THE ARCHETYPE OF THE TZADDIQ IN HASIDIC TRADITION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA IN CONJUNCTION wlTH THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS BY YA'QUB IBN YUSUF August4, 1992 National Library B¡bliothèque nat¡onale E*E du Canada Acquisitions and D¡rection des acquisilions et B¡bliographic Services Branch des services bibliograPhiques 395 Wellinolon Slreêl 395, rue Wellington Oflawa. 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Ni la thèse ni des extraits extracts from it may be printed or substantiels de celle-ci ne otherwise reproduced without doivent être imprimés ou his/her permission. autrement reproduits sans son autorisation, ïsBN ø-315-7796Ø-S Canadä THE ARCHETYPE OF THE TZADDIQ IN HASIDIC TRADITION BY YAIQUB IBN YI]SUF A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Manitoba in partial fuIfilfment of ihe requirements for the degree of MASTER O¡' ARTS @ 7992 Pssrission has been gtânted to the LIBR.{RY OF T¡IE IJNTI¡ERSITY OF ìvfÄNTTOBA to lend or sell copies of this thesis, to the NATIONAL LIER-åRY OF CA¡{ADA to sric¡ofilm this thesis and to lend or sell coPies of the fitm, and IINTI¡TERSITY ilfiCROEII.MS to publish an abstract of this thesis. Tlre author lesen/es other publication righb, and neíthe¡ ihe thesis no! extens¡ve ext¡acts ôorr it may be prinied o! othelwis€ reproduced without the autho/s permission" Most people are struck by an archetype . at least once in their lifetime, and after that all they can do is to circle round and round it. Elemire Zoll^, Arc hetyp es ABSTRACT What is the nature of the spiritual Master idea in Hasidism? The thesis is set forth that in classical Hasidic sources the figure of the Tzaddiq is conceived of, primarily, as an archetypal idea. Such an inter?retatíon of the Hasidic Tzaddiq is substantiated by a re-examination ofboth Hasidic and earlier Jewish traditions, and is considered against the background ofmodem academic scholarship. The approaches of Martin Buber and Gershom Scholem are considered as part of a broad review of modern historiography relating to the Hasidic idea of the Tzaddiq. Arthur Green is presented as the first modem scholar to relate the Hasidic conception of the Tzaddiq to a history of the idea going back to the Rabbinic period. It is proposed, horvever, that Green did not $asp the distinguishing characteristics ofthe Tzaddiq idea, and that like his predecessors, he underestimated the signiflrcance of the Hasidic idea of the Tzaddiq. Given that both early Hasidic sources and the earlier Jewish sources to which they refer, point towards an archetypal idea of the Tzaddiq, and given the centrality of the Tzaddiq in the Hasidic world, it is proposed that this is the seminal idea which inspired and informed the development of the whole Hasidic movement. in setting folth this thesis the term "archetype" is defined, not according to Jung, but according to Philo's idea of an element to be found v¡ithin an individual which connects the universe with the Divine. This is then related to the holographic idea. The origins ofa spiritual idea of the Tzaddiq are traced in Rabbinic literature, as is the emergence of a specifically archetypal idea of the Tzaddiq in medieval Kabbalah. The ramifications of such an idea are explored in a number of classical Hasidic writings, and parallels are drawn to the archetypal conception of the spiritual Master figure in Sufì teachings. An Excursus at the end of the thesis presents modern accounts ofthe function of the Tzaddiq as it is exemplified by living Hasidic Masters. PREFACE This thesis is the fruit of a long-term love affair. When I first began undergraduate studies at the University of Manitoba some twenty years ago, in the Fall of 1972, it was for the purpose of studying Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Zalman Schachter. I was very much on a vision quest at that time: I was seeking a vision ofthe essence ofthe Jewish religion. I wanted to know if it was the same or different fiom the essential mystical teachings of the major religions of the world. On the basis ofthe answer I found and the "vision" I attained, I was prepared to set the course of my life. Notwithstanding the fact that in academic circles since then, "essentialism" (in the sense ofreducing a given religion to a certain essential idea) has gone out of fashion, I felt I found what I was seeking. In the teachings of the Hasidic Master, Reb Nahman of Bratzlav, I found what was for me was the essence of a Jewish mystical understanding of the place of the human being in the wolld. What I found, indeed, was a universal vision, which might fit the spiritual teachings ofany of a number of religions. What I found, nonetheless, felt to me to be deeply Jewish. I had expected a Jewish view of the world to revolve around the Torah, but what I found at the core of this vision was not a book, but the function of the spiritual Master. In subsequent studies I have leaured that Kabbalists, generally, have regarded the Torah not as a code to be deciphered but as a field of infinite meanings. What then provides the basis of the truly great interpretations? Before I ventured any further in the study of Kabbalah, I could see that the interpretations of R. Naþman were far too serendipitous to be derived simply from the knowledge ofbooks. They had authority, vividness and clarity, and answered--as far as words can answer--the questions I was carrying. What then was the source of R. Nahman's inspiration? What I found at the center of the elaborate mandala which was woven in the teachings ofR. Naþman, was the "archetype of the Tzaddiq". I first heard this expression from Zalman Schachter, although I never heard him develop its implications. Yet it was clear frem the start that it was not a matter of a certain person as much as a certain human capacity. More than the forms of Judaism, or of any religion or creed, it is this idea which has continued to hold light to my own spirirual search. It is this idea, specifically, that led me to study Sufism. in the light ofmy own spiritual search, this thesis and indeed all my academic efforts represent a kind of "round trip". They reflect a return to my roots, a desire to clarify for myself the rvisdom of my ancestlal tradition, and a desire to share with others perspectives of this tradition rvhich to nourish me. Some readers may find me too much concerned with understanding Jewish tradition in its own terms, rather than from the position of an impartial outsidel. To such objections I would answer that the object ofmy study is simply to arrive at a correct understanding of the contents of certain Jewish mystical teachings. As for those who may be concerned that I may have imposed a personal or perhaps a "Sufi" point ofview on the Jewish sources, I would simply request that they carefully weigh and consider the evidence I have assembled. My aim is neither to write an apology fol the Jewish tradition nor to reading new meanings into it, but to uncover a vital idea of the Jewish tradition which, until now, has gone unnoticed. The biggest challenge in writing this thesis has not been documenting it. Indeed, as I have read and ¡:eread the Jewish texts cited by previous scholals, I have been amazed at how vividly and consistently they tend to illustrate my thesis. The challenge had been accounting for this thesis in terms of the work of previous academic scholars. And yet, for all of the criticism I level at the work ofprevious scholars such as Buber, Scholem and Green, as I have pursued their work my esteem for them has steadily increased. Scholem's overview of the field of Jewish mysticism, and his lll standards of academic discipline have provided a working basís for scholars ever since. Buber's courage to seek a vision in traditional sources which might be applicable to modern man, has been less influential among modern scholars, but it has been no less of an inspiratíon for me. Arthur Green was a personal model for me in my spiritual search, before I went up to Canada to study with Zalman Schachter. Thus it comes as something of a surprize to find myself, after all these years, in intellectual combat with Art Green. Nevertheless, it is Green who first traced the major sources of the development of the Tzaddiq idea which provides the basis of this thesis.