Mesillat Yesharim: The Path of the Upright
550Mesillat Yesharim: The Path of the Upright
550Hardcover(Bilingual)
-
SHIP THIS ITEMChoose Expedited Shipping at checkout for delivery by Thursday, April 4PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
Connecting the wisdom of tradition with contemporary spirituality
Mesillat Yesharim is a classic of Jewish ethical literature. Written by one of the leading kabbalists of the late Middle Ages, it is also a window into the kabbalist's understanding of the connection between ethics and mystical vision. Luzzatto, one of the great Hebrew stylists of his time, is acknowledged by some as the first writer of modern Hebrew; thus Mesillat Yesharim is also important for its place in Hebrew literature.
This translation, published originally in 1936 by JPS, is a landmark in Jewish publishing. It made this Hebrew text finally available to English readers, and it gave us insights into the groundbreaking work that Kaplan did in orienting American Jews to the deep connection between ethical living and religious belief. It is no wonder that this book has become the centerpiece of the modern-day Mussar Movement, which inspires so many on their spiritual path.
Rabbi Ira Stone, consummate teacher and stirring speaker, is a major force in the resurgence of the Mussar Movement. In his introduction, he presents Luzzatto and Mesillat Yesharim in their historical context, and gives us new insights into Kaplan's emerging theology. Stone also explains the principles of reading that he uses in his commentary and teaching to make this medieval text so inspiring to readers today.
This volume contains the original Kaplan translation, as well as those sections of the text that Kaplan omitted, along with Stone's new commentary. The original Hebrew text is in the back of the book.
Ira F. Stone is rabbi of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, Philadelphia. He has been a lecturer in the department of philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is adjunct and visiting lecturer in modern Jewish thought at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. In addition to numerous articles, Stone has published two volumes of poetry and is the author of Seeking the Path to Life, Reading Levinas/Reading Talmud, and A Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Mussar.
Mordecai Kaplan was born in Lithuania and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1889. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), and received a master's degree from Columbia University. He first served as associate rabbi of Kehillath Jeshurun, an Orthodox synagogue in New York, and later joined the faculty of JTS. Kaplan continued teaching and writing until his death in 1983, at the age of 102.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780827608566 |
---|---|
Publisher: | The Jewish Publication Society |
Publication date: | 09/15/2010 |
Edition description: | Bilingual |
Pages: | 550 |
Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.60(d) |
Table of Contents
Preface Ira F. Stone ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction Ira F. Stone xiii
The Kaplan Translation: Appreciation and Critique
Mussar Theory and Practice
Final Thoughts on Kaplan and Luzzatto
Introduction Mordecai M. Kaplan xxiii
Preface Mesillat Yesharim Moses Hayyim Luzzatto 1
Chapter 1 A General Review of the Duty of Human Beings in the World 16
Chapter 2 Concerning the Trait of Watchfulness 35
Chapter 3 Concerning the Divisions of Watchfulness 40
Chapter 4 Concerning the Manner of Acquiring Watchfulness 49
Chapter 5 Concerning the Factors Which Detract from Watchfulness and the Withdrawing of Oneself from Them 68
Chapter 6 Concerning the Trait of Zeal 81
Chapter 7 Investigating the Divisions of Zeal 90
Chapter 8 The Manner of Acquiring Zeal 95
Chapter 9 Concerning the Factors Which Detract from Zeal and the Withdrawing of Oneself from Them 99
Chapter 10 The Trait of Cleanliness 106
Chapter 11 Concerning the Particulars of the Trait of Cleanliness 110
Chapter 12 Concerning the Means of Acquiring Cleanliness 159
Chapter 13 Concerning the Trait of Separation 162
Chapter 14 Concerning the Divisions of Separation 174
Chapter 15 Concerning the Means of Acquiring Separation 177
Chapter 16 Concerning the Trait of Purity 181
Chapter 17 Concerning the Means of Acquiring Purity 187
Chapter 18 Investigating the Trait of Hasidut 190
Chapter 19 Concerning the Divisions of Hasidut 195
Chapter 20 Concerning the Weighing of Hasidut 230
Chapter 21 Concerning the Means of Acquiring Hasidut 236
Chapter 22 Concerning the Trait of Humility 240
Chapter 23 Concerning the Means of Acquiring Humility 252
Chapter 24 Concerning the Fear of Sin 258
Chapter 25 The Manner of Acquiring the Fear of Sin 265
Chapter 26 Concerning the Trait of Holiness 267
Notes 275
Mesillat Yesharim: Hebrew Text 277
Bibliography 509