ABSTRACT
Pietism in Judaism, usually called “hasidism,” refers to particular types of elite religious expression, which are sometimes grounded in special claims about the divine will and at other times, in claims about religious fellowship as well. In its central teaching, pietism requires of the pietist Jew complete obedience to an infinite demand generated by the will of God, now conceptualized as hidden as well as partially revealed. As a result of their multilayered view about God’s will and revelation, pietist authors instruct the hasid not only to observe all of the religious obligations required of ordinary Jews but also to strive to discover limitless new obligations hidden in Scripture. One feature of German Hasidism that indicates especially well how the high demands of pietism were adjusted to the individual capacities of the God-fearing is their devotional ideal. As in the Qalonimide authors’ pietistic writings as a whole, almost impossible demands were modified in accordance with the capacities of different people.
