Sayings of a Sage is a modern day anthology of sayings and instructions. Be it witnessing the deaths of hundreds on the battlefields of Iraq, or while traversing through the streets of ghettos across America, many of the sayings, and perhaps some instructions, were composed during the most trying of times. The origin of the material, however, need not be imagined. All came manifestations of experience, yet much of the wisdom and observations could surely have been elaborated and re-expressed by learned scribes of antiquity whom I have studied over the past couple decades. There can be no doubt, however, that Sayings of a Sage is thought provoking literature that wins readers with its compelling portrait of wisdom and inviting them to see life afresh, "wisely," through its wit, originality, and shrewd observation. The primary purpose of the book is to teach wisdom, not only to the young and inexperienced, but to also welcome the older generation into a school of thought often ignored. Wisdom in the ancient Near East was not theoretical knowledge but practical expertise. Jewelers who cut precious stones were wise; kings who made their dominion peaceful and prosperous were wise. Can one not be wise in daily life, too, in knowing how to live and traverse through life without experiencing both peace and trouble in the Creator's omniverse? Ultimately, wisdom, aims at the formation of character and behavior. Sarim the Sage

Collected in this volume are over one thousand of the most popular and trenchant aphorisms of the past several centuries of hasidic teaching that have captured the heart and soul of world Jewry since the birth of hasidism. Most remarkable about these pithy hasidic sayings is how they combine the wisdom of Jewish tradition with sound modern psychological and spiritual insight.