Hasidic teaching is not just a tradition to be studied, but a way of being that is ever-unfolding; one that is continually shaped and reawakened within the lived encounter of teacher, text, and learner.
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Dear friends and colleagues,
At the heart of this scholarly project lies a foundational belief: that Hasidism is a spiritual and existential tradition that is born anew, precisely in and through the art of teaching and learning the Hasidic homily.
This initiative emerged from a deepening sense within me that the spiritual vitality of Hasidism today is not necessarily ignited through historical or interpretive analysis alone, but rather in the living encounter between teacher, written homily, and learners.
When the teaching and learning of the Hasidic homily are approached as a spiritual practice—one that includes, against the backdrop of historical study, inner listening, dialogue, interpretation, and contemplation—they become a space of renewal: not only for the learners, but for the religious and existential depths of Hasidism itself. These depths are not merely transmitted—they are reborn, even transformed, within the very unfolding of the learning experience.
Each chapter in this volume offers a close reading and resonant interpretation of a single Hasidic homily, accompanied by a reflective pedagogical inquiry into how that homily is taught in contemporary contexts—a practice which, at its core, I regard not merely as a method, but as a spiritual, existential, and interpretive labor.
The decision to center this book on the act of teaching arises from a personal, inward, and vulnerable sincerity. For me, teaching and learning are a vital and breathing encounter in which the threads of intellectualism and threads of spirituality are delicately interwoven—a space where the Jewish religiosity I strive to live by is not severed from critical inquiry, but charged, examined, and deepened through intellectual demand, careful listening, and an ongoing effort toward comprehension and accountable presence. At the heart of teaching, a continuous inner dialogue is woven within me—between the wisdom of scholarship, and the spirit of religiosity I yearn to carry within—not as an abstract ideal, but as a living breath.
In this endeavor, I find myself joining a community of scholars and thinkers— Jews and non-Jews alike—who no longer conceal their spiritual longings beneath the cloak of disciplinary neutrality. On the contrary: we choose to show up as we are—academics whose intellectual path grows from the ground of spiritual and religious questioning and seeking.
We strive to bring our longing into fertile dialogue with critical thought, reflective inquiry, and especially with the post-critical venues opened to us by traditions such as phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics. In doing so, the rigid distinctions between involvement and detachment, between the academic study of religion and lived spirituality, between spiritual life and educational research—these begin, gradually, to loosen. And in their place, we open ourselves to weaving a delicate tapestry of knowing, spirit, and soul.
The scholars and teachers who have lent their voices to this volume embody—in their presence and in their writing—similar integrative visions of living instruction. Their pedagogical paths are rooted in historical context and shaped by culturally attuned awareness, but they do not stop there. They arise also from a deep trust in the transformative, religious, and ethical power of studying the Hasidic homily as a spiritual way of the soul.
They do not limit themselves to transmitting the traditions of the past; rather, they listen to these traditions with care and breathe into them new breath—giving them voice and resonance, allowing them to be heard anew, in fresh intonations. Through their deep attentiveness to the questions, longings, and inner search of today’s students, they make space for Hasidism to speak again—to those seeking spiritual meaning in a post-secular age.
In doing so, they participate in the unfolding of a vibrant and living phenomenon: a renewed Hasidism—one that no longer resides solely within the pages of history, but draws nourishment from attuned teaching, Jewish religious yearning, and an existential resonance that touches the heart.
This book is a first step on a path still opening—one I hope and pray will continue to deepen and widen in the years ahead, into an ongoing, present, and soul-restoring conversation about the teaching of the Hasidic homily as a form of sacred learning, as our Hasidic sages might call it: a building of the Shekhinah.
And so, from the depths of my heart, I wish to add this:
If something in these words stirs you—if the text touches, awakens, or enlivens something within—I would be truly glad to hear from you. To meet in dialogue, to learn together, and perhaps to dream together the next steps.
In the meantime, for anyone interested, I would be happy to share the programmatic introduction I wrote for the volume—a kind of threshold into the theological, spiritual, and pedagogical vision this book seeks to ground.
With deep friendship and heartfelt gratitude,
Elie Holzer
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