Editing Misnagdim (section)

==Origins==
{{Jews and Judaism sidebar|denominations}}
The rapid spread of Hasidism in the second half of the 18th century greatly troubled many traditional [[rabbi]]s; many saw it as heretical. Much of Judaism was still fearful of the messianic movements of the [[Sabbateans]] and the [[Frankism|Frankists]], the followers of the messianic claimants [[Sabbatai Zevi]] (1626–1676) and [[Jacob Frank]] (1726–1791), respectively. Many rabbis suspected Hasidism of an intimate connection with these movements.

Hasidism's founder was Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer ({{circa|1700 – 1760}}), known as the ''[[Baal Shem Tov]]'' ("master of the good name"; usually applied to a saintly Jew who was also a wonder-worker), or simply by the [[acronym]] ''Besht'' ({{langx|he|בעש"ט}}); he taught that man's relationship with God depended on immediate religious experience, in addition to knowledge and observance of the details of the [[Torah]] and [[Talmud]].

The characteristically ''misnagdic'' approach to Judaism was marked by a concentration on highly intellectual Talmud study; however, it by no means rejected mysticism.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=Arian|first1=Asher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2u-aDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Misnagdim%22&pg=PT132|title=The Elections In Israel--1988|last2=Shamir|first2=Michal|date=2019-05-28|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-000-31632-2|language=en}}</ref> The movement's leaders, like the [[Gaon of Vilna]] and [[Chaim of Volozhin]], were deeply immersed in ''[[kabbalah]]''.<ref name=":2" /> Their difference with the Hasidim was their opposition to involving mystical teachings and considerations in the public life, outside the elitist circles which studied and practiced ''kabbalah''. The Hasidic leaders' inclination to rule in legal matters, binding for the whole community (as opposed to strictures voluntarily adopted by the few), based on mystical considerations, greatly angered the ''Misnagdim''.<ref>Glenn Dynner, ''Men of Silk: The Hasidic Conquest of Polish Jewish Society'', Oxford University Press (2006). pp. 70–72.</ref> On another theoretical level, Chaim of Volozhin and his disciples did not share Hasidism's basic notion that man could grasp the immanence of God's presence in the created universe, thus being able to transcend ordinary reality and potentially infuse everyday actions with spiritual meaning. However, Volozhin's exact position on the issue is subject to debate among researchers. Some believe the differences between the two schools of thought were almost semantic, while others regard their understanding of key doctrines as starkly different.<ref>Benjamin Brown, "[https://www.academia.edu/8331798 'But Me No Buts': The Theological Debate Between the Hasidim and the Mitnagdim in Light of the Discourse-Markers Theory]". ''[[Numen (journal)|Numen]]'', 61 (2014). pp. 532–533.</ref>

Lithuania became the heartland of the traditionalist opposition to Hasidism, so "Lithuanian" and "misnaged" became virtually interchangeable terms in popular perception. However, a sizable minority of Greater [[Lithuanian Jews]] belong(ed) to Hasidic groups, including [[Chabad]], [[Slonim (Hasidic dynasty)|Slonim]], [[Karlin-Stolin (Hasidic dynasty)|Karlin-Stolin]] ([[Pinsk]]), [[Amdur (Hasidic dynasty)|Amdur]] and [[Koidanov]].

The first documented opposition to the Hasidic movement was from the Jewish community in [[Shklow]], Lithuania, in 1772. Rabbis and community leaders voiced concerns about the Hasidim because they were going to Lithuania. The rabbis sent letters forbidding Hasidic prayer houses, urging the burning of Hasidic texts, and humiliating prominent Hasidic leaders. The rabbis imprisoned the Hasidic leaders in an attempt to isolate them from coming into contact with their followers.<ref name="Nadler">Nadler, Allan. 2010. "[http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Misnagdim Misnagdim]". ''[[YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe]]''.</ref>