Beginning with its birth, about 280 years ago, Hasidism caused a turning point in the Jewish world and gave birth to new forms of thinking, mysticism, lifestyles and modes of expression and creation, which shaped, and still shape, its face.

This book gives its readers easy and quick access to the vast wealth of Hasidic, theoretical and narrative literature. The entries in the book were written by leading Hasidic scholars, and encompass key issues in Hasidism while presenting a broad panorama of the Hasidic diversity for generations. The entries ​​are based on a rich infrastructure of sources carefully selected from the sermonic-ideological literature of Hasidism and from Hasidic history. The sources are accompanied by explanatory notes as well as a comprehensive review of the subject on its manifestations in the various Hasidic courts and throughout key periods in Hasidism. This combination between the sources themselves and the discussion that places them in the wider context, creates a reading experience that has direct contact with the language of Hasidism and its spirit.

In addition to focusing on the main issues of Hasidism, the book also offers rich introductions that give a general overview of the world of Hasidism - its thought, lifestyles and the history of the movement. Anyone interested in Hasidism, its gospel and the innovation it brought to the world will find in this book a treasure trove of insights, conceptual tools, fresh perspectives and enlightening concepts.