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What do people recommend?
“Shabchi Habesht” by Nachlas Tzvi
Kedushas Levi, Sfas Emes and the Divrei Yoel.
ask your rebbeh/ mashpia
Tanya, Likutei Sichos, Toras Menachem, Shluchan Menachem, Igros Kodesh, Torah Ohr, the list goes on…
Great question!
Yismach yisroel is very uplifting; you can skip the kabalah parts. It always puts a smile on my face. Divrei yoel is one of my favorite drush seforim; the satmar rov builds up a massive edifice in each shtikel. Sfas emes is very open ended; they call it a “mirror” wherein you see the Expression of your neshoma in the way you understand it. rav gedalya schorr”s oldest son rav yitzchok meir schorr told me that the later years are easier. The 2nd half of the tanya is very good for understanding the chasidish approach to avodas Hashem and it’s among the more organized chasidish seforim; those perakim are referred to as the “poilisher prakim”, because post kotzk polish chasidus was not very into theoretical kabalah discussion.
I’d also recommend learning nefesh hachaim at the same time to get a balanced view.
Ts, you mentioned exclusively seforim written by the baal hatanya and the last lubavitcher rebbe… can we be a little more diverse?
I wasn’t gonna mention it. Until I saw some very specific seforim of specific chassiduses and I did mention Shabchi Habesht. There is also Shabci Hamagid, thats great.
The Bais Yisrael al HaTorah
Chiddushei HaRim
Lev Simcha al HaTorah
BaKodesh Penima Zichronos From Belz Rebbe
Tiferes Shlomo
Keser Shem Tov
etc….Baal Shem Tov al Hatotah, Noam Elimelech, Yismach Moshe, Ach Peri Tevuah and Noam Megodim.
לקוטי דברים קדושים מאדמו”ר שליט”א
That is the publication of every single Chasidus, so I can’t go wrong.Seriously though, you cannot get good advice from someone who doesn’t know you. All you get here is that the one posting enjoys. Three are so many styles, angles and levels. But to really get Chasidus, it has to be experienced. It doesn’t really live in a book.
HaLeiVi, how can one newly start experiencing Chasidus?
Sfas emes. yismach yisroel, Tanya,
“HaLeiVi, how can one newly start experiencing Chasidus?”
By joining a place. Most Chasidishe Sefarim stress having a close connection to a Tzaddik. Today, there are a lot of people who learn Chasidishe Sefarim and don’t have a Rebbe. It’s worth what it’s worth. But to really get the benefits of what it has to offer, would be to be a part of something alive.
Hey, farby and I actually agree on something
By the way, not just Chasidim, but anyone will gain by having a close connection to someone greater than him.
The natural tendency is to get comfortable where you are at, and to begin to feel that there is nowhere further to go. I’ve seen plenty of individuals who feel like they’re on top. When you get a glimpse of how much more there is to go, it will change you a lot.
It depends what the reader is familiar with.
1. For those that have been in a more sheltered yeshiva life, try Nesivos Shalom. It has the yeshivish flow, and knowing chassidishe terms is not a prerequisite.
2. If the reader is in yeshiva but has been more exposed to general thought, Rav Tzadok is a must. As he himself started rom the peak of the Torah world.
3. Rav Nachman is very popular now with yeshiva boys struggling to keep up. It used to be Noam Elimelech.
4. Yeshiva guys that know Nefesh Hachaim very well, would find Tanya very enjoyable. But learn it yourself. And definitely not with a Chabadzker. But if the goal is to leave the yeshiva world behind, than by all means find yourself the most committed Chabadzker out there! Just be prepared for plenty of fireworks…
5. Someone who already has developed a strong meditational side, could go straight to the Bais Yaakov of Radzin.
6. Sefardim should use Bnei Yissasschar. An old Hungarian yid, told me that the author intentionally wrote with a less European and more Mediterranean style.
7. Chassiddim that want to take a new look at Chassiddus, must see Vealeh Divrei Dovid Haacharonim.
8. If the idea is to study real Chassiddus in a detached fashion, read Aryeh Kaplan’s books.
9. Also, the Chofetz Chaim wrote many works that are parallel to chassidus.
10. And if you want the knowledgeable experience without the effort or commitment, there is always Shlomo’s Stories😉
I agree with some of what nosemorah is saying; i should have mentioned the nesivos sholom, as it’s the most user friendly sefer that doesn’t require a background in chasidus (or much machshava for that matter). I agree that tanya should be learned with someone who’s not lubavitch, because they are medayek in it like pesukim in chumash and build a lot more on it than the rest of the world does on seforim written by achronim. You can be medayak in it the same way you are medayak in the mesilas yeshorim (which should definitely be done as per the hakdama), but there’s a limit.
What about Kadushas Levi?
Dear Avira,
But to be fair, the same would go for a Chabadzker wanting to learn Nefesh Hachaim. On their own, they would understand it along the format of Tanya. Tzaddik, pure avodah, and reaching worlds beyond the layman’s grasp. If they would study it with a yeshiva guy, it would be more about the greatness of Hashem’s Torah, hasmadah, and the intersection of this world with the next.
Dear Reb Eliezer,
To me Kedushas Levi is a stand alone sefer. Without knowing better, one who learns it well can be completely ignorant of it’s standing in the larger movement. Studying just Kedushas Levi will give plenty to strive for. But I do not think it will give a chassidshe feel to the uninitiated reader. Do you agree?
Although, there is an English edition that greatly expands the themes into structured chasidic thought. I’m aware there is an ongoing attempt to resurrect Reb Levi Yitzchok’s teaching’s in a more causative light. But that mostly reflects on real life aspects, as opposed to Chassidishe Seforim. Either way, I’m not to familiar with the contents of what they publish.
Reb Eliezer, I mentioned the Kedushas Levi.
The Kedushas Levi says that one who is happy by doing a mitzva, makes the heavens happy and will be granted what he asks for.
I would recommend Emes Veemunah from the Kotzker. Each piece is very short, some only a line or two, but they’re sharp and powerful.
Also Tzidkas Hatzadik by Rav Tzadok is very powerful. Can be hard to read though.
Sichos Haran by Rav Nachman is powerful also. it’s easier than Likutei Maharan, also by Rav Nachman, since the ideas in Sichos Haran are short comments from Rav Nachman, wheras Likute Maharan is longer pieces which are often based off Kaballah.Hello this thread is probably dead but if anyone will see this I recommend: tiferes shlomo,kedushas levi,bnei yissaschar,bas ayin, likutei moharan, yismach yisroel, sefas emes, avodas yisroel, yosher divrei emes and that’s all I remember learning so I’m sure there other inspirations out there but in all of the above seforim I’ve seen something inspirational and life changing in some of them more than once much more than once.
Divrei Yoel on the Torah and Moadim, avoiding kabala and the grandfather Yismach Moshe.
For incredible chassidus shiurim in a very user-friendly manner (with a yeshivishe taam), check out Rabbi YY Jacobson’s shiurim on http://www.theyeshiva dot net
In the “series” section you can find plenty of text based shiurim on a huge variety of chassidus seforim (while obviously focusing on Chabad chassidus).
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