"Too Much Outer Form, Not Enough Inner Light"
(Picture by Andrea Briscoli)Space Cadet commenting on "I Dread To Say It":
Let me volunteer an opinion, and we'll see if Smashed Hat agrees:
1. Too much outer form, not enough inner light;
2. Creativity has petered out;
3. Conservative tendencies succeeded in keeping the movement "in line," but soon neutralized the dynamic individualistic spirit -- for better or worse.
Rabbi Nachman saw that this was already happening in HIS day, and said that when the Baal Shem Tov passed away, he removed his light, as well. However, he went on to say, his task would be to leave behind a light that would flicker until the Moshiach: "Mien fierl vet tluyen biz Moshiach vet kumen!"
At least we can see that it is still flickering...
6 Comments:
It seems that the Jewish people has had bursts of creativity, seemingly out of the blue, when needed---timely gifts from HaShem. I wouldn't worry that we've been going through a mostly uncreative (or, in some cases, misguidedly creative) cycle lately. Whether the "next great new thing" starts among Chassidim or others shouldn't be a concern.
Creativity is D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S! Don't you guys get it? We have created yeshivos to nip all that creativity stuff in the bud.
Next you'll be suggesting that chandeliers are not required for a frum home… blasphemers!
Adding on to Zezmir's comment -
Or demanding you have to write B"H on absolutely everything!
Just like Rabenu said about the Baal Shem Tov. We should make sure the creativity and passion of the generation before does not turn in to the Avoda Zara of today.
We must continue to grow.
R' Avraham Sutton told me that both the Baal Shem Tov(did the BeSHT overlap the GR"A? perhaps it was the maggid or the Baal HaTanya) and the GR"A sent emissaries to the holy land to try and catch a great light that was going to be revealed to the world. They didn't manage to catch it and that light ended up descending into the world as the scientific revolution in the 19th century. Perhaps Chassidut would have looked very different if the light of science had been channeled into chassidut? Perhaps creativity would have had clearer expression in that context. Though there is still clearly a place for it in tefillah and learning.
It seems to me too that we're kind of at a crossroads, the same crossroads we were at back in the early 1700's. And yes, the GR"A and the BeShT where contemporaries; one source that I read says that the GR"A's opposition to Chasidus was partly due to his jealousy that the BeShT was able to get the Maggid as his disciple.
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