Opening the Tanya: Discovering the Moral and Mystical Teachings of a Classic Work of Kabbalah

by Adin Steinsaltz

Written by the great Hasidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi in the late eighteenth century, the Tanya is considered to be one of the most extraordinary books of moral teachings ever written. A seminal document in the study of Kabbalah, the Tanya explores and solves the dilemmas of the human soul by arriving at the root causes of its struggles. Though it is a classic Jewish spiritual text, the Tanya and its present commentary take a broad and comprehensive approach that is not specific to Judaism nor tied to a particular personality type or time or point of view. Opening the Tanya is a groundbreaking book that offers a definitive introduction, explanation, and commentary upon the Tanya . As relevant today as it was when it was first written more than two hundred years ago, the Tanya helps us to see the many thousands of complexities, doubts, and drives within us as expressions of a single basic problem, the struggle between our Godly Soul and our Animal Soul.

Genres: Judaism

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2003

Reviews

[Mina Herz]

Plz buy this

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spiritual book of amazing and profound insight. I found myself confronted with ways to change for the better, with inspiration. I thoroughly enjoyed every single word in this text. The reading is straightforward and elevates the soul.

[Simcha York · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with another of his fine books, The Essential Talmud , Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's Opening the Tanya provides a lucid introduction to a text that might not at first be easily accessible to many readers. Because the Tanya is a fairly short work, however, Opening the Tanya takes a somewhat different approach to its subject matter than does The Essential Talmud. While it does offer some information on the history and the form of the Tanya, Opening the Tanya is primarily devoted to a translation and elucidation of that book's first 12 chapters.

True to its title, Opening the Tanya takes what will be for many a work which is difficult to crack, and opens up it up. At its most basic level, this book is p'shat for the Tanya - offering a more verbose, but more accessible, rewording of its source. Steinsaltz also offers information on the sources and ideas that influence the Tanya, as well as anecdotes from midrash and legend to help illuminate the concepts presented therein.

Opening the Tanya should appeal to anyone interested in Jewish mystical thought, whether or not they ascribe to the views presented by Steinsaltz or the Tanya.

[Arthur Gershman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.