Chassidism as a spiritual movement

Selected comment from the Discussion about Baal Shem's revolution? post:

MIB: The Baal Shem Tov once told his Chevraya that in another hundred years (after his life) his Torah will be revealed with a Chiddush. The Rebbe RaShaB related that the The Rizhiner held that he was the Gillui of the Besht and I (the Rebbe RaShab) say I am the Besht!

Reuters, Gil Cohen Magen

Yehuda: The Besht was nifter in 1760. What gilui was there in 1860? The Kopuster Rebbe writes in the intro to Magen Avos that the spring of the Besht's teaching will dry up after 150 years, which is the year of his father, the Maharil's, petirah. It seems that a lot of what Lubavitch claims is the teaching of the Besht is not shared by other Chassidim, including other Chabad Chassidim. But the opinion the spring of Chassidism would last only 150 years was shared by many Polish Chassidim, and by the late Satamerer Rov, R' Yoelish, who held the teachings of the Besht were forgotten.

Schneur Zalman of NY: Magen Avoth writes about 150 years only as a homiletic way of describing the "meyridike " loss of his father Rav Leib the first Kopuster Rebbe who was the son of Tzemach Tzedek. The Kopuster made this statement to draw a sharp contrast to Chassidism in the days of the Tzemach Tzedek, the Mittler Rebbe and the Baal HaTanya and his father and in his own days . As I said its like saying in Yiddish "die velt hot gekummen zu an ende" can we take this literally? Chasidism continues or crawls onwards. These words were written as a hesped for his father immediately after his death. So they are divre Aggada and one is permitted to be megazem in divre dhespeida not nevuah. So to speak, after the loss of his father the ozros hachasidus dried up (Reb Leib was a "kenner" of dach, but obviously not completely as he the Mogen Avos said dach beshefa for more than 30 years afterwards.

Next I speak to many intelligent Satmarer talmidim and they agree with me that the 150 year statement is something that one has to take dak min hadak to understand, no broad generalizations here. I even spoke to rabbi G.S. the chief Satmarer point man on this subject and he basically agreed with me.

The Skverer Rebbe Reb Yankev Yosef became Esh Lohavo at the Satmarer Rebbe concerning the 150 year statement. But I must admit that to many (including myself) Chassidism as a spiritual movement ended with the death of the last Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1994.

-Schneur