Breslov. The regular criticism of Breslov is correct. The numinous aspect of Torah like every area of value, when it falls from its state of perfection,-- it becomes its opposite.
You see this often. When music fell, it did not just lose its value. It did not become just noise. It became anti-Music.
So when the holy and luminous and bright aspect of Torah falls, its becomes not just of less value. It becomes anti Holiness.
What sometimes happens is ריבוי אור effect. Too much light that makes people go off the straight path. The way to avoid that problem is to have a good idea of what Torah is about, the Oral and Written Torah and not to deviate from that at all. That is by learning Musar. Or Shimshon Refael Hirsch.
That fact that people make cults from someone does not eliminate value. It just means one has to be careful.
The problem seems to be that there is no way to get to the good without going through a lot of bad stuff, e.g. leaders that are charismatic lunatics and a general weakening of the desire to learn Talmud.
The major good things I think are his Rosh Hashanah--as he said himself, and his idea that in learning one should just say the words and go on דרך גירסה. The ten psalms he said to say to correct sexual sin. But the bad things are the cults that are founded on him.
There is little in this world that is all good or bad. Even things that we do that we must do and are even mitzvahs have lots of evil. And even our evil has good.
Let us say for example you feel a civic obligation to support some cause. Even if the cause is good there has to be some negative aspects to it. Or it might be only good at how it presents itself to the public. In its inner workings it might be very evil.
You see this often. When music fell, it did not just lose its value. It did not become just noise. It became anti-Music.
So when the holy and luminous and bright aspect of Torah falls, its becomes not just of less value. It becomes anti Holiness.
What sometimes happens is ריבוי אור effect. Too much light that makes people go off the straight path. The way to avoid that problem is to have a good idea of what Torah is about, the Oral and Written Torah and not to deviate from that at all. That is by learning Musar. Or Shimshon Refael Hirsch.
That fact that people make cults from someone does not eliminate value. It just means one has to be careful.
The problem seems to be that there is no way to get to the good without going through a lot of bad stuff, e.g. leaders that are charismatic lunatics and a general weakening of the desire to learn Talmud.
The major good things I think are his Rosh Hashanah--as he said himself, and his idea that in learning one should just say the words and go on דרך גירסה. The ten psalms he said to say to correct sexual sin. But the bad things are the cults that are founded on him.
There is little in this world that is all good or bad. Even things that we do that we must do and are even mitzvahs have lots of evil. And even our evil has good.
Let us say for example you feel a civic obligation to support some cause. Even if the cause is good there has to be some negative aspects to it. Or it might be only good at how it presents itself to the public. In its inner workings it might be very evil.
