Your Word is Fire

The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer

Barry W. Holtz, Arthur Green

• Publisher: Jewish Lights
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781683366720
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Jewish Theology

A fully updated and revised edition of a classic text on Jewish prayer.

The power of prayer for spiritual renewal and personal transformation is at the core of all religious traditions. Because Hasidic literature contains no systematic manual of contemplative prayer, the texts included in this volume have been culled from many sources. From the teachings of the Hasidic Masters—the Ba'al Shem Tov, the Maggid Dov Baer of Meidzyrzec, and their immediate disciples—the editors have gleaned "hints as to the various rungs of inner prayer and how they are attained."

Hasidism, the Jewish revivalist movement that began in the late eighteenth century, saw prayer as being at the heart of religious experience and was particularly concerned with the nature of a person's relationship with God. The obstacles to prayer discussed by the Hasidic masters—distraction, loss of spirituality, and inconstancy of purpose—feel very close to concerns of our own age. Through advice, parables, and explanations, the Hasidic masters of the past speak to our own attempts to find meaning in prayer.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• To the Reader
• Introduction
• The Power of Your Prayer
• Preparing the Way
• Meet God in the Word
• Beyond the Walls of Self
• Prayer for the Sake of Heaven
• In God’s Presence
• Thoughts That Lead Astray
• The Way of the Simple
• After the Hour of Prayer
• A Final Parable
• Notes
• Suggestions for Further Reading
• Editions of Hasidic Works Quoted
• About the Editors