in the right-hand margin. These are meant to be used to engender and facilitate group discussion. However, if the students are bright and motivated, you may want to distribute to them the teacher's version, and let them think or work though the questions themselves.
Class handouts:
For Teachers
For Students
Mindmap summarizing the points. I use this for review, and for reference, even during class. It can also be handed out to student's at the end of class for summary and review. Not every point on the mindmap is covered in the handout material. Depending on the feedback for this sample, I will make it available either in a fuller version of this lesson, or via an online webinar.
Class One: Mindmap