What the heck is a "Hasidic Rebel?" you ask. A blogger, of course, blogging from a society within America that in many ways is as different and isolated as Salam Pax's environment in pre-war Iraq. To fully grasp this, you'd have to understand a branch of Judaism known as Hasidim, which has some interesting similarities to the Islamic Sufis. PBS' "A Life Apart" (full script here) tells their story, and it's a surprisingly good and balanced introduction. See also their Essays on Hasidism for more structured background.

Our blogger friend is something of a free-thinker within this community, and he's reading a book that would raise a lot eyebrows there. He recommends it highly - "it's been a long time since a book has moved me so profoundly." Along the way he also grapples with some important questions. I thought this was was particularly relevant:

"I am reading Entrance to the Garden of Eden by Yossi Klein Halevi that was recommended by a friend. The author participates in Muslim and Christian rituals and services, and tries to find spirituality and inspiration and a feeling of closeness to G-d by observing and experiencing how other humans of different religions attain spirituality. The book is an interesting read, and one thing is for certain: if only there were more people like Yossi Klein Halevi and the people whom he describes in his book, the world would be an immensely better place.

His moving accounts of spiritual experience notwithstanding, I am highly doubtful whether there really is truth to such a path..."

Want to read the rest? I hope to hear more from him on this subject once he's had some time to digest the book and think things through.

Joe Katzman
Winds of Change.NET
"Liberty. Discovery. Humanity. Victory."