The Gaon of Vilna: The Man and His Image

Glossary

Glossary 277 dybbuk The soul of a dead person that has possessed the body of a living person and taken control of it because the dead person’s sins were not expiated in the next world. Sometimes a dybbuk takes the form of a demon or demons that penetrate the person’s body and take control of it. The exorcism of a dybbuk involves a complex ceremony, and it is performed by ba’alei shem (magicians), Hasidic leaders, or rabbis. Gaon (pl. Geonim) An honorary title held by the heads of the yeshivot in Babylonia during the Middle Ages. Starting in the eleventh century, this title was also given to the heads of yeshivot in North Africa and Germany. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the title was widely applied to the heads of yeshivot in Poland. Gradually, the title also came to be applied to outstanding scholars who were not heads of yeshivot. h . asid (pl. h .asidim) In the Bible this term describes a person who performs acts of loving-kindness for other people. In rabbinical literature the term describes a person who goes far beyond the letter of the law to serve God. From the Middle Ages on, h .asid became a personal title applied to someone whose worship of God was viewed by the members of his generation as exceptional in its quality and intensity. The word h . asidut refers to the h .asid’s high spiritual level and his way of life. Over the generations, the term h .asidim was used to describe the members of groups whose spiritual inclinations , manner of worshiping God, and way of life were regarded as worthy of that title. A prominent example of such a group is the H . asidut ashkenaz, who were active in Germany during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Inspired by the center of Kabbalah that was active in Safed during the sixteenth century, the phenomenon of h .asidism was linked to occupation with esoteric studies and with the particular patterns of worship and the ascetic way of life influenced by Kabbalah. H . asidim of that kind existed in Poland during the eighteenth century. Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov, his associates , and his disciples were called h .asidim in that spirit. However, when the h .asidic movement expanded and became consolidated in the form of h .asidic “courts” that grew up around the figure of the Zaddik, the term h .asid received new meaning: a person known as a Lubavicher Hasid, a Gerer Hasid, and so on is a person who has accepted the leadership of the Lubavicher rebbe, the Gerer rebbe, and so on. kahal The leadership of the Jewish community organization, which enjoyed extensive autonomy and administered all community matters. lulav A palm branch, one of the “four species” used in the rituals of the Sukkot festival in autumn. ma’ase merkavah This term appears in the Talmud and refers to the secrets of creation and of the divinity. The source of the concept is the merkavah (chariot ) described in the first chapter of Ezekiel. maggid (pl. maggidim) A metaphysical entity such as an angel or the soul of an eminent person, who appears to a person and tells him secrets of the celestial worlds. Sometimes a maggid speaks from the mouth of the person to whom he reveals himself, and sometimes he conveys messages to him by means of automatic writing. maggid meisharim The title of the community preacher. maskil Among the Jews of eastern Europe during the nineteenth century, the term maskil referred to a person who was familiar to some degree with European culture of the time and who identified with the values and goals of Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment movement. Mitnagdim Literally, the opponents: those who opposed the Hasidim and Hasidism and struggled against them. moreh z .edeq Literally, a teacher of righteousness: a religious head with extensive Torah education, authorized to issue Halakhic rulings. His status was ordinarily below that of the rabbi of the community. 278 g l o s s a r y morenu A title indicating possession of Torah education. This title was usually given to men who had studied Torah for several years after their marriage. pilpul and h .iluqim The term pilpul appears in the Talmud, where it refers to a Halakhic discussion in which a specific question is discussed from every angle. The word continued to be...