Synopses & Reviews
"After Buber, after Heschel, Rabbi Zalman Schachter has come to give us a twenty-first century take on Hasidism. With a dazzling and playful erudition guaranteed to open your mind, Reb Zalman brings us to where Hasidism has always been, at the heart and soul of Jewish thought."
—
Rodger Kamenetz, author,
The Jew in the Lotus and
Stalking Elijah"Like sitting at the feet of the Rebbe himself, this luminous book warms the soul and attunes the heart to the highest dimensions. In Wrapped in a Holy Flame, Reb Zalman— himself one of the greatest living Hasidic masters— connects us to his own lineage of masters, the deepest of their teachings, and a lost world of wisdom for which we all long."
—Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, author, The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women's wisdom and With Roots in Heaven
"Reb Zalman's ripe reflections and insights into these teachings and tales, particularly the chapters on Chabad, are essential reading for anyone seeking spiritual direction in the new millennium. The torchbearer for advancing Jew ish spirituality treats us to a lovingly generous account of Hasidism that is not only learned and wise, but most importantly, useful."
—Rabbi Miles Krassen, director, Gates of Eden; author, Uniter of Heaven and Earth
Review
"Stories speak to the heart of what it is to be human, and these stories help us understand what it is to be divine. Reb Zalman's spiritual insight and clarity make this collection of teachings and tales a powerful and transformative gateway to God and godliness."
? Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro, director, Metivta Center for Jewish Contemplative Practice and author of Minyan: Ten Principles for Living a Life of Integrity and The Way of Solomon
"This latest of Zalman's gifts to the Jewish world is by far the most clear, accessible, and authentic explanation of classical Hasidic teachings and their timely relevance. Reb Zalman zaps us with notions so fresh and ripe for our paradigm that they smack of the long-lost aboriginal life-wisdom that birthed the Jewish people and its ever-dynamic ideology to begin with."
? Rabbi Gershon Winkler, author of Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism
"Wrapped in a Holy Flame offers readers a clear philosophical foundation for the connection between traditional Hasidism and new developments in Jewish mysticism today as taught by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. As a well-known teacher of Kabbalah who is also strongly grounded in the Hasidic world, he and his student Nataniel Miles-Yepez make a strong case for the neo-Hasidic underpinnings of the growing Jewish renewal movement."
? Rabbi David Cooper, author of God is a Verb and A Heart of Stillness
"Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi is at the forefront of everything new and alive in Judaism. He is the Renewer of the Generation. Wrapped in a Holy Flame presents profound teachings and stories of the Hasidic masters in a form suited to our time and our modern sensibilities. Reb Zalman is the chief cupbearer at our mystic banquet, offering aged wine in new flasks, wine sweet to the taste of those thirsty for Jewish spiritual wisdom."
? Maggid Yitzhak Buxbaum, author, Jewish Spiritual Practices
Review
Originating in Eastern Europe in the 18th century, Hasidism is a movement in Judaism that focuses on the joy of living and of dedicating one's life to God. Stressing social justice, this spiritual movement is based largely on parables and stories that encourage the potential for personal transformation. From the initial writings of the Ba'al Shem Tov to the 20th-century guru and artist Reb Shlomo Carlebach, this volume contains a chronological collection of the variety and diversity of voices that represent Hasidic teachings. Collected here are both the original works of the Hasidic masters in new translations—including teachings, tales, parables, prayers, and melodies—and a comprehensive introduction to the meaning and value of these classic stories. Rabbi Schacter-Shalomi, a leader within the Jewish Renewal Movement, tries to capture the essence of this spiritual movement by bringing many voices to this collection. Shore anecdotal biographical sketches precede each selection and vividly bring to life the masters and their teachings. As an introduction to Hasidism, this is a very useful sourcebook. Recommended for all Judaica collections.—Herbert E. Shapiro, Empire State Coll. of SUNY, Rochester (
Library Journal, April 15, 2003)
This important book is a culmination of Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi's lifelong study of the Hasidic masters. Drawing from traditional Hasidic texts, modern studies of Hasidism and his own well-honed knowledge and intuition, the author portrays these teachers and rabbis as inspired individuals, wrestling with the eternal questions. It is, without doubt, the most important book about the Hasidic masters since Martin Buber's "Tales of the Hasidim." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 7, 2003)
Synopsis
Early in the eighteenth century the legendary holy man and teacher Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov launched a spiritual movement in Eastern Europe known as Hasidism. The Hasidic movement thrived on parables and stories promulgating joy, the potential for personal transformation, aspirations of the Divine, and the infusion of daily life with music, dancing, and loving exultation— and there is no Jewish institution today that has not been affected by Hasidism. Since the time of the Ba'al Shem Tov, generations of disciples, holy men, gurus, rabbis, and teachers have spread the Hasidic movement throughout the world. Now this book presents in one volume a collection of profound insights from the greatest Hasidic masters.
Wrapped in a Holy Flame offers rare stories, new translations, and an innovative introduction to the meaning and value of these classic tales and teachings. It features the work of Hasidic masters of legendary fame and influence, including the Maggid of Mezritch, Reb Pinchas of Koretz, Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Reb Nachman of Bratzlav, all the way to the twentieth century Rebbe and artist Reb Shlomo Carlebach. The author has studied and taught Hasidic stories and teachings for over fifty years. This book contains a lifetime of experience and will stand for years to come as the basic, definitive work in the field.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 307-326) and index.
About the Author
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, better known as Reb Zalman, was born in Poland, raised in Vienna, and ordained as a rabbi in New York. He is the pioneering father of the Jewish Renewal movement, founder of the Spiritual Eldering Institute, and an active and original teacher of Jewish mysticism. Reb Zalman taught at the University of Manitoba, Canada, from 1956 to 1975, and was professor of Jewish mysticism and psychology of religion at Temple University until his retirement in 1987, when he was named professor emeritus. In 1995 he accepted the World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University, where he is currently professor in the department of religion.
The Editor
Nataniel Miles-Yepez studied history of religions at Michigan State University and contemplative religion at Naropa University. He is an ordained teacher in the Sufi tradition.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Author’s Preface.
Editor’s Preface.
Note to the Reader.
A Renaissance of Piety: The Teachings of Hasidism and the Shifting Paradigm.
A Hidden Fire Revealed: The Ba’al Shem Tov.
The Teachers of the Aha! The Maggid of Mezritch and Reb Pinchas of Koretz.
The Ascetic Saint: Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk.
The Passionate Defender: Reb Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev.
Heaven Is Here! Reb Moshe Leib of Sassov.
Dancing from the Infirmary: The Maggid of Koznitz.
A Guide for the Exceptional Average: Seven Generations of Chabad Rebbes.
Between Perfection and Evil.
Soul Matters.
Attributes and Garments of the Soul.
The Victory of the Rational Soul.
The Duality of Good and Evil.
Woman and the Divine Feminine.
Fear and Love.
Annihilation of Existence and Brokenheartedness.
The End of the Journey.
The Word That Creates: Sha’ar HaYichud VeHaEmunah and the Rest of the Tanya.
Radical Hasidism and the Challenge of Changing Paradigms.
Dreamer of Archetypes: Reb Nachman of Bratzlav.
Who Walks on the Edge of the Sword: Reb Menachem Mendel of Kotzk.
Deployed by God: Reb Mordecai Yosef of Ishbitz.
A Latter-Day Saint: Reb Arele Roth.
Loving the Land and Its People Is Loving God: Reb Abraham Isaac Kook.
Yea, Though I Walk Through the Shadow of Death: Reb Kalonymous Kalmisch of Piasetzna.
The Mystic Proletarian: Reb Hillel Zeitlin.
The Master of Virtuous Reality: Reb Shlomo Carlebach.
Precocious Mystical Feminism: Reb Channah Rochel of Ludmir.
Notes.
Glossary.
Biographies.
Index.