If Orthodox Judaism can be placed on a spectrum, Hasidim with their insular communities, lack of interest in secular education, and strict observance would seem to stand at one end, with the Modern Orthodox on the other. Yet, as Shlomo Zuckier has written, over the past two decades there have been attempts in the latter community to “incorporate aspects of Hasidism for the purposes of spiritual inspiration and revival.” Steven Gotlib reviews a collection of essays on this phenomenon of Orthodox neo-Hasidism, edited by Zuckier:
[G]iven attempts at using neo-Hasidism to reshape halakhic practice, it is hard to say that the concerns raised by [critics] are completely misdirected. On the contrary, one may agree with a point raised by Rabbi Shmuel Hain in the preface of the volume under review, which sees neo-Hasidism as “a potentially destabilizing force.” . . . At the same time, it is undeniable that contemporary Orthodox Jews are missing something that neo-Hasidism has to offer, namely, “to be open to heartfelt spiritual experiences, to talking about God, and to exploring the vast richness of Jewish theology, to reclaiming the emphasis on Jewish life as a quest to stand in the presence of God.”
Neo-Hasidism, then, comes with both great risk and great reward.
Read more on Lehrhaus: https://thelehrhaus.com/commentary/neo-hasidism-and-its-discontents/