In 1770, a young man of 18, later to be known as Solomon Maimon, traveled from Nesvizh in Lithuania to the court of Dov Ber, the foremost leader of the budding Hasidic movement, in the Polish town of Mezerich.
As Maimon would later describe, rumors had been spreading about this new movement, which sought to counter the “dryness” of traditional rabbinical studies and “the great burden of the ritual laws.” He'd heard that the group encouraged enjoyment of life's pleasures. They were always cheerful. They sang, they danced, they drank and sometimes turned somersaults in the marketplace. Some said they even ran naked through the streets.
This he had to see for himself.
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