Ten Rungs: Collected Hasidic Sayings

by Martin Buber

The sacred tales and aphorisms collected here by Martin Buber have their origins in the traditional Hasidic metaphor of life as a ladder, reaching towards the divine by ascending rungs of perfection. Through Biblical riddles and interpretations, Jewish proverbs and spiritual meditations, they seek to awaken in the reader a full awareness of the urgency of the human condition, and of the great need for self-recognition and spiritual renewal.

Genres: Judaism, Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Jewish, Judaica

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship.

Buber came from a family of observant Jews, but broke with Jewish custom to pursue secular studies in philosophy. In 1902, Buber became the editor of the weekly Die Welt, the central organ of the Zionist movement, although he later withdrew from organizational work in Zionism. In 1923 Buber wrote his famous essay on existence, Ich und Du (later translated into English as I and Thou), and in 1925 he began translating the Hebrew Bible into the German language.

In 1930 Buber became an honorary professor at the University of Frankfurt am Main, and resigned in protest from his professorship immediately after Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. He then founded the Central Office for Jewish Adult Education, which became an increasingly important body as the German government forbade Jews to attend public education. In 1938, Buber left Germany and settled in Jerusalem, in the British Mandate of Palestine, receiving a professorship at Hebrew University and lecturing in anthropology and introductory sociology.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recently delighted to discover from Ancestry.com's DNA analysis that I am 2% Jewish. Could this be the reason why I love the sayings of the rabbis so much?

Probably not. Or is it because Jewish spirituality seems more exotic to me than the Catholic spirituality I'm used to? Possibly, but I think there's more to it than that.

Okay, here come the unfair generalizations:

In Christian spirituality, both God and the world are real, but human beings seem even more real, isolated in their formidable reality. There is always the need for some mediator--Christ, Mary, saints, the Bible, the pope, a gifted preacher or apologist--to draw us across the great gulf of self back to the world and to God.

In Islamic spirituality, Allah is real and immense, but human beings are small--clay vessels easily broken. We may may build His holy city by the river, dance His blessed joy in the desert, but we are mere dust in the wind.

In Eastern spirituality, the world, god and human beings are all small things fading to the point of illusion. We contemplate illusions as they shimmer before us, only achieving enlightenment in the moment we ourselves fade away.

But Jewish spirituality seems different. It is neither too much reality nor too much illusion. It is the Goldilock's bed of spirituality: not too hard, not too soft, just right. The world--marvelous and real--is a narrow path we all must walk, and, when we travel it reverently, in awareness and in love, we unite both the divine and the human in a single human journey.

Is this element present in other faith traditions? Certainly. But personally I find it more strongly manifest in the teachings of the rabbis.


Some sayings I like from Buber's book:

The other nations, too, believe that there are two worlds. They, too, say, "in the world to come." The difference is this: they think that the two are separate and severed. but Israel professes that the two worlds are essentially one and shall, indeed, become one.

Man is a ladder placed on the earth and the top of it touches heaven. And all his movements and doings and words leave traces in the upper world.

All joys hail from the Garden of Eden, and jests too, provided that they are uttered in true joy.

If someone comes to you and asks your help, you shall not turn him off with pious words, saying, "Have faith and take your troubles to God!" You shall act as if there were no God, as though there were only one person in all the world who could help this man--only yourself.

He who has no evil inclination at all cannot perform perfect service. What counts is to restrain the blaze in the hour of desire and let it flow into the hours of prayer and service.

And I'll close with my favorite saying:

Everyone must have two pockets, so that he can reach into the one or the other, according to his needs. In his right pocket are to be the words: "For my sake was the world created," and in his left: "I am dust and ashes."

[Lbball27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The souls descended from the realm of heaven to earth, on a long ladder. Then it was taken away. Now up there, they are calling home the souls. Some do not budge from the spot, for how can one get to heaven without a ladder? Others leap and fall and leap again, and give up. But there are those who know very well that they cannot achieve it, but try and try over and over again until God catches hold of them and pulls them up."

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A TOPICALLY-ARRANGED COLLECTION OF HASIDIC SAYINGS

Martin Buber (1878-1965) was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher and scholar of the Hasidic movement. He taught philosophy from 1938-1951 at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

He wrote in the Introduction to this 1947 book, "This book contains a small selection of Hasidic sayings... They all revolve around a single question: How can we fulfill the meaning of our existence on earth?" Buber has selected the sayings from hundreds of books, and arranged them thematically: e.g., God and man; Prayer; Love; Pride and Humility, etc.

One saying suggests that there are two kinds of people who believe in God: those who have taken over the faith of their fathers, and those who have arrived at faith through thinking and studying, and counsels, "he who unites both kinds of faith is invincible." Thus, we refer to "Our God" with reference to our own studies, and to the "God of our Fathers" with an eye to tradition. (Pg. 13)

Another saying observes that other nations also believe in two worlds, and in a "world to come." But the difference is that they think the two are separate and severed, while Israel professes that the two worlds are essentially one. (Pg. 37)

One saying notes that there is no good unless its counterpart exists; only the fact that evil confronts good gives man the possibility of victory: of rejecting evil and choosing good. "Only then does the good exist truly and perfectly." (Pg. 89-90)

This is a marvelous collection of Hasidic teachings, and very "user-friendly" in its manner of presentation.

[NIGEL PEARCE · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sacred tales, truisms, and aphorisms which have their origins in the traditional Hasidic metaphor of life as a ladder, reaching towards the divine, the holy one by ascending the rungs of the ladder of perfection. Through Biblical riddles and interpretations, Jewish proverbs and spiritual meditations, they seek to awaken us to the urgency of the human condition, and of the great need for self-recognition and spiritual renewal. #woke!

[Andrew Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Martin Buber’s Ten Rungs: Collected Hasidic Sayings 📚

I found this a very quick and easy read as it’s more a collection of quotes rather than a book. Still, though, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about Buber’s view of god and our own role in life. I don’t know much about Hasidism but this makes me want to learn more for sure even though I know I won’t agree or relate to everything they have to say.

[Samuel A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of hasidic sayings. a very fun read.

"We know that God is the place of the world and that it is not the world which is his place. And the same holds for him who has a heart, since God is in his heart. And he who has a heart, is thus the place of the world"

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected this to be, but I found it slow-going for such a small book. It's a collection of tiny little snippets Buber culled from various sources. He's organized them according to what he calls the "rungs of being." But each small saying can require much thought to try to understand it.

For example, on the rung of good and evil:
The Divine Presence comprises all worlds, all creatures, good and evil. It is true unity. How then can it contain good and evil, which are self-contradictory? But actually there is no contradiction, for evil is the throne of good.

There's still a lot in it that I really have trouble understanding. But I do think it gave me a bit more of an idea of Buber's way of thinking about things.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection/interpretation by the great Martin Buber of classical Hasidic sayings, stories, and teachings. The book is gathered into ten 'rungs' of the ladder, comprised of themes: love, good and evil, pride and humility, service, prayer, etc. This book is easy to read, but full of teaching. I chose it as part of my Omer count 2015 readings, and am glad I did.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gift from a rabbi, this little book was well worth the read. It had been years since I'd immersed myself in Buber, and it was a delight to re-engage with him. Pungent, often koan-like sayings are intermingled with storytelling and practical wisdom.

[Elf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoever has not read this book lives in dire poverty of spirit.