EPSILON MAGAZINE.
OCTOBER ISSUE 2005. P 2
BOOKS REVIEWS
"Learning
From the Tanya":
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, prominent authority on Jewish mysticism, offers
authentic look at classic work of Kabbalah
By Amara Levine-Reich
Photo:
Rabbi Adin Even Israel Steinsaltz is a recipient of
Israel's highest civilian honor, the Israel Prize. "If the Bible is the
cornerstone of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar, soaring up from
the foundations and supporting the entire spiritual and intellectual edifice.
In many ways the Talmud is the most important book in Jewish culture, the
backbone of creativity and of national life."
Amid a frenzy of New Age and pop-culture spirituality symbolized by red strings and bottled water with magical healing powers, renowned scholar, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz offers an authentic look at the ancient wisdom of the Kabbalah in his latest book, LEARNING FROM THE TANYA: Volume Two in the Definitive Commentary on the Moral and Mystical Teachings of a Classic Work of Kabbalah (Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Imprint, August 2005, $24.95 cloth, 384 pages, ISBN 0-7879-7892-2). Rabbi Steinsaltz is the author of numerous books on mysticism and Kabbalah, including the critically acclaimed Opening the Tanya, the first volume in his series of companion guides to the Tanya, and the modern classic The Thirteen Petalled Rose.
Photo:
Cover of the book "LEARNING FROM TANYA".
Learning from the Tanya offers a key for unlocking
the mysteries of one of the most extraordinary books of moral teachings ever
written. A seminal document in the study of Kabbalah, the Tanya explores and
solves the dilemmas of the human soul by arriving at the root causes of its
struggles. Though it is a classic Jewish spiritual text, the Tanya and its
commentary take a broad and comprehensive approach that is neither specific
to Judaism nor tied to a particular personality type or time or point of
view. (384 Pages)
In LEARNING FROM THE TANYA, Steinsaltz speaks to readers on all levels of familiarity with Kabbalah and provides an eye-opening and easily comprehensible line-by-line commentary on chapters 13-26 of the Tanya, a seminal work of Hasidic thought. Throughout his commentary, Steinsaltz offers many insights into basic concepts in Jewish mysticism through the use of metaphors, parables, and real-life stories of the Hasidic masters, helping him to transform an often cryptic source text into applicable life lessons and a formula for spiritual growth. In line with the goal of the Tanya itself, Rabbi Steinsaltz aims to reveal the root causes of human failings and to devise comprehensive solutions," thus directing readers in their quest for self-improvement and achieving closeness to God.
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