Leadership Profile Essay
One of the largest gaps in Jewish thought that is highly relevant today is that of Chassidic versus non-Chasidic thinking. We take our cue from our revered leaders with regard to what approach to take, and use their remarkable teachings to back our individual choices. The foremost leaders in the realms of Chassidic versus non-Chassidic thinking are most certainly Reb Yisrael ben Eliezer, better known as the Baal Shem Tov, and Reb Eliyahu ben Shlome Zalman, who is commonly referred to as the holy Vilna Goan or simply as the Goan. These two highly esteemed Jewish leaders are the primary voices on these topics of opposition, and as much as their approaches were radically different from each other, they were both brilliant …show more content…
People would inflict themselves to atone for their sins with a variety of sufferings such as self -imposed exile, fasting, or Gilgil Sheleck- rolling in the snow. The Baal Shem Tov wanted to rectify the situation and put an end to segufim being that he realized that it brought down the moral of the people and that they couldn’t serve Hashem properly. This caused much opposition. Furthermore, Chassidus puts a strong emphasis on being B’simcha, happy, at all times. Chassidim make sure to seem content on the outside even as they mourn in the innermost recesses of their hearts which they display at a times designated for mourning and grieving such as the nine days or Tisha B’av. “As the Baal Shem Tov said: "The ability to be joyous, by discerning the good and joyous within every experience, is considered by Chassidim as a biblical command.” (Davidson and Silberberg, , n.d.) These changes were considered fundamentally opposed to traditional Judaism and were feared to be indicative of a movement which tried to reform our age-old tradition, G-d …show more content…
They were each a devoted, kind, and tremendously gifted Torah leader. Both the holy Baal Shem Tov and the holy Goan of Vilna were masters of the written and oral law, learned and knew the secrets of Kabbalah, and taught their respective opinion in a humble and unassuming manner. The styles of leadership they each practiced can easily be differentiated based on the content of the teachings Baal Shem Tov and those of the Goan. Whereas the Baal Shem Tov focused on connecting to each Jew, proving just how valuable he is to Hashem and to the Jewish people, and communicating the importance of joy in one’s observance, the Goan’s approach was rather conventional of our great Torah leaders. Rarely would he ever involve himself in community affairs yet he had great authority and made a tremendous impact on the Jews of his time.
As a teacher myself and thus a leader of sorts, I intend to adopt the leadership style of the holy Rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov, whose wisdom my own family follows. My hopes are to connect on a real, deep, and personal level to each of my students, and infuse in them confidence that they are valuable just because of who they are. Too, I hope to eventually use this philosophy to teach my own children, instilling within them love, warmth, and confidence in their
One of the largest gaps in Jewish thought that is highly relevant today is that of Chassidic versus non-Chasidic thinking. We take our cue from our revered leaders with regard to what approach to take, and use their remarkable teachings to back our individual choices. The foremost leaders in the realms of Chassidic versus non-Chassidic thinking are most certainly Reb Yisrael ben Eliezer, better known as the Baal Shem Tov, and Reb Eliyahu ben Shlome Zalman, who is commonly referred to as the holy Vilna Goan or simply as the Goan. These two highly esteemed Jewish leaders are the primary voices on these topics of opposition, and as much as their approaches were radically different from each other, they were both brilliant …show more content…
People would inflict themselves to atone for their sins with a variety of sufferings such as self -imposed exile, fasting, or Gilgil Sheleck- rolling in the snow. The Baal Shem Tov wanted to rectify the situation and put an end to segufim being that he realized that it brought down the moral of the people and that they couldn’t serve Hashem properly. This caused much opposition. Furthermore, Chassidus puts a strong emphasis on being B’simcha, happy, at all times. Chassidim make sure to seem content on the outside even as they mourn in the innermost recesses of their hearts which they display at a times designated for mourning and grieving such as the nine days or Tisha B’av. “As the Baal Shem Tov said: "The ability to be joyous, by discerning the good and joyous within every experience, is considered by Chassidim as a biblical command.” (Davidson and Silberberg, , n.d.) These changes were considered fundamentally opposed to traditional Judaism and were feared to be indicative of a movement which tried to reform our age-old tradition, G-d …show more content…
They were each a devoted, kind, and tremendously gifted Torah leader. Both the holy Baal Shem Tov and the holy Goan of Vilna were masters of the written and oral law, learned and knew the secrets of Kabbalah, and taught their respective opinion in a humble and unassuming manner. The styles of leadership they each practiced can easily be differentiated based on the content of the teachings Baal Shem Tov and those of the Goan. Whereas the Baal Shem Tov focused on connecting to each Jew, proving just how valuable he is to Hashem and to the Jewish people, and communicating the importance of joy in one’s observance, the Goan’s approach was rather conventional of our great Torah leaders. Rarely would he ever involve himself in community affairs yet he had great authority and made a tremendous impact on the Jews of his time.
As a teacher myself and thus a leader of sorts, I intend to adopt the leadership style of the holy Rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov, whose wisdom my own family follows. My hopes are to connect on a real, deep, and personal level to each of my students, and infuse in them confidence that they are valuable just because of who they are. Too, I hope to eventually use this philosophy to teach my own children, instilling within them love, warmth, and confidence in their