The Hasidic Parable
An Anthology with Commentary
By Rabbi Aryeh Wineman
(191 Pages)Publisher: Jewish Publication Society, 2001
In The Hasidic Parable acclaimed author Aryeh Wineman takes readers through the great works of the Hasidic storytellers. Telling parables was a strategy that the Hasidic masters used to foster a radical shift in thinking about G-d, the world, and the values and norms of religious life. Although these parables date back 200 years and more, they deal with moral and religious themes and issues still relevant today. Each is accompanied by notes and commentary by the author that illuminate their ideological significance and their historical roots and background.
These parables have been culled from classical Hasidic homiletic texts, chosen because of their literary qualities, their explanation of key concepts in the Hasidic world view, and also because of what they say to us about the conflicts and tensions accompanying Hasidism's emergence and growth.