Hasidism Books - Page 3

Families in Ancient Israel (Family, Religion, and Culture)

Joseph Blenkinsopp, John J. Collins, Carol Meyers

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Behind the Biblical Family 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

This is the book for anyone who has ever wondered about the political homage paid to the "biblical family" in recent years. Profiting from recent breakthroughs in the study of Hebrew scriptures, this book, one of a series produced by the Religion, Culture, and Family Project of the University of Chicago Divinity School, argues that the family in ancient Israel should be understood as a complicated, multi-generational "household" system organized around a core "covenant" between father and mother, parents and children, households and land, and families and God. The ancient Hebrew family was hardly the "nuclear family" of today. Codes of hospitality insured that even outsiders and marginal members of the community were included when necessary. Indeed, the ancient Hebrew family resembled more the "village" concept, not only for raising children, but for building up community. Religious ideas in ancient Israel gave order and significance to the practical realities of family life, and were closely connected to the realities of household labor, land, wealth, procreation, inheritance, economic profit and loss, sickness, and dependency. This book is the only recent comprehensive review in the English language of the family in ancient Israel. It is well worth reading for anyone who wants to understand the biblical families of the Old Testament.

Editorial Review:

Four top-notch scholars of the Hebrew Bible and early Judaism provide a clear portrait of the family in ancient Israel. The book then draws important theological and ethical implications for the family today.

Somewhere a Master: Hasidic Portraits and Legends

Elie Wiesel

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Editorial Review:

The compassion of Reb Moshe-Leib, the vision of the Seer of Lublin, the wisdom of Reb Pinhas, the warmth of the Ba’al Shem Tov, the humor of Reb Naphtali–to their followers these sages appeared as kings, judges, and prophets. They communicated joy and wonder and fervor to the men and women who came to them in the depths of despair. They brought love and compassion to the persecuted Jews of Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania. For Jews who felt abandoned and forsaken by God, these Hasidic masters incarnated an irresistible call to help and salvation. The Rebbe combats sorrow with exuberance. He defeats resignation by exalting belief. He creates happiness so as not to yield to the sadness around him. He tells stories to escape the temptations of irreducible silence.

It is Elie Wiesel’s unique gift to make the lives and tales of these great teachers as compelling now as they were in a different time and place. In the tradition of Hasidism itself, he leaves others to struggle with questions of justice, mercy, and vengeance, providing us instead with eternal truths and unshakable faith.

Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: Meditations and Everyday Wisdom from the Teachings of the Rebbe, Menachem Schneerson

Tzvi Freeman, Menachem Mendel Schneerson

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Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Dancing With The Rebbe 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 20 people found this review helpful.

I was an early casualty of the faith of my parents. Not particularly religious themselves, they left me with a sense of the form of our religion, but no picture whatever of it's content. This wasn't their fault, it was simply very much the way we were in the 50's and 60's. My own spiritual needs left unmet by my faith of origin, I drifted from the time I entered college, first as an atheist, and then as almost every kind of theist one can imagine.

Eventually I found a place that suits me spiritually, in which I can dwell and feel no need to convert the unfaithful. From within this place, I have rediscovered a desire to spend some time reaping the wisdom of the religion I always took for granted, the one I was born into. This is not necessarily a comfortable journey for me but one it has been time to make for a while.

One of the things I had never come to understand about Judaism until well into college was the tremendous mystical richness of Judaism. What makes this mysticism special is its refusal to abandon the world in which we make our way. From Jewish mystics and rebbes we expect practical advice as well as inspiration. Rebbe Menachem Schneerson was for many years the premier spokesman for the Lubavitcher tradition of mystical Judaism. A man who valued humility, wisdom, affection, humor and a deep abiding faith.

Tzvi Freeman has taken the time to compile the essence of Rebbe Schneerson's meditations and teachings. This is simple, direct writing that would touch anyone, Jewish or not. Short sections that can be read a paragraph at a time and meditated upon at will. We are invited to take our beliefs out of the ivory tower and apply them in the world. The first recommendation for the spiritual treatment of illness is 'find a good doctor and follow his instructions.' The fourth is 'Increase your study of the inner light of the Torah.'

This kind of wisdom is good for all to use. I would recommend "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth" not just to crabby old men such as I, but to anyone who finds themselves sometimes a seeker or wishes to understand more of the depths of Judaism.

Editorial Review:

Rebbe means teacher. Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson is seventh in a prestigious line of chassidic rebbes. Even after his passing, he is known worldwide as simply "The Rebbe" - a Rebbe for any person in the world.

This book offers every person a taste of the Rebbe's wisdom, condensed from over 50 years of letters, public talks, private conversations, and written works. Presented in an accessible format.

Kabbalah and the Spiritual Quest: The Kabbalah Centre in America (Religion, Health, and Healing)

Jody Myers

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Editorial Review:

Dressing entirely in white is normal practice on a five-block stretch of Robertson Boulevard in West Los Angeles. Western men and women, garbed in white from their turbans to their Keds, traverse the busy streets surrounding the Sikh Temple. Further north, you have to wait until Friday afternoon to see white-clad young men in yarmulkes gathering outside the Kabbalah Learning Centre greeting each other with hugs, the spaces around them filled with women and children wearing multi-colored garments. Beyond this city street, one hears of the popularity of Kabbalah in the tabloids, as celebrities such as Madonna claim Kabbalah as their new "religion." How have the obscure and offensive ideas of medieval Jewish mysticism, expressed in doctrines like the demonic power of women's menstrual blood or the soulless bodies of Gentiles, been made palatable for so many from all stripes of life? With KLCs in cities such as Boca Raton, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, San Diego, Houston, and Las Vegas, the reach of this mystical tradition can be said to be nationwide. But how did its beliefs and practices become as fashionable as they are now? What do the KLCs teach so that adherents stay on? Is it a cult, a religion, or simply a system of universal wisdom as its leaders purport? Determined to uncover the secrets of this esoteric faith, the author embarked upon three 10-week Kabbalah classes among other learning opportunities, examined Kabbalah publications from the 1970s to the present, listened to KLC audio tapes, and interacted with adherents. This book presents her experiences and findings, and offers an overview of the history of the Kabbalah in this country, its beliefs and practices, its positions on health and healing of both the self and the world, its structure and outreach, and its views of men and women. She traces the origins of Kabbalah, offers a glimpse into its world, its relationships to Judaism, its place in American society, and its future.

Kol Elimelech: The Voice of Rabbi Elimelech Shapira - Chasidic Wisdom for Our Time

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Editorial Review:

What does a nineteenth century Chasidic rabbi have to teach us about relationships? Chasidic teachings have the power to awaken within us an awareness that we are constantly surrounded by love and the possibility for relationship, even in difficult times. Over a century ago, Rabbi Elimelech Shapira explored the cosmic principles of Divine love which he found at the core of esoteric Kabbalistic ideas. Reb Elimelech taught and wrote about our role as partners in the unfolding of the universe, personalizing and making this knowledge accessible through everyday spiritual practice and meditation. Kol Elimelech: Chasidic Wisdom for our Time offers a unique, spiritual lens through which we can view the world to begin the process of healing ourselves, our relationships, and more. Rabbi Shleffar has done a brilliant job of translating the rich yet complex teachings of this Chasidic Master, not only making them accessible to us, but also offering his own deeply insightful teachings, which he modestly refers to as "commentary". Shleffar has created a spiritual work that will surely touch the heart of the reader. With the addition of a prayer for each teaching, Shleffar has effectively created a tool for study and contemplation that suggests a daily practice, a way of being in the world, for those who wish to explore the meaning of the most important relationships in their lives.

To Heal the Soul: The Spiritual Journal of a Chasidic Rebbe

Kalonymus Kalman Shapira

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Editorial Review:

Within the vast and varied body of chasidic literature, rarely does one find a chasidic rebbe writing about himself. Those rebbes who did choose to put pen to paper tended to write expositions on biblical or rabbinical texts, and in many cases it was their students and followers who copied down their teachings. Thus the modern reader is left with works that tend to be impersonal, esoteric, and often complex. The journal of Rabbi Shapira is unique in its use of first-person narrative to relay the inner thoughts, fears, and struggles of this bold leader as he responds to the pains of life. It offers guidelines for spiritual progress and several meditations based on an active imagination. Rabbi Shapira tells us that the purpose of this work is to bequeath a journal of his personal struggles and triumphs to posterity. Some entries are indeed very revealing; the Rebbe is not afraid to disclose his moments of self-doubt, his anger, his fears, and his fervent hope that his soul will remain strong as his body grows old. The more one reads of Rabbi Shapira's journal, the more insight and inspiration one will glean from its message. Young and old will find personal, spiritual guidance in these pages and be able to reap from the maternal fulfillment.

The Besht: Magician, Mystic, and Leader (Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry Series)

Immanuel Etkes

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Editorial Review:

Founded in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century, the Hasidic movement and its religious thinking have dramatically transformed modern Judaism. The figure of the Ba'al Shem Tov (known in acronym form as the BeSHT)--the purported founder of the Hasidic movement--has fascinated scholars, Jewish philosophers, and laypeople interested in popular Jewish mysticism in general and the contemporary Hasidic movement in all its variety.

In this volume, Etkes enters a rich and heated debate over the origins of the movement, as well as the historicity of its mythic founder, Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, who lived much of his life as a miracle worker. The eighteenth century, as Etkes vividly portrays, was the heyday of the kabbalists, who dabbled in the magical power of letters and words to solve personal and communal problems--and to earn a living. Etkes sheds light on the personality of the Besht, on his mysticism, and on his close circle of followers. But equally important, he challenges the popular myth of the Besht as a childlike mystic, wandering the fields in prayer, seeing visions and engaging in acts of godliness and piety. Although Etkes shows great empathy for his subject, the Besht who emerges in these pages is much more down to earth, much more a man of his times. Indeed, according to Etkes, it was never the intention of the Besht to found a religious movement.

Etkes looks at the Besht's mystical roots, examining him not only from the vantage point of a social historian, but as a religious figure. Moshe Rosman, author of Founder of Hasidism, a biography of the Besht, claims that In Praise of the Besht--a volume published about the Besht in 1814, many years after his death, which portrayed his character by means of stories told by his close followers--could not be a reliable source. Etkes, disputing this claim, shows definitively that this well-known text (translated and interpreted by, among others, Martin Buber) may indeed offer trustworthy accounts of the Besht's life and thinking.

Four Hasidic Masters and Their Struggle Against Melancholy (Ward-Phillips Lectures in English Language & Literature)

Elie Wiesel

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The Jewish dark night of the soul. A holy despair? 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Despair and depression are I guess , the mood of most people at one time or another of their lives. For some people however it is the dominant note, the prevailing feeling and totally takes over their lives. Why this happens and to whom exactly it happens whole Literatures, including my guess is the psychiatric and neuroscience literatures can give only partial answers to. However ' despair ' becomes especially problematic and interesting when it happens in the lives of those who are our spiritual models , and who in the Hasidic tradition are to continually be clinging to and uplifted by the Presence of God.
How explain the fall and the darkness?
Elie Wiesel tells the individual story of four great Hasidic masters and their particular struggles with their own inner darkness.
My only Holy Teacher the late Dovid Hertzberg who loved these Hasidic masters with all his soul, and taught their Torahs with such love and inspiration once suggested ( And this is not his suggestion alone) that the great Kotzker went into his ten year period of isolation and solitude because the sufferings of his own Hasidim ( It was his task to listen to them and help them) became so great that they overwhelmed him completely i.e. The despair was not a private despair of an individual for himself but a despair which came out of his love of his own Hasidim and people. Perhaps, even a holy despair.

The Way Of Man: According to the Teaching of Hasidism

Martin Buber

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

short but powerful taste of Jewish philosophy 5 out of 5 stars.
37 of 38 people found this review helpful.

This book is comprised of several short essays that are each about ten pages or so in length. It is difficult to explain exactly what the book talks about. But it basically is a series of discussions about what our lives mean in relation to G-d. Why we are here on this planet, how you can think of your life and the lives of others, and lessons from other great Jewish thinkers about these same topics. I read this book, which is tiny and small, maybe 80 or so pages, and it changed my life. It opened for me a new way to explore my Jewish identity that was discrete from the mechanics of the religious observances. I am now very interested in Jewish philosophy and epistemology and want to read further. I would highly, highly recommend this book to anyone, Jewish or not.

Editorial Review:

In this remarkable book, Martin Buber presents the essential teachings of Hasidism, the mystical Jewish movement which swept Eastern Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Told through stories of imagination and spirit, together with his own unique insights, Buber offers us a way of understanding ourselves and our place in a spiritual world. Challenging us to recognize our own potential and to reach our true goal, this is a life-enhancing book.

A Passion for Truth (A Jewish Lights Classic Reprint)

Abraham Joshua Heschel

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Abraham Heschel's True Passion 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

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.

Every thought resonates with Heschel's major "popular" statements of religion and Jewish philosophy, "God in Search of Man', and "Man is not Alone". It is obvious from reading this work that Heschel's own philosophy drew heavily on the Kotzker Rebbe's teachings - strip away the adornments and seek the essence and truth.

It is quite unfortunate that Heschel's major work on the Kotzker was never translated from the original Yiddish. Until such translation is published, this book alone provides both an incisive look at theological radicalism and a sense of the misdirection of most modern theories of religion.

Editorial Review:

In his final book, completed a few weeks before his death, one of the most beloved religious leaders of our time gives us a moving and meaningful exploration of how the great religious teachers of tradition affect and shape our own personal spirituality.