Hasidic Tales: Annotated & Explained

by Rami M. Shapiro (Translator), Andrew Harvey (Foreword by)

The Tales of the Hasidic Masters Can Become a Companion for Your Own Spiritual Journey. "The wisdom of the Hasidim is earthy, realistic, rooted in the simplicity of the heart. It is alive with the awareness of the holiness of Creation and the boundlessness of God's mercy, and is utterly honest about the necessity of living such awareness in loving service to all beings. It is a wisdom that fuses the highest mystical initiations with the most down-home celebration of life and a rugged commitment to social and political justice in all its forms. In other words, it is a wisdom that is never, as my old prep school headmaster would put it, "too divine to be of any earthly use."
―from the Foreword by Andrew Harvey Martin Buber, author of Tales of Hasidim , was the first to bring the Hasidic tales to life for modern readers in the middle of the twentieth century. His groundbreaking work was the first time that most readers had ever encountered the lives and teachings of these profound and enigmatic spiritual masters from Eastern Europe. In Hasidic Annotated & Explained, Rabbi Rami Shapiro breathes new life into these classic stories of people who so marvelously combined the mystical and the ordinary. Each demonstrates the spiritual power of unabashed joy, offers lessons for leading a holy life, and reminds you that the Divine can be found in the everyday. Without an expert guide, the allegorical quality of Hasidic tales can be perplexing. But Shapiro presents them as stories rather than parables, making them accessible and meaningful. Now you can experience the wisdom of Hasidism firsthand even if you have no previous knowledge of Jewish spirituality. This SkyLight Illuminations edition offers insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that explains theological concepts, introduces major characters, offers clarifying references unfamiliar to most readers and reveals how you can use the Hasidic tales to further your own spiritual awakening.

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

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2003

About the author

Rami Shapiro is one of the most innovative rabbis of the last thirty years. An award-winning author of two dozen books on religion and spirituality, he received rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and holds a PhD from Union Graduate School. A congregational rabbi for twenty years, for the last fifteen he has been writing, leading retreats, co-directing One River Wisdom School, blogging at rabbirami.com, and writing a regular column for Spirituality and Health magazine called "Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler."

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly thoughtful insights into the lives of those who have shed something of the Divine that have let themselves to be encountered with.

Very powerful to see them (for myself) in the context of being a Christian, how incredibly close they come to the parables of Jesus, yet it puts the Jewish wisdom into a very unique and a new perspective, thanks to Rabbi Shapiro's short but deep interpretations!
Most of them speak of the founder of the (C)Hasidic tradition, Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov, in english as the Master of the Good Name and those of wise Rabbis who came after him.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very thought provoking book. Wonderful layout, with each story on one side of the page and the notes opposite it. Great stories, the notations make it good for discussion. Each story is just a couple of pages. I found it to be lovely bedtime reading with easy stopping places. In a group each story could be read aloud and thoughts shared. I've not seen anything else like this. I'm glad to have stumbled upon it.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

the tales are great in and of themselves, but you can find a lot of the little stories/parables here in other sources as well..

what sets this book apart is most definitely the author's commentary, which i found to be rather inspired... he's definitely of a "JuBu" persuasion though, there is no denying that, but it doesn't at all conflict with the morals or ethics that are being portrayed in the tales...

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt like a revelation - when reading it the scales fell from my eyes and a lot of things began to make sense for me. The book has about 90 Hasidic tales - each one is a page, each one is charming, and each one has a single facing page of notes and commentary. Even if you are not Jewish (like me), this book has beautiful messages about spirituality and how to conduct your life, your relationship with others, your relationship with God.

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these short stories. Hasidic stories are the best way to teach. A great resource for organizing!