Beyond The Letter Of The Law: A Chassidic Companion to the Talmud's Pirkei Avot By Yanki Tauber

After the Bible, the Ethics of the Fathers is probably the best loved, most widely read and most extensively written on work in Jewish literature. Its sayings and dictums – which include such timeless gems as "Do not judge your fellow until you have stood in his place," "According to the pain is the gain," "Who is wise? One who learns from every man; Who is Rich? One who is satisfied with his lot" and "Every man has his hour, and everything has its place" – invite us into the moral soul of the Jew, offering us a glimpse into the well of wisdom that nourishes his commitment to his fellow man, his love of learning ad his undying devotion to G-d. Hundreds, if not thousands, of commentaries on the Ethics have been authored, as generations of scholars delved into the layers upon layers of significance buried beneath its every line's most obvious message, and penned their discoveries for posterity. Beyond the Letter of the Law is a collection of sixty essays, embracing nine generations of chassidic exposition on the Ethics, based on the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. In addition to providing the "chassidic dimension" to the Ethics, these essays embody a broad sampling of the Rebbe's teachings: his ideas on freedom of choice, good and evil, absolute and relative truth, love, language, business, food, crime and virtually every aspect of the endeavor of life.