Overview

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 emphasises our spiritual capacity to transform consciousness and so our life experience. The selections are paired with Rabbi Slater's commentaries to illuminate their message.

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9781580237949

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Reviews

A refreshingly original and profound presentation of the work of [this] Hasidic master . Slater translates and explains the text brilliantly. Jonathan Omer-Man, founder, Metivta: A Center for Contemplative Judaism An extraordinary resource for a journey of discovering the power of Torah to open minds, hearts and souls, and maybe even change lives. Rabbi Laura Geller, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills The wisdom here is real and deep, the love is nourishing and transparent. A double treasure: two mindful giants joining to reverberate the wisdom of ages past into the crevices of our hungry hearts. Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL, vice president, American Jewish University; author, God of Becoming and Relationship: The Dynamic Nature of Process Theology Slater is meticulous as translator, patient and unhurried as expositor, and compassionately open-hearted as spiritual guide just the kind of person you would trust to lead you on the most important, most exhilarating trek of all. [This book] is exactly that: a good friend, haver tov the highest accolade in the Hasidic path. Nehemia Polen, professor of Jewish thought, Hebrew College God may have split the Reed Sea once, but Slater splits open the ocean of Reb Levi Yitzhak with every page of this book! He compassionately stewards a call for personal responsibility, integrity and ownership as we surrender to the Call of the Divine. Reb Mimi Feigelson, Mashpia Ruchanit (www.zieglertorah.org)

A refreshingly original and profound presentation of the work of [this] Hasidic master . Slater translates and explains the text brilliantly. Jonathan Omer-Man, founder, Metivta: A Center for Contemplative Judaism An extraordinary resource for a journey of discovering the power of Torah to open minds, hearts and souls, and maybe even change lives. Rabbi Laura Geller, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills The wisdom here is real and deep, the love is nourishing and transparent. A double treasure: two mindful giants joining to reverberate the wisdom of ages past into the crevices of our hungry hearts. Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL, vice president, American Jewish University; author, God of Becoming and Relationship: The Dynamic Nature of Process Theology Slater is meticulous as translator, patient and unhurried as expositor, and compassionately open-hearted as spiritual guide just the kind of person you would trust to lead you on the most important, most exhilarating trek of all. [This book] is exactly that: a good friend, haver tov the highest accolade in the Hasidic path. Nehemia Polen, professor of Jewish thought, Hebrew College God may have split the Reed Sea once, but Slater splits open the ocean of Reb Levi Yitzhak with every page of this book! He compassionately stewards a call for personal responsibility, integrity and ownership as we surrender to the Call of the Divine. Reb Mimi Feigelson, Mashpia Ruchanit (www.zieglertorah.org)

Author Information

Rabbi Jonathan P. Slater, DMin, was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and has a doctor of ministry degree from the Pacific School of Religion. He is the author of Mindful Jewish Living: Compassionate Practice and codirector of programs at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, as well as an instructor in meditation at the JCC in Manhattan and other venues. He contributed to Who by Fire, Who by Water—Un'taneh Tokef; We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism—Ashamnu and Al Chet; and All These Vows—Kol Nidre (both Jewish Lights). Rabbi Nancy Flam is cofounder of the National Center for Jewish Healing and former director of the Jewish Community Healing Program of Ruach Ami: Bay Area Jewish Healing Center. She cofounded the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, was its founding director, and now serves as codirector of programs. She edited the Jewish Lights series of pastoral-care pamphlets, LifeLights, and writes and teaches widely on Judaism, healing, prayer, spirituality, and social justice. Arthur Green, PhD, 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 Judaism's Ten Best Ideas: A Brief Guide for Seekers; 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 coauthor 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.

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