Jewish Tales of Reincarnation

296 Pages·2000·12.75 MB·English

by  Yonasson Gershom

Je'Wish Tales of
REINCARNATION

Jewish Tales of
REINCARNATION
YONASSAN GERSHOM
JASON ARONSON INC.
North-oale, New Jersey
Jerusalem
This book was set in 11 pt. Apollo by Alpha Graphics of Pittsfield,
New Hampshire and printed and bound by Book-mart Press, Inc. of
North Bergen, NJ.
Copyright© 1999 by Yonassan Gershom
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission from Jason
Aronson Inc. except in the case of brief quotations in reviews for
inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gershom, Yonassan, 194 7-
Jewish tales of reincarnation / selected and re-told by Yonassan
Gershom.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: 978-0-7657-6083-8
1. Legends, Jewish. 2. Transmigration-Judaism. 3. Soul
(Judaism) I. Title.
BM530.G43 1999
296.3'3-dc21 98-52747
CIP
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper. For
information and catalog write Jason Aronson Inc., 230 Livingston
Street, Northvale, NJ 07647-1726, or visit our website:
www .aronson.com
"The world says that telling stories helps one to fall asleep.
But I say-telling stories wakes people up!"
(Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)

Dedicated to my beloved wife, Caryl Rachel, on our eighteenth
wedding anniversary. In spite of howling blizzards and a collaps
ing roof that forced us to abandon our old house and beloved
garden, she still found enough hope and joy in her heart to en
courage me to finish this project. Without her steadfast love dur
ing those times of crisis, you would not now be reading this book.

Contents
Introduction
Basic Themes II
Every Action for the Sake of Heaven 11
The Heavenly Court l3
Repairing the Universe 15
The Covenant at Sinai 16
The Definition of Torah 18
The Cosmic Significance of Torah 19
Reincarnation or Possession? 20
Punishment or Learning Experience? 23
Are These Stories True? 24
Chapter I : Heaven and Earth 25
Overview 25
The Heavenly Body of Adam 27
Why Adam Ate the Fruit 29
The Hall of Exchanges 30
Roots of the Soul 31
The Treasury of Souls 34
Soulmates 36