Chasidut su Cantico dei cantici 8:13

The chevraya is a crucial element for avodah in general and Chassidus in particular. The Maor VaShemesh tells us,²²⁵Parshas Ci Setze “We have seen how in earlier generations, before the dawn of Baal Shem Tov and his way cast its light in the world … every man who had the fear of God in his heart … would seclude himself, away from society or fellowship … some would suffer prolonged fasts and endure mortification of the flesh … of course God wants mans heart, and whenever man’s intention is solely for the sake of God, it is good before God, and yet, this is not the main path in avodas Hashem. The main path, and the foundation stone of all teshuvah is found in the practice of loving friends, close connection with friends, and close connection to the Tsaddik of the generation … a person may feel that his heart is more aroused to return to God’s path in the way of teshuvah, and to cleave to God when he puts himself in seclusion than when he in the company of his beloved friends and ‘listening companions,’²²⁶See Shir HaShirim, 8:13 because the company of men causes him to loose his feeling of close connection to God, but regardless of this, it is much more important to strengthen his connection to his friends and his fellowship … for by means of this he has the strength to draw the Divine illumination for the length of his life … and in seclusion he can only sustain it for a short period of time.” So even though our holy forebears would fast and suffer all manner of asceticism in seclusion in order to achieve the intense feeling of connection to God called deveikus, we learn here from the Maor VaShemesh that an avodah together with the fellowship is superior, as its good effects last longer. And now, in our generation, when we no longer have such practices as meditative seclusion and asceticism, the chevraya is even more crucial, both for avodah in general and Chassidus in particular.