Chassidus Was Not Meant to Be Taught in a Vacuum

By Levi Goldman

Recently, there has been a discussion about how Chassidus is taught and why it feels disconnected from many people’s daily lives. While many valid points have been raised, I believe an important perspective is missing.

Perhaps it’s not enough to change how Chassidus is taught; we also need to focus on changing ourselves and our foundational education.

Disclaimer: I am not a mashpia or an expert on Chassidus or its history. What I am sharing is based on my personal experience and observation, and I encourage readers to verify these thoughts with qualified mashpiim.

Consider how Nigleh is taught. The Rebbe did not give simple pshat on Gemara or Rashi at Shabbos farbrengens; he presented deep, high-level analysis. Yet, no one suggests this is how Rashi or Gemara should be taught in yeshivos. It is obvious that the Rebbe relied on yeshivos to teach Nigleh in a simple way with the classic meforshim, while giving the students the foundational skills that will enable them to learn a sugya be’iyun and maintain a regular study schedule throughout their lives. That foundation allows a Chassid to appreciate the Rebbe’s farbrengen as a glimpse into a higher level of learning that inspires him to grow in his personal learning.

Similarly, in avodas Hashem, the Rebbeim delivered profound ma’amorim addressing high spiritual levels. They did not focus as heavily on the basics—such as yiras Shamayim, refining middos, and self-discipline, and the basics of Jewish and Chasidish hashkafa—because those fundamentals are the responsibility of mechanchim and mashpiim. The Rebbeim provided elevated inspiration, trusting that mashpiim would help Chassidim apply these teachings to daily life, and assuming Chassidim already possessed a strong foundation in Yiddishkeit, midos tovos, derech eretz, and the unwritten darkei haChassidus.

(There were cases when the Rebbe made exceptions and dealt with issues that were generally the field of the mechanchim and mashpiim, for example in Igros Kodesh or in yechidus, and then the Rebbe actually spoke about very basic things, very often based on the words of chazal rishonim and acharoinim or just traditional chasidishe chinuch, but these were the exception, not the rule.)

When someone has a strong foundation in yesodei hayahadus v’haChassidus, encountering a difficult or lofty ma’amar will usually not alienate them. They will extract inspiration appropriate to their level, or rely on their underlying Chassidishe foundation to navigate personal challenges. They will also understand the importance of learning chasidus even if they don’t see the effect that it has on them. Seeing how far they are from the ideals of chasidus, and how Chasidus is not having an effect on them, may even open their eyes and cause them to recognize that this may be due to their personal coarseness (grubkeit) or that they have developed a secular mindset (hanachos ha’olam), and they will be motivated to improve in that area.

But if someone’s introduction to avodas Hashem skipped the foundations of Yiddishkeit and darkei hachasidus, and began with lofty ideas that he doesn’t fully understand and he feels he cannot relate to, there is a danger that he will feel empty and unfulfilled, and he will not have the tools to navigate the challenges of life, and this may alienate him from Yiddishkeit altogether.

Many women of previous generations learned very little formal Chassidus, yet possessed deep emunah peshutah, kabolas ol, selflessness, and a very good understanding of how to navigate the challenges of life, due to the basic chasiddishe chinuch that they received. Today, many of their granddaughters study far more Chassidus textually but lack those core foundational traits. It may be that the grandmothers were much more equipped to deal with the challenges of life than the granddaughters, and despite the excellent chasidus education that the granddaughters received, many of them still see chasidus as something lofty and not relatable, because they are missing the basic foundations of chinuch that their grandmothers received. 

It is my understanding that historically, in addition to learning chasidus, chasiddishe chinuch also including a great emphasis on practical guidence about the foundations of yiddishkayt and darkei hachasidus, mechanchim and parents would talk about emuna peshuta, kabolas ol, midos tovos, and how to navigate the chalenges of life, there was a greater emphasis on practical self-discipline according to Shulchan Aruch and studying foundational texts like Pirkei Avos with the clasic meforshim, Ein Yaakov, and Midrashim, and other seforim of gedolei yisroel that discuss the foundations of Yiddishkeit and character development. Older Chassidim have noted that today’s mashpiim often jump to high spiritual levels while skipping these essential building blocks.

When I was a bochur, I appreciated when the “balei nigleh” would farbreng. Unlike the mashpiim, who often spoke about elevated concepts, the balei nigleh focused on practical, grounded guidance rooted in Chazal rishonim and acharonim, and the basic chasiddishe chinuch that they received from their mechanchim, which addressed many practical issues, which was something that I felt our chinuch system was lacking.

So if people feel that chasidus is not relatable and they don’t have the tools to navigate the challenges of life, yes, the issue might be the way that chasidus is taught, but there might also be a deeper issue at play, namely the overall chinuch that they received. If an environment is shaped by secular values, and chasidus is taught in isolation of the yesodei hayahadus, and the “tora shebal peh” of dakei hachasidus, and basic chasidishe hashkafa that has been transmitted from generation to generation, Chassidic concepts will naturally feel foreign.

If someone grows up in an environment in wich the words of Chazal אני לא נבראתי אלא לשמש את קוני are taught and lived in a healthy and well balanced way, when he comes across a sicha that discusses the minute difference between אני לא נבראתי אלא לשמש את קוני and וכל מעשיך יהיו לשם שמים even if he feels that the message is lofty and detached from him, it will still motivate him to focus more on אני לא נבראתי אלא לשמש את קוני according to the way it was taught to him. But if someone grows up in an environment whose message is אני ואפסי עוד and his introduction to avodas hashem is a sicha that explains the minute difference between אני לא נבראתי אלא לשמש את קוני and וכל מעשיך יהיו לשם שמים, he is at a much greater risk of feeling that chasidus is impractical and unrelatable.

So the solution to the problem is not only teaching chasidus in a way that’s more relatable, but also making sure that our chinuch system includes a well-balanced chinuch based on words of Chazal and Gedolei Yisroel about the basics of Yiddishkeit and avodas Hashem, basic yiras shamayim, midos tovos, derech eretz kadma laTorah, and the Torah shebal peh of darkei hachasidus and chasidishe hashkafa that was transmitted orally from generation to generation.

The same is true with adult education. While it’s important to learn maamarim and have farbrengens that discuss lofty topics, we also need farbrengens and shiurim that go back to basics and remind us about the basic yiddishe and chasidishe hashkafos that many of us have forgotten. We need to be reminded on a simple level about the importance of being medakdek in halacha, about middos tovos, and kabolas ol, about not being self-absorbed, about acting in a refined manner, about being careful about what we are exposed to, about the importance of retaining true chasiddishe hashkafos and not being influenced by hanachos haolam, and what is refined chasiddishe speech and conduct and what is not.

Hopefully then the chassidus that we learn will have the desired effect and truly impact us.