A Palace of pearls : the stories of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav / retold by Howard Schwartz ; foreword by Rabbi Rami Shapiro ; illustrated by Zann Jacobrown.
VI. Important Dates in Reb Nachman's life. Role of Mysticism in Reb Nachman's Stories -- Shattering of the Vessels and the Gathering of the Sparks -- Years of Flourishing and Anguish -- Reb Nachman's Dream -- Telling Stories -- Literary Legacy -- Death and Spiritual Legacy -- Lost Princess -- Pirate Princess -- Enchanted Tree -- Bull and the Ram -- Prince Who Was Made of Precious Gems -- Missing Portrait -- Spider and the Fly -- Rabbi and His Son -- Clever Man and the Simple Man -- Merchant and the Pauper -- Prince and the Slave -- Master of Prayer -- Seven Beggars -- I. Lost Children -- II. Blind Beggar -- III. Lost Gardener -- IV. Stuttering Beggar -- V. Beggar with the Twisted Neck -- VI. Humpbacked Beggar -- VII. Beggar with No Hands -- VIII. Seventh Beggar's Tale -- Tale of the Bread -- Hanukkah Guest -- Tzaddik of Sadness -- Destined to Be a Thief -- Rich Man and the Thief -- Tale of the Pact -- Tale of the Diamond -- Palace Beneath the Sea -- Tale of Delusion -- Perfect Saint -- Mysterious Painting -- Hungarian Wine -- Angel of Losses -- Menorah of Defects -- Prince Who Thought He Was a Rooster -- Synagogue in Jerusalem -- Soul of the World -- Coming of the Messiah -- Parable of Father and Son -- Fable of the Rose and the Thistle -- Harvest of Madness -- Tale of the Millstone -- Princess of the Torah -- Fable of the Spider Web -- What Am I Holding? -- Parable of the Eggs -- Tale of the Wolf -- Map of Time and Space -- Heart of the World -- Fable of the Two Birds -- Last Resort -- Tale of the Candles -- When a Candle Is Blown Out -- Wise Son and the Foolish Son -- King and the Peasant -- Condemned Prince -- Tale of the Letter -- Three Messengers -- Royal Messenger -- Wheel of Creation -- Endless Forest -- Dream of the Shofar -- Dream of the Brides -- Tzaddik Who Was Shunned -- Vision of the Man in the Circle -- Sea of Wisdom -- Unable to Teach -- Dream of the Birds -- Dream of a Throne -- Sacrifice -- Dream of Disgrace -- Accusation -- Man Who Had Died -- Dream of a Wedding -- Treasure -- Fixer -- Jealous Minister -- Road to the Cemetery -- Tale of Two Artists -- Sabbath Guests -- Capturing the Bird -- Ba'al Shem Tov and the Preacher -- Opposition of the Birds -- Journey of the Dead Merchant -- Hasid Who Had Died -- Simple Servant -- For the Sake of a Cat -- Plank and the Pillar of Fire -- Bound to Reb Nachman -- Chamber of Souls -- Reb Yisroel the Dead -- Vision of Light -- Tale of the Plums -- Scribe -- Sabbath Fish -- Lost Tale -- Journey to Kamenetz -- Sword of the Messiah -- Master of the Field -- Tale of the Lamp -- Hidden Saint -- Healing Verse -- Argument with the Evil One -- Tale of the Question -- Divining from the Zohar -- Tale of the Heavenly Court -- Mysterious Old Man -- Rabbi's Attendant in the World-to-Come -- Book That Was Burned -- Letter from the Beyond -- Reb Nachman's Chair -- Reb Nachman's Tomb -- Soul of Reb Nachman -- Garment for the Moon -- Souls of Trees -- Celestial Orchestra -- Mountain of Fire -- Lost Tzaddik -- Golden Bird -- Tale of the Deer -- Princess of Light -- Hollow of the Sling -- I. Art of Telling and Retelling -- II. Exile of the Shekhinah -- III. How the Ari Created a Myth and Transformed Judaism -- Sources of the Myth -- Story of the Light -- How To Gather the Sparks -- Original Error-or Creation -- Human Task -- Myth for the Scattered and Isolated -- IV. Cosmic Cataclysms in Jewish Tradition -- V. Diagram of the Ten Sefirot -- VI. Important Dates in Reb Nachman's life.
Summary:
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) is widely considered to be one of the foremost visionary storytellers of the Hasidic movement. The great-grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of the movement, Rabbi Nachman came to be regarded as a great figure and leader in his own right, guiding his followers on a spiritual path inspired by Kabbalah. In the last four years of his life he turned to storytelling, crafting highly imaginative, allegorical tales for his Hasidim. Three-time National Jewish Book Award winner Howard Schwartz has masterfully compiled the most extensive collection of Nachman's stories available in English. In addition to the well-known Thirteen Tales, including "The Lost Princess" and "The Seven Beggars," Schwartz has included over one hundred narratives in the various genres of fairy tales, fables, parables, dreams, and folktales, many of them previously unknown or believed lost. One such story is the carefully guarded "Tale of the Bread," which was never intended to be written down and was only to be shared with those Bratslavers who could be trusted not to reveal it. Eventually recorded by Rabbi Nachman's scribe, the tale has maintained its mythical status as a "hidden story."
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.