Wisdom of the Heart: The Teachings of Rabbi Ya'akov of Izbica-Radzyn - Hardcover

Ora Wiskind-Elper

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0827608942 ISBN 13: 9780827608948

Publisher: JEWISH PUBLICATON SOCIETY, 2010

Synopsis

In this fascinating book, Ora Wiskind-Elper introduces us to a figure who was ahead of his time: the Hasidic leader Rabbi Ya’akov Leiner of Izbica-Radzyn. Her translations and interpretation of his writings present the Rabbi’s central ideas in a compelling form to modern readers. Though Rabbi Ya’akov lived a full century and a half ago, his teaching weaves midrash, medieval commentary, Kabbalah, and Hasidic thought together to create an innovative perspective on long-established Jewish concepts. His works, known as the Beit Ya’akov fill four large volumes of commentary on the weekly Torah portions and the cycle of Jewish festivals—the traditional genre known as derashot. In exploring the diversity of the sources Rabbi Ya’akov used for his reflections on Jewish life and spirituality, the author suggests he devoted uncommon attention to emotion, human, relationships, and gender issues. Thus, in many ways, Rabbi Ya’akov’s thought was extraordinary for its time and even for ours. Wiskind-Elper’s insights touch readers on many different levels—intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically.

 

About this title

About the Author

Ora Wiskind-Elper is assistant professor at the Lander Institute of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem and at Michlalah College, Jerusalem. She holds a MA in comparative literature and a PhD in Hebrew literature from Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Wiskind-Elper is author of Tradition andFantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Breslav, co-editor of Torah of the Mothers, and translator of numerous scholarly works form French, German, and kldrew to English. She and her family live in Israel.

From the Back Cover

Wisdom of the Heart: The Teachings of Rabbi Ya`akov of Izbica-Radzyn

Praise for Wisdom of the Heart:

"We owe an immense debt of gratitude to Ora Wiskind-Elper for opening this treasury of Jewish wisdom to the modern reader. Rabbi Ya`akov of the Izbica-Radzyn Hasidic tradition was one of the most remarkable thinkers and teachers in the 19th century Jewish world. This is an eloquent and lucid presentation of his extraordinary work ... a book to cherish, to study, read and reread."
-- Susan Handelman, professor of English, Bar-Ilan University and author of Slayers of Moses: The Emergence of Rabbinic Thought in Contemporary Literary Theory

"Ora Wiskind-Elper's sophistication in dealing with literary texts is evident in both the thematic structure and the style of her work. She writes engagingly and often poetically, so that both translations and commentaries read with a lightness that is itself an intellectual achievement. Her spiritual integrity illuminates her presentation."
--Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, author of The Murmuring Deep: Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious

"The 19th -century Hasidic leader Jacob Leiner of Izbica-Radzyn found new ways to represent the spiritual journey of the individual and the destiny of the Jewish people. Wiskind-Elper's analyses of Leiner's "figures of the feminine," which epitomize Israel's relationship with the Divine in gendered terms, will be of particular interest to contemporary readers."
--Judith R. Baskin, Knight Professor of Humanities, University of Oregon

From the Inside Flap

Wisdom of the Heart The Teachings of Rabbi Ya`akov of Izbica-Radzyn Ora Wiskind-Elper

Rabbi Ya`akov Leiner (1818-1878) was a brilliantly innovative 19th century Hasidic figure. The discourses and insights he shared throughout his life were gathered by his sons and grandson in four large volumes entitled Beit Ya`akov (The House of Jacob). They are a powerful testimony to the richness and depth of Hasidic teaching, and to the authentic spiritual quest that is its driving force.

Wisdom of the Heart introduces this masterpiece of Jewish thought to the modern reader. Ora Wiskind-Elper makes use of current modes of literary and philosophical criticism to achieve coherent readings of these complex, multi-layered discourses, while remaining attentive to the subtleties they convey. The author makes clear that Rabbi Leiner's works are vital to an authentic understanding of the revolutionary and controversial Izbica tradition founded by his father, R. Mordecai Joseph.

Within the framework of traditional Jewish interpretation, interweaving textual allusions to a vast library of revealed and concealed wisdom, Rabbi Ya`akov explored themes far beyond convention. His reflections on selfhood and personal growth, failure, sin, death, and emotional relationships between people and with God are of enduring significance.

This book presents the strikingly original nature of Rabbi Ya`akov's insights as part of a living tradition, with profound implications for every person in search of spiritual meaning.

Ora Wiskind-Elper is assistant professor at the Lander Institute of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem and at Michlalah College, Jerusalem. She holds a MA in comparative literature and a PhD in Hebrew literature from Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Wiskind-Elper is author of Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Breslav, co-editor of Torah of the Mothers, and translator of numerous scholarly works from French, German, and Hebrew to English. She and her family live in Israel.

Edition details

• Publisher: JEWISH PUBLICATON SOCIETY
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0827608942
• ISBN 13: 9780827608948
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 298