Description: "A truly ground-breaking study of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk-a Hasidic master who lived and thought boldly. Adventurous enough to lead a group of his followers from Eastern Europe to Palestine in the 18th century, he also modeled a heart-based, ecstatic form of Jewish spirituality. Menachem Mendel combined intense devotional practice with mystical fellowship, exemplifying his belief that one can discover the divine both deep within oneself and through interpersonal relationship. The wide-ranging, impressive essays in this volume bring this seminal figure to life and enrich our understanding of Jewish mysticism on the cusp of modernity"--
Review Quotes: For over a decade, Aubrey Glazer and Nehemia Polen have been working to explore and retrieve the spirit of Tiberian Hasidism. They represent a small group of dedicated and serious religious scholars/seekers who have found their counterparts in the 18th century. These essays and translations show early Hasidism - and contemporary scholarship - at their most profound levels. This book is a "must" for both historians and seekers. --R. Dr. Arthur Green, Rector of Hebrew College Rabbinical School, author of Speaking Torah. A truly ground-breaking study of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk--a Hasidic master who lived and thought boldly. Adventurous enough to lead a group of his followers from Eastern Europe to Palestine in the 18th century, he also modeled a heart-based, ecstatic form of Jewish spirituality. Menachem Mendel combined intense devotional practice with mystical fellowship, exemplifying his belief that one can discover the divine both deep within oneself and through interpersonal relationship. The wide-ranging, impressive essays in this volume bring this seminal figure to life and enrich our understanding of Jewish mysticism on the cusp of modernity. --Daniel C. Matt, translator of Pritzker Edition of the Zohar Hasidism is often thought of as a product of Eastern European Jewry, embedded in its social, political, and cultural context. While largely true, this depiction ignores the fact that some early proponents of Hasidism immigrated in Palestine and began to teach and write in Safed, Tiberias, and other locales. Drawn simply by the prospect of living in the Holy Land, or by a vision of imminent redemption, these Hasidic circles offered intriguing versions of Hasidic teaching outside of Eastern Europe. This volume is the first dedicated to Erez Israel Hasidism from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Prominent scholars engage in in-depth analysis of this Hasidic literature on the highest scholarly level. This is a must for anyone interested in Hasidism or the development of Jewish spiritual traditions more generally. -Shaul Magid, Distinguished Fellow in Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College and Kogod senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America