cover image Martin Buber's Spirituality: Hasidic Wisdom for Everyday Life

Martin Buber's Spirituality: Hasidic Wisdom for Everyday Life

Kenneth Paul Kramer. Rowman & Littlefield, $35 (200p) ISBN 978-1-4422-1367-8

Martin Buber, who died in 1965, was a philosopher, Zionist, lover of Hasidism, scholar, professor, and prolific author, best known for introducing the idea of I-Thou (as contrasted with I-It) to characterize the desired relationship between individuals and between a person and God. In 1948, Buber gave six lectures in Holland, called "The Way of Man According to the Teachings of Hasidism."Author Kramer, who knew Buber and is professor emeritus of comparative religious studies at San Jose State University, asserts that these talks are Buber's "most profound presentation of spiritual life and faith." Kramer offers his summary of each lecture; his commentary on them; the Hasidic stories with which they began and ended; anecdotes from Buber's life, stressing the lesson being taught; and questions designed to help readers incorporate the teaching into their lives. The first three lectures aim to prepare people for spiritual change and the last three offer insights as to how individuals can fulfill their lives through meaningful connections to others and with events. Kramer has largely succeeded in making Buber's complex ideas accessible and understandable. - (Jan.)