Are you claiming that today’s Hasidim contain even less true and pure Judaism than the non-Hasidim?
God forbid! First, I’m only speaking here about a portion of today’s Hasidim, not about all. Certainly there are other sorts of Hasidim present today as well: those who bear a deep inwardness, a deep attachment, a passionate love of God. They have love for all Jews, a love of truth and a longing for peace, a strong, clear understanding of all that is happening around them. Second, even the other Hasidim, those of outwardness and dress, still have lots of good qualities, things that belong to all Jews. Whatever failings a contemporary Hasid may have, he still bears a certain sense of shame, a fear of God, a brokenness, something of modesty, humility, a leaning toward lovingkindness, goodness, and love. But all—the inward Hasidim, those who concentrate on the externals, and just ordinary Jews—today need a new light that will shine into their souls, a Hasidism of the future, rays of messiah’s light.

Does Yavneh want to be that “Hasidism of the future,” that “ray of messiah’s light”?
That Hasidism is not yet here. The rays of messiah’s light show themselves hardly at all, only to those most pure of sight. But Yavneh wants to prepare for that future. Yavneh seeks, bit by bit, to qualify individuals for it. It wants to create vessels to contain that light, which must come sooner or later.

And in what way will the “Hasidism of the future” be differentiated, not only from today’s external Hasidism, but from that which is inward, and even from the Hasidism of the BeSHT?
Differentiated from inward Hasidism and from that of the BeSHT? Not at all! On the contrary, it will be built entirely on the Hasidism of the BeSHT. But what then? It will go farther, broader, and deeper, appropriate to these messianic times.

What will that going farther, that broadening and deepening, consist of?
In the time of the BeSHT it was enough for Israel to shine a light for itself. In these times, in a time when a world is being destroyed and a new one is being built, Israel has to be a light for itself and for all peoples, as in the verse: “I the Lord call you in righteousness and hold fast to your hand, making you as a covenantal people, a light to the nations” (Isa. 42:6). And scripture also says: “Is it easy for you to be My servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the guarded ones of Israel? I have made you a light unto the nations, so that My salvation reach the ends of the earth” (Isa. 49:6). And it also says: “Then I will turn all the nations toward a clear tongue so that they all might call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him together” (Zeph. 3:9).

And of what else?
In the time of the BeSHT Jews sought the light of Torah only in the Torah itself. Sometimes they also sought it out in the folktales of other peoples, in which they discovered the hidden light. (“Declare His glory among the nations,” Ps. 96:3, according to a profound remark of Rabbi Nahman, means that “the glory of God cries forth from all things, even from tales told by the non-Jews.”) ^{3 3}Sihot ha-Ran #52, commenting on the verse, “Tell of His glory among the nations” (Ps. 96:3). But in the times of this final great purification we need to seek out the Torah-light in all the finest works of art, in all forms of worldly knowledge. We need to approach these with a certain light in our hands, with a particular kind of attentiveness. “A candle of the Lord is the human soul, searching out all the belly’s chambers” (Prov. 20:27), which will separate, seek out and search, and cast aside heaps of lies in order to get at the kernel of truth. . . .

And in what else?
In the time of the BeSHT the class conflicts among people were not yet so sharply defined. The demand for social justice had not yet been articulated in full seriousness and honesty. In our time, we are advancing – although through terrible wrongs that are taking place in the world – toward a more just and honest relationship with those who work with sweat on their brows. The “Hasidism of the future” will thus incorporate all that is healthy, pure, and honest in socialism. But it will with great bitterness cast aside all in socialism that is petty, egotistical, merchant-like in its materialism, unjust, jealous, or vengeful. It will reject the dark and wild tyranny of the masses and of those adventurers who climb up on the backs of the masses. ^{4 4} It is noteworthy that 1924 was the year Stalin succeeded Lenin in leadership of the Soviet Union. Events in Russia were very keenly on the minds of Warsaw’s Jews. Although they could not have predicted the terrible atrocities Stalin would commit in the ’30s and ’40s, Polish Jews were aware of the foment and terrible violence in the wake of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the early years of the Soviet state.

In the Hasidism of the future the love of God will shine forth and burn even more brightly than it did in the days of the BeSHT. The “Love of Israel” will be transformed into a great worldwide “Love of Humanity.” Nevertheless, Israel will always be recognized as the firstborn child of God, the one who has borne, continues to bear, and will continue to bear the godly light. “Love of Torah” will spread forth over all that breathes with sublime wisdom, after the inner light teaches the Jews to distinguish between that within the worldly sciences which is of the divine mind and that which is just self-proclaimed human delusion, errors, and lies. “Justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deut. 16:20) will be spread through all social relationships. Justice will be demanded not only of the opposing class (as both the capitalists and the proletariat do today), but people will demand justice of themselves. Pursuit of justice will be not only a public matter (as it is today), but rather one of individual concern. Each person will think not about how to avoid being exploited, but rather about how to avoid exploiting the other.

Perhaps you could outline for me, just briefly, how you see the true Hasid of the future, that for which the Yavneh member is preparing.
I’ll try to do so. The Hasid of the future will live only from his own physical labor. He will exploit no one in the world, doing not even the slightest harm to anyone. He will partake of God’s own holiness, living in uninterrupted communion with the Endless. He will be consumed by divine fire while praying, will study Torah with an inner godly light, will seek and find everywhere the light of Torah and messianic light. In all his thoughts and deeds he will strive only for true peace and unity. He will be filled with love and compassion for every Jew and non-Jew, for every creature. He will long to raise up the form of the Shechinah in the Holy Land and to spread her light through all the world. He will be a great seer and a great knower. In his own eyes he will be as nothing at all, having not just an external veneer of modesty but a deep inner recognition, a full consciousness that he is “just a small creature, lowly, dark, standing with but a weak mind before the One who knows perfectly.” ^{5 5} Maimonides, hilkhot yesodei ha-torah 2:2 In every moment he will be a true “chariot” for the divine, a true servant of God, a faithful messenger.