The Teaching of Rev. Zvi Hirsh Shapira about Authority of the Tzaddiks and Their Role in the Approach of the Messianic Liberation of the Jewish People
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Abstract
The second tzadik of Mukachevo Tzvi Hirsh Shapira is a little-studied figure among the Hasidic leaders of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. However, his teaching had a considerable influence on the development of modern Hasidic thought. Unlike the founders of Hasidism, the attention of this rebbe was directed mainly to the interpretation of the sacred law and religious ritual. At the same time, almost all aspects of worship are reinterpreted in his works as a tool for understanding the history of the Jewish People and the existing system of government in the Hasidic community. According to R. Tzvi Hirsh, the unlimited power of a tzadik over his followers is determined by his ability to independently fulfill all the obligations of the community of believers before God. The worship of a perfect righteous man maintains proper order in the higher worlds. But, on the other hand, the longevity of a leader depends on the piety of the community and faith of believers in their teacher. There are clear parallels between the tzadik’s influence on the divine pleroma and the followers’ influence on rebbe. Our author combined this kind of reflection with ideas of future liberation of the Jewish People. According to the views of the second tzadik of Mukachevo, we are living in the age when it is possible to avoid the pre-Messianic suffering prophesied by the Bible and medieval mystics. Today any tragic events have ceased to be a necessary prerequisite for the victory of the kingdom of goodness and justice. But the realization of this opportunity depends both on the selfless service of the tzadiks and on the proper efforts of the community. As a result of this efforts the life of the great tzadik – messiah son of Joseph, who, according to Talmudic stories, must die for the salvation of the Jewish people, will be saved. Thus, the total commitment to power of current righteous leaders ensures a future redemption in the best way. The teachings of R. Tzvi Hirsh had a great influence on the views of his famous son R. Chaim Elazar Shapira.
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R. Tzvi Hirsh Shapira, Hasidism, tsadik, religion, history, politics, messianism, Jewish community
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