Hasidic Dynasties in Crisis

This class serves as an introduction to the entire series and discusses different models of transferring leadership from one generation to the next. One model is that of Moshe handing over learership to Yehoshua, his foremost student. This was the primary way for religious leadership, with a rabbi giving semicha to the students of the next generation. In contrast, there is the model of kings and priests — Aharon’s son Elazar inherited his role as Cohen Gadol, and only King David’s descendants were eligible to be king.

When it comes to chasidic leadership, initially it was the students of the Baal Shem Tov who succeeded him. However, gradually, it became accepted, for political and religious reasons, that the position of Rebbe could only pass down to someone with a biological connection. Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi’s main work, the Tanya’, which became the foundation of chasidic theology, clearly states that a tzadik has a different type of soul than everyone else, and only someone born to the role can attain that position of leadership.