A Heart Afire
Stories and Teachings of the Early Hassidic Masters
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Netanel Miles-Yepez
Foreword by Arthur Green
Paperback
ISBN 9781939681614
$24.95 US
eBook available
August 22, 2017
A brilliant anthology of early Hasidic teachings which encompasses teachings from Sufism, Buddhism and depth psychology. A Heart Afire is an intimate, guided tour of many of the lesser-known and previously unpublished stories and teachings of the first three generations of Hasidism, especially those of the Ba'al Shem Tov, his heirs (male and female) and the students of his successor, the Maggid of Mezritch. In A Heart Afire, the teachings and tales of old-world Hasidism are richly enhanced by the enlightening insights, interpretations, and personal reflections of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, a modern-day Hasidic master and founder of the Jewish Renewal movement, and his disciple Netanel Miles-Yepez, a scholar of comparative religion. Together they add a deeply meaningful dimension to these stories and a facile bridge between old and new interpretations of them. A Heart Afire explores many of the lesser-known stories and teachings of the first three generations of Hasidism, especially those of the Ba'al Shem Tov, his heirs (male and female), and the students of his successor, the Maggid of Mezritch. Readers get a rare introduction to some of the more radical teachings of these popular Hasidic masters, and insights that connect them to the ecological, ecumenical, and feminist values of the modern world. Enlightening and spiritually uplifting, A Heart Afire reveals surprising relevancy today in cherished Hasidic wisdom and narrative of the past.
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (Reb Zalman) was the founder of the Jewish Renewal movement and author of many books.
Netanel Miles-Yepez was a close student of Reb Zalman, author or editor of many books, and is the co-founder of Adam Kadmon Books
"An engrossing and soulful reflection . . . will delight readers of all backgrounds who are searching for a spirited and spiritual perspective on Hasidic evolution and lore."—Publishers Weekly
"Reb Zalman...and his disciple, Netanel Miles-Yepez, retell the tales not only with grace and style but with an unfailing ear to the question, Who are our readers and what do they need to hear?...he and Netanel offer a deep reading of key teachings of Hasidism, translating and offering unique commentary on them."—Rabbi Arthur Green, co-author of Speaking Torah and Your Word is Fire
"... a tour-de-force that will take its place beside the efforts of Buber and Wiesel [in bringing] the deep spiritual practices, stories and perspective of Hassidic tradition to life… "—Rabbi Goldie Milgram, Meaning & Mitzvah
"...a brilliant anthology of early hasidic teaching, but it is much, much more. The teachings are embedded in Reb Zalman's profoundly felt, life-long practice of Jewish renewal, and his universalistic outlook that encompasses teachings from Sufism, Buddhism and depth psychology . . . This is a book to read and reread, absorb and cherish."—Rodger Kamenetz, author The Jew in the Lotus
"In A Heart Afire , Reb Zalman shares with us the mother lode of his teaching and example. We are all ever in his debt." —Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, Kabbalah: A Love Story
