Letters of Light: Passages from Ma'or va-shemesh - Softcover

Epstein, Kalonymus Kalman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0227175379 ISBN 13: 9780227175378

Publisher: James Clarke & Co, 2015

Synopsis

Letters of Light' is a translation of over ninety passages from a well-known Hasidic text, 'Ma’or va-shemesh', consisting of homilies of Kalonymus Kalman Epstein of Kraków, together with a running commentary and analysis by Aryeh Wineman. With remarkable creativity, the Kraków preacher recast biblical episodes and texts through the prism both of the pietistic values of Hasidism, with its accent on the inner life and the Divine innerness of all existence, and of his ongoing wrestling with questions of the primacy of the individual vis-ą-vis of the community. The commentary traces the route leading from the Torah text itself through various later sources to the Kraków preacher’s own reading of the biblical text, one that often transforms the very tenor of the text he was expounding. Though composed almost two centuries ago, 'Ma’or va-shemesh' comprises an impressive spiritual statement, many aspects of which can speak to our own time and its spiritual strivings.

Table of Contents

"List of Abbreviations
Introduction

1) On the First Book of the Torah (B’reiʾshit / Genesis)

B’reiʾshit
The need to go beyond the literal sense of the Torah
The Hidden Light | 6
The surface meaning of the Torah and the Torah’s innerness
A longing permeating all existence
Two modes of Torah-study
The function of Shabbat
Humility and the world’s sustainability
When one person judges another

No’ah
Noah repaired the animals

Lekh-l’kha
Go forth!—“Go to you!”
Purity and impurity of motivation
As the stars that shine by their own light

Vayera
The pearl of healing
The element of physical desire in intercourse
The poles of mercy and justice

Hayyei Sarah
A person’s coming to the tzaddik (holy man)

Tol’dot
The lure and cooling of appetite

Vayetzei
Jacob’s dream-episode
The letters within all that exists

Vayishlah
Angels
The tzaddik: solitude and community

Vayeishev
The two poles that one must avoid

Miketz
The tzaddik is oblivious to fame

Vayiggash
Submission

Vay’hi
Jacob’s final testament and failure

2) On the Second Book of the Torah (Sh’mot / Exodus)

Sh’mot
Torah and time
True worship requires joy
The descent of the Divine
Moses’ fear of losing his humility
The bush aflame
The infinite Names of God

Vaʾera
The basis of Moses’ hesitation

Bo
Humility renewed
The meaning of matza (unleavened bread)

B‘shallah
The miracle at the Sea
Miriam and the dance at the Sea
The meaning of manna

Yitro
Why did Yitro journey to Moses?
A portrait of Moses as a judge
The status of the Sinaitic event in context
The gate of humility and its recurrence

Mishpatim
Justice and worship

T’rumah
Moses as a model of the Tabernacle
From each only according to his ability
Repentance before and after study

T’tzavveh
Fellowship and mutuality

Kitissa
The Seventh Day as a day of renewed existential connection
For each soul to know its initial location
The veil over Moses’ radiant face

Vayakhel
Exploring the parallel between Creation and the Tabernacle
The joy of giving
Bezalel and humility

P’kudei
An accountant of the spirit

3) On the Third Book of the Torah (Vayikra / Leviticus)

Vayikra
The implications of humankind’s uniqueness
Every person is as the First Man

Tzav
The fire to be kept burning upon the altar

Sh’mini
The inner experience at the core of a cultic act

Tazriʿa
On laws of purity and impurity
The affliction of pride and false piety
The danger caused by deception

M’tzora
The sadness that leads to joy and healing

Aḥare mot
Concerning those with whom we share a higher soul-root

K’doshim
The paradoxical relationship between solitude and community

ʾEmor
The inner meaning of the calendar

B’har
Satiety

B’ḥukkotai
The world’s benefit from Torah-learning

4) On the Fourth Book of the Torah (B’midbar / Numbers)

B’midbar
The need for both Torah-study and prayer

Naso
Blessing requires love

B’haʿalotkha
Sadness and the craving for food

Sh’laḥ l’kha
God’s mercy overrides His anger

Koraḥ
Aaron, as high priest, maintains his humility

Ḥukkat
To each his own: the uniqueness of each person
The significance of song

Balak
The danger in one’s imitating another’s path

Pinḥas
The longing for the sublime Light that can be fulfilled only with death

Mattot
Defining one’s motivation

Masʾei
Cities of Refuge as Cities of Repentance

5) On the Fifth Book of the Torah (D’varim / Deuteronomy)

D’varim
As the stars of the heavens

Va’etḥannan
The background of Moses’ death
Prayer in community and solitude

ʿEikev
The nature of manna

Rʾeih
Fellowship as the path to God
The need to overcome, and sometimes to strengthen, a sense of self
The call to unseat pride within the self

Shoftim
To judge oneself: internal judges
Altars of pride and routine

Ki tetzei
The beginning of the year: Rosh ha-shanah
Amalek | 231

Ki tavo
The bringing of the first-fruits: thanksgiving must precede fulfillment of appetite

Nitzavim
What comprises a community in its entirety?
The paradox of religious expression

Vayeilekh
The limits of relying upon one’s leader

Haʾazinu
Fallen, unripe fruit of a tree

Zot ha-b’rakhah and Rimze Simḥat Torah
Our Torah is copied from a supernal Torah
Continuity transcending death

Glossary of terms
Bibliography
"

About this title

About the Author:

Kalonymus Kalman ha-Levi Epstein (1753-1823) was the pioneering figure who, against significant opposition, introduced Hasidism to the Jews of Krakow, Poland. The book comprising his homilies, Ma'or va-shemesh, first printed in 1842, became one of the most popular of the Hasidic homily-texts. The author of several books and numerous articles, Aryeh Wineman has combined his life's work, both in education and in the congregational rabbinate, with his pursuit of scholarly interests in the fields of Hebrew literature and Jewish mysticism. His writings include Beyond Appearances - Stories from the Kabbalistic Ethical Writings, Mystic Tales from the Zohar, and The Hasidic Parable.

Review:

''Aryeh Wineman writes 'this book is a journey through another book.' We are fortunate to have two excellent guides. Kalonymus Kalman provides a rich, mystical, Hasidic interpretation of the Pentateuch through his innovative and nuanced commentary. Aryeh conveys the full texture of the original Hebrew through his accurate and sparkling translations and deepens our understanding with elucidating insightful comments. Our journey is further enriched by Aryeh's comprehensive scholarly introduction, thorough glossary, and wide-ranging bibliography.''
--Avraham Holtz, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York, NY

''Aryeh Wineman beautifully translates selections from Ma'or va-shemesh that are masterfully chosen for their spiritual significance to contemporary seekers. His characteristically lucid and concentrated commentary illuminates the text's central messages, displaying an unusual talent for simplifying without reducing. Wineman renders his considerable scholarship impressively accessible to those unfamiliar with reading Hasidic commentary.''
--Nancy Flam, Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Northampton, MA --Wipf and Stock Publishers

About this edition

• Publisher: James Clarke & Co
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0227175379
• ISBN 13: 9780227175378
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280