The most powerful Hasidic teachings made accessible—from some of the world's preeminent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality.

"The teachings of Torah, from beginning to end, are read here as a path toward liberation, a way of uplifting your soul and allowing it to journey homeward, back to its Source in the oneness of all being. Or, even better, to discover that oneness right here, in a loving but transformative embrace of both world and self."
—from "To the Reader"

While Hasidic tales have become widely known to modern audiences, the profound spiritual teachings that stand at the very heart of Hasidism have remained a closed book for all except scholars. This fascinating selection—presented in two volumes following the weekly Torah reading and the holiday cycle, and featured in English and Hebrew—makes the teachings accessible in an extraordinary way.

Volume 1 covers Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus, and includes a history of early Hasidism and a summary of central religious teachings of the Maggid's school. Volume 2 covers Numbers and Deuteronomy and the holiday cycle, and includes brief biographies of the Hasidic figures. Each teaching is presented with a fresh translation and contemporary commentary that builds a bridge between the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries. And each teaching concludes with a dynamic round-table discussion between distinguished Jewish scholar Arthur Green and his closest students—the editors of this volume. They highlight the wisdom that is most meaningful for them, thus serving as a contemporary circle's reflections on the original mystical circle of master and disciples who created these teachings.

Volume 1 of a 2-volume set

Volume 1
To the Reader xiii
Introduction: Hasidism: The First Three Generations (1740–1815) 1
What Is Hasidism? 1
Setting the Stage: Ashkenazic Piety before Hasidism 4
Personalities and Historical Events: 1740–1762 9
Around the Maggid's Table: Dramatis Personae 21
The Path to God: Key Teachings, Ideas, and Practices 28
The Tsaddik as Holy Man and Hasidic Leader 37
Controversy and Religious Innovation 44
The Emerging Movement and its Struggles: 1772–1795 50
The Wellsprings Spread Forth: 1796–1815 63

Sefer Bereshit—The Book of Genesis 75
Bereshit 77
Noah 86
Lekh Lekha 93
Va-Yera 103
Hayyey Sarah 109
Toledot 116
Va-Yetse 123
Va-Yishlah 130
Va-Yeshev 136
Mi-Kets 145
Va-Yiggash 152
Va-Yehi 160

Sefer Shemot—The Book of Exodus 167
Shemot 169
Va-Era 176
Bo 182
Be-Shalah 189
Yitro 196
Mishpatim 206
Terumah 214
Tetsaveh 222
Ki Tissa 228
Va-Yakhel 235
Pekudey 241

Sefer Va-Yikra—The Book of Leviticus 247
Va-Yikra 249
Tsav 257
Shemini 266
Tazri'a 272
Metsora' 280
Aharey Mot 285
Kedoshim 292
Emor 299
Be-Har 305
Be-Hukkotay 310
Hebrew Texts 488

The most powerful Hasidic teachings made accessible—from some of the world's preeminent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality.

"The teachings of Torah, from beginning to end, are read here as a path toward liberation, a way of uplifting your soul and allowing it to journey homeward, back to its Source in the oneness of all being. Or, even better, to discover that oneness right here, in a loving but transformative embrace of both world and self."
—from "To the Reader"

While Hasidic tales have become widely known to modern audiences, the profound spiritual teachings that stand at the very heart of Hasidism have remained a closed book for all except scholars. This fascinating selection—presented in two volumes following the weekly Torah reading and the holiday cycle, and featured in English and Hebrew—makes the teachings accessible in an extraordinary way.

Volume 1 covers Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus, and includes a history of early Hasidism and a summary of central religious teachings of the Maggid's school. Volume 2 covers Numbers and Deuteronomy and the holiday cycle, and includes brief biographies of the Hasidic figures. Each teaching is presented with a fresh translation and contemporary commentary that builds a bridge between the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries. And each teaching concludes with a dynamic round-table discussion between distinguished Jewish scholar Arthur Green and his closest students—the editors of this volume. They highlight the wisdom that is most meaningful for them, thus serving as a contemporary circle's reflections on the original mystical circle of master and disciples who created these teachings.

Volume 1 of a 2-volume set