IN THE LATE 1950's, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, better known as 'Reb Zalman, ' penned what was perhaps the first book on Jewish meditation and contemplative Judaism in English. It was called, The First Step: A Primer of a Jew's Spiritual Life, and was printed in a simple stapled booklet edition which he mailed out to friends and students. But it was not long before this humble booklet had reached readers as diverse as President Zalman Shazar of Israel and the famous author of The Seven Storey Mountain, Father Thomas Merton. In 1965, it was included as a chapter in the widely influential Jewish Catalog, and read by thousands of young Jews in the late 60s and early 70s looking for an authentically Jewish approach to meditation. Then, for many years, the booklet fell out of use until it was completely revised and updated in 1993, in a new booklet called, Gate to the Heart: An Evolving Process, which was again privately printed and distributed within the Jewish Renewal movement. In this expanded version, the booklet inspired a whole new generation of Jewish contemplatives looking for a manual of Jewish practice. Now, after being revised and supplemented once again, Reb Zalman's first and most personal book, the culmination of over 60 years of spiritual guidance work, is finally being published and made available to the general public. "For me, Gate to the Heart is the one essential book by Reb Zalman. Although there are others that go into more depth, and are more expansive on certain topics, none convey his authentic voice and brilliant creativity more that this one. It is the book that I want to carry with me at all times, a true vade mecum that one can consult again and again to renew one's spiritual practice." --- Netanel Miles-Yepez, co-author of A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters

Once, when Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi was still a young Hillel director, he took his students to meet the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994). To his embarrassment, one of his students asked the Rebbe, "What is a rebbe good for?" But the Rebbe was not offended and offered this amazing response: "I can't speak about myself; but I can tell you about my own rebbe. For me, my rebbe was the geologist of the soul. You see, there are so many treasurers in the earth. There is gold, there is silver, and there are diamonds. But if you don't know where to dig, you'll only find dirt and rocks and mud. The rebbe can tell you where to dig, and what to dig for, but the digging you must do yourself." In this amazing series of talks, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the founder of the Jewish Renewal movement and one of the world's leading authorities on Hasidism, discusses Jewish spiritual leadership from the perspective of the Hasidic Rebbe, applying traditional Hasidic models and teachings to contemporary situations. He covers issues of identity for spiritual leaders, the teacher-student relationship, spiritual guidance and intercessory prayer. Anyone who is deeply involved in Jewish spiritual leadership, or a student of Hasidic models of leadership, will find a wealth of valuable information in these informal talks on the subject.