Endorsements for The Master of the Ladder |
The Master of the Ladder tells the wondrous tale of a true sage and introduces us to his teachings. Yedidah Cohen’s masterly adaptation of Rabbi Gottleib’s biography of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Ashlag, makes it possible for all of us to take the first step on Rabbi Ashlag’s ladder that ascends to the Heavens and penetrates the depths of our mind and heart. Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, Spiritual supervisor in REITS, Yeshiva University; founder of Congregation Aish Kodesh, Woodmere, NY; author of Chasidic works and teacher of Chasidism
Though I am not a student of Kabbalah, and my familiarity with the terminology and deep concepts of the Ba'al HaSulam precludes me from commenting on the mystical content herein, reading this extraordinary book was uplifting and informative, and opens a new door into a world of insight and holiness. We are indebted to Mrs. Yedidah Cohen for her efforts in enabling this peek into the incredible life and awesome teachings of the Ba'al HaSulam zy'a. -Rav Judah Mischel, Mashpiah OU-NCSY
Publisher’s Weekly
Rabbi Gottlieb effectively combines profile and theology in this accessible and enlightening biography of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Ashlag (1885–1954), a master of the kabbalah, who is widely-credited with opening the study of kabbalistic texts to ordinary people. Gottlieb, a student of Ashlag’s son, opens in 1892, with a legend about the rabbi, then a seven-year-old child in Warsaw and himself the son of a Hasidic rabbi; according to the story, Ashlag was lying in bed when he was struck in the head by a book that fell from a shelf. His father told him that the volume, a book of kabbalah, was meant only for angels, but the precocious child insisted, “ ‘If it has been printed, it must be meant for everyone.’ ” Gottlieb goes on to trace his subject’s life, including his rabbinic ordination and marriage, prodigious scholarly output, his immigration to what became the nation of Israel in 1921, and production of the essential kabbalist textbook. Talmud Eser Sefirot. Lay readers may be most interested in the religious figure’s teachings, which include such messages as, “Each of us needs to learn that the whole purpose of our spiritual work is to come to love our fellow.” Gottlieb’s glowing work preserves the life and legacy of a significant religious thinker. |