Hasid Ashkenaz

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Chasside Ashkenaz ( Hebrew חסידי אשכנז for "Pious Germany") was a group of Jewish scholars who, in the course of the persecution of the Jews during the Crusades, placed the emphasis on personal piety and also accepted Kiddush HaSchem (sanctification of the name of God, i.e. martyrdom ). The most important representatives of this direction were active in Regensburg and in the ShUM cities of Speyer , Worms and Mainz . They are assigned to the epoch of the Rishonim ("first", i.e. 11th - 15th centuries).

Dezisor Dezisor Geonim Saboräer Amoraim Tannaim Zugot

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The members of this group referred to themselves simply as Hasidim ("pious"). The term Hasid Ashkenaz only came up in modern times to distinguish it from Eastern European Hasidism , which goes back to the Baal Shem Tov .

Jewish literature in the Holy Roman Empire of the 12th and 13th centuries developed in two different directions. On the one hand, ethical works emerged in which the Jewish readership was urged to strictly obey the religious commandments and to observe the moral values of Judaism. The most important work in this area is the Sefer Chassidim ("Book of the Pious") by Juda ben Samuel from Regensburg, which had an impact for centuries and was published in 1724 in a printed edition in Frankfurt am Main . On the other hand, there were numerous esoteric works with partly mystical elements which, according to the Hasidic scholars, went back to oral traditions beginning in Italy in the 8th century. This tradition was transmitted mainly by the family of the calonymids , who moved from Italy to Germany in the 9th century and became the leading figures of German Hasidism. Its well-known representatives include Samuel ben Qalonymus he-Chasid , his son Juda ben Samuel, Eleazar ben Juda ben Kalonymos , Meschullam ben Kalonymos and Kalonymos ben Meschullam . Juda ben Samuel is also considered to be the author of the liturgical poem Shir Hakawod .

In the theological field, Jewish scholars in medieval Germany focused on the unity and incorporeality of God, similar to the Spanish Jewish philosophers . The laws of nature and the laws of social coexistence seemed arbitrary to them. They were not viewed as revelations of the true nature of God, but as trials to be overcome in order to lead a just and pious way of life. Much greater emphasis has been placed on miracles , which must be interpreted in order to come to an understanding of the nature of God. Hasidic literature is believed to be the largest encompassing demonological and magical indications in medieval rabbinic literature .

The symbolism of the Hasidic Ashkenazi was based to a large extent on the belief in the mystical power of the names of God and the letters of the Hebrew alphabet . The letter combinations in the Holy Language serve in their eyes as channels of human communication with the supernatural worlds, through study and prayer. In their doctrine , love of God and emotional joy played a dominant role, which should fill all the senses and resources of the Hasid. It is expressed in their writings through symbols and similes based on emotions and experiences from sexual relationships. The prayer is compared to a conductor whose perfection is achieved by time-extensive dedication to every single word.

In the social sphere, the unequal distribution of wealth was given moral significance: wealth was given to the rich so that they should support the poor, accordingly a tithe was spent on charitable purposes.

Although the sources in the esoteric area cannot be precisely determined, there were undoubtedly influences of contemporary Christianity on various levels, initially in the medieval writings of Neoplatonism , but also in the area of occultism , in which demons, ghosts and witchcraft played an important role.

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