TALES OF THE HASIDIM: MARTIN BUBER’S UNIVERSAL VISION OF ECSTATIC JOY AND SPIRITUAL WHOLENESS by CHARLES DAVID HANNA A THESIS Presented to the Folklore Program and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts March 2017 THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Student: Charles David Hanna Title: Tales of the Hasidim: Martin Buber’s Universal Vision of Ecstatic Joy and Spiritual Wholeness This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Folklore degree in the Folklore Program by: Dr. Dorothee Ostmeier Chairperson Dr. Carol Silverman Member Scott L. Pratt Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded March 2017 ii © 2017 Charles David Hanna iii THESIS ABSTRACT Charles David Hanna Master of Arts Folklore Program March 2017 Title: Tales of the Hasidim: Martin Buber’s Universal Vision of Ecstatic Joy and Spiritual Wholeness I will examine Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim, and the limits of his concepts of “ecstatic joy” and “spiritual wholeness.” To Buber, Hasidic legends present the possibility of overcoming tensions between the quotidian present and the messianic future, divisions of sacred and profane, divine and self. I argue that Buber does not present clear instructions on how to achieve this unity, so I turn to his other writings on Hasidism in order to trace his definition of “ecstatic joy” and “spiritual wholeness.” While Buber accurately depicts the Zaddik-Hasidim relationship, he downplays the importance of Jewish Law (Halacha) in facilitating the goal of ecstatic joy and spiritual wholeness which he posits as the essence of Hasidism. Ultimately, I conclude that while Buber ignores “authentic” aspects of Hasidic life, he indeed uses the Hasidic tale to effectively present a message of ecstatic joy and spiritual wholeness to a universal audience. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Charles David Hanna GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene University of Miami, Coral Gables DEGREES AWARDED: Master of Arts, Folklore, 2017, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, English, 2009, University of Miami AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Folklore Fairy Tales Hasidic Legends Mythology Judaic Studies Architecture Architectural History PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Credit Banker, Bank of America, January 2016 - Present Client Liaison, First Freedom Preservation, October 2015 – January 2016 Middle School Language Arts Teacher, Torah Academy, 2013 - 2015 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express appreciation to Dr. Dorothee Ostmeier, who introduced me to the work of Martin Buber and originated the idea for a project on his Tales of the Hasidim. She graciously agreed to see it through to completion after a four-year hiatus, and provided insightful commentary and suggestions throughout the writing process. I would also like to express appreciation to Dr. Carol Silverman, who agreed to be on the committee for this project; her class on Jewish folklore was a source of inspiration that set me on the path toward the study of Hasidism. Dr. Daniel Wojcik and Beth Magee of the Folklore department also deserve appreciation, for they went above and beyond to facilitate the completion of this long-distance project through various forms and petitions. Another thank you is merited by everyone who encouraged me to return to school and finish my degree, among them the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who encouraged his Hasidim to finish something they start. I would be remiss if I did not thank Martin Buber himself, for compiling the Hasidic legends into his anthology, and writing extensively and thoughtfully on the subject of Hasidism. Lastly and most importantly, my wife deserves my thanks; she supported this project from start to finish, and sacrificed many hours of family time so that I could work on my thesis. My success in life is due to her love and encouragement. vi To my wife, Rachel. “Live life with the life you love” (Kohelet 9:9) vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 II. BUBER’S INTRODUCTION TO TALES OF THE HASIDM: TRANSLATING HASIDISM AND ITS TERMINOLOGY ................................. 5 III. BUBER’S RETROSPECTIVES: HASIDISM AS HEALING FOR THE CRISIS OF MODERN MAN ............................................................... 23 IV. HASIDISM TODAY: BUBER’S FORGOTTEN DEMOGRAPHIC, STORYTELLING CONTEXTS, AND THE REBBE .......................................... 44 V. LAW AND STORYTELLING IN HASIDISM ..................................................... 67 VI. FINDING THE HASIDIC MESSAGE BY REFRAMING OUR PERSPECTIVE.................................................................... 81 VII. OUR WAY TO HASIDISM AND HASIDIC STORYTELLING TODAY ....................................................... 114 VIII. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 138 REFERENCES CITED ................................................................................................ 143 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In this essay I will examine Martin Buber’s collection of Hasidic stories, Tales of the Hasidim (first published in 1947). Martin Buber (1878 – 1965) was a German Jewish theologian best known for his philosophy of the “I-Thou” dialogue, but he also compiled several anthologies of Hasidic legends and wrote extensively on Hasidism. I will examine the limits of Buber’s concepts of “ecstatic joy,” “spiritual wholeness,” and their universal applicability, which he discusses in his introduction to the anthology. Buber writes that the Hasidic legend presents the possibility of overcoming the tensions between the quotidian present and the messianic future, divisions of sacred and profane, and the divine and the self. I argue that Buber does not present clear instructions about how to achieve these goals, so I turn to his other writings on Hasidism in order to trace his definition of “ecstatic joy” and “spiritual wholeness” with all their subcategories. I am led to believe that while Buber accurately depicts the relationship between zaddik and hasid, he downplays the importance of Jewish Law (Halacha) in facilitating the goal of ecstatic joy and spiritual wholeness which he posits as the essence of Hasidism. To fortify my questions, I present ethnographic research, examine several essays that take a critical look at the authenticity of Buber’s depiction of Hasidism, and conclude with a discussion of personal experience. Ultimately, I come to the conclusion that while Buber may downplay “authentic” aspects of Hasidic life (for example, religious observance as dictated by Halacha) he does indeed use the Hasidic tale to effectively present a message of ecstatic joy and spiritual wholeness to a universal audience. 1 Buber’s depiction of Hasidism was criticized by Gershom Scholem and others1 as inaccurate and romanticized. As a practicing Hasidic Jew, I too had reservations about Buber’s anthology, because I had experienced Hasidic storytelling in my own life and seen how it fit into the greater framework of Hasidism. Actually, “inauthentic” and “romanticized” are not terms I would used to describe Buber’s work; I was not bothered by Buber’s decision to remain a secular Jew despite his immersion in Hasidic texts, and I did not disagree with his depiction of Hasidic philosophy and the Hasidic masters—in fact, I believe he clearly communicated many of the main tenets of the Hasidic movement. I took issue with the fact that Buber’s definition of Hasidism seemed to be missing the key element of strict religious observance. Buber wrote about the feeling of “ecstatic joy” which was the goal of Hasidism, and the role of the zaddik figure as a facilitator of “spiritual wholeness,” but despite the beauty and poetry of his introduction to the Tales of the Hasidim, there were no suggestions about how the reader could implement this reality into their own life. For clarity on how Buber’s legendary Hasidic reality could become tangible, I looked beyond his introduction and turned to his writings on Hasidism, especially those found in Hasidism (1946) and Hasidism and Modern Man (1958). I did not find the full elaboration I was seeking on how Hasidic storytelling and life interfaced, so to develop a clearer picture of real-life Hasidism, I turned toward ethnographic research on Hasidism by Jerome Mintz in Legends of the Hasidim (1968) and Ayala Fader in Mitzvah Girls (2009). I will also compare Buber’s description of the zaddik figure to that of Gedalyah Nigal’s assessment in The Hasidic Tale (2002), where she analyzes the history of the 1 Such as Steven Katz and Rivka Schatz-Uffenheimer; see Ran HaCohen’s article "The Hay Wagon Moves to the West: on Martin Ruber's Adaptation of Hassidic Legends” (1). 2 Hasidic tale in depth, from its oral origins to its printed anthologizing. As a practicing Hasidic Jew, I believe that a major component of Hasidism is the strict observance of Jewish Law (halacha), which Buber does not discuss beyond some passing references. To supplement my view in this matter, I will take articles by Hayyim Nahman Bialik (“Halachah and Aggadah,” reprinted in 2000) and Robert Covers (“Nomos and Narrative,” 1998) which describe the weaving together of narrative and legal discussion in Jewish texts. In these segments, I will note where fieldwork, ethnographies, and scholarly