The Legend of the Baal-Shem
The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber spoke directly to the most profound human concerns in all his works, including his discussions of Hasidism, a mystical-religious movement founded in Eastern Europe by Israel ben Eliezer, called the Baal-Shem (the Master of God's Name). Living in the first part of the eighteenth century in Podolia and Wolhynia, the Baal-Shem braved scorn and rejection from the rabbinical establishment and attracted followers from among the common people, the poor, and the...
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"All positive religion rests on an enormous simplification of the manifold and wildly engulfing forces that invade us: it is the subduing of the fullness of existence. All myth, in contrast, is the expression of the fullness of existence, its image, its sign; it drinks incessantly from the gushing fountains of life."--Martin Buber, from the introduction The Inner Directions Journal The Legend of the Baal-Shem is not only a compilation of stories about the founder of modern Hasidism, but also acts as a key to help demystify the deep mystical tradition of Judaism. For those who like stories that reflect a piece of recent history, this is a good collection.
FOREWORD 7 INTRODUCTION 9 The Life of the Hasidim 17 HITLAHAVUT: ECSTASY 17 AVODA: SERVICE 23 KAVANA: INTENTION 33 SHIFLUT: HUMILITY 41 The Werewolf 51 The Prince of Fire 56 The Revelation 62 The Martyrs and the Revenge 73 The Heavenly Journey 79 Jerusalem 82 Saul and David 87 The Prayer-Book 92 The Judgement 98 The Forgotten Story 107 The Soul Which Descended 121 The Psalm-Singer 131 The Disturbed Sabbath 139 The Conversion 149 The Return 161 From Strength to Strength 17, The Threefold Laugh 179 The Language of the Birds 185 The Call 194 The Shepherd 202 GLOSSARY 209
\ The Inner Directions JournalThe Legend of the Baal-Shem is not only a compilation of stories about the founder of modern Hasidism, but also acts as a key to help demystify the deep mystical tradition of Judaism. For those who like stories that reflect a piece of recent history, this is a good collection.\ \
