Reviews (2)

A Guide to the Soul
Lessons in Tanya leads the reader through every paragraph and page, illuminating the mystical, often allusive, Talmudic, Kabbalistic, and Scriptural verses and concepts. It fills many gaps in what the terse Tanyatext assumes to be the reader's background knowledge. The Tanya is the essence of Kabbalah.
The Tanya is a must read for anyone who issearcing for satisfaction in life.It will guide the reader with practical adviceon how to be a better person, and it will helpyou achieve your maximium potential in life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1745-1813    2. 1745-1813.    3. Habad    4. Hasidism    5. Judaism - Hasidism    6. Judaism - Kabbalah & Mysticism    7. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    8. Judaism - Sacred Writings    9. Likute amarim    10. Liòkuòte amarim    11. Religion    12. Religion - Judaism    13. Shneur Zalman,    14. of Lyady,    15. Shneur Zalman   

Reviews (3)

There is much to learn from it
Rabbi Steinsaltz for many years gave a shiur on Thursday evenings in the 'Chovvei Tsion' shul. At one point anyway, he gave 'shiurim' on Tanya. I attended these shiurim on and off for a few years. I would always look for some insight I could take home with me , while understanding that I would not really follow the whole argument, or understand the text comprehensively.
See my other reviews
The Chabad Lubavitchers would like for people to believe that the Tanya is a widely accepted book in Jewish circles.It isn't.It's only accepted by their chasidim and even the top leaders in their movement don't believe in its doctrines.

Opening of Insight
I just received this book and have read only the introductory matierial and chapter one as yet, but this is a book I will keep in my home library.Each line(s) of the Tanya is explained by Rabbi Steinsaltz in language that even allows one not trained in Kabbalah and Hassidism to understand.As a Christian who is studying Kabbalah, this book has opened a new and deeper understanding for me of many of the teachings in Kabbalah by tying them to verses in the Torah, Talmud, and other writings which would otherwise be inaccessible to me.Rabbi Steinsaltz has helped me wade into the waters of Rabbi Ashlag's writings as well.A book for seekers after Wisdom. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1745-1813    2. Cabala    3. Hasidism    4. Judaism - General    5. Judaism - Hasidism    6. Judaism - Kabbalah & Mysticism    7. Likute amarim    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Shneur Zalman,    11. of Lyady,    12. Magic & alchemy    13. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (5)

Finally Satisfied
This is one of the finer books I have come across. I am a retired teacher of theology in a Catholic high school. I first found a story about the Baal Shem Tov in one of our text books and wanted to know more. For some time I've enjoyed various bits and pieces I found here and there about him. But Yitzhak Buxbaum's book succeeds so well that I'm finally satisfied! It's a treasure, not merely as the story of a great religious figure, but it is truly rich in spiritual meaning. I felt privileged, so-to-speak, to "meet" the Baal Shem Tov. An extra benefit of purchasing this book is the outstanding rendering on the dust cover of the Baal Shem Tov at prayer by Shoshannah Brombacher.

Great book for any spiritual seeker
This is not just another book about the R. Isroel Baal Shem Tov - it's a story of astounding spiritual ascent!
Entering Another World
To fully enjoy this book, begin by reading aloud.The "story-teller" sets the mood so that the soul may enter into another realm -- the realm of the mystical within the most simple aspects of life.Gradually the reader steps into the rhythm of the anthology of tales of the Baal Shem Tov, who is widely held to be the progenitor of the Chassidic movement.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Hasidim    4. Hasidism    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - Hasidism    7. Rabbis    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Religious    11. Ukraine    12. Biography: general    13. Judaism   

Reviews (4)

My favorite book
This book is difficult for me to describe, I guess I can only say that along with 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl, 'Souls on Fire' by Elie Wiesel is among the two books that have changed my life.In these powerful and beautiful stories of Jewish Hasidic masters Elie Wiesel teaches us to fight depression by deliberately cultivating joy,that we must enjoy life in spite of life,that death is never the answer,and that that life is sacred,so much so that in spite of anything we have suffered we must say yes to this life.
Disappointed
I was disappointed with this work. It is more about Elie Weisel then about chassidic stories. Many of the stories are familiar to me, and in all cases they appear distorted and many times the point of the story is missing. To summarize, as one of the stories said, He didn't hear what was said, and didn't write what he heard.

More than just nostalgia...
It's amazing how everything Wiesel touches turns to gold, and here, he's done it again.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Hasidim    3. Hasidism    4. Jewish - General    5. Judaism - Hasidism    6. Judaism - History    7. Legends    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Jewish studies    11. Religion / Judaism / General   

Editorial Review

A wise man taught in Brooklyn for 44 years, influencing the lives of thousands and receiving accolades from heads of state. Little known outside of Jewish circles, the Rebbe, as Menachem Mendel Schneerson is lovingly known, was a fount of spiritual strength and good sense. Read more

Reviews (12)

I was in Chabad and didn't have a meaningful life even though they wrote a book and had a story about me in the book
The real thing or a total fraud
A book written by a sycophant for other sycophants .
Suggest for all genuinely interested in this topic , to refer to Rabbi David Berger's book , The Rebbe , the Messiah & the Scandal of Orthodox indifference .

generally well done
I agree with most of the positive comments made by other reviewers.One minor caveat: some of the essays are much more dated than others (which is probably why a new edition came out).For example, one essay on youth rebellion was probably written (or spoken) in the 1960s, and some of the essays are a bit too gee-whiz optimistic to be totally persuasive in 2003 (after the Sept. 11 disaster and the worldwide explosion of anti-Semitism that followed it). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Judaism - Hasidism    3. Religion    4. Religion - Judaism    5. Spirituality - General    6. Religion / General    7. Spirituality   

Reviews (36)

The Rebbe's Army
A fascinating book that gives great insight into the workings of the chabad movement. There are so many misconceptions and fears that this book dispels. If you are interested in Chabad or if Chabad is moving into your area and you are concerned, this book should be required reading. Also, if you liked Boychiks in the Hood, you will like this too.

A fair-minded, balanced examination of Chabad
I am not Jewish, yet have studied with a Chabad rabbi for almost two decades, generally weekly except when the class does not meet (holidays, vacations, etc.) The subject matter relates to Orthodox Judaism's laws related to humanity's basic legal code known as the "Laws of Noah."In these nearly two decades, I have observed the same kindness and non-judgmental hospitality described in THE REBBE'S ARMY. At no time have I been pressured to covert (to Judaism). All this to say THE REBBE'S ARMY was a wonderful introduction to understanding my Torah instructor's world; a world where Jew and Righteous Gentile labor in God's service to bring a little heaven down to earth.

an excellent elementary guide....
for someone who does not know that much about Chabad.Fishkoff covers all the basics: the origins of Chabad, their Messianic flirtations, the source of their growth.
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Subjects:  1. Hasidism    2. Judaism - General    3. Judaism - Hasidism    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Jewish studies    7. Judaism    8. Religion / Judaism / Movements   

Reviews (7)

A pioneering work
This work has great historical importance. Buber more than any other person conveyed to the general Western even Christian culture something of the feeling and taste of 'Hasidism'. This movement which has its origins with the teachings of Israel Baal- Shem Tov ( 1700- 1760) came at a critical time in the history of the Jewish people and infused in it new spirit and hope. Buber who came from a scholarly Galician background and the discovery of the world of Hasidism opened up to him personally a whole new way of thinking and feeling about Judaism.
Khasiduth as metaphor
Martin Buber was one of the great humanists of the modern era and his extraction and retelling of a small part of the Hasidic corpus is a great poetic and ethical achievement. Readers should keep in mind, though, that in this book Buber was using traditional Ashkenazic pietism to represent a more cosmopolitan and higher reality. When he composed this book, there was every reason to believe that the Hasidim who survived the genocide perpetrated by National Socialism would fall prey to Communism or, more slowly, to secular education and one or another form of democracy. Hence sentimentality led Buber to transfigure Khasiduth into something as etherialized as Platonism or his ally Paul Tillich's Protestantism. A Classic that can be appreciated by both Jews and Non-Jews
Buber was one of the great religious thinkers of the 20th century.As for the historical accuracy of the work, I will leave it up to those better versed in such matters than myself to judge.However, it is an absolutely delightful and thought-provoking look at Buber's view of Hasids and their history.Students of mysticism, Judaiasm, or simply those looking for a variety of tales steeped in profound meaning, though often delivered with a light touch, will enjoy this work. It is one I often return to for contemplation and inspiration ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Hasidic parables    2. Hasidim    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - Hasidism    5. Legends    6. Religion    7. Religion - Judaism    8. Folklore    9. Jewish studies    10. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (3)

A Classic
If you must read only one book on Zionism, let this be it. Walter Laqueur, internationally renowned historian, has created a masterpiece that has stood the test of time (it was originally written over 30 years ago!), and has become one of the standard works on the subject, alongside Shlomo Avineri's The Making of Modern Zionism and Hertzberg's The Zionist Idea. Definitive history
Laquer's History of Zionism is an indispensable work about the origins of the Jewish state.Wherever you stand on Israel, here is a thought provoking and well-researched text that is definitive on the subject.If you are someone who dislikes Israel, you should at least read it to understand how Israel developed and learn about Zionist self-perception.

Richard A. Macales, columnist, "Mac's Facts"
As one of the century's great historians, how fortunate we are that the German-born Laqueur spent his formative scholarly years in Eretz Israel as a journalist and researcher. This landmark work is very sympathetic toreligious Orthodoxy and its significant relationship in the evolution ofmodern political Zionism. Its strength is in the study of religious andpolitical Zionism within the European milieu. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Judaism - Hasidism    4. Judaism - History    5. Sale Adult - History - General History    6. Zionism    7. Sale Books   

Reviews (15)

Fascinating and Readable
This is a book version of Stephanie Levine's doctoral dissertation, but don't let that put you off--all it means is that it is very well researched and has some theoretical underpinnings laid out in the opening and closing chapters, which are quite readable in themselves.HOwever, the meat of the book is the profiles of individual Hasidic girls who run the gamut from intensely religious to rebelling against the norms of their enclave.The girls all come across as fascinating individuals and Levine is a sympathetic portrayer of them.She can appreciate both the strengths and the confining aspects of the Hasidic world, and marvels at the strong assertiveness of these girls who have been educated and largely socialized in a single sex environment.For anyone who has looked at these communities from the outside and wondered what it's like to live or grow up within them, particularly as a woman, this is a fascinating book that in no way reads like a textbook or a heavy academic tome.Excellent!

interesting, insightful and a little long
This book was really different.The introduction and the conclusion were really too long and drawn out, however, the stories of the girls Levine met with and talked to were captivating and insightful.The writing seemed to be twofold, a long, drawn out sociological blah blah, but a great, funny, quirky, interesting middle. Worth the read for anyone who wants to learn more about the Lubavitch culture, about frum teenage girls and who wants a light read.

An excellent read
Having been Lubavitch, I read Levine's book as both former insider and outsider. Her portrayal of the Lubavitch world captured its essence, and her description of the variety of personalities within it was also apt. Unlike an earlier reviewer, I considered the deliberate care taken to obscure the identities of the girls to be important and in keeping with academic ethics.
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Subjects:  1. Habad    2. Jewish Studies    3. Jewish teenagers    4. Judaism - Hasidism    5. Judaism - Orthodox    6. New York    7. New York (State)    8. Religious life    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Teenage girls    12. Women's Studies - General    13. ADOLESCENT GIRLS    14. JEWISH FAMILIES_RELIGIOUS LIFE    15. Religion / Judaism / Beliefs, Practices, Rituals    16. USA    17. Women's studies   

Reviews (15)

Excellent introduction to Kabbalah
Gershom Scholem was a pioneer in the academic study of Jewish mysticism.Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism is an excellent introduction to the kabbalah.The book covers the main historical movements and personalities.It explains the basic doctrines, rituals, and texts.The footnotes and referenced authors and texts become an excellent source of further study for both the academician and the spiritual seeker.

Mysticism Without Obfuscation
What I love best about Scholem is that he wrote eloquently about spiritual enlightenment without presenting himself as being a mystical master or guru.He will guide you through the history of Jewish esoteric thought, after which you can sample some source texts (many of which now are available in English translation).No preaching here - just good scholarly thought and clear, eloquent writing.It's also amazing how a 60-year old volume remains the standard introduction while still being regarded as controversial in fundamentalist quarters.An awesome achievement!

The Best Starter
Kabbalah is one of those things that everyone seems to want to be part of, and something that enjoys a high level of fashionability at the moment. While this is great, it also means that there is a lot of rubbish out there with "Kabbalah" printed on it. For the beginner or the curious, this can make getting at the real thing a bit daunting and difficult.
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Subjects:  1. Cabala    2. History    3. Jewish Mysticism    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - Hasidism    6. Mysticism    7. Religion    8. Religion - Judaism    9. Religion / Mysticism   

Reviews (4)

Recommended reading for students of Judaic mysticism and the Kabbalah in general, and the Tanya in particular
Learning From The Tanya by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is the second volume in the "Definitive Commentary on the Moral and Mystical Teaching" series focusing on the Kabbalah. The first volume of the series, "Opening the Tanya" discussed the first section of the original text of Hasidic Master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's "Tanya". This second volume takes on the next major portion of the Tanya, offering the definitive explanation and commentary providing the reader with a guide toward harmony of body and soul, of earthliness and transcendence, and a higher level or awareness and understanding with our human potential with respect to a relationship with God. A scholar, teacher, scientist, author, mystic, and social critic, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is a world recognized expert on this subject, and Learning From The Tanya is confidently recommended reading for students of Judaic mysticism and the Kabbalah in general, and the Tanya in particular.
Recommended reading for students of Judaic mysticism and the Kabbalah in general, and the Tanya in particular
Learning From The Tanya by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is the second volume in the "Definitive Commentary on the Moral and Mystical Teaching" series focusing on the Kabbalah. The first volume of the series, "Opening the Tanya" discussed the first section of the original text of Hasidic Master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's "Tanya". This second volume takes on the next major portion of the Tanya, offering the definitive explanation and commentary providing the reader with a guide toward harmony of body and soul, of earthliness and transcendence, and a higher level or awareness and understanding with our human potential with respect to a relationship with God. A scholar, teacher, scientist, author, mystic, and social critic, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is a world recognized expert on this subject, and Learning From The Tanya is confidently recommended reading for students of Judaic mysticism and the Kabbalah in general, and the Tanya in particular.
Recommended reading for students of Judaic mysticism and the Kabbalah in general, and the Tanya in particular
Learning From The Tanya by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is the second volume in the "Definitive Commentary on the Moral and Mystical Teaching" series focusing on the Kabbalah. The first volume of the series, "Opening the Tanya" discussed the first section of the original text of Hasidic Master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's "Tanya". This second volume takes on the next major portion of the Tanya, offering the definitive explanation and commentary providing the reader with a guide toward harmony of body and soul, of earthliness and transcendence, and a higher level or awareness and understanding with our human potential with respect to a relationship with God. A scholar, teacher, scientist, author, mystic, and social critic, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is a world recognized expert on this subject, and Learning From The Tanya is confidently recommended reading for students of Judaic mysticism and the Kabbalah in general, and the Tanya in particular.
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Subjects:  1. Judaism - General    2. Judaism - Hasidism    3. Religion    4. Religion - Judaism    5. Kabbalah & hermetic thought    6. Religion / Judaism / General   

Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Hasidic parables    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - Hasidism    5. Judaism - Sacred Writings    6. Religion    7. Religion - Judaism    8. Fiction anthologies & collections    9. Jewish studies    10. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (21)

as readable as Studs Turkle!
This book is great-& so easy to read, like the great Studs Turkle.-I hope Mr.Eisenberg is at his typewriter now, creating another book. Wonderful job.
Very well done, exceedingly informative.
I admit that I bought the book because the title suggested an almost rap-music reality behind the scenes of a New York Hasidic community.Yes, the title is plenty pop-culture, and it probably was part of a marketing plan.BOYCHIKS IN THE HOOD is a far better book than I had expected or hoped for, and the razzle-dazzle title does not at all suggest the complexity of a back-breaking world tour the mostly secular Eisenberg made, in a labor of love, to find and explore Orthodox, Satmar, Lubavitch, Hasidic communities thriving all over the world.As a non-Jew I perhaps know more about Judaism than some, but I have picked up both specifics and general ideas that have vitalized and deepened my respect for the Jewish world.In New York of course I have see "glatt" kosher restaurants, but here I learned that this step "up" from regular kosher means that the lungs of killed animals can show no flaws at all, while animals killed plain kosher can have slight sores---as long as the sores do not allow the passage of air.This kind of detail---and perhaps I pick one that may seem slightly sensational, and for that I apologize, for it is not presented that way by Eisenberg---suggests the level of detail, thought, discrimination, judgement, rule, and inevitable debate that runs through every inch of the Hasidic thought.Eleven nice chapters on the communities in Brooklyn, Minnesota, Ukraine, Israel, Poland, New Jersey, the Catskills, Belgium, and even a dynamite town in Iowa, etc.Full of surprises and wit (the wit sometimes diminished by Eisenberg's rather heavy handed sense of metaphor verging into pop-journalistic zing).But Eisenberg writes well, engagingly and informatively. I've picked up fifty Yiddish words which, discreetly, I'll be dropping at cocktail parties as I finger my rosary. A powerfully readable book about a people's resilience, savvy, spitituality, and about the curious seduction of their unique kind of life.

This is wonderful!
I am amazed by the glow this book spreads over me. While reading this book, I feel like I have spent an afternoon with my favorite Bubbe.
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Subjects:  1. Hasidim    2. Hasidism    3. Judaism - Hasidism    4. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Sexuality    8. United States    9. Health & Fitness / Sexuality    10. Travel writing   

Reviews (4)

From the Existential to the Spiritual
Martin Buber has a way of speaking to my heart. He speaks as a human who has always struggled with the cynicism and skeptical spirituality of our age. Yet he has retained a strong faith in God, and a strong faith in God's real presence in our struggling human everyday life. We may not always feel His presence...but in Buber's words we hear another's testimony that God is with us even when He seems absent. In these short parables, Buber introduces us to other humans...ordinary men...who likewise have struggled to walk with God. Their walk is grounded in the existential. But unlike other ways such as Zen, their walk gradually reveals the real presence of God who has been walking with us since day one. It is as if in our faithful walk God gradually becomes trulu felt as walking beside us...and in our hearts.

With the depth and simplicity of a true seer...
...Martin Buber encompasses the whole world in the span of 50 pages.He relates new interpretations of a handful of old myths and stories, making each one reflect the individual's personal journey towards enlightenment.Poignant and marvellously efficient and concise in his style and vocabulary, Buber has created a book which is accessible to small children, but which will resonate with anyone even slightly interested in spirituality.It can be read in an hour, and is a book to which I return again and again for guidance and inspiration.Truly, a miracle of a book.

short and sweet
41 pages of wisdom from the standpoint of Hasidism (from "hasidut":allegiance, piety)--but Hasidism seen through the heart of Martin Buber.

Subjects:  1. Inspirational    2. Inspirational - General    3. Judaism - Hasidism    4. Christianity    5. Judaism   

Reviews (5)

Prayer as the service of God
In their introduction to this volume the authors distinguish between the prayer of the practicioneers of Lurianic Kabbalah and the prayer of the Hasidic masters featured here. The complicated symbolism and learning of the Kabbalists is contrasted with the simplicity and directness of Hasidic prayer. The Kabbalists are opening complicated locks with hidden keys, while the Hasidic masters are smashing the lock open with their own broken hearts. The Kabbalists are focusing on some cosmological tikkun of the world as a whole, while the Hasidic masters are focusing on individual devekut individual clinging and attachment to God. The excerpts given here can help the reader realize that service of God which is the holy essential duty of every Jew.

Your Word is Fire - Is A Spiritural Retreat
The authors have managed to create in this small volume a source book of meditation. The words of the Hasidic Masters have carefully been selected in such a way that each page is a meditation. Your Word is Fire - Is A Spiritural Retreat
The Authors have managed to create in this small volume a source book of meditation. The words of the Hasidic Masters have carefully been selected in such a way that each page is a meditation.Read more

Subjects:  1. Contemplation    2. Hasidism    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - General    5. Judaism - Hasidism    6. Prayer    7. Prayerbooks - Jewish    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Oriental & Indian philosophy   

Reviews (3)

Medieval Kabbalistic & Symbolic "Fairytales"--3.5 stars
Aryeh Kaplan, commentator on the Sepher ha Bahir and Sepher Yetzirah, adds Rabbi Nachman's famous tales to his repertoire of commentaries.As usual, he brings both his scholarship and his experiential Kabbalah into his work.There are other translations, but the symbolic nature of these teaching stories necessitates either a good and extensive commentary by the translator/author or a huge background in the subject by the reader.As usual, Kaplan provides considerable, quality commentary--that is NOT exhaustive.But, he opens to door to further research, meditation, etc. by the reader.Readers might be interested in how modern psychology analyzes and comments upon fairytales--which closely parallel this book.I would recommend the works of Allan B. Chinen (e.g. "In the Ever After," "Once Upon a Midlife," and "Beyond the Hero").My favorite quote from Kaplan's work (page 247) is: "'Since it is the animal in man that causes him to sin, an animal must be sacrificed as an atonement.The slaughtering and sacrifice of the animal represents the destruction of the animal spirit in the individual...A person vicariously identifies with the animal being sacrificed' (Ramban).Then by 'following the animals,' he can enter the spiritual realm."An intriguing perspective, indeed.The Ramban is also know as Nachmanides, a mystical contemporary of Maimonides.

Ian Myles Slater on: A Pietistic Rendering
The Hasidim (Chasidim) are, literally, "the Pious Ones" (or perhaps "the Faithful"). It is a very old term in Hebrew. In current Jewish usage the word refers mainly to a popular mystically-inspired movement which emerged in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century, and which persists today, chiefly as communities around charismatic leaders, the heirs, or their appointed successors, of their original founders. (There are other Hasidic movements in Jewish history, the most notable being one in Second Temple times, and another, also with mystical leanings, but elitist, in medieval France, the Rhineland, and the German states.)
Definitve commentary based on authentic Breslov sources
This translation and copious commentary was oficially commissioned by the Breslov Research Institute, and is considered definitive by most English-speaking Breslover Hasidim.(We should clarify here that "Breslov" is what the group calls itself, named after the town of Breslov in Ukraine."Bratzlav" is a mistranslation by Martin Buber, who apparently confused the Ukrainian town with one in Germany.Both names refer to the same Rabbi Nachman, great-grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov.)Read more

Subjects:  1. Hasidic parables    2. Hebrew Literature    3. Judaism - Hasidism    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Yiddish Literature   

Reviews (4)

A guide to life work based on Rebbe Nachman
The Breslow teacher Chaim Kramer has in this work tried to distill the practical wisdom of Rebbe Nachman. The chapters are: Simplicity, Joy, The Good Points, Truth, Faith, Torah and Prayer, Torah Study, Prayer, Hitbodedut, Peace, Day and Night, Daily Needs, In the Home, Earning a Living, Charity.The Seven Candles, Tzaddik, Rosh Hoshanah, Eretz Yisrael. The Holy Land, You Can Too.
One of the Most Inspirational Books
"Crossing the Narrow Bridge" is truly one of the most inspirational books I have read.I am baal teshuvah for many years and find this book as important now as when I first began the journey.It is well written and conveys a tremendous amount.The book will definitely make you think.One of its greatest feats is demonstrating the luminous beauty of Torah Judaism.Whether you are just investigating a Torah life or are frum from birth, this book has something for everybody.

Hasidism with heart!
You don't have to be Hasidic to get a lotout of this book!It dispells foreverthe stereotype of Hasidic Jews as "letterof the Law."This book reveals the heartbehind many Hasidic/Orthodox practices, helping any Jew to start where s/he is atand move forward at his/her ownpace towardgreater lov of God. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1772-1811    2. Bratslav Hasidim    3. Judaism - Hasidism    4. Nahman,    5. Naòhman,    6. Reference    7. Religion - Judaism    8. Teachings    9. of Bratslav,    10. Nahman   

Reviews (2)

good job on translation
This book is a translaiton of a particularly challenging hebrew version.I am not certain how true the translation is to the author's original version, but I found the translation to be unusually lucid.Instead of losing the reader in the general difficulties associated with reading in translation, they packaged the words of the great Rabbi Shapira in a "new agey" relatable kind of lexicon.Most people are not aware that the Torah has expression as is described in this book.

Graceful and inspiring
This is Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener's interpretive translation of a mid-20th century work found buried in the rubble of the Warsaw Ghetto.Reb Kalonymous Kalman Shapira, its author, came from a long line of distinguished Hassidic rabbis, and his writings show that he lived up to his birthright.Amid the degradation within the ghetto, he was able to write a manual for transforming one's emotions and perceptions to focus on the spiritual.Rabbi Cohen-Kiener's translation makes use of contemporary spiritual vocabulary (drawn in part from the Fourth Way tradition) to make Reb Kalman's thought accessible to a wider audience. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Consciousness    2. Essence, genius, nature    3. General    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - Hasidism    6. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    7. Psychology    8. Religion    9. Religious aspects    10. Spiritual life    11. Religion & Beliefs    12. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (2)

Abraham Heschel's True Passion
The book analyses the thoughts of the Kotzker Rebbe by contrasting and comparing him to the Danish theologian and philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. Few men could ever have conceived and written such an incisive work; no one else could have approached it with such an inner feel for the Hasidic tradition and yet, with a mind open to the teachings of Christian theologians.