The Seven Beggars: & Other Kabbalistic Tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

by Rebbe Nachman, Aryeh Kaplan

Rejoice in the stories of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov―for their insight into the human condition and the realm of the mysterious. When Rabbi Nachman first started telling his stories, he "Now I am going to tell you stories." The reason he did so was because in generations so far from God the only remedy was to present the secrets of the Torah―including even the greatest of them―in the form of stories. ―from the Preface For centuries, spiritual teachers have told stories to convey lessons about God and perceptions of the world around us. Hasidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) perfected this teaching method through his engrossing and entertaining stories that are fast-moving, brilliantly structured, and filled with penetrating insights. This collection presents the wisdom of Rebbe Nachman, translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan and accompanied by illuminating commentary drawn from the works of Rebbe Nachman's pupils. This important work brings you authentic interpretations of Rebbe Nachman’s stories, allowing you to experience the rich heritage of Torah and Kabbalah that underlies each word of his inspirational teachings.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Judaica, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2005

Reviews

[Sylvia McIvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Seven Beggars" tell their stories over 6 days and 85 pages.

It's amazing how mystic ideas can be written in such simple English - I understood every word, and maybe 1% of the ideas.

The books is written in double form, with the upper part of the page telling a simple story, and the lower half of the page heavily footnoted to explain what the stories mean.

The rest of the stories are a lot simpler, very entertaining, and some of them have entered the Jewish story pipeline as-is, without the mystical content, because the stories deliver a punch on their own.

"Once upon a time, the Moshe the tailor had a dream that a great treasure was buried under the main bridge in the capital. He traveled to the capital, and for two days he stared at the bridge, wondering how he might dig for treasure. A soldier asked what he was doing there, and Moshe told of his dream.

The soldier laughed. "For two days, I have been dreaming that there is a great treasure hidden under the hearthstone of Moshe the tailor. Do you think I will look for the tailor and his hearthstone?"

So Moshe the tailor went home, full of joy, and dug up the treasure under his hearthstone.

Sure your treasure is in your own home all along, but sometimes you have to travel in order to figure it out. What the mystical meaning of this story is, don't ask me.

[Eliot Parulidae · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing that Chasidim have become the ultra-ultra-conservative stalwarts of the Jewish world when the teachings of their masters are so...psychedelic. I will be revisiting this one as I become more versed in Jewish mysticism.

[Perlie]

I feel weird rating a Rabbi Nachman of Breslov story, so I'm going to skip that step. I'll say that this story is complex, multi-layered, and not an easy read. I think it requires someone with a deep knowledge of the underlying allusions to be able to read it, and all the more so, to teach it.
The introduction to the story, however, is worth a read in its own right, and explains the power of story to dive right into the heart.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

too mystical for me- but your tastes may vary

[Ronaldo Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tree of Knowledge and it's Symbols.

Profound Jewish concepts about spirituality. Complex sphirot interpretations on good and bad altogether. Symbolism with the human body and soul.

[Léa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life-changing.

[Yaneth Suárez]

No se muy bien cuales eran las expectativas que había que tener a la hora de leer esta novela pues es la primera vez que leo algo de este género, al menos tan explícito. El resultado ha sido mediocre, muy mediocre.