Hasidic Wisdom

Hasidic Wisdom: Sayings from the Jewish Sages is among the many lifelong efforts of Rabbi Simcha Raz, one of Jerusalem's leading teachers, writers, and educators. The original book in Hebrew is titled Pitgamay Hasidim. It has been a perennial best-seller in Israel for the past fifteen years and is now in its 8th edition. The book is divided into thirty brief chapters on issues that have relevance to every human being: love and hate, faith, truth, the inner life, heaven and hell, leadership, loneliness, friendship, piety, anger, music, poverty, righteousness, prayer, charity, and repentance. Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins has been translating various selections of the book for his sermons, lectures, and classes since he first bought the Hebrew book in the mid-1980s. After countless listeners and readers asked him for the source of the hasidic quotations, he decided to translate the entire book into English, to make it available for a more diverse audience. Enlisting the assistance of his son, Jonathan, a freelance writer and television reporter in Israel, the two men collaborated on the project to render the Hebrew into idiomatic English, and to preserve its traditional nuances. The reader will find in this newest and most clearly focused treasure of hasidic doctrine a touching, heartwarming collection of profound revelations on spirituality, Torah, human relationships, and personal growth.

Useful for daily meditations or a 'grabber' for entry into a more in-depth spiritual exercise. Put it on a coffee table for easy browsing and reflection, or on the nightstand to be perused before sleep or upon awakening in the morning., The wisdom of the hasidic tradition distilled into folk proverbs, presented with much warmth and humor. Simcha Raz have given us a great gift., This remarkable book manages to capture in each and every hasidic aphorism the spiritual audacity, deep humor, and moral wisdom of a great tradition. It has enriched my life.

Dov Peretz Elkins is an internationally known author, lecturer, and educator. His pioneering books on experiential learning, values clarification, and spirituality, have influenced a generation of rabbis, educators, and Jewish communal service workers. His most recent books include: Prescription for a Long and Happy life, Moments of Transcendence: Inspirational Readings for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and Jewish Guided Imagery. He is currently the spiritual leader of The Jewish Center, in Princeton, New Jersey.