Your Word is Fire: The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer

by Turner Publishing Company, Barry W. Holtz (Translator)

Overview

A fully updated and revised edition of a classic text on Jewish prayer.

The power of prayer for spiritual renewal and personal transformation is at the core of all religious traditions. Because Hasidic literature contains no systematic manual of contemplative prayer, the texts included in this volume have been culled from many sources. From the teachings of the Hasidic Masters—the Ba'al Shem Tov, the Maggid Dov Baer of Meidzyrzec, and their immediate disciples—the editors have gleaned "hints as to the various rungs of inner prayer and how they are attained."

Hasidism, the Jewish revivalist movement that began in the late eighteenth century, saw prayer as being at the heart of religious experience and was particularly concerned with the nature of a person’s relationship with God. The obstacles to prayer discussed by the Hasidic masters—distraction, loss of spirituality, and inconstancy of purpose—feel very close to concerns of our own age. Through advice, parables, and explanations, the Hasidic masters of the past speak to our own attempts to find meaning in prayer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683366706
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	09/05/2017
Edition description:	Expanded
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Barry W. Holtz is dean of the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish
Education at The Jewish Theological Seminary, where he is also the Theodore and
Florence Baumritter Professor of Jewish Education. His books include, among
others, Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts and Your Word Is
Fire: The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer (Jewish Lights), the latter coauthored
with Arthur Green.

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 Universityof 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 UniversityPress) 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.

Table of Contents

To the Reader v

Introduction vii

The Power of Your Prayer 13

Preparing the Way 25

Meet God in the Word 39

Beyond the Walls of Self 55

Prayer for Sake of Heaven 75

In God's Presence 87

Thoughts That Lead Astray 101

The Way of the Simple 113

After the Hour of Prayer 127

A Final Parable 133

Notes 137

Suggestions for Further Reading 145

Editions of Hasidic Works Quoted 147

About the Editors 149