Pebbles of Wisdom From Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz: Collected and with Notes by Arthur Kurzweil »

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is a teacher, philosopher, social critic, and prolific author. His lifelong work in Jewish education has earned him the Israel Prize, that country's highest honor. He is best known for his monumental commentary on the Babylonian Talmud.

Rabbi Steinsaltz is the author of over sixty books including The Thirteen Petalled Rose, The Essential Talmud, The Miracle of the Seventh Day, Opening the Tanya, and We Jews, and he is the subject of the book On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz. He has served as scholar in residence for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and for the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton University. His honorary degrees include doctorates from Yeshiva University, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Bar Ilan University, Brandeis University, and Florida International University.

Praise for Rabbi Steinsaltz

"Steinsaltz is a genius of the highest order—the sort of mind that comes around only every couple of thousand years." —Newsweek

"[Steinsaltz has] a searing wit and is also a man for all seasons—as well versed in fundamental Jewish texts as he is in modern literature and scientific studies." —Los Angeles Times

"The scope of Steinsaltz's work can only be compared to Rashi's [the great medieval commentator]. He has revolutionized the way the Talmud is studied. His commentaries will live for centuries." —Washington Post

"Rabbi Steinsaltz is a distinguished educator and his commentary is extremely clear." —Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter

"Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is one of the world's most respected Jewish scholars. His books are exceptionally clear commentaries on rabbinic, mystical, and Hasidic teachings." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Steinsaltz, a scholar of international renown, plumbs the depths of the Tanya (an eighteenth-century Jewish classic) in a line-by-line commentary on the text. He explores the intricacies of the human soul and body and the correlation between the two." —Cleveland Jewish News

"Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz presents a comprehensive picture of the Tanya, the first and most fundamental book of Hasidism." —San Diego Jewish Press Heritage

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

PART I: GOD.

1. Contemplating God.

2. The Inconceivable God.

3. Looking for God.

4. Knowing God.

5. Intimacy.

6. Faith.

PART II: THE SEEKER.

7. The Soul.

8. Searching for One’s Purpose in Life.

9. Spiritual Progress.

10. Repentance.

11. The Pursuit of Happiness.

PART III: THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.

12. What Does It Mean to Be Jewish?.

13. The Jewish Family.

14. The Jewish Family in Jeopardy.

PART IV: TORAH.

15. The Nature of Torah.

16. Torah Study.

17. The Mitzvot: Understanding God’s Commandments.

18. Kabbalah.

PART V: THE TRIALS OF LIFE.

19. Struggles, Trials, and Battles.

20. Suffering.

21. Evil.

PART VI: GUIDANCE.

22. Learning and Teaching.

23. Spiritual Direction.

Notes.

Part I.

Part II.

Part III.

Part IV.

Part V.

Part VI.

Glossary.

Bibliography.

About Rabbi Steinsaltz.

About Arthur Kurzweil.

Index.