My Children Have Defeated Me’: Divine Limitation & Mystical Activism in the Kedushat Levi

• In Event: The Oral and Written Word in the Early Spread of Hasidism

Abstract

In this presentation, I explore the various ways in which Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev (1740-1809) articulates the need for the Hasidic tzaddik to use his pneumatic powers to guide and protect the Jewish community—from God or any lesser foe. In these sermons, Levi Yitzhak argues that such bold gestures of mystical activism actually provide the Divine with great pleasure (similar to that described in the well-known rabbinic tale of the “Oven of Akhnai,” BT Baba Metziah 59b). In fact, God eagerly awaits the appearance of the holy man who possesses the spiritual awareness to understand that he must work to overturn divine decrees when such heavenly proclamations threaten to harm the members of his community. These daring acts of human dissent are hallmarks of the true tzaddik, who recognizes that God desires of him this paradoxical form of service and partnership. In some cases, R. Levi Yitzhak actually suggests that God has engaged in a gradual process of tzimtzum (veiled presence) over time to allow the tzaddik and his community more freedom to actively shape their own lives. Rather than lament the fact that God is not more overtly involved in the affairs of the Jewish people, R. Levi Yitzhak (building on the teachings of his mentor, Rabbi Dov Bear, The Maggid of Mezeritch) views this as a sign of God’s love and respect for Israel. Finally, in exploring the theme of mystical activism in the Kedushat Levi, I compare and contrast these teachings with the image of R. Levi Yitzhak as a great lover and defender of Israel that emerges in various Hasidic tales.

author

• Or Rose, Hebrew College