"For there is no rung of being on which we cannot find the holiness of God everywhere and at all times". The sacred tales and aphorisms collected here by Martin Buber have their origins in the traditional Hasidic metaphor of life as a ladder, reaching towards the divine via ascending rungs of perfection. Through Biblical riddles and interpretations, Jewish proverbs and spiritual meditations by turns profound, fanciful and tender, they seek to awaken in the reader a full awareness of the urgency of the human condition, and of the great need for self-recognition and spiritual renewal. Progressing from "The Rung of God and Man" through to the ultimate "Rung of Redemption", "Ten Rungs" provides a profound, exquisite insight into the mystical piety and joy that defines Hasidic lore. Yet, true to Martin Buber's own faith in the dialogic relation between men as a mirror of God's eternal presence with us, they also emphasize practical advancement and the central meaningfulness of earthly existence. "No one can really be devout in relation to God, if he is not devout toward His creation and so, dear reader, these pages are not concerned with the mysteries of heaven, but with your life and m

This translation of all the poems in the main body of the work of George extensively revises the first publication of The Works of Stefan George which appeared in 1949. The editors have also expanded the volume, adding a number of George's early poems under the collective title Drawings in Grey, two essays (including the eulogy on Holderin), and the lyrical drama The Lady's Praying along with a commentary by the translators.