Great Chassidic Schools and Masters (2/3) — The Founding of Polish Chassidut: Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk with Dr. Zeev Kitsis

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Chassidut"  Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, a founder of Polish chassidut, is also one of the most original and complex of the early chassidic thinkers. Among the tensions explored in his thought – and embodied in his life – is that between love and criticism. He was, in a sense, a “specialist in rebuke,” and yet his prescription of this form of spiritual guidance coexists in his thought alongside an expansive notion of love. In this session, we will explore this interplay between love and rebuke as well as Rav Elimelech’s conception of the “tzadik,” which he describes in his work Noam Elimelech, and for which he is perhaps best known. Finally, we will touch upon the deep influence of Rav Elimelech on his successors in Polish chassidut, in particular the Kotzker Rebbi. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally recorded on 06/15/2016