Bar Mitzvah, Minhag, Sukkah, Matzah, Haphtarah, Zizim (1657)

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 08/16/2002 1:02:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
Bapopik at AOL.COM writes:

> THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE, OR,
>  AN HISTORICAL NARRATION OF THE STATE OF THE JEWES AT THIS DAY DISPERSED
OVER  THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH
>  by Johan Buxtorf (1599-1664)
>  London: T. Roycroft
>  1657
>  EARLY ENGLISH BOOKS ONLINE
>
>  Pg. 304:  ...Chasidim...

Not good enough.  The OED has 1382, from Wyclif's Bible (2 Maccabees xiv 6).
You missed it because it is filled under the spelling "Assid ae an"
(ligatured ae).

Also, it is a different sense.  The Chasidim you are familiar with, the ones
with the black hats who own the Payess Shoes chain, were founded by Israel
ben Eliezer (1700-1760)

Actually the word "Chasidim" has three separate senses, which the OED does
not handle correctly.  I have just submitted on-line to the OED the following
suggested rewrite of their 2 entries:

<begin submission>

Suggested correction:
have the entries for "Assid ae an" and "Has(s)id" point to a main entry for
"Chas(s)id".  Under this main entry there are to be 3 senses:
1.   orig.  One of those Jews who, under the leadership of Mattathias,
defended the purity of their worship agisnt the attempts of Antiochus
Epiphanes to introduce idolatry.

Also called "Assid ae an". "

This sense will include the 1834 and 1965 citations currently under
"Chas(s)id" and the 1382 and 1611 citations currently under "Assidaean".

2.  "A Jewish sect founded in the 18th Century by Israel ben Eliezar (also
known as "the Baal Shem Tov" or by the acronym "BeSHT")."

This sense will include the 1812, 1893, 1918, 10 April 1927, 1936, 1941,
1948, and 1961 citations under "Chas(s)id"

3.  "A name applied to amember of any of several mystical Jewish sects
(including the one described under 2.) of various periods.  Also called
"Assid ae an".

This sense will include the 1965 citation under "Chasid".

The remaining citations do not include enough context to determine which of
the three senses they illustrate.

</submission>

                  - Jim Landau