ABOUT THIS BOOKMartin Buber (1878–1965) was one of the most influential Jewish
thinkers of the twentieth century. A philosopher, seeker, and nurturer of
dialogue, he responded to the complexities of his times by affirming the
fullness of interpersonal encounter and the spiritual everyday. In 1947,
Buber delivered lectures interpreting six traditional Chasidic stories
to a German-speaking audience, published as The Way of Humanity. In
the first new English translation in over half a century, Rabbi Bernard
H. Mehlman, DHL, and Gabriel E. Padawer, ScD, z"l, bring the work to
contemporary readers in a clear, accessible voice. The teachings within
highlight the subversion and innovation of the early Chasidic masters of
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while providing meaningful
spiritual guidance and insight for any seeker today. Scholarly forewords
by Paul Mendes-Flohr, PhD, and Rabbi Joseph A. Skloot, PhD, as well
as an introduction, epilogue, and notes from the translators, place
Buber’s work in historical context. Timeless and enlightening, The Way
of Humanity guides us to inner meaning and highlights our human
wholeness.
REVIEWSMartin Buber has much to say to today’s generation of Jews and non-Jews,
but he is not always easy to understand. We can be grateful to Mehlman and
Padawer for rendering one of Buber’s seminal essays into accessible English.
—Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things
Happen to Good People
These gifted translators deliver Martin Buber’s teaching of Chasidic tales
and inspired interpretations in a gender-neutral, poetic version of The Way
of Humanity that delights the mind and touches the heart. Each careful word
choice enables us to appreciate anew the power of the work’s soulful message.
Rabbi Mehlman and Dr. Padawer combine mastery of the material with their
experience as beloved educators to deliver Buber’s treasures to curious learners
at any level. I will use it in my own teaching. This is an exquisite new translation
filled with timely wisdom.
—Rabbi Elka Abrahamson, President, Wexner Foundation
Martin Buber lived in Germany and Palestine/Israel and yet his writing speaks
to Americans today. His newly translated and annotated The Way of Humanity
is a brief essay that uses six Chasidic tales—like Aesop’s fables—and the wisdom
of many Polish rabbis to answer the question, “How should I live my life?” A
deeply spiritual man, Buber concludes that “ultimately, everything depends
upon this: letting God in.” Mehlman and Padawer’s fluid translation eases the
process for achieving that end.
—Shulamit Reinharz, PhD, Brandeis University