Reviews for Souls On Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters

The average rating for Souls On Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-11-07 00:00:00 Bruce Lupin Coming of age can be a tumultuous episode in our early life. But there are two ways to take it: the easy way... or the much more difficult way. And if you are a person who has found peace in their life, chances are you've taken the hard way: The Path Less Travelled... Two paths diverged in a wood - and I Took the one less travelled by And that has made ALL the difference. Robert Frost was right. And Frost was SO much like the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. Okay, maybe a little tamer... Excuse me, Baal Shem WHO? You're losing me. Just think, for a second, back to La Siècle des Lumières - the Enlightenment that made heroes of all freethinkers, like Voltaire and Rousseau. Got it? Only they weren't so freewheeling in Eastern Europe - the land that time forgot. Hidden over in the obscurity of old Poland - whose myths and legendary figures the ´cool' thinkers of the West chose to ignore as backward - a rugged individualist who was also a radical traditionalist and Jewish man of the cloth was setting rationalism on its ears. All by himself. Rebbe Baal Shem Tov. Who walked the less travelled road. Have we forgotten his name? Perhaps we never even heard of it? Tant pis pour nous autres! Okay, then - Wiesel will spin more than a few marvellous, mysterious, magical tales about him for you, if you've got the time. You see, Baal Shem Tov had IT: DVEKUT, a direct line to God Himself. And if a lifetime of murderous pogroms and nighttime alarms had taught him anything, it was: just stand peacefully in the midst of it all and don't be troubled. He said that, no matter what, every thought we think if followed to its roots will lead us back to God. Oh, he was wild and boisterous, as some faithful souls can be, but in the end there can be no doubt for us, after reading this wonderful book about his and his followers' miraculous exploits... that he had IT. He had found real PEACE. His Roots in the Absolute. And these tales and legends about him will make you feel ALIVE. Here's a koan for you. Why did Boddhidharma go west to Poland? The correct answer is, to sit at the Baal Shem Tov's feet, to deepen his satori! If you get this book, you may find that it's the only inspirational guide you need for getting through each day with a smile of gusto. The Long and Winding Road of Love is arduous, sure... But only love - and never worry, hate or hurry - will get you to your final destination.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-11-27 00:00:00 Garett Horgen I have read the opening chapter on the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement, and it raises more questions than answers. As I think more about it, I will expand my comments.