Storytelling is an integral feature of hasidic culture. "Mayses" about rebbes, their lives, teaching, and philosophies are a rich source of Jewish values and Buxbaum has taken the disparate strands and woven a colorful textile. He has made accessible material generally not available in English, and explicates it for those not acquainted with much of the esoteric lore. This scholarly ... Read morebook is not just stories. What mainly interested me was the importance storytelling played in the lives of hasidic masters and how we can use these stories in this day and age.
Sylvia Friedman, Association of Jewish Libraries In recent years there has been a revival of Jewish storytelling in North America and this book is the first and only work on the subject. The author increases our appreciation of how hasidic tales can awaken the religious spirit and how even the average person can become a valuable storyteller.
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