“what do you think my grandfather the Alter Rebbe expected from Chassidim and Chassidus? He wanted to do away with the state of affairs described in the Zohar: ‘Hearts are stopped up, eyes are closed, people see and know not what they see.’… he brought it about that Chassidus should accomplish the opposite: hearts that are open, and eyes that are open, and know what they see.” - Likkutei Dibburim

What does it mean to live with a closed heart? To see and not know what one sees? One starts out in life lacking understanding, lacking language, and clarity to describe true experience, the unknown is a vulnerable place to be, so one fills it with assumption and judgment that lead to feelings of anxiety, guilt, doubt, and shame. Preferring not to feel these feelings either, the heart closes for protection. leaving a person with a sense of disconnection, emptiness, or loneliness.  The teachings of Chassidus are a map, a light that shines brightly and guides one through the chaos of the world, describing to a person the journey to inner wholeness, connection, and peace.

What is Chassidus?

Chassidus is the mystical teachings of the Torah, it is based on Kabbala. The founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, taught these deep Torah secrets to the people of his generation. At the time there was a vast gap between the literate and illiterate societies. The scholars often looking down on the simple folk, seeing them as outcasts or unimportant members of the Jewish people. The Baal Shem tov taught the inherent value and worth of every single person, no matter who they were and what their education had been. His teachings revived the souls of the illiterate who genuinely believes themselves to be worthless, inspiring in them new hope and a sense of deep attachment and connection to G-d. It showed them that the path to a relationship with G-d was not only for the scholars and holy men, but it was for everyone.

One of his core teachings was that each person is a microcosm, a world within a world. just as one strand of hair contains all of one’s DNA each person contains the DNA of G-d and therefore the whole world. Whatever is found in the world around, is also present in one’s inner world. Transforming one’s inner world automatically transforms the outer world. keeping this in mind, the gap in society between the literate and illiterate was reflects within each person. There was a great gap between one’s intellect and understanding (the inner scholar) and the day-to-day laborer (the body, survival strategies, and instinctive emotions of a person). There was a view that in order to spiritually develop the body was to be scorned and hated, cut off from and ignored. The teachings of Chassidus express that all people are internally multi-dimensional, having parts that have clarity and others that feel chaotic and confused. It’s easy to look down on parts of oneself and reject them.

The Baal Shem tov taught that all parts are needed and necessary, they each have a place and a point of value. The body actually has divinity within it that comes from a much greater revelation of G-dliness then one’s soul (spiritual life – i.e. wisdom and emotions), it is only that one must seek to reveal it. One’s inner work is to integrate all aspects of ones being, reconnecting them to the inner wellspring (the part of G-d within each person) which is the infinite capacity for love, compassion, presence, joy, authenticity, creativity, and dignity. When one does this, the wellsprings deep within (open, loving, honest self), flow to and are expressed in the outside (one lives without fear, insecurity, and self-consciousness) and this He taught, ‘is when Moshiach will come’. As he famously wrote to his brother-in-law in a letter (see keser Shem tov):

‘sheyofutzu mayansecha chutza’ – when your wellsprings flow to the outside.