Hasidic Tales (Skylight Illuminations Series): Annotated and Explained
Martin Buber was the first to bring the Hasidic tales to life for modern readers in the middle of the twentieth century. His groundbreaking work was the first time that most readers had ever encountered the lives and teachings of these profound and enigmatic spiritual masters from Eastern Europe. In Hasidic Tales: Annotated & Explained, Rabbi Rami Shapiro breathes new life into these classic stories of people who so marvelously combined the mystical and the ordinary. Each demonstrates the...
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Martin Buber was the first to bring the Hasidic tales to life for modern readers in the middle of the twentieth century. His groundbreaking work was the first time that most readers had ever encountered the lives and teachings of these profound and enigmatic spiritual masters from Eastern Europe. In Hasidic Tales: Annotated & Explained, Rabbi Rami Shapiro breathes new life into these classic stories of people who so marvelously combined the mystical and the ordinary. Each demonstrates the spiritual power of unabashed joy, offers lessons for leading a holy life, and reminds you that the Divine can be found in the everyday. Without an expert guide, the allegorical quality of Hasidic tales can be perplexing. But Shapiro presents them as stories rather than parables, making them accessible and meaningful. Now you can experience the wisdom of Hasidism firsthand even if you have no previous knowledge of Jewish spirituality. This SkyLight Illuminations edition offers insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that explains theological concepts, introduces major characters, offers clarifying references unfamiliar to most readers, and reveals how you can use the Hasidic tales to further your own spiritual awakening. Library Journal This volume is another entry in Skylight Paths' valuable Annotated & Explained series, which has included, thus far, spiritual sources such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Gospel of Thomas. A congregational rabbi and author, Shapiro (Minyan; Wisdom of the Jewish Sages) provides an excellent introduction and anthology of exemplary tales from the Hasidic tradition: he well understands the paradox, wit, and irony inherent in the teaching style of the Hasid. As he reminds us in the introduction, one of the crucial strands of the Jewish faith is its ability to carry forward its ideas in memory and story, and, among the Hasids, anecdotes, fables, and fragments of biography are alive with meaning. Highly recommended. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
ForewordviiPrefacexvIntroductionxxiHasidism, a Brief IntroductionxxviiCast of RabbisxxxiiiDistractions3Why Are You Here?5Know Your Path7Idle Speech11Ten Letters13Light15Hospitality17Deeds Not Words21Seeking a Precedent25A Kosher Tongue27A Recipe from Heaven29A Hidden Tzaddik31The Successor33You Are What You Think37Horse Sense41Receive and Detach43Nothing New45The Sermon47The Frog's Song49Come with Me51Why Cry to Me?55Show Me57The Hidden Spark59Nothing61The New Rebbe63Eating in the Presence of God65Avoiding the Mud67The Alphabet of Sorrow69A Healing Broth71A Holy Appetite73Seeing or Believing77To Be an Angel81Placing the Self83Direct Seeing85The Prophetic Squire87Salvation Now89Ask Yourself91A Leather Belt93Hard Work95Fooling the Evil Inclination97Alien Invaders101Salvation through Joy103The Tailor's Due105The Rebbe's Love109The Value of Wisdom111The Making of a Rebbe113Without a Doubt115Two Yids, Two Yuds117Knowing119Partners121What I Deserve123Good Night God125Stone Soup127Livelihood129The Loaf's Complaint131Nothing but God133Praying with the World135A Kiss Good-Bye137Praying with, Praying among139Stick Angels141The Connoisseur143Bursting the Gates145Perfect Repentance147The Value of Sin149A Four-legged Esrog151The Better Leg153Two Rules155A Powerful Silence157The Leaf159Rules of the Game161Time to Visit163Selfless Service165Robbing Yourself167Until Our Completion169The Turkey Prince171The Whistler173The Child and the Thief175You!177Your Way179Learn from Everything181True Prayer183The Reminderer185Finding the Way187A Bet189Where Am I?191Suggested Readings193About SkyLight Paths194
\ Library JournalThis volume is another entry in Skylight Paths' valuable Annotated & Explained series, which has included, thus far, spiritual sources such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Gospel of Thomas. A congregational rabbi and author, Shapiro (Minyan; Wisdom of the Jewish Sages) provides an excellent introduction and anthology of exemplary tales from the Hasidic tradition: he well understands the paradox, wit, and irony inherent in the teaching style of the Hasid. As he reminds us in the introduction, one of the crucial strands of the Jewish faith is its ability to carry forward its ideas in memory and story, and, among the Hasids, anecdotes, fables, and fragments of biography are alive with meaning. Highly recommended. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.\ \
