Personal Piety

• Hasidism teaches that piety is possible for everyone, not just those who devote their life to studying the Torah and the Talmud. Rather, Hasidic Jews believe that a person can and should devote their daily activities, no matter how mundane, to God. Thus someone washing clothes or making food can produce as much intimacy with God as someone praying or reading scripture.
  
  

Torah

• This egalitarianism extends to the traditional study of the Torah. Hasidism encourages everyone to make an attempt to study scripture and even to investigate the mystical teachings of Kabbalah. However, the goal for each person is not to accomplish a particular level of sophistication in their studies, but to use the study to achieve and maintain a personal connection with God.
  
  

Men and Women

• Though outsiders perceive Hasidic communities as patriarchies similar to other Orthodox Jewish groups, women also have the opportunity for spiritual study and, in some cases, Hasidic women have risen to positions of spiritual leadership. Among Hasidic Jews women are traditionally mothers before anything else. But, due to their views regarding personal piety, it is possible for the actions of a Hasidic housewife to be as sanctified as those of her rabbi.
  
  

Joyful Prayer

• Hasidic Jews incorporate song and dance into their prayer sessions. Hasidism instructs its followers in ecstatic forms of prayer that each follower uses to commune with God while he recites the prayers appropriate for the time of day. These joyful demonstrations of faith are part of the constant spiritual renewal sought by each believer.
  
  

Rebbe

• Each Hasidic community is led by a rebbe, a holy man who holds both religious and political authority over his followers. The rebbe is a member of the dynasty that has guided the community for generations. Hasidic Jews typically look to their own leaders to solve their problems, rather than seek help in the secular arena.
  
  

Eastern European Traditions

• Hasidic Jews maintain many traditions of their Eastern European founders. These traditions include particular clothing and accessories, such as headgear and phylacteries. They also preserve Yiddish as their own language.