Find inspiration for a satisfying spiritual life of practice through the combination of contemporary mindfulness meditation and classical Hasidic spirituality.
The soul yearns to feel connected to something greater and to know happiness despite personal suffering and seemingly endless need. Surprisingly, the perspectives of the late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Hasidic spiritual teachers offer a radically different Jewish theology that speaks directly to today’s spiritual seekers whose faith has been shattered by both modernity and the Holocaust. These masters taught of interdependence, interconnectedness, selflessness, service and joy, anticipating the insights of contemporary science and twenty-first-century spirituality.
Bringing together the teachings of beloved Hasidic master Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev (1740–1809) and the practice of mindfulness meditation, Rabbi Jonathan P. Slater reveals a new entrance into Jewish spiritual life. Covering the Five Books of Moses, these two volumes present accessible translations of selections from Kedushat Levi, R. Levi Yitzhak’s Hasidic Torah commentary, which emphasizes our spiritual capacity to transform consciousness and so our life experience. The selections are paired with Rabbi Slater’s commentaries to illuminate their message.
Innehållsförteckning
Foreword ix
Preface xi
Introduction xiii
The Book of Genesis
Bereishit 3
Noach 12
Lekh Lekha 24
Vayeira 33
Hayyey Sarah 43
Toledot 52
Vayeitzei 61
Vayishlach 75
Vayeishev 85
Mikkeitz 97
Vayiggash 109
Vayechi 120
The Book of Exodus
Shemot 137
Va’eira 149
Bo 161
Beshallach 177
Yitro 190
Mishpatim 208
Terumah 220
Tetzavveh 235
Ki Tissa 249
Vayakheil 266
Pekudei 270
Notes 277
Om författaren
Arthur Green, Ph D, is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality. He is the Irving Brudnick professor of philosophy and religion at Hebrew College and rector of the Rabbinical School, which he founded in 2004. Professor emeritus at Brandeis University, he also taught at the University of Pennsylvania and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where he served as dean and president.Dr. Green is author of several books including Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow; Seek My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology; Your Word Is Fire: The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer; and Tormented Master: The Life and Spiritual Quest of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (all Jewish Lights). He is also author of Radical Judaism (Yale University Press) and co-editor of Speaking Torah: Spiritual Teachings from around the Maggid’s Table. He is long associated with the Havurah movement and a neo-Hasidic approach to Judaism.