Best of
Judaism

1982

Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust


Yaffa Eliach - 1982
    This volume constitutes the first collection of original Hasidic tales to be published in a century."An important work of scholarship and a sudden clear window onto the heretofore sealed world of the Hasidic reaction to the Holocaust. Its true stories and fanciful miracle tales are a profound and often poignant insight into the souls of those who suffered terribly at the hands of the Nazis and who managed somehow to use that very suffering as the raw material for their renewed lives." -- Chaim Potok"A beautiful collection." -- Saul Bellow"Yaffa Eliach provides us with stories that are wonderful and terrible -- true myths. We learn how people, when suffering dying, and surviving can call forth their humanity with starkness and clarity. She employs her scholarly gifts only to connect the tellers of the tales, who bear witness, to the reader who is stunned and enriched." -- Robert J. Lifton"In the extensive literature on the Holocaust, this is a unique book. Through it we can attain a glimpse of the victims' inner life and spiritual resources. Yaffa Eliach has done a superb job." -- Jehuda Reinharz

Meditation and Kabbalah


Aryeh Kaplan - 1982
      The Kabbalah is divided into three branches—the theoretical, the meditative, and the magical. While many books, both in Hebrew and English, have explored the theoretical Kabbalah, very little has been published regarding the meditative methods of the various schools of Kabbalah. Aryeh Kaplan’s landmark work, reveals the methodology of the ancient Kabbalists and stresses the meditative techniques that were essential to their discipline, including:the use of pictures or letter designs as objects of meditationthe repetition of specific words or phrases, such as the divine names, to produce profound meditative stateIn addition, Meditation and Kabbalah presents relevant portions of such meditative texts as:The Grellier Hekhalot, Textbook of the Merkava SchoolThe works of Abraham AbulafiaJoseph Gikatalia's Gales of LightThe Glltes of HolinessGale of The Holy Spirit, Textbook of the Lurianic School

Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory


Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi - 1982
    Yerushalmi's previous writings... established him as one of the Jewish community's most important historians. His latest book should establish him as one of its most important critics. Zakhor is historical thinking of a very high order - mature speculation based on massive scholarship." - New York Times Book Review

Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays


Arthur O. Waskow - 1982
    Circling the Jewish calendar from Rosh Hashanah to Tisha B'Av, this lively, accessible guide includes rituals, recipes, songs, prayers, and suggestions for new approaches to holiday observance.

The Knowing Heart - דעת תבונות


Moshe Chayim Luzzatto - 1982
    Vowelized Hebrew text with facing English.

Keeper of Accounts


Irena Klepfisz - 1982
    

The World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox Jewry


William B. Helmreich - 1982
    Why is this East European incarnation of an ancient Jewish tradition flourishing in present-day America? What does its successful transplantaion tell us about Orthodox Jewish life?

Y'shua: The Jewish Way to Say Jesus


Moishe Rosen - 1982
    This book examines those prophecies to see whether Jesus fulfilled them. If he did not, we Jews should reject them.But, on the other hand, if Jesus really is the Messiah, we owe it to ourselves, to the world, and especially to the God of Israel to believe the Messiah whom He has sent.At the very least, we should be willing to examine the evidence to see if it's so."— The late Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews for JesusY'shua: The Jewish way to Say Jesus is a Christian apologetic challenging Jews to examine the prophecies of the Messiah's coming and the evidence for Jesus as the Christ, and to respond to His claims.