The Baal Shem Tov, or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism — 
met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven. 
The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?" 
The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!" 
(from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) 

Liberation and the Land

The first third of a workshop I taught at the Rabbis for Human Rights Conference on "An Earth Covenant Perspective on Human Rights". The basic question: are human rights founded on human uniqueness and superiority compatible with ecology, which assumes equality between species? What Jewish sources can help us navigate between these two paradigms? The workshop is about liberation, redemption and ecology, and so quite appropriate for Pesach and the Omer journey. More to come soon &8211; sign up for Neohasid's list to find out when it comes out.

Download/Listen to "Earth Covenant Perspective on Human Rights"

Design in progress © Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg 2006