MITNAGGED

also spelled Misnagid (Hebrew: Opponent), plural Mitnaggedim, or Misnagidim, member of a group of tradition-minded Jews who vigorously opposed the mid-18th-century Hasidic movement of eastern Europe when it threatened to encompass large numbers of Jews. Under the leadership of Elijah ben Solomon, called the Vilna Gaon, the Mitnaggedim excommunicated all Hasidic groups from Orthodox Jewish communities. The Hasidim were accused of espousing doctrines tinged with pantheism and were severely criticized for establishing independent synagogues with Sefardic (Spanish-rite) liturgy. The Mitnaggedim were further incensed that Hasidic religious leaders (tzaddiqim) were looked upon as mediators between man and God and that undue emphasis on religious emotionalism undermined the traditional authority of the rabbis by downgrading serious study of the Torah. The controversy subsided in the 19th century, when the two sides turned their attention to combatting Haskala, a secularizing movement.