In the early 19th century, Hasidism became "the first religious trend in Judaism since the time of the Second Temple that had a self-defined way of life and a recognizable rite of worship , but which was nevertheless recognized by those who differed from it as a legitimate Jewish phenomenon” (“Hasidism”, Encyclopedia Judaica). The Hasidism I am referring to should not be confused with the group of people, probably Sabbatarian, organized by Rabbi Jehuda Hasid during a crusade to the Holy Land in 1699 and 1700 (Scholem 331). The Hasidism I am referring to was formed by Israel Baal Shem (“Master of the Holy Name”) and replaced Sabbatianism in Volhynia and Podolia after his fall. There are several reasons why Hasidism became a successful movement. One of the main reasons is its appeal to the unsophisticated and uneducated; he attempted to spread mysticism to the masses (Blumenthal 136). Its founder was not even a specialist in Jewish law. Hasidism comes from direct religious experience, not from a theory or vision. An obvious way to gain religious experience is through prayer. Due to the spiritualist orientation of Hasidism, prayer is its central activity (Blumenthal 111). There are several types of prayer: the Zoharic-Lurianic-Chabad type, the unifying letter type, the devekut type (meditative ecstasy and tumultuous ecstasy), and the intimate presence type. There is no single type of main or central prayer practiced within Hasidism, but they all incorporate Kavvana. Kavvana is the act of spiritual awakening. The goal is to completely concentrate one's senses and soul on God during prayer. There are two types of devekut prayer: meditative and tumultuous. They both come from the same structure of thought and lead to a true mystical ecstasy (Blumenthal 127). The meditative exhibits a more serene external behavior while a burning feeling or constant ecstasy is internal. The tumultuous is an uncontrollable and wild outward behavior arising from the volatile ecstasy felt from within. In Blumenthal, volume 2, p.135, there are three examples of meditative ecstatic prayer. The second passage illustrates what comes to mind when I think of meditative ecstasy. The person turned their attention, energy, and thoughts toward God. There is also sincerity in his prayer; he does not beg his wife to recover from an illness, or to succeed in a job interview. He wants to praise and serve God because he loves him, not because he asks for a favor..