The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern Judaism
This article proposes a reassessment of the development of Ḥaredism, that is, the application of strict, maximalist, commandment-oriented Judaism to increasingly large lay publics, in light of confessionalization processes in Europe. Whereas historiographical and sociological convention locates the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/2/175 |
| _version_ | 1797476817521606656 |
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| author | David Sorotzkin |
| author_facet | David Sorotzkin |
| author_sort | David Sorotzkin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article proposes a reassessment of the development of Ḥaredism, that is, the application of strict, maximalist, commandment-oriented Judaism to increasingly large lay publics, in light of confessionalization processes in Europe. Whereas historiographical and sociological convention locates the sources of Ḥaredism within the development of 19th century orthodox Jewish responses to the Jewish Enlightenment (<i>Haskalah</i>), Reform, and secular Zionism, this article argues that Ḥaredi structures and practices preceded these movements, and, in some cases, influenced their development. The basis for the priority of Ḥaredi identities to Jewish secular identities is rooted in the social disciplining and religious engineering of Jewish societies in the early modern era, until just before the <i>Haskalah</i>, and beyond. This disciplining was predicated on the imposition of religious, social, and ascetic education systems on growing segments of the population. Ḥaredism as a concept and as a phenomenon emerged in 16th century Safed (Ottoman Palestine); there, previous Jewish ascetic patterns were reworked, reorganized and structured under the aegis of the print era, and became a basis for mass, super-regional education. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Ḥaredi religiosity steadily percolated through European Jewish societies by means of works of personal ethic and conduct that were written, printed, and reprinted many times, in Hebrew and Yiddish, through works that enumerate the commandments, and through popular works that make the Jewish halakhic code, <i>Shul</i><i>ḥan Arukh</i>, accessible to the masses by abridging or reworking it. Starting in the early 19th century, with the mediation of the Ḥasidic and Lithuanian religious movements, this process massively penetrated broad strata of society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:09:07Z |
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| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:09:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-53c3a78a45ea45289cf9646ab6a6825a2023-11-23T21:52:18ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-02-0113217510.3390/rel13020175The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern JudaismDavid Sorotzkin0Department of Jewish Studies, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono 55000, IsraelThis article proposes a reassessment of the development of Ḥaredism, that is, the application of strict, maximalist, commandment-oriented Judaism to increasingly large lay publics, in light of confessionalization processes in Europe. Whereas historiographical and sociological convention locates the sources of Ḥaredism within the development of 19th century orthodox Jewish responses to the Jewish Enlightenment (<i>Haskalah</i>), Reform, and secular Zionism, this article argues that Ḥaredi structures and practices preceded these movements, and, in some cases, influenced their development. The basis for the priority of Ḥaredi identities to Jewish secular identities is rooted in the social disciplining and religious engineering of Jewish societies in the early modern era, until just before the <i>Haskalah</i>, and beyond. This disciplining was predicated on the imposition of religious, social, and ascetic education systems on growing segments of the population. Ḥaredism as a concept and as a phenomenon emerged in 16th century Safed (Ottoman Palestine); there, previous Jewish ascetic patterns were reworked, reorganized and structured under the aegis of the print era, and became a basis for mass, super-regional education. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Ḥaredi religiosity steadily percolated through European Jewish societies by means of works of personal ethic and conduct that were written, printed, and reprinted many times, in Hebrew and Yiddish, through works that enumerate the commandments, and through popular works that make the Jewish halakhic code, <i>Shul</i><i>ḥan Arukh</i>, accessible to the masses by abridging or reworking it. Starting in the early 19th century, with the mediation of the Ḥasidic and Lithuanian religious movements, this process massively penetrated broad strata of society.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/2/175orthodoxyḤaredi Judaismconfessionalizationroutinizationsocial discipliningsecularization |
| spellingShingle | David Sorotzkin The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern Judaism Religions orthodoxy Ḥaredi Judaism confessionalization routinization social disciplining secularization |
| title | The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern Judaism |
| title_full | The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern Judaism |
| title_fullStr | The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern Judaism |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern Judaism |
| title_short | The Formation of Ḥaredism—Perspectives on Religion, Social Disciplining and Secularization in Modern Judaism |
| title_sort | formation of haredism perspectives on religion social disciplining and secularization in modern judaism |
| topic | orthodoxy Ḥaredi Judaism confessionalization routinization social disciplining secularization |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/2/175 |
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