Liqutim

This book collects most of the short writings of Joseph G. Weiss, the scholar of Hasidism. Some of these were published in the mid-20^th century and some remained unpublished in his archive. Weiss’s style in these writings reveals a complex conceptual structure of ascents, passageways, and basements, a structure which is gradually revealed as readers walk its maze of halls. Long before the rise of Hasidism in contemporary Israeli culture, Weiss opened a door on to a deeper understanding of Jewish mysticism, an understanding which hovers between the historical and the existential.

Joseph G. Weiss (1918-1969) was born in Hungary and was one of the great scholars of Hasidism. Known as Gershom Scholem’s favorite student, Weiss grappled with the figure of Rebbe Nahman of Bratslav until the end of his life. His life and work still inspire devotion among scholars.