Spiritual Intimacy

How does one become a rebbe (hasidic master) or a hasid (his disciple)? What is the nature of the relationship between them? What happens during the private interview (known as yehidut) between rebbe and hasid? How does the yehidut compare to other forms of psychological counseling and in what ways is it distinctive? In Spiritual Intimacy: A Study of Counseling in Hasidism, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi provides a thorough exploration of these issues. The conceptual framework that underlies Hasidism plays an important role in understanding the life cycle of a hasid and the different stages at which he seeks the rebbe's counsel. Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi illuminates the dimensions of a hasid's life pattern, as well as the social, historical, and ideological aspects of Hasidism that inevitable influence the rebbe's role and his ability to discern the hasid's life tasks.