Word: hitlahavut
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...This was a movement of holy men (zaddiks) and their followers who reacted against the arid, hairsplitting Talmud-boring of 17th century Judaism with a kind of joyous mysticism; they have often been compared to the followers of St. Francis of Assisi. Shneur Zalman burned with Hasidism's hitlahavut (spiritual enthusiasm), but he recognized the need for organization and teaching as well, and he steered a middle course between mystical rapture and the traditional emphasis on study. He gave his followers and their descendants a highly organized religious school system, a missionary tradition and a lively concern for health...
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