Scattered throughout many kabbalistic and hasidic texts are numerous teaching stories with reincarnation as their central theme. Now, for the first time, you can read 70 of these fascinating tales in a single volume, collected and retold by master storyteller, Yonassan Gershom. The author begins with an over-view of basic themes about the afterlife, such as the judgement of souls before the Heavenly Court, the mystical significance of the Covenant at Sinai, the process of tikkun olam (repairing the universe), and some reasons why human beings return to earth in new bodies. He then takes you on an exciting journey through many centuries of Jewish tales, where you will meet dozens of saints and sinners, animals and humans, angels and mortals–all attempting to work out their past-life karma through applying the teachings of the Torah in earthly life. In order to make the classical stories understandable to the modern reader, each tale has been ex-panded to include clear explanations of cultural and religious details. So skillfully does Gershom weave this material into the narrative itself, that the reader scarcely notices how a gentle form of education is taking place. By the time you have finished the book, you will not only have been entertained, but will have completed an excellent introduction to Jewish spirituality as well. Both classical and contemporary tales are included here, from sources as widely varied as kabbalistic texts, folklore anthologies, and discussions on the Internet. Of special interest are several new tales collected by the author himself, which have never before appeared in print.

This text describes how Yiddish storytelling became the politics of rescue for generations of displaced Jewish artists, embodying their hopes and fears in the languages of tradition. It suggests that there lies an aesthetic and moral sensibility totally at odds with Jewish humour and piety.

Our School in Pavlysh describes the vibrant learning community in which Sukhomlinsky and his staff at Pavlysh Secondary School developed a holistic system of education that fostered curiosity, empathy, responsibility and creativity.

Makes available to English speakers the philosophy of influential Soviet educator Sukomlinsky (1918-70). Describes his holistic system of education that emphasizes the moral and aesthetic dimensions of a child's development as well as the physical, intellectual, and vocational. Also explores his influence and successors. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR