How Did Maimonides Influence Chassidism?: The roots of Chassidic mysticism (devekut) in the writings of Maimonides
Maimonides is often thought of as an ultra rationalist. But several scholars of chassidism have shown that his views on how a human being can become attached to G-d were a seminal influence in the development of chassidic thought and practice.
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Dr. Tali Loewenthal is Lecturer in Jewish Spirituality at University College London, director of the Chabad Research Unit, author of Communicating the Infinite: The Emergence of the Habad School and of Hasidism Beyond Modernity: Studies in Habad Thought and History (Littmann Library, 2020), and a frequent contributor to the Chabad.org weekly Torah reading section.
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Maimonides and Mysticism In earlier correspondence, I had summarized that Maimonides was an "intellectual mystic," a conundrum in itself. The observation was based on preliminary studies, as well as expectations: But with progress in studies, there has been reconsideration: Maimonides was purely intellectual with understanding of esoteric, recondite and mystical matters.