Ora Wiskind-Elper – författare

Considers the tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav within a broad cultural milieu, including the romanticism of Reb Nahman's time, contemporary feminist hermeneutics, and the fantastic in various contexts.One of the most radically innovative of Hasidic masters, Reb Nahman of Bratslav transformed images and concepts basic to Jewish thought into new and compelling forms. Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav uses comparative literary criticism, a range of Hasidic commentary, and original exegesis of the source texts to bring the complex artistry of Reb Nahman's thought to light, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Considers the tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav within a broad cultural milieu, including the romanticism of Reb Nahman's time, contemporary feminist hermeneutics, and the fantastic in various contexts.One of the most radically innovative of Hasidic masters, Reb Nahman of Bratslav transformed images and concepts basic to Jewish thought into new and compelling forms. Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav uses comparative literary criticism, a range of Hasidic commentary, and original exegesis of the source texts to bring the complex artistry of Reb Nahman's thought to light, making it accessible to a wider audience.

In this fascinating book, Ora Wiskind-Elper introduces us to a figure who was ahead of his time: the Hasidic leader Rabbi Ya'akov Leiner of Izbica-Radzyn. Her translations and interpretation of his writings present the Rabbi's central ideas in a compelling form to modern readers. Though Rabbi Ya'akov lived a full century and a half ago, his teaching weaves midrash, medieval commentary, Kabbalah, and Hasidic thought together to create an innovative perspective on long-established Jewish concepts. His works, known as the Beit Ya'akov fill four large volumes of commentary on the weekly Torah portions and the cycle of Jewish festivals—the traditional genre known as derashot. In exploring the diversity of the sources Rabbi Ya'akov used for his reflections on Jewish life and spirituality, the author suggests he devoted uncommon attention to emotion, human, relationships, and gender issues. Thus, in many ways, Rabbi Ya'akov's thought was extraordinary for its time and even for ours. Wiskind-Elper's insights touch readers on many different levels—intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically.

National Jewish BookAwards Finalistfor the Nahum N. Sarna Memorial Award for Scholarship, 2018.Hasidism, a movement of religious awakening and social reform,originated in the mid-eighteenth century. After two and a half centuries ofcrisis, upheaval, and renewal, it remains a vibrant way of life and acompelling aspect of Jewish experience. This book explores the profoundintellectual and religious issues that the hasidic masters raised in theirTorah commentary, and brings to the fore the living qualities of their sermons(derashot). Ora Wiskind-Elper addresses a spectrum of topics: creation,revelation, and redemption; hermeneutics, epistemology, psychology,Romanticism, poetry and poetics, art history, Hebrew fiction, cultural history,and tropes of Jewish suffering and hope. Fully engaged in the texts and theirspirituality, she brings them to bear on postmodernist challenges totraditional spiritual and religious sensibilities.This is a comprehensive study, unique in pedagogy, clarity, andoriginality. It uses the full range of critical scholarship on hasidism as asocial and ideological movement. At the same time, it maintains a strong focuson hasidic Torah commentary as a conveyor of theology and value. Each of itschapters presents a fundamentally new approach. Wiskind-Elper’s translationsare in themselves an innovative moment in the tradition and spiritual historyof the passages she offers.