In this beautifully written book, Goldberg
explores the tradition of ethical thought the lives and personalities
of those who lived and taught it. He delves into the personalities
of great men, and goes a step further. He draws parallel between
their lives and those of the historic Patriarchs and Matriarchs
of Jewish history. The result is an unusual combination of
commentary, anecdote, and insight, blended and presented by
a writer of unusual grace and skill.The Musar Movement was hardly a "movement"
in the usual sense of the word. it never swept countries and
embraced millions of people. Musar developed the ability of
individuals to peer into themselves and find a spark that
could be nurtured into a glow that would illuminate themselves
and anyone else who cared to expose himself to it.
It is an aspiration that transcends time.
Is the modern, frenetic, Westernized world conducive to such
introspection? Many people think not. Hillel Goldberg shows
that it is.
He takes us by the hand -- indeed by the heart
-- and introduces us to people we know only as legends (and
to some we never heard of at all) and brings them alive. He
makes us feel their warm smile, their friendly hand, the agony
of their ascent, the wisdom of their counsel, the exaltation
of their self-effacing example.
This is a book to read for sheer beauty of
its writing. I is book to treasure for the richness of its
content.
Taken from the Preface and Acknowledgements:
"As it Were" The lives of the seven Patriarchs and
Matriarchs of Judaism are favorite subjects of Musar thought.
Since Musar concentrates on the perfection of personality,
people who closely approach perfection occupy musar thinkers.
Since the seven founders of Judaism serve as role models for
all Jew, they be studied, analyzed, and emulated........
Picture above: Rabbi Hillel Goldberg stops
by Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica, Denver, Colorado
Taken from Jewish Books
