Customer Reviews

Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: Meditations and Everyday Wisdom from the Teachings of the Rebbe, Menachem Schneerson

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I was an early casualty of the faith of my parents. Not particularly religious themselves, they left me with a sense of the form of our religion, but no picture whatever of it's content. This wasn't their fault, it was simply very much the way we were in the 50's and 60's. My own spiritual needs left unmet by my faith of origin, I drifted from the time I entered college, first as an atheist, and then as almost every kind of theist one can imagine.

Eventually I found a place that suits me spiritually, in which I can dwell and feel no need to convert the unfaithful. From within this place, I have rediscovered a desire to spend some time reaping the wisdom of the religion I always took for granted, the one I was born into. This is not necessarily a comfortable journey for me but one it has been time to make for a while.

One of the things I had never come to understand about Judaism until well into college was the tremendous mystical richness of Judaism. What makes this mysticism special is its refusal to abandon the world in which we make our way. From Jewish mystics and rebbes we expect practical advice as well as inspiration. Rebbe Menachem Schneerson was for many years the premier spokesman for the Lubavitcher tradition of mystical Judaism. A man who valued humility, wisdom, affection, humor and a deep abiding faith.

Tzvi Freeman has taken the time to compile the essence of Rebbe Schneerson's meditations and teachings. This is simple, direct writing that would touch anyone, Jewish or not. Short sections that can be read a paragraph at a time and meditated upon at will. We are invited to take our beliefs out of the ivory tower and apply them in the world. The first recommendation for the spiritual treatment of illness is 'find a good doctor and follow his instructions.' The fourth is 'Increase your study of the inner light of the Torah.'

This kind of wisdom is good for all to use. I would recommend "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth" not just to crabby old men such as I, but to anyone who finds themselves sometimes a seeker or wishes to understand more of the depths of Judaism.

this book is immediately available (once out of print) and is easily read and enjoyed but then you realize that you will have to re-read the selections as they contain more of a message than you first perceived! good print-size and compact book to have and to carry around.

This is a beautiful book with incredible wisdom. Rebbe Scheerson was a holy man. His wisdom is for all people. This is simply a book people need to read. It gives a blueprint for getting thru this life without harming one another. One certainly does not have to be Jewish to understand and appreciate the writings of the Rebbe. He has a message for all of us.

This Book is a Gem! Reading Bringing Heaven taps into those long lost depths of our soul that are just bursting to be free. This Book would be of interest and value to a reader regardless of religious affiliation or degree of belief. It appeals to people of all faiths. This is one of the best books on spirituality now being published.

I try and apply each quote to each day.It is such an amazing book.I recommend it to everyone!If you have a problem ,think of it and open up the book ,and read the first quote you see.It will give you some amazing advice!

This Book is a Gem! Reading Bringing Heaven taps into those long lost depths of our soul that are just bursting to be free. This Book would be of interest and value to a reader regardless of religious affiliation or degree of belief. It appeals to people of all faiths. This is one of the best books on spirituality now being published.

This book is a must for anyone with a delving mind. The introduction alone is satiating. Pick it up once in a while for an injection of reality.

What a marvellous inspiration which the Rebbe gives all of us (i am not a jew) through the presentation of His thoughts by Tzvi Freeman. Not since Martin Buber's collection of chassidic wisdom have we seen such a jewel of insight and teaching. And it is so much more lively, modern! By the way: It is now available in German as well, under the title "Den Himmel auf die Erde bringen"

This is an awesome and informative book. I use it as an oracle and find it to be amazingly insightful and informative. Uncannily so. I think of a question, then open the book and read the passage where my finger is. Tzvi put his heart and soul into this book and it absolutely shows. It's an amazing book to have on anyone's bookshelf as it's such a fascinating read including many anecdotes about the Rebbe. I highly recommend this book to spiritual people of all faiths as you will find yourself going back to it again and again through the years.

This is one of the most special books in my collection because it was a present from Rabbi Chaim Adelman of the Chabad House at UMass-Amherst in May of 2002. (In addition to being a great person and really funny, Rabbi Adelman was also quite possibly my favorite rabbi I've ever had.) There was a little party one night for those of us who were about to graduate, and towards the end he gave each of us this book (the commemorative edition that was printed that year in honor of what would have been the Rebbe's 100th birthday) and wrote lovely personalised inscriptions in them for us. This is the type of present that can last a lifetime instead of only being read once and then put aside, or maybe reread once in awhile. It's a book like the Tao Te Ching; it can be read and reread over and over again and always give the reader new profound insights. This simple timeless wisdom doesn't even have to be read from cover to cover; one can just go through it day by day, or whenever one wants to, and digest these meditations, sayings, quotes, and stories slowly, or as one needs to. It's divided into categories such as "Children," "All the World Is My Teacher," "Science and Technology," "The Blueprint of Creation," "Days Are Coming," "Making a Living," and "From Despair to Joy." Whatever one's problem, question, issue, or concern, advice or an answer is bound to be found here. Many of these tidbits of wisdom might also pleasantly surprise those who have a view of Hassidim as having a very pre-modern view of the world or of being dour, joyless, and very authoritarian and triumphalist. One doesn't even need to be Jewish to enjoy and benefit from this wonderful book.