The Hasidic Parable

Contents

CoNT-ENTf Preface ........ ...................................xi Introduction ....................................xiii Paradox and the Unexpected ...................l Sadness in Finding a Treasure ............................3 The Clown on the Day ofJudgment .......................6 Chipping Away at the Mountain .........................10 God in Transit ......................................15 The Correct Motivation ...............................20 The Talking Bird ....................................23 Compassion as Punishment ............................26 That Each Occasion Be like the Very First ..................29 The Evil Inclination ................................. .33 Redefinitions .................................. .35 The Crown and the Container .................... ......37 Beyond Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......41 Sound without Words ............................... .43 On the Language of Melody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......49 When Truth Confronts Limited Understanding ............. .52 When a House of Sticks Is Shattered ..................... .56 The Suffering of the Shekhinah ......................... .58 Unconventional Ways to Serve ..........................61 On the Need for the Spontaneous ........................65 The Miraculous within the Everyday ......................68 Seeing a Woman's Beautiful Clothing .....................74 ix CoNT-ENTf Preface ...........................................xi Introduction ....................................xiii Paradox and the Unexpected ...................1 Sadness in Finding a Treasure ............................3 The Clown on the Day ofJudgment .......................6 Chipping Away at the Mountain .........................10 God in Transit ......................................15 The Correct Motivation ...............................20 The Talking Bird ....................................23 Compassion as Punishment ............................26 That Each Occasion Be like the Very First ..................29 The Evil Inclination ..................................33 Redefinitions ...................................35 The Crown and the Container ..........................37 Beyond Request .....................................41 Sound without Words ................................43 On the Language of Melody ............................49 When Truth Confronts Limited Understanding ..............52 When a House of Sticks Is Shattered ......................56 The Suffering of the Shekhinah ..........................58 Unconventional Ways to Serve ..........................61 On the Need for the Spontaneous ........................65 The Miraculous within the Everyday ......................68 Seeing a Woman's Beautiful Clothing .................... .74 ix x THE ttAflDIC PA~ABLE Deepening the Implications of Divine Oneness ..............................77 The Barriers to the Palace ..............................79 The King's Two Messengers .............................82 On Evil as a Divine Instrument ..........................85 On Intruding Thoughts ................................88 It Is God Who Awakens Our Minds .......................91 Child and Parent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 The Ultimate Disloyalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Transforming Sadness from Within ......................103 Echoes and Transformations of Older Motifs .................................107 The World Is like a Wedding Feast: A Parable Tradition .......109 The Exiled Prince and the Gem on the Ocean Floor: A Parable Tradition ...............................118 The Polemics of an Hour of History ..........139 Arms without Fire ...................................141 On the Inability to Hear the Melody ......................145 A Holy Man's Dependence upon His Followers ..............148 Parables by Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav on Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav ........................151 To Break Down All the Doors and Locks ..................159 Which Class Really Makes the Wheels Go Around? ..........162 More Treasure Tales .................................165 Where the True Treasure Is to Be Found ..................172 Glossary of Terms and Personalities ...... ...179 Sources and Bibliography......................185 x Til L tt A I I [) I CPA R A 13 L L Deepening the Implications of Divine Oneness ..............................77 The Barriers to the Palace ..............................79 The King's Two Messengers .............................82 On Evil as a Divine Instrument ..........................85 On Intruding Thoughts ................................88 It Is God Who Awakens Our Minds .......................91 Child and Parent .....................................94 The Ultimate Disloyalty ...............................101 Transforming Sadness from Within ......................103 Echoes and Transformations of Older Motifs .................................107 The World Is like a Wedding Feast: A Parable Tradition .......109 The Exiled Prince and the Gem on the Ocean Floor: A Parable Tradition ...............................118 The Polemics of an Hour of History ..........139 Arms without Fire ...................................141 On the Inability to Hear the Melody ......................145 A Holy Man's Dependence upon His Followers ..............148 Parables by Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav on Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav ........................151 To Break Down All the Doors and Locks ..................159 Which Class Really Makes the Wheels Go Around? ..........162 More Treasure Tales .................................165 Where the True Treasure Is to Be Found ..................172 Glossary of Terms and Personalities .........179 Sources and Bibliography......................185 ...