Reply To: The world is in a state of Geula- and don’t misunderstand us!

Re: Tanya
The Tanya’s conception of tzaddik, benoni, rasha was a radical departure (unless someone can find a source) from all Jewish hashkafa prior.
Classical Judaism believes that a person can rise above their yetzer hara (cf Mesillas Yesharim) or the contrary,(cf Rashi “Vayechezek Lev Paroah”) but no one is born this way
Arguably, much of it was diametrically opposed. (Rambam, Hilchos Teshuva, chapter 5)
It was a radical rupture even for Baal Shem Tov’s pious meritocratic “band of brothers”.It lay the groundwork for the development for the chassidish caste dynasties. One may even venture to say that it pulled out the “raison d’etre” of the chassidish revolution from underneath it.
The noted Chabad mechaber R’ Yitzchok Rothport recalled interestingly that during his short sojourn in Lakewood in the ‘50s, he was invited to hear a shiur/shmuess tearing apart the Tanya’s class conception.