Gates of Wisdom: How Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz Created "Am Yisrael Chai" & His Other Life Stories

Travel on a Mystical Journey Alongside Torah Giant Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz!

Discover the how and why of “Am Yisrael Chai,” created by Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz, which has become the ubiquitous phrase of defiance and determination for the Jewish People.

Lose yourself in the stories that made Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz a legend in his own time—stories of his adventures that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Take a front-row seat to learn how Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz became a hero to Jews around the world. Inspire others by sharing these stories—the world needs more Jewish heroes.

From boyhood, Yehonatan Eybeshitz was recognized as a genius of immense proportions. He achieved fame beyond the Jewish community, which motivated the nobility and clergy to constantly challenge him. You will be amazed and amused as you read about how the clever boy outwitted them all with his enormous intellect!

Be inspired by Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz’s evolution from child prodigy to Torah Giant, Kabbala Master, and Tzaddik.

BookLife Reviews Editor’s Pick

Wise, incisive, and bursting with wit and rousing conviction, this collection of tales from the life of Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz, freshly translated into English, follows Reb Yehonatan (1696 –1764), the “Torah, Talmud, and Kabbalah genius” from boyhood to prominence as “one of the greatest rabbis of the last 500 years.” The stories dazzle, inform, delight, and challenge. Reb Yehonatan proves an inspiring exemplar of a “holy and righteous” life, a thinker and leader equally comfortable navigating Talmudic complexities, urging students toward breakthroughs, and addressing—and often outfoxing—kings and others with power, including a host of 18th century anti-Semites.

Barber finds contemporary—but timeless—resonance in Reb Yehonatan’s work as a master maker of amulets, especially when he served as rabbi in the French town of Metz, where Jews faced expulsion. Barber demonstrates that, while facing this crisis, Reb Yehonatan inscribed on amulets a powerful phrase whose historical origin has been the source of great comment and curiosity in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. The phrase: Am Yisrael Chai, which is often translated as “The Jewish people will live for eternity.” Barber persuasively credits Reb Yehonatan with the creation of this rallying cry, and he calculates that Reb Yehonatan wrote it almost 46,000 times.

As in Barber’s indispensable earlier translations of Reb Yehonatan’s writings (Pearls of Wisdom; Sparks of Wisdom), the stories collected here have been translated with an eye for clarity of communication. They cover a wide variety of scenarios, from points of law to brilliant ripostes to why sometimes, in the face of injustice, it’s justified to bribe a judge. The prose is direct and inviting, even when the young rabbi-to-be spins marvelous, playful conclusions out of complexities of law and language. Helpful background sections provide crucial context as the stories follow Reb Yehonatan into maturity and across Europe, demonstrating not just that the Jewish people will live for eternity but invaluable guidance for how best to do so.

Takeaway: Brilliant tales of an 18th century rabbi’s life, with urgent contemporary resonance.
Comparable Titles: Yaacov Dovid Shulman’s Rashi; Rebbe Nahman of Breslov.
Production grades:
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Rabbi Yacov Barber was born to Holocaust survivors. He is the father of six children and a proud grand-father. He has lived and studied in Israel, Canada, and Melbourne. He is currently living in New York. Having received both Rabbinic Ordination and Judiciary Ordination, he has also completed courses in palliative care, mediation, family violence, and arbitration.Rabbi Barber is an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker and a much sought-after communicator on ethics as well as spiritual and personal growth. He has lectured across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Canada.He is the author of Generation to Generation: Insights into the Haggadah, Wit & Wisdom: Sermons on the Weekly Torah Reading, and Pearls of Wisdom, a translation of insights of Reb Yehonatan Eybeshitz on the weekly portion and the festivals.Visit his website RabbiBarber.com