Habad Approaches to Contemplative Prayer, 1790-1920
Hasidism Reappraised July 1, 1996 Naftali Loewenthal
A historical analysis of Habad Hasidism reveals that the contemplative ideal of intense prayer was not uniformly practiced across generations. Rabbi Dov Ber, an early leader, initially advocated deep contemplation but later restrained followers who misinterpreted his guidance, deeming it too advanced for a wider audience. Subsequent leaders, especially Rabbi Shalom Dovber (the Rashab) in the early twentieth century, successfully taught intense contemplation to young students at the Tomekhei Temimim yeshivah. The contemplative ideal appears to have been realized more fully around 1914 than a century earlier, challenging the common assumption of a decline across generations (yeridat hadorot).