What’s so special about Chassidut? – Ask the Rabbi
Q. What was so special about the Chassidim?
A. The Divrei Chassidim says, “Wisdom was limited to the erudite few until the Baal Shem came and revealed the Lord to all men and showed how to cleave to Him even in our ordinary actions”.
Abraham Joshua Heschel commented, “Many Jews talked about God, but it was the Besht (Baal Shem Tov) and his followers who brought God to the people. This is perhaps the best answer to the question of how to explain the unbelievable impact these men had in such a short span of time” (“Hasidism as a New Approach to Torah”, Jewish Heritage, Fall-Winter 1972).
