In this fascinating book, Ora Wiskind-Elper introduces us to a figure who was ahead of his time: the Hasidic leader Rabbi Ya'akov Leiner of Izbica-Radzyn. Her translations and interpretation of his writings present the Rabbi's central ideas in a compelling form to modern readers. Though Rabbi Ya'akov lived a full century and a half ago, his teaching weaves midrash, medieval commentary, Kabbalah, and Hasidic thought together to create an innovative perspective on long-established Jewish concepts. His works, known as the Beit Ya'akov fill four large volumes of commentary on the...