Herbert Weiner was an ordained American Reform rabbi in South Orange, New Jersey, and the author of '' The Wild Goats of Ein Gedi'' and ''

Nine and a Half Mystics ''Nine and a Half Mystics: The Kabbala Today'' is a 1969 book on Jewish mysticism by Rabbi Herbert Weiner. The book includes interviews with a number of Jewish mystics and scholars, as well as the author's encounters with various Jewish groups p ...

''. Weiner is credited for introducing

Jewish mysticism Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), distinguishes between different forms of mysticism across different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in 1 ...

to many American Jews.

Activities

Herbert Weiner served as the founding rabbi of Temple Israel in

South Orange, New Jersey South Orange, officially the Township of South Orange Village, is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village's population was 16,198, reflecting a decline of 766 (4.5%) fro ...

. He also served as the first administrator of

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

in Jerusalem.

Nine and a Half Mystics

Herbert Weiner's ''

'', published in 1969, explores themes on Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. Weiner also recounts his experiences with Jewish groups who incorporate the mystical tradition in their religious practice. Weiner formed the book after visiting various Jewish communities in his search for Jewish mysticism. For many American Jews, Weiner's work was their first exposure to the Jewish mystical tradition.Rabbi Herbert Weiner. ''NJ Jewish News''. Accessed March 7, 2014.
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Impact on Neo-Hasidism

Weiner's writings on Jewish mysticism help shape the

Neo-Hasidic Neo-Hasidism, Neochassidut, or Neo-Chassidus, is an approach to Judaism in which people learn beliefs and practices of Hasidic Judaism, and incorporate it into their own lives or prayer communities, yet without formally joining a Hasidic group. O ...

impulses among some American Jews. Rabbi

Arthur Green Arthur Green ( he, אברהם יצחק גרין, born March 21, 1941) is an American scholar of Jewish mysticism and Neo-Hasidic theologian. He was a founding dean of the non-denominational rabbinical program at Hebrew College in Boston, where he ...

, a leader in the

Jewish Renewal Jewish Renewal () is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with Kabbalistic, Hasidic, and musical practices. Specifically, it seeks to reintroduce the "ancient Judaic traditions of mysticism and meditation, ...

movement and a proponent of Neo-Hasidism in general, was first exposed to Jewish mysticism by reading Weiner's ''Nine and a Half Mystics''.Rabbi Arthur Green. Jewish Foundation. Accessed March 9, 2014.
/ref> Weiner also authored a preface to

neo-Hasidic Neo-Hasidism, Neochassidut, or Neo-Chassidus, is an approach to Judaism in which people learn beliefs and practices of Hasidic Judaism, and incorporate it into their own lives or prayer communities, yet without formally joining a Hasidic group. O ...

guru Reb Zalman Schachter's '' Fragments of a Future Scroll: Hassidism For the Aquarian Age'' (

Leaves of Grass Press A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

, Germantown, PA: 1975).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiner, Herbert 1919 births 2013 deaths American emigrants to Israel American Reform rabbis People from Boston 21st-century American Jews Neo-Hasidism