Best jewish hasidism books according to redditors
We found 18 Reddit comments discussing the best jewish hasidism books. We ranked the 12 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 18 Reddit comments discussing the best jewish hasidism books. We ranked the 12 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I grew up there. Ezra Friedlander and R Alexander Rapaport are both good people to know. Glatt A La Carte is one of the best kosher restaurants in the city but only eat there if someone else is picking up the check. The days before Sukkos (October 10th through the 13th) is a wonderful time for a photo essay. If you could only read one book about Hasidic power dynamics in 2019, make it Hellman’s latest book. The the Boro Park based stringer is probably Gifter. You should probably buy him lunch and see if he can give you a tour.
grew up on Holocaust conservative Judaism. Went to Hebrew school 2x a week but didn't really receive an education.
became secular for a long time. Starting reading more about Judaism and wanted to do more. Went back to a conservative shul and it was...IDK it just seemed pretend for lack of a better word.
Then found a semi-orthodox shul and thought I would be MO for a while but the hashkafa just wasn’t for me (although it’s interesting, a lot of the MO people I knew weren’t so machmer about things which I think drove me away, if I’d known different people I wonder if I would’ve ended up somewhere else).
Starting reading about different Jewish philosophies and when I was reading this book found myself looking forward to what the Alter/mittler Rebbe wrote on things bought a Tanya and started hanging out with a Chabad Rabbi and it’s just gone from there.
Someone gave me this one at some point. It's pretty much exactly what you describe. It's short and little, easy to transport. I'm not really sure on how much it will 'draw you back' though, since it doesn't contain any longer things.
Sparks of Mussar is a collection of brief stories and sayings from the great baalei mussar, starting with R' Yisrael Salanter and his disciples and ending with the Chofetz Chaim.
Even Sheleima is a very interesting collection of teachings from the Vilna Gaon. There is at least one English translation out there, but I don't know anything about it.
Orchos Chaim of the Rosh is a classic work of brief instructions in Mussar and Jewish living.
Artscroll just published a little book of inspirational quotes from many gedolim titled, Great Jewish Wisdom.
R' Aryeh Kaplan's The Light Beyond is an extensive collection of short passages from chassidic works, covering the full range of chassidic masters, organized by topic.
R' Aryeh Kaplan also put out a very interesting work of short selections on prayer, from all traditional sources, titled A Call to the Infinite.
That's all that comes to mind off the top of my head.
"The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India" by Rodger Kamenetz was an absolutely wonderful book. It chronicles the first (known) meeting between a Jewish delegation and the Dalai Lama. So in this way, it's a thrilling adventure of historic importance. At the same time, Kamenetz (a non-observant Jew) finds himself finding a deeper connection to Judaism as he interacts with the rabbis he's traveling with and the Buddhists he meets.
If you're interested in Jewish mysticism, "The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism" by Daniel C. Matt is a great and poetic translation of some primary sources. For the Hasidic movement, Elie Wiesel has a beautiful collection of legends titled, "Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of the Hasidic Masters." "Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism" by Howard Schwartz is a great book on Jewish mythical stories found in ancient Jewish texts and folklore. If you want something completely different "Jewish Magic and Superstition" by Joshua Trachtenberg is an amazing (if somewhat dry) book on this strange and magical Jewish sect that flourished in the Rhineland from the 12th through 13th centuries (and it's available for free!). Also, Rabbi Arthur Green has written a book called "Radical Judaism" on utilizing ancient (primarily mystical) sources to recenter Judaism in the modern era. Green's book is somewhat fun, but frivolous and controversial times.
If you're interested in fiction, I cannot recommend "The Golem and the Jinni" enough. The author, Helene Wecker, draws on her (Jewish) family's immigrant stories and also those of her husband's (Syrian Christian) family. It's a book about the immigrant experience in New York City at the turn of the century. However, the main characters are not members of these communities, but creatures of their folklores. A golem (Chava) is brought to life, and is forced to not just acclimate herself to American culture, but also humanity as well. Meanwhile, a jinni (Ahmad) likewise finds himself released (but bound) in New York City. He's forced to adjust to the present rather than dwell on his majestic past (like a formerly wealthy immigrant who finds himself a pauper in his new home). It's truly a great book.
I really like James Micheners "The Source", which tries to tell the story of the origins of religions in the form of a novel.
For Islam you absolutely must read "Islam: The Religion and the People" by Bernard Lewis.
For Judaism I would suggest "The Jewish Book of Why" for traditions and "Our People" for history.
And for Atheism you can read "The Rubayat" by Omar Kayyan.
http://www.amazon.com/Things-Everyone-Should-About-Judaism/dp/1593373279
I saw this cheap lil' thing at a bookstore once. I flipped through it and it seemed like it addressed most things without opinion. It seems like it'd be nice for establishing a frame of reference.
Also, the strings are called tzitzyot (pl; tzitzit, singular) and are attached to a Tallit Katan (small cloak) worn under the clothes. There are a lot of ideas associated with the fringes and the reason for wearing them, but it's a mitzvah that when you wear a 4-cornered garment of a certain size you attach tzitzyot to the corners. A tallit gadol (or just tallit) is worn during prayer, over the head.
"The Jewish Book of Why" explains the reason/s behind various Jewish traditions. As a fellow secular Russian Jew, I found it to be the perfect combo of informative and not preachy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0142196193/
A book written by a woman who grew up in the Hasidic world. http://www.amazon.com/Hole-Sheet-Orthodox-Hasidic-Judaism/dp/081840437X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321483439&sr=1-1
Very interesting, with many WTF moments.
Halacha is the locus of instruction as to what is permitted and what is forbidden for the practicing Jew. Therefore 365 out of 613 times (hypothetical) Halacha instructs the Jew what not to do. That is what one may call a restriction.
This is not the role of Chassidut in the life of a Jew. In relation to Halacha Chassidut comes to a) explain each Halacha on a spiritual level and b) show how each Halacha is to be applied in adova (spiritual service to connect oneself with G d) See, Hayom Yom, 11 Adar 2.
Additionally, the tendency for Chassidut to promote hithapcha (transformation) over hitkafya (abstinence) / asei tov (doing good) over sur mera (abstaining from bad) lends to this conceptual relationship with Halacha. See for example, Maamar Hei Lachma Anya, Nissan 5739.
For an explanation of Chassidut more broadly, see On the Essence of Chassidut
https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Chassidus-Menachem-M-Schneerson/dp/0826604706
In no particular order, I'd recommend: The Early Kabbalah, The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis, Meditation and Kabbalah, Lessons in Tanya, 138 Openings of Wisdom, Anatomy of the Soul, Sefer Yetzirah, and A Tapestry for the Soul.
Find a rabbi you are comfortable with, and don't be shy to meet with a few before moving forward.
I had met with two rabbis before choosing the one who made me feel the most comfortable with my decision. The first two I met with were orthodox, quite conservative and I didn't click with either and the process seemed a bit too intense for what my fiance and I were looking for. Then we came across a reform synagogue and we fell in love with the rabbi there and we're completing our first round of classes in a couple of weeks.
It's been a beautiful process so far and it's exciting! There are several books I too found good, some of them were provided with our classes as well:
Best of luck in your research!
Rabbi Arthur Green is professor and director of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, MA. His book entitled Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition was featured on the cover of Tikkun magazine. So if you're implying some sort of anti-semitism, you're wrong.