Despite its apparent complexity, the Talmud has clear and precise rules by which it operates. In this comprehensive Reference Guide, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides the essential guidelines for Talmud study. He also describes the historical background of the Talmudic period and the genius of the sages whose wisdom radiates from every page. The structure of the Talmud, its language, and its inner logic are carefully explained. Appendixes on Talmudic weights and measures, a key to abbreviations, and a general index complete this invaluable volume.

From the Talmud, a body of literature that is often technical and highly legalistic, emerge the personalities of many different Sages. The special way in which this literature is edited – in the form of debates and discussions – produces figures that are alive and human, characters that we can relate to, identify with, and love. The many details found in the various sources, when put together, reveal the personalities who produced the Oral Torah, with all the multiplicity of types and the differences among them.

Thirty years after its initial release, The Essential Talmud continues to serve as the go-to book for those just beginning their journey into the world of the Talmud, as well as those already versed in the sacred Jewish text.  The new Thirtieth Anniversary Edition (Basic Books, 2006) of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s classic work demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the proud legacy by which the Jewish people have lived, survived, and thrived throughout the ages.

The characters and heroes of the Bible are without a doubt some of the best-known figures in history. Even people who are not well versed in Scriptures, and who do not read the Bible regularly, know at least the names of some of the major personalities. We encounter them again and again, directly or indirectly, in art, in literature, in speech, or in folklore. And yet these biblical men and women remain among the most elusive, enigmatic and least understood of any heroes.

This book is a collection drawn from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s oral discourses on the weekly parashot, the Torah portions that we read each Shabbat in the synagogue. As a rule, these discourses touch upon one point in each parasha, usually either exegetical or conceptual in nature. This point always illuminates a meaningful idea in the parasha, stimulating thought and introspection.

Rabbi Steinsaltz reveals some of the spiritual mysteries that lie beyond the reach of the intellect. The Soul shows us how we can become sensitized to our souls, how we can understand its faint but persistent calling and use it to open new vistas in our own lives.

In My Rebbe, Rabbi Steinsaltz shares his firsthand account of this extraordinary individual who shaped the landscape of twentieth-century religious life. Written with the admiration of a close disciple and the nuanced perceptiveness of a scholar, this biography-memoir inspires us to think about our own missions and aspirations for a better world.

The Passover Haggada, which includes Rabbi Steinsaltz’s crystal clear commentary on the traditional Haggada text makes the Seder night – the most ancient rite of the Jewish people – come alive as never before.

A Guide for the Newly Observant Jew: The concept of teshuvah (return) occupies a central place in Judaism. More than a shift to a life of greater religious observance, teshuvah is a spiritual re-awakening, a desire to strengthen the connection between oneself and God; it is a life-long process.

In this book, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides wise and uplifting answers to some of the questions that affect Jews everywhere, whether they have a firm religious identity or remain largely unfamiliar with their heritage. He sees causes and consequences, examines achievements and failures, looks at the contemporary world, and observes the dreams and longings of modern Jewish people. Written as an intimate and inspiring internal memo to the extended Jewish family, We Jews grapples with these questions and many more in a way that is at once groundbreaking, honest, and insightful.

The observance of the Sabbath is one of the most important precepts in Judaism. In The Miracle of the Seventh Day, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides an ideal companion and guide for the Sabbath table. The book is written both for those who know very little and for those well-versed in the rituals, traditions, and customs of Shabbat, as celebrated by the family at home.

From the origins and meaning of prayer to a step-by-step explanation of the daily services to the reason one may not chat with friends during the service, Rabbi Steinsaltz answers many common questions about Jewish prayer. His topics include daily, Sabbath, and holiday prayers; the yearly cycle of synagogue Torah readings; the history and make-up of the synagogue; the different prayer rites for Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Yemenites, and other cultural/geographic groupings; the role of the rabbi and the cantor in the synagogue; and the role of music in the service.

…a rare collection of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s talks and articles related to and directed to the People of Israel, in the land of Israel and throughout the world. Because this book is so closely based on the Rabbi’s lectures and personal writing, his voice is preserved and his warmth and authenticity as an educator shine through.

The Seven Lights is a book-length dialogue between Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and Rabbi Josy Eisenberg on the subject of the Jewish holidays, in light of the teachings of the great hasidic master, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. This illuminating commentary on the celebrations and observances that define us as Jews began as a series of televised interviews on a French program called The Source of Life. The intense interest expressed by the viewers and the repeated requests for the texts used in the interviews inspired Rabbi Eisenberg to compile this book. His faithful rendition of their conversations brings new meaning to the Jewish holiday for the English-speaking audience.

On Being Free is a nourishing, uplifting, and inspiring collection of essays, discourses, and interviews that explores such topics as the fate of the Jewish people, the causes of assimilation, sin and atonement, and mysticism. An entire section of the book is devoted to a study of the five Megillot (Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther) of the Bible, drawing out the messages these texts contain for the modern Jew.

Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) is one of the most original and outstanding thinkers to have emerged from the chasidic world. He not only produced several masterpieces of religious writing but also established a movement that, even to this day, remains faithful to his teaching and personal leadership. Of all Rabbi Nachman’s works, his Tales, a selection of which appear in this volume, may be considered the peak of his creative life, both for the originality of their form and content and for the profundity of their underlying ideas.

…a unique collection of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s essays, stories, discourses and interviews that focuses on the needs of today’s spiritual seekers and speaks to readers in astonishingly clear and profound terms. These works-in-progress explore such fundamental themes as the nature of the human soul, the path of the penitent, and the relationship between student and text.

Rabbi Steinsaltz reveals some of the spiritual mysteries that lie beyond the reach of the intellect. The Soul shows us how we can become sensitized to our souls, how we can understand its faint but persistent calling and use it to open new vistas in our own lives.

Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz’s three-volume guide to the Tanya is an essential addition to any scholar of Jewish mysticism or chasidim. Written by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi at the end of the 18th century, the Tanya is often considered to be one of the central, modern Jewish books on morality and human behavior. Intended as a book for every man and woman, the Tanya is an aid for anyone who wants to walk the “long shorter way” to becoming closer to the Divine. The three volumes are Opening The Tanya, Learning From The Tanya and Understanding The Tanya.

Understanding the Tanya is the third volume of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s guide to this classic work of Kabbalah. He continues where volume two left off in a page-by-page commentary on the linear sequence of Tanya’s original text. The Tanya explores the workings of the soul and examines the complexities, doubts, and drives within all of us as expressions of a single basic problem-the struggle between our Godly and animal souls.

The Thirteen Petalled Rose addresses profound topics like good and evil, Divine revelation, the human soul, holiness, ethical ways of life, the Torah and its commandments, the search for the self, and the nature of spiritual worlds and their relationship to the physical. The expanded edition also features a new preface by the author, as well as new chapters on the Kabbalistic view of prayer and devotion and an analysis of Elijah the Prophet’s Introduction to the Zohar.

Learning from the Tanya, the second volume of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s English-language commentary on the Tanya offers a key for unlocking the mysteries of one of the most extraordinary books of moral teachings ever written. A seminal document in the study of Kabbalah, the Tanya explores and solves the dilemmas of the human soul by arriving at the root causes of its struggles. Though it is a classic Jewish spiritual text, the Tanya and its commentary take a broad and comprehensive approach that is neither specific to Judaism nor tied to a particular personality type or time or point of view.

As relevant today as it was two hundred years ago, the Tanya helps us to understand the many thousands of complexities, doubts, and drives within us as a single basic problem-the struggle between our Godly soul and our animal soul.

Rabbi Steinsaltz’s first volume on the Tanya, Opening the Tanya is an inspiring introduction to this classic work of Kabbalah, providing an overview of its broad philosophical and spiritual messages. It also provides an illuminating point-by-point commentary on the first twelve chapters of the text itself. Opening the Tanya helps readers to achieve harmony of body and soul, of earthliness and transcendence. This remarkable book is a guide to learning how to elevate the soul to a higher level of awareness and understanding, until one’s objectives and aspirations are synonymous with his/her Godly potential.

Like Rabbi Steinsaltz’s other Discourses on Chasidic Thought, The Candle of God offers commentary on the writings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad movement, and of his grandson, Rabbi Menachem Mendel. The Candle of God focuses on certain aspects of Jewish wisdom that have become obscured and have gone underground, so to speak, in the modern world. It focuses on the idea that “the soul of man is the candle of God” (Proverbs 20:27) and endeavors to bring readers closer to an earnest understanding of what comprises the human soul.

The Sustaining Utterance, like its companion volume, The Long Shorter Way, is a commentary on the Tanya. Based on the second part of Tanya (entitled “The Gate of Unity and Faith” and also known as “The Education of a Child”) The Sustaining Utterance examines basic theological issues, such as our knowledge of God and of our world. This book, like the section of Tanya that serves as its foundation, provides readers with an introduction to the theoretical aspects of the Chabad school of Hasidism and serves as a valuable guide to Chabad doctrine.

The Long Shorter Way focuses on the profound dilemma of the beinoni, the intermediate person who, neither purely wicked nor purely good, must struggle with evil and temptation throughout his or her life. Each of The Long Shorter Way‘s fifty-three characters corresponds to a chapter in the Tanya. Within each chapter, Rabbi Steinsaltz elucidates the complex nature of man as he strives to attain unity with the Divine One.

The characters and heroes of the Bible are without a doubt some of the best-known figures in history. Even people who are not well versed in Scriptures, and who do not read the Bible regularly, know at least the names of some of the major personalities. We encounter them again and again, directly or indirectly, in art, in literature, in speech, or in folklore. And yet these biblical men and women remain among the most elusive, enigmatic and least understood of any heroes.

Like Rabbi Steinsaltz’s other Discourses on Chasidic Thought, The Candle of God offers commentary on the writings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad movement, and of his grandson, Rabbi Menachem Mendel. The Candle of God focuses on certain aspects of Jewish wisdom that have become obscured and have gone underground, so to speak, in the modern world. It focuses on the idea that “the soul of man is the candle of God” (Proverbs 20:27) and endeavors to bring readers closer to an earnest understanding of what comprises the human soul.

With a unique combination of intellectual brilliance and accessibility, Rabbi Steinsaltz probes the meaning of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, Ḥanukka, Purim, Pesaḥ and the other Jewish holidays. His insights provide whole new ways of understanding the holidays, appreciating their depth, and experiencing them to their fullest.

Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz’s three-volume guide to the Tanya is an essential addition to any scholar of Jewish mysticism or chasidim. Written by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi at the end of the 18th century, the Tanya is often considered to be one of the central, modern Jewish books on morality and human behavior. Intended as a book for every man and woman, the Tanya is an aid for anyone who wants to walk the “long shorter way” to becoming closer to the Divine. The three volumes are Opening The Tanya, Learning From The Tanya and Understanding The Tanya.

…a rare collection of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s talks and articles related to and directed to the People of Israel, in the land of Israel and throughout the world. Because this book is so closely based on the Rabbi’s lectures and personal writing, his voice is preserved and his warmth and authenticity as an educator shine through.

Thirty years after its initial release, The Essential Talmud continues to serve as the go-to book for those just beginning their journey into the world of the Talmud, as well as those already versed in the sacred Jewish text.  The new Thirtieth Anniversary Edition (Basic Books, 2006) of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s classic work demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the proud legacy by which the Jewish people have lived, survived, and thrived throughout the ages.

From the origins and meaning of prayer to a step-by-step explanation of the daily services to the reason one may not chat with friends during the service, Rabbi Steinsaltz answers many common questions about Jewish prayer. His topics include daily, Sabbath, and holiday prayers; the yearly cycle of synagogue Torah readings; the history and make-up of the synagogue; the different prayer rites for Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Yemenites, and other cultural/geographic groupings; the role of the rabbi and the cantor in the synagogue; and the role of music in the service.

The Passover Haggada, which includes Rabbi Steinsaltz’s crystal clear commentary on the traditional Haggada text makes the Seder night – the most ancient rite of the Jewish people – come alive as never before.

In the Beginning is a commentary on the Book of Genesis. It is also a commentary on a commentary, as it is based on a classic Hasidic text that explores many of the ideas found in the Torah. Most fundamentally, however, In the Beginning is, as its translator suggests, a book that “grapples with some of the most profound aspects of human destiny.”

In My Rebbe, Rabbi Steinsaltz shares his firsthand account of this extraordinary individual who shaped the landscape of twentieth-century religious life. Written with the admiration of a close disciple and the nuanced perceptiveness of a scholar, this biography-memoir inspires us to think about our own missions and aspirations for a better world.

Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) is one of the most original and outstanding thinkers to have emerged from the chasidic world. He not only produced several masterpieces of religious writing but also established a movement that, even to this day, remains faithful to his teaching and personal leadership. Of all Rabbi Nachman’s works, his Tales, a selection of which appear in this volume, may be considered the peak of his creative life, both for the originality of their form and content and for the profundity of their underlying ideas.

On Being Free is a nourishing, uplifting, and inspiring collection of essays, discourses, and interviews that explores such topics as the fate of the Jewish people, the causes of assimilation, sin and atonement, and mysticism. An entire section of the book is devoted to a study of the five Megillot (Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther) of the Bible, drawing out the messages these texts contain for the modern Jew.

This book is a collection drawn from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s oral discourses on the weekly parashot, the Torah portions that we read each Shabbat in the synagogue. As a rule, these discourses touch upon one point in each parasha, usually either exegetical or conceptual in nature. This point always illuminates a meaningful idea in the parasha, stimulating thought and introspection.

The observance of the Sabbath is one of the most important precepts in Judaism. In The Miracle of the Seventh Day, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides an ideal companion and guide for the Sabbath table. The book is written both for those who know very little and for those well-versed in the rituals, traditions, and customs of Shabbat, as celebrated by the family at home.

Friends, family, love. God, death, faith. These, and others, are deceptively simple words that we use all the time. Do we know what we mean by these important words? Do we know what other people mean when they use them? We seldom pause to reflect on these words or to make sure that we understand them…In Simple Words, Rabbi Steinsaltz…transforms each word into a gem, turning it this way, then that, examining it to see more clearly its brilliant facets and what lies beyond them. Simple Words is a thought-provoking – and surprising – adventure that may change the way we think, speak, and act.

…a unique collection of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s essays, stories, discourses and interviews that focuses on the needs of today’s spiritual seekers and speaks to readers in astonishingly clear and profound terms. These works-in-progress explore such fundamental themes as the nature of the human soul, the path of the penitent, and the relationship between student and text.

Despite its apparent complexity, the Talmud has clear and precise rules by which it operates. In this comprehensive Reference Guide, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides the essential guidelines for Talmud study. He also describes the historical background of the Talmudic period and the genius of the sages whose wisdom radiates from every page. The structure of the Talmud, its language, and its inner logic are carefully explained. Appendixes on Talmudic weights and measures, a key to abbreviations, and a general index complete this invaluable volume.

From the Talmud, a body of literature that is often technical and highly legalistic, emerge the personalities of many different Sages. The special way in which this literature is edited – in the form of debates and discussions – produces figures that are alive and human, characters that we can relate to, identify with, and love. The many details found in the various sources, when put together, reveal the personalities who produced the Oral Torah, with all the multiplicity of types and the differences among them.

Learning from the Tanya, the second volume of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s English-language commentary on the Tanya offers a key for unlocking the mysteries of one of the most extraordinary books of moral teachings ever written. A seminal document in the study of Kabbalah, the Tanya explores and solves the dilemmas of the human soul by arriving at the root causes of its struggles. Though it is a classic Jewish spiritual text, the Tanya and its commentary take a broad and comprehensive approach that is neither specific to Judaism nor tied to a particular personality type or time or point of view.

As relevant today as it was two hundred years ago, the Tanya helps us to understand the many thousands of complexities, doubts, and drives within us as a single basic problem-the struggle between our Godly soul and our animal soul.

Rabbi Steinsaltz’s first volume on the Tanya, Opening the Tanya is an inspiring introduction to this classic work of Kabbalah, providing an overview of its broad philosophical and spiritual messages. It also provides an illuminating point-by-point commentary on the first twelve chapters of the text itself. Opening the Tanya helps readers to achieve harmony of body and soul, of earthliness and transcendence. This remarkable book is a guide to learning how to elevate the soul to a higher level of awareness and understanding, until one’s objectives and aspirations are synonymous with his/her Godly potential.

Understanding the Tanya is the third volume of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s guide to this classic work of Kabbalah. He continues where volume two left off in a page-by-page commentary on the linear sequence of Tanya’s original text. The Tanya explores the workings of the soul and examines the complexities, doubts, and drives within all of us as expressions of a single basic problem-the struggle between our Godly and animal souls.

A Guide for the Newly Observant Jew: The concept of teshuvah (return) occupies a central place in Judaism. More than a shift to a life of greater religious observance, teshuvah is a spiritual re-awakening, a desire to strengthen the connection between oneself and God; it is a life-long process.

Rabbi Steinsaltz reveals some of the spiritual mysteries that lie beyond the reach of the intellect. The Soul shows us how we can become sensitized to our souls, how we can understand its faint but persistent calling and use it to open new vistas in our own lives.

The Long Shorter Way focuses on the profound dilemma of the beinoni, the intermediate person who, neither purely wicked nor purely good, must struggle with evil and temptation throughout his or her life. Each of The Long Shorter Way‘s fifty-three characters corresponds to a chapter in the Tanya. Within each chapter, Rabbi Steinsaltz elucidates the complex nature of man as he strives to attain unity with the Divine One.

The Seven Lights is a book-length dialogue between Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and Rabbi Josy Eisenberg on the subject of the Jewish holidays, in light of the teachings of the great hasidic master, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. This illuminating commentary on the celebrations and observances that define us as Jews began as a series of televised interviews on a French program called The Source of Life. The intense interest expressed by the viewers and the repeated requests for the texts used in the interviews inspired Rabbi Eisenberg to compile this book. His faithful rendition of their conversations brings new meaning to the Jewish holiday for the English-speaking audience.

The Sustaining Utterance, like its companion volume, The Long Shorter Way, is a commentary on the Tanya. Based on the second part of Tanya (entitled “The Gate of Unity and Faith” and also known as “The Education of a Child”) The Sustaining Utterance examines basic theological issues, such as our knowledge of God and of our world. This book, like the section of Tanya that serves as its foundation, provides readers with an introduction to the theoretical aspects of the Chabad school of Hasidism and serves as a valuable guide to Chabad doctrine.

The Thirteen Petalled Rose addresses profound topics like good and evil, Divine revelation, the human soul, holiness, ethical ways of life, the Torah and its commandments, the search for the self, and the nature of spiritual worlds and their relationship to the physical. The expanded edition also features a new preface by the author, as well as new chapters on the Kabbalistic view of prayer and devotion and an analysis of Elijah the Prophet’s Introduction to the Zohar.

In this book, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides wise and uplifting answers to some of the questions that affect Jews everywhere, whether they have a firm religious identity or remain largely unfamiliar with their heritage. He sees causes and consequences, examines achievements and failures, looks at the contemporary world, and observes the dreams and longings of modern Jewish people. Written as an intimate and inspiring internal memo to the extended Jewish family, We Jews grapples with these questions and many more in a way that is at once groundbreaking, honest, and insightful.

This book deals in its entirety with the poem “A Woman of Valor” from the book of Proverbs. It is an attempt to pick up the threads of many generations of interpretation, so as to illuminate, and, to some extent, deepen our understanding of the poem with its various layers and dimensions. Rabbi Steinsaltz’s insightful commentary on each verse infuses the text with new and timeless meaning.