Minhug Chasidus (Davening Late, Mikvah, Tish, etc.)

Davening Late or Davening Mincha after Shkia – Davening Minchah after Shkiya is the opinion of Rebbeinu Tam, the Shulchan Aruch, and the majority of Rishonim. They hold that the Shkiyah is really like 40 to 58 1/2 minutes later than what is commonly referred to as shkiyah. Until then it is day. This is a halachic opinion, and has nothing to do with chasidim. R. Akiva Eger held like that, and so did tons of other poskim. The Vilna Gaon held differently, and he had a tremendous influence in Lithuania, and so it became a Litvishe thing that you have to daven minchah before “shkiyah”, but in reality the majority of Rishonim disagree. This machlokes applies to every halachah that depends on night, Shabbos included – it was the custom in many places in Hungary and Poland to do melachah after shkiyah (See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch)! However, since Shabbos is d’oraysah, most of those who daven minchah after shkiyah will mostly keep shabbos once shkiyah occurs, but only as a chumrah.

Davneing Shachris late is another thing. That is a chasidishe thing, and it is because the Rebbes (and Chasidim in the olden days) used to prepare for their davening early and their preparations, they held, was considered the beginning of their davening. These preparations were always started during the zman tefilah. Once you start davening – or preparing for davening – during the proper zman, you may, according to many shittos (see Aruch Hashulchan hilchos tefilas haderech) continue your davening even if it extends way past the zman. So if they began their preparations during the zman, they may pray the actual shmona esrai afterwards, they held.

According to this, it would be prohibited for chasidim to begin davening after the zman, if they are not involved in such preparations beforehand.

Going to the Mikvah every morning – This is all over Kabbalah. Going to the Mikvah purifies the soul in important ways. Especially before learning Torah or praying it is brought that Mikvah is important.

Dancing – its part of what you do when you are celebrating a mitzvah. Simchah shel mitzvah is a wonderful thing according to everyone. Dancing on Shabbos despite the halachah of shema yesaken – the Minchas Elozor permits halachicly. Please refer to his Teshuva.

Davening by the graves of Tzaddikim – This is way before chasidim, in the Arizal and the Zohar even. Not all Chasidim are so keen on this, by the way. But the idea is that we pray to Hashem in the merit of the Tzadik.

Tish or Farbrengen – In the Arizal youll find that the table of a Tzadik is like a mizbeach and his food is like a Korbon. You will find this concept even in the Ruach Chaim of Rav Chaim Volozhen on Pirkei Avos (K’ilu achlu m’zivchei meisim). The shirayim of the Tzadik therefore is like eating from a korbon.

Sleeping in Tzitzits — This comes from the Arizal, and there is a source in the Gemara Menachos 43a, where it implies that Dovid Hamelech wore his Tzitzis all night. This does not mean to say there is any obligation to do so, nor is it a Halachic Mitzvah, but rather a Kabbalistic behavior that benefits the wearer. It is as much a Sefardishe thing as a Chasidishe thing, since the Chida says to do it and the Ben Ish Chai Kaf HaChaim say that this is the prevailing Minhag.

If you sleep in your daytime clothing then they would hold – and the Shulchan Aruch rules l’chatchilah you should wear tzitzis at night on day clothing – that you should keep tzitzis on them.

A Tzadik is supposed to be such a lover of Jews and so connected to each Jew that the pain of each individual Jew hurts the Tzadik as if it were his own pain. Therefore, if lets say there was a gezeirah on someone that he should c”v be childless, and thus go through that pain, there was, however, no such gezeirah on the Tzadik. But since the Tzadik is usffering as if he himself had that tzorah, and there was no gezeirah that the Tzadik should go through that, but rather he is suffering due to his bechirah and love for every Jew whose pain he feels as if it were his own, therefore, in order to alleviate the Tzdik’s suffering, Hashem has to fix the childless couple. Not for their sake, but for the sake of the Tzadik.

They also believe that righteousness is part of “daas torah” — the more a persons midos are perfected the less “negiyos” he has — the Mesilas Yshorim says the biggest shochad is the Yetzer Horah’ taavos — and so they see their Rebbe as a clear thinker.

My suggestion is to take the approach of the holy Saraf of Muglenitz ZTL, one of the great Polish Rebbes, quoted by Rav Klonimus Kalman Shapira, the Piesetzna Rebbe ZTL (Derech Hamelech Parshas Ekev):

A group of avreichim asked my ancestor, the the holy Muglenitzer Rebbe ZTL to teach them Chasidus. He answered them in his holiness: “Daven and learn and don’t waste time – that is Chasidus!”

Many great Rebbes have pointed out that if you want to be Chasidish the first step – and this is a big one – is first to be a frum, ehlicher yid. After we have perfected that, we can take it from there. But we have to walk before we can run.