After the founding and expansion of Hasidism, it became a popular movement. Many Jews in eastern Europe felt like part of the movement in some sense, whether because they observed some hasidic customs, were influenced in some way by hasidim, or visited hasidic courts to hear the ideas taught by the rebbes and to spend time among the hasidim. During this time, certain leaders and thinkers arose who continued to introduce new ideas connecting the hasidic themes to the rest of Torah, e.g., halakha, Kabbala, exegesis, and mysticism. In this way Hasidism has returned to its spiritual roots and consolidated its status as a genuine part of traditional Judaism.

Rabbi Ĥayyim Tyrer (1740–1817) was born near Buchach, Ukraine. He served as a rabbinical judge in Mogilev and Chisinau, and as the rabbi of Chernivtsi. Later in life, he moved to Safed, where he died. He wrote the book Be’er Mayim Ĥayyim on the weekly parasha, and Sidduro Shel Shabbat about the sanctity of Shabbat. He established synagogues and charitable institutions. He fought for the Jews of Vienna against the Austrian government, and for the Jews of Safed against the Ottoman government. He was known for his love of Shabbat. Although he was not wealthy, he was always willing to spend money on the Shabbat meals. He would remain awake for the entire Shabbat, devoting himself entirely to matters concerning the holy day.

From Rabbi Ĥayyim Tyrer:

The entirety of my intention is to honor Shabbat…. This is like an analogy that I heard, of a king who wrote to his subjects that they were to prepare a place of honor for him. His subjects could not understand what he wrote; it was like a closed book to them. Every day, they would give the king’s letter to anyone who seemed like they might understand something of how to interpret it. Each of these individuals interpreted the command in his own way. The people, who worked hard so that the word of the king would be implemented and who yearned to fulfill his command, carried out all these plans, in order to fulfill all the different opinions. When the king saw this, he asked them, “Why did you exert yourselves so much?” They answered that they needed to fulfill their obligation in accordance with the opinion of every interpreter. When he saw that everything was done in order to honor him, he was pleased with them and considered it as though they had fulfilled everything that was written.

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Epstein (1751–1823) was born in Nowy Korczyn, Poland. He was a student of Rabbi Elimelekh of Lizhensk and taught in Krakow, where he died. His work Ma’or VaShemesh, a book of sermons on the festivals and the weekly parasha, contains kabbalistic insights and develops hasidic thought on various topics, and is considered a comprehensive work of hasidic doctrine. It was printed together with the text of the Torah, and consequently was widely distributed.

In Krakow, he was oppressed by mitnaggedim, who banned his works, and he was prevented from establishing a hasidic court there. Even at an advanced age, he was a student of the saintly men of Poland: Rabbi Yisrael of Kozhnitz; Rabbi Yaakov Yitzĥak HaLevi Horowitz, the Seer of Lublin; and Rabbi Menaĥem Mendel of Rimanov. He himself did not become a rebbe.

From Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Epstein:

One who merely possesses a life force [nefesh] may not involve himself with the mystical aspects of the Torah. Once his life force has been purified by the revealed aspects of the Torah, he will receive a spirit [ruah] and will be able to attain the level of exegesis [derash]. Then, he will receive a soul [neshama] and will be able to attain the level of allusion [remez]. Subsequently, he will receive vitality [haya] and will be able to attain the mystical aspects of the Torah [sod].

Rabbi Tzvi Elimelekh Shapira (1783–1841) was born in Jawornik, Galicia. He was a relative of Rabbi Elimelekh of Lizhensk and a student of the Seer of Lublin. He served as the rabbi of Mukachevo and of Dinov, where he died. He wrote many books, on a range of Torah subjects, including Derekh Pikudekha on the mitzvot, and Agra deKhala on the Torah.

His most famous hasidic work is Benei Yisaskhar, a book of sermons on the months of the year and the festivals. It contains original, incisive kabbalistic explanations of the account of the months that is given in Sefer Yetzira. It also contains explanations of various halakhot and customs, such as playing with a bow and arrow on Lag BaOmer, and with a spinning top on Hanukkah. Likewise, it includes historical explanations of the battles of the Maccabees and the spreading of Kabbala as a result of the invention of the printing press, as well as an analysis of the reasons for the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Rabbi Tzvi Elimelekh would make use of gematriya, the numerical values of letters, not merely to augment his claims, but as a significant element of his interpretations. He developed a complex system for calculating gematriya. It was said that he engaged in subjects that were related to the root of his soul: Hanukkah, because he was a descendant of the Hasmoneans; and the Jewish calendar and gematriya, because he was a descendent of the tribe of Issachar (see I Chronicles 12:33).

While serving as the rabbi of Mukachevo, he prohibited the force-feeding of geese before they are slaughtered. The leaders of the community quarreled with him about this matter and he was forced to leave his position.

From Rabbi Tzvi Elimelekh Shapira:

The customs of our patriarchs are Torah. On Hanukkah, the children play with a four-sided piece of wood, and carved into its sides are the letters gimmel, shin, nun, and heh, as these letters allude to the four different forces within a human being: physical [gufani], spiritual [nafshi], intellectual [sikhli], and the heavenly power, which contains everything [hakol].

Rabbi Ĥayyim Halberstam (1797–1876) was born in Tarnogrod, Galicia, and was a student of Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz (1760–1827). He was the rabbi of Sanz for around fifty years, and died there. He was the founder of the Sanz hasidic dynasty.

All his works are published under the title Divrei Ĥayyim. He wrote on various subjects, including Talmud (a commentary on Bava Metzia), halakha (the halakhot of divorce and of the mikve, or ritual bath), and Hasidism (in a commentary on the Torah). His work of responsa is extensive and reveals his brilliance and his mastery of Talmud and halakha. He corresponded with all the halakhic giants of his generation. His work of responsa is unique in that it at times addresses specifically hasidic topics, such as how to position two pairs of tefillin, the recitation of Kiddush over liquor, the inheritance of the position of rebbe, and the kosher status of machine-made matza versus that of handmade matza.

He was known to give much charity, and he would pray fervently. He suffered from an ailment of the legs, and his father-in-law, Rabbi Yisrael Leipnik, said of him that “He has a crooked leg, yet his mind is straight.”

From Rabbi Ĥayyim Halberstam:

If a sinner repents out of love, and he recalls that when he fell into temptation how strong was his desire for emptiness, then his desire and love for serving God may grow more and more. The result is that out of the sin that he committed, great love and desire for the worship of God have blossomed.

Rabbi Yisrael Shapira (1874–1942) was born in Grodzisk and was murdered at the Treblinka extermination camp. His works Binat Yisrael and Emunat Yisrael contain hasidic sermons on the festivals and the weekly parasha. He was a descendent of Rabbi Elimelekh of Lizhensk and of Rabbi Yisrael of Kozhnitz. He was exiled to Warsaw by the Russian army, and there, he reestablished the hasidic court of Grodzisk. He was known to be musically talented.

From Rabbi Yisrael Shapira of Grodzisk:

The receiving of the Torah was two-sided. The children of Israel accepted upon themselves to observe the mitzvot of the Torah, and not to transgress, God forbid, any of the negative commandments; and the Holy One, blessed be He, accepted upon Himself to help the children of Israel to fulfill the positive commandments in the Torah.

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (1889–1943) was born in Grodzisk, Poland, to a family of hasidic rebbes. He led his community in Piaseczno and then in the Warsaw Ghetto. He was murdered near Lublin by the Nazis.

He wrote several books on the subject of education: Ĥovat HaTalmidim, Hakhsharat HaAvrekhim, Benei Maĥshava Tova, and Derekh HaMelekh. In his books, he emphasizes the young person’s responsibility for his own actions, the importance of having peers who help one another in their worship of God, and the possibility of achieving a visionary experience by quieting the mind and clearing it of thoughts, which is the way to achieve maximal concentration on one idea.

His book Esh Kodesh contains sermons on the Torah, and was written in the Warsaw Ghetto. These sermons were hidden in the ghetto and were discovered after the war. In them, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman refers to the daily struggles with hunger, cold, and death, and states time and again that he has no answers to questions concerning divine providence during the Holocaust; yet he demands that his hasidim continue to believe that terrible suffering, too, comes from Heaven.

From Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira:

When one has been struck with terrible afflictions, it is difficult not to cry out at the pain…. Therefore, for people like us, especially amid bitter suffering such as this, it is impossible not to cry out and pray to God, even on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, concerning our torment and pain. But our souls cry bitterly at this, too: about the fact that on these holy days we must pray, “Give us life; give us food,” rather than lofty prayers for spiritual needs.

Rabbi Menaĥem Ekstein (1890–1943) was born in Rzeszow, Galicia, to a family of Dzhikov hasidim. He lived in Vienna and was murdered in the Holocaust. His book Tena’ei HaNefesh LeHasagat HaĤasidut describes hasidic meditation techniques. The book was written in Hebrew, and according to the introduction, it was intended for the wider, educated community, and not necessarily for observant Jews. The book contains guided imagery exercises that intensify the individual’s experiences and teach him how to use his spiritual strengths.

From Rabbi Menaĥem Ekstein:

In the beginning, we will explain visualization…. First, we will try to visualize the earth in our minds. We will imagine it as though we can see the entire earth from afar, with its landmasses and its oceans. Then, we will imagine all the nations, in all parts of the world, with their various languages and borders, as well as the number of people belonging to each nation.

Rabbi Areleh Rabin was the rabbi of Lanivtsi, Ukraine. He was murdered in the Holocaust. Little is known about his life.

Rabbi Shalom Noah Berezovsky (1911–2000) was born in Baranavichy, Belarus. He immigrated to Tiberias, moved to Tel Aviv, and then served as the head of Beit Avraham Yeshiva in Jerusalem for forty years. In Jerusalem, he was appointed as the rebbe of the hasidic dynasty of Slonim. His books are known as Netivot Shalom, and they contain discourses that he gave at his tisch on topics including the Torah, the festivals, Hasidism, and education. The books are written in a simple style, explaining deep ideas in a clear way such that they may be understood by all readers.

From Rabbi Shalom Noah Berezovsky:

What is one’s obligation in this world? Each individual is a small world unto himself, comprising unique conditions in accordance with his particular mind and the root of his soul. This person is not like that person, and the world in which one is found constitutes his purpose and obligation.