For those that have no jewish history (which is many): a leading Rabbi of Lithuania, Elijah of Vilna (commonly known as the Vilna Gaon, which means the Genius of Lithuania, or 'Gra' for short), attempted to excommunicate followers of the chasidic sect -- back in the late ...
false piety; law; commandment; kavanah 1. Introduction On the first Friday evening of Buber's visit to New York in 1953, the Jewish Theological Seminary organized a Shabbat dinner in his honor, and at around ten o'clock, it was time for the 75-year-old scholar to return to his hotel...