The Encyclopedia of Hasidism
Hasidism, the main mystical movement in Judaism from the 18th century to the present, has had a major impact on Judaism and sparked worldwide interest among students of religion and spiritualism. This encyclopedia has hundreds of short entries?usually one to four paragraphs in length?on Hasidic concepts, movements, and personalities. When discussing such important Hasidic concepts such as dance, prayer, and education, the entries often run a page or two. Each entry is the work of either the prolific editor (The Prince Who Turned into a Rooster: 100 Tales from Hasidic Tradition, Jason Aronson, 1994) or a noted scholar. For instance, the entry on the great modern popularizer of Hasidism, Martin Buber, is written by Maurice Freedman, who has produced the standard biography of Buber. Indeed, the encyclopedia's strong point is its vast number of short biographical entries on Hasidic figures and modern non-Hasidic scholars. The standard reference work of Hasidism and the Jewish mystical tradition remains the authoritative Encyclopedia Judaica (1972). But Rabinowicz's massive work?the pages are double-columned with readable though small print?is a noteworthy addition and complement to it. Libraries with strong Judaic or religion collections will want to own it. For an informed lay audience.?Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., Ill.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.