Table of Contents

Foreword9Introduction15Ch. 1The Basic Argument of Quietism65Ch. 2The Concept of Annihilation (Ayin) and the Extinction of Human Will67Ch. 3The Standing of Existential Problems80Ch. 4Despair, Sadness, Regret and Their Connection with Sin93Ch. 5The Status of the Mizvot111Ch. 6Petitionary Prayer and Its Position in Hasidism144Ch. 7Contemplative Prayer168Ch. 8Divine Immanence and the Question of Prophecy189Ch. 9The World of Speech and the World of Thought204Ch. 10The Doctrine of Kavvanot and its Place in Hasidism215Ch. 11Anarchic Manifestations in Hasidic Life242Ch. 12Habad: Anti-Spiritualism as a Quietistic Value255Ch. 13Diary of an Agnostic: "I Know Not" as a Quietistic Value290Ch. 14The Problem of Torah Study in Hasidism310Ch. 15History and National Redemption326Afterword340Appendix: The Baal Shem Tov's Commentary to Psalm 107: Myth and Ritual of the Descent to Sheol342Bibliography383Index of Names393Index of Subjects396

Reviews

"A great strength of this interesting and rewarding book is the rich documentation: through the many quotations from the Hasidic literature the reader comes away with a good sense of the toneof Hasidic teaching and preaching."--Theological Book Review