Redemption is a significant aspect of Jewish Tradition exemplifying the eternal aspect of the covenant and renders God as the only determinant of salvation for humanity. The Jewish Diaspora significantly changed the perception of the covenantal relationship between God and his people generating adaptations to the Jewish Tradition in efforts to represent Jew’s newly evolved perception of their Jewry, ultimately influencing new insights on redemption.
Rabbinic Judaism, Lurianic Kabbalah, and Hasidic ideologies make evident the physical, spiritual, and mental changes of Jewish logic that manifest within the consecutive development of Judaism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the loss of their sovereignty as a nation, the people were faced with the obstacle in regard to the maintenance of the covenant which resulted in Rabbi’s challenging prior interpretations of the Torah and linking it to new literature to authenticate its divine importance.
Conclusively, extending new ideas and interpretations on redemption. “For some Jews, the destruction of the temple posed a theological crisis … What the Mishnah is saying by its very existence is that God can be found through the study of laws, evens those laws which cannot be observed in daily life… This Mishnah refers to three core doctrines of rabbinic Judaism: the resurrection of the dead, the divine origin of the Torah, and divine supervision of human affairs. (Cohen, 218-220)
Rabbinic Judaism perpetuates the idea that Jewish life should revolve on studying both Oral and Written Law rather than Temple worship and sacrifices to create a self-perpetuating system in which one can achieve experiencing the divine. Rabbinic literature consisted of the Oral Law embodied within the Mishnah and Gemara which contained detailed Rabbinic writings and literature facilitating the understanding of what types of behaviors are accepted by the law to facilitate an acceptance of Rabbinic beliefs on Judaism.
Rabbinic theology introduced new concepts and interpretations of the divine relationship between God and the people as a result of Tannaim Rabbis understanding that the previous system of oral schooling could not be maintained outside of the Holy land and a new ideology had to be promoted through literature to strengthen the tradition.
As consequence of the destruction of the Temple, King, and Priests, the people lacked a communal space in which they could unite as one and most importantly lacked a governmental social elite group to serve as an authoritative figure motivating Rabbis to infiltrate schools of learning and synagogues which would allow ideas to permeate and triumph among large, successful Jewish cities. “Many Jews, perhaps most Jews, did not yet regard the rabbis as their leaders and did not regard rabbinic Judaism as the standard of behavior and belief…
The rabbis triumphed over the indifference of the masses by gradually gaining control of the schools and the synagogues. ” (Cohen, 224) Through the establishment of the Rabbinic Sanhedrin and Yeshivos, Rabbi’s systematically located themselves in large Jewish populations to incorporate more people into their movement. Through education and providing an established office in which people could go seek advice, it created a sense of cohesion between the people and rabbis establishing a new method in which Jewry could be sustained outside the Land of Israel.
Rabbinic domination of the synagogue was the result of a long and gradual process… Rabbinic literature is an “internal” literature, written by, about, and for the rabbis. ” (Cohen, 225) Competing with other Jewish sects like the Sadducees, Essenes, and Pharisees caused Rabbinic theology to result in a gradual process which allowed for the authorship of crucial literature that would be substantial to the sustainment of Rabbinic Judaism.
This establishes a leeway for individuals who decide to abandon their Jewry because Rabbinic Judaism endorsed that redemption could still be achieved due to the idea that one’s Jewry was permanent even if becoming an apostate. Lurianic Kabbalah introduces a theory of creation which presents a daring approach to the traditional thought of divinity. Traditionally, God is portrayed as a supreme force that guides and monitors the actions of all human beings and is self-dependant.
However, in Lurianic Kabbalah, Ayn Sof embodies a God that depends on of human beings in order to understand its capacity and reestablish it to wholeness. Lurianic Kabbalah becomes a primary method of acknowledging spiritual consciousness and mystical understanding of Jewry while in exile and acquire a mystical understanding of redemption. “… the term Kabbalah denoted esoteric teachings, techniques of meditation, and a growing body of mystical literature… aimed at contemplative union with higher spheres; both were dissatisfied with the plain, literal meaning of Torah and sought to spiritualize its teaching. (Green, 5)
Lurianic Kabbalah empowered Jews to challenge conventional methodology in interpreting and abiding by the Torah by teaching its followers to examine the text closely and think about teachings in a mystical form. Following this format would aid in repairing the unity among the Jewish people. The metaphor of sparks manifested within Lurianic Kabbalah ideology is interpreted as the force to complete the restoration of the world which would direct Redemption as only being acquired through self-determination. “All day long, the fire in the house did not go out.
No one reached him; no one could: light and fire surrounded him! All day long, I lay on the ground and wailed. After the fire disappeared I saw the Holy Spark, Holy of Hollies, leaving the world, enwrapped, lying on his right, his face smiling. ” (Green, 187) Issac Luria developed the idea that in order to restore and redeem the world, each individual, as they travel along life’s journey will encounter people and events that contain these sparks (Sefirot) that are unique to the individual to redeem. These encounters designed to assist the individual in elevating the sparks within their own soul.
The Hasidic movement was a continuation and expansion of the Lurianic Kabbalah in which teachings emphasized God’s whole presence in the universe, the interrelated responsibility Jews had to one another, and the pious aspect of religious practices and rituals to become closer to God.
The attainment of Devekut was the end goal of Hasidim in which one had to seek the guidance of a Rebbe in order to negate negative impulses and aim to understand the truth of God’s divine which would enable the individual to acquire a peaceful state of happiness. … the vision of a spiritualized reality would allow for an inner freedom, even while the physical shackles remained unbroken… the Hasidic world view and often offered practical advice on such matters as a concentration in prayer, the uplifting of evil thoughts and the maintaining of a devotional posture even while engaged in worldly pursuits. ” (Green, 364) In Hasidism, Devekut could be achieved in various forms. There was not a “one-way” method in which it could be achieved.
Unlike traditional belief, attachment to God through spiritual methodology could be achieved by peoples of all status from knowledgeable leaders to the humble man as long as one sincerely practiced fervent prayer and rituals. The shift from a royal type of redemption to a spiritual form in Hasidism democratized redemption in the way that now it could be achieved through more interactive and experiential methods that involved both the body and the soul.
“ Know that each word is a complete form. ou must say it with all your strength, or else it will be like one lacking a limb. It is an act of divine grace that a person remains alive after prayer. It would be natural to die because so much strength is lost, for the one who prays puts all his strength into the prayer, in the intensity of his concentration. ” (Green, 388) Physical worship, praising, keeping Kosher, and various others activities were imbued with mystical meaning which if performed with a positive attitude could lead to the achievement of Devekut.
This different leadership model gave more power to the individual to gain redemption through accessible and experiential ways alongside from seeking the guidance of a Tzaddik. As long as one studied the Torah, physically worshiped and increased their intellect, redemption would be attained exalting their position within Jewry and adding on to the Jewish tradition.
As the Jewish masses dispersed among various places away from the Land of Israel, the Diaspora changed the perception of Jewry influencing new understandings of one’s relationship to God and experiential insights on achieving redemption. Rabbinic Judaism, Lurianic Kabbalah, and Hasidic Ideologies demonstrates the political, physical, and mental challenges the people faced being in foreign lands, yet, denote the adaptations created to the tradition in efforts of maintaining the tradition and their Jewry.
Language, physical, and personal barriers did not halt the maintenance of the tradition but advanced simultaneously along with time. Due to the people sharing a common memory of having experienced exile and dispersion before, their need to persevere and maintain the tradition even if adaptations had to be made in order to strengthen Judaism kept them moving forward in efforts of attaining ultimate redemption.
