"Chassidic Dimensions" presents a masterful exposition of sometimes difficult and oftentimes misunderstood subjects. The author is a masterful teacher able to clarify esoteric topics in easily understood language, rendering them easily accessible to the modern reader. Basic Chassidic themes, like the concept of the tzadik (the Chassidic leaders and "wonder-rabbis"), the emphasis on joy, the emphasis on the Divine component in humans, the tension between mysticism and legalism, and the well-known outreach work of the Lubavitch movement, are illuminated and made comprehendable even to people far removed from mystical attachment. The extensive footnotes and explanations covering the whole range of Jewish scholarship, with careful annotations, are an absolute delight, as are the detailed indices. This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in Jewish philosophy, theology and mysticism.

WOW! There are many volumes written about prayer and repentance. Mostly they are archaic, dry, technical. Very few are inspiring, motivating the reader to actually try out what is suggested. What an extraordinary exception to the rule with Prof. Schochet's "Deep Calling Unto Deep." It makes these themes come alive. There is no preaching, no brow-beating. It explains, it elucidates. It is not simplistic religious dogmatism. The author raises profound philosophical questions, critically examines all premises and analyzes them in terms attractive and attracting to scholar and layman alike. Questions like "why pray"? Doesn't God know what you need? Are you not interfering with Divine Providence by asking for changes in its plans? How can God change His mind according to your wishes? How can repentance wipe out the past? How and when would you know that there was true repentance? How can prayer and repentaqnce work without violating theological premises? And so forth. Mixing philosophy, theology, mysticism and Hassidic teachings, Schochet explains, illuminates, resolves, without ever being dogmatic or judgmental. Above all it is so inspiring it turns your soul on fire and makes you appreciate these complex concepts. Extensive references, indices and bibliographies, make this a true treasure and reference-book, to which you will continue to come back to. I don't believe that it has its equal among all the many books I read on these subjects. Four thumbs up!

Dr. Schochet's "The Mystical Tradition", the first volume of an astounding trilogy called "The Mystical Dimension," is an extra-ordinary text that demystifies the Jewish mystical tradition, known as "Kabbalah" to make it understood even by laymen. The first part ("To Be One With the One") explains the basic objective of the Kabbalah and Hassidism: what they teach, their perspective of world, mankind,life, the bond between the material and spiritual, Divine monism and so forth. With practical examples, relating the subject-matters to science and philosophy, carefully annotated to let the original texts speak for themselves, the reader will not only be informed and educated but inspired. The author succeeds in making the contents a relevant living reality, far beyond the merely academic. The second part, "Authentic Tradition vs. Subjective Intuitions," is an absolute must-reading to understand the fundamental difference between historical Jewish Mysticism and "new age philosophies," currently popular neo-Kabbalah teachings in vogue with Hollywood stars, and other cults. It offers important insights to distinguish authentic tradition from subjective cults. The third part explains the rise in the promulgation and popularization of Kabbalah and Hassidism in the last 2 centuries after the Jewish mystical tradition was generally kept cocealed and reserved to the learned initiates. This volume, along with the other 2 ("Deep Calling Unto Deep" and "Chassidic Dimensions") which deal with more specific subjects (the mystical dimensions of Prayer, Repentance,Inter-human relations, Ritual Laws, the Concept of the Saint etc., is an absoilute must-reading for anyone interested in obtaining an authentic view based on, and culled from, the original sources of the Kabbalah and Hassidism.