A Cry to Individualism

“For since one lives not naturally but beyond nature, God too behaves with him {in a} beyond nature {style} …And everyone has to live {(lehisnaheg)} according to their level {of faith and understanding}. Which is not the case, {with} he who grabs a level which is not his {meaning one who tries to live according to ones ideals and not according to his level in real life} this {his ideal} and that {the level that he could actually achieve} will not conserve in his hands. And this is what they said {Ber. 35b} “many did as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai {who refused to work for a living} and did not succeed,” i.e. that they were not on this level {of faith that all is in the hands of god}, but only acted like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai {and refused to work}(1) , {that} they saw him {Rashbi} on this level {and only wanted to copy him}, that is why they did not succeed (2), and so I have heard from my Master this idea, and the words of the wise are a charm”
Toldos, BPY, Pietrkov 1884, 9b
“and this is a great principle, with all three pillar of the universe, i.e. Torah, Good-deeds and active kindness, that one should not enter beyond his level- as this is a cause to its complete termination”
Toldos, Mishpotim
Though already praised in Talmud (3), Individualism, may arguably be, a Chassidic milestone (4).
“And he should think that he is from Sons {or, Masters} of the Upper World, and they {as he goes on to explain: people of this world} should not be respe cted {or, taken into account} in his eyes- all those people who live in This World. For this whole world {in its} entirety is as a {lone} mustard seed compared to the Upper World. [N”A {Nusach Acher}, And it shouldn’t matter to him {the seeker, to whom these words are addressed} whether they {the people who live in This World} praise (him) or condone him; for they are flesh and blood, dust and ashes, decomposing {or, horribly-smelling} seed{s}, maggot{s} and worm{s}. and so it shall]. And it shall be equal in his eyes, whether They love him or hate him, for their love and hate is nothing”
Maggid, Likutim Yekorim, Jerusalem 1981, 36 – from there it seems to have made it into the Zavoas Ha’Rivosh, 6.
Here we find a call for extreme individualism, even a word of truth about state of the maddening crowd, the non-individuals.
“for their love and hate is nothing,” on a simple level, the Maggid tells the Sons of the World to come, not to pay attention to public opinion- as they are just unreasonable puppets of god almighty, who have no power or say of their own. i.e., their thoughts or opinions are irrelevant to the seeker. They, the herd, by definition do not know themselves (5)- their opinions and reactions to the extraordinary is highly predictable: it sure is to be met with great cynicism and curiosity {if not outright chastisement and/or disapproval} which can only have a discouraging effect. “Ehr sogt nor nuch vus der oylem sugt”- as nothing he speaks comes from his inner being.
If one is set on becoming completely divine and free, one must first learn to tune out the masses. Not to, is to resign to a life of mediocrity, slavery and unhappiness- a life of idol worship (6).
The Nusach Acher, however, goes a step further by declaring the masses as vermin {in that many words}, and thus brings new meaning to “for their love and hate is nothing.”
“also their love is nothing, for it is not real love, as each one only mean the good and pleasure of themselves, and everything is flattery {with the hopes of getting flattered} while each one is jealous of the other… to them the main thing is love and friendship… but they don’t get to it, as they have not real love at all (7)”
It is a also a complete necessity considering that “he who fasts from shabbes to shabbes, and at the end {of} the last day, it fell to him a twisted thought {Pneeyeh} caused by the praise of people” creates an unhappy state of affairs (8) angering even one’s Yetzer Tov, since one has thus forfeited “all the good {that was} awaiting him {as a reward for} his fasting and for naught is his toil” {MDL, 196 (9)}
Reb Nachmen takes it to a whole new level:
“”One was Abraham” {Ezekiel 33;24}, meaning that Abraham served the lord only by being unique; that he thought in his mind {i.e. lived as if} that he is entirely alone in this world … And so too, anyone who wants to enter into the service of the lord- will not be able to enter unless it is through this realm {meaning} that he will think that there is no one in {this} world- only he himself alone and individual. And one should not look at anyone {who is} holding him back, like one’s father and mother, or one’s in-laws, wife or children and the like, or the other obstructions coming from other people, who taunt (and) discourage and hinder {one} to his service, blessed be {He}. And one needs to not care, and not look at them at all, but rather {one should be} in the realm of “Alone was Abraham,” {i.e., to live} as if one is alone in this world (10).”
Here Reb Nachman’s ONLY condition to hooking up with the lord, is active disregard for current social opinions, criticisms, norms, morals and values. Also remarkable, is the detailed list that pretty much includes EVERYONE: saying yes to God, requires saying no to the world (11).
It should be mentioned, that the Toldos’ take on this Beshtian teaching- is that one should get to know themselves: “and if you will ask how would a person himself know his own level, if he possesses this faith or not… {he answers by giving} a great principle to man himself that he should know his own essence (12)” and all his motivations and desires will come from within his own center. Getting confused with outside ideals, motivations and influences, is an impossibility to the inward-focused individual.
PS: please note that the Besht sees no problem with living beyond nature, against all the rules, given that it’s real.

NOTES:
(1) “and not from the heart” Toldos, Vayishlach, 29d
(2) “and by this he remains a boldy {kerach…} from here and here, for his own level he had lost while the level of the others {he worked so hard for} he did not attain” Toldos, Metzoyreh, 94a
(3) The Talmud tells us that when Abraham was thrown into the furnace- Angle Gabriel was about to come to his aide, when god told him “I am unique {Yochid} in my world, and he {Abraham} is unique in his world, it is appropriate for a unique {god} to save a unique {individual} {B. Pesochim, 118a}

(4) (agav, Reb Chaim Vilozhiner {NH, A:8} pretty much offers the same gedank. But they seem to differ one major point: what is the criteria of those allowed and encouraged {with promised success} to practice Bitachon to the point of not doing anything for parnosseh, Reb Shimon Bar Yochai style.
Typically, according to Reb Chaim, it would depend on how much one could learn and serve god; if one could occupy themselves with torah and prayer all day to the point of having no time to work- they need not bother working- as God himself shall provide.
While, naturally, all this matters not to the Besht. It is a question of faith not of ability. If one truly believes that god provides and that his working does not make it any easier for the almighty, than one has the right to live accordingly- (regardless of what the ordinaries have to say about the matter).)

(5) ({see Talmud, B. Ber. 23a defines the wise as those who when they sin, they bring a sacrifice before god and repent. While the fools are defined as those “who sin, then bring a sacrifice, but do not know if it is on {their} good {deeds} that they bring {their penitential sacrifice} or on their evil {deeds}. The Talmud quotes god as saying: “between good and evil they cannot differentiate, and they {have the nerve to} bring a sacrifice before me”.})

(6) “V’sartem, v’avadetem”- means to the Besht: “immediately, as soon as one deters from cleaving his thought to The Blessed Name- “you shall worship other gods” he is {to be} considered an idol worship” In Degel MA, Kedoyshim, D”H Al Tifnu. We are always in service of one side of us.
(7) Chayeh Maharan, Avoydas HaShem, 27
(8) “this fast goes to the Husks” –Likutim Yekorim, Jerusalem 1974, fol. 188
(9) Fragment, printed after R’ Nosson’s introduction to R’ Nachman’s Likutei Maharan, 2nd vol.
(10) Kirkegaard was about to say as much a few decades later- once again, we beat them to the chase. Also, see Sichat Haran, 1, where the religious experience is an extremely personal and individual occurrence. The Site of Mount Sinai becomes an even more extreme miraculous event- as Reb Nachman advises us that god is no longer attainable en mass.
(11) BPY, 10a