Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman 1924–

(Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi)

PERSONAL: Born Zalman Meshullam Schachter, 1924, in Zolkiew, Poland, immigrated to United States, 1941. Education: Boston University, M.A., 1956; Hebrew Union College, Ph.D., 1968.

ADDRESSES: Office—Spiritual Eldering Institute, 970 Aurora Ave., Boulder, CO 80302.

CAREER: Rabbi and writer. Founder of B'nai Or Fellowship (formerly B'nai Or Religious Fellowship) and Spiritual Eldering Institute, 1989. World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University, Boulder, CO, until 2000, and full-time teacher until 2004. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, former head of Department of Near-Eastern and Judaic Studies; Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, member of faculty, beginning 1975, then professor emeritus.

WRITINGS:

S.J. Agnon's 'Iddo w'Eynam: A Study of a Myth about Myth and Its Symbols, Z.M. Schachter (Cincinnati, OH), 1966.

(With Donald Gropman) The First Step: A Guide for the New Jewish Spirit, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 1983, published as First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit: Reb Zalman's Guide to Recapturing Intimacy & Ecstasy in Your Relationship with God, Jewish Lights Publishing (Woodstock, VT), 2003.

(With Edward Hoffman) Sparks of Light: Counseling in the Hasidic Tradition, Random House (New York, NY), 1983.

(Under name Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi) Spiritual Intimacy: A Study of Counseling in Hasidism, Jason Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1991.

Paradigm Shift: From the Jewish Renewal Teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, edited by Ellen Singer, Jason Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1993.

(With Ronald S. Miller) From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Wrapped in a Holy Flame: Teachings and Tales of the Hasidic Masters, edited by Nataniel M. Miles-Yepez, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 2003.

(With Joel Segel) Jewish with Feeling: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Practice, Riverhead Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to periodicals, including Tikkun.

SIDELIGHTS: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi is a Hassidic rabbi who began developing innovations in Jewish worship and ritual that were not strictly orthodox, such as allowing women more privileges in worship. He also experimented with LSD and wrote about it for the journal Psychedelic Review. He eventually expanded his belief that the Jewish religion encompasses the only true knowledge of God. Since that time he has "emerged as one of the most prominent New Age spokespeople within the Jewish community,"as noted by a contributor to Religious Leaders of America. Nevertheless, despite his acceptance of other religious thought, the author told Or Rose in an interview for Tikkun: "For all of my universalism, I strongly believe that Judaism has unique gifts to offer the world."

Schachter-Shalomi has authored or coauthored numerous books, including From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older, which he wrote with journalist Ronald S. Miller. The book sets forth Schachter-Shalomi's philosophy of both how to approach aging and how to use the wisdom that living many years often provides a person. In a keynote address to the board of directors of the Spiritual Eldering Institute, which the author founded, as posted on the institute's Web site, Schachter-Shalomi noted that he wrote the book when he was approaching his sixtieth birthday. "Using whatever was available to me about the management of consciousness (for a person who is entering in such a life phase), I realized that I was depressed because I didn't switch gears. I was still trying to go up the hill in high gear. I had to switch to a lower gear in order to be able to make that move to the next place."

From Age-ing to Sage-ing discusses how to think differently about aging and how to perceive it not as a sorrowful decline but as a rewarding fulfillment of life that includes spiritual growth and the ability to contribute to society. The book includes an in-depth discussion of the "Spiritual Eldering" program that Schachter-Shalomi founded, which focuses on increased awareness and social activism. The book especially stresses the importance of mentoring, both for the elderly themselves and those they mentor. In addition, the author and his cowriter address death and the dying process and include instructions on achieving a "conscious" death.

Denise Perry Donavin, writing in Booklist called From Age-ing to Sage-ing "a worthwhile, multicultural look at the value of aging individuals." In a review for Tikkun, Thomas R. Cole noted, "Other people have called for a cultural transformation of aging, but Zalman Schachter-Shalomi is the first to develop a program to make it happen." Cole also called the book "a welcome alternative to the mainstream response to the postmodern life course."

In Wrapped in a Holy Flame: Teachings and Tales of the Hasidic Masters, Schachter-Shalomi presents the original works of teachers in the Hassidic movement of Judaism and discusses the meaning of the teachings and their value in a modern society. The author also includes brief biographical profiles of each of the teachers. "As an introduction to Hasidism, this is a very useful sourcebook," wrote Herbert E. Shapiro in the Library Journal. Roger S. Gottlieb, writing in Tikkun, noted that the book "joins … distinguished company in pursuing the insights and inspirations of the leaders of the great Hasidic religious revival." Gottlieb also wrote, "Schachter's book is not meant to be a straightforward elucidation of the content of Hasidism, but an adaptation of its inner intentions to what he calls the 'new paradigm' of contemporary spirituality."

Schachter-Shalomi discusses both the traditions and the present-day practice of Judaism in his book Jewish with Feeling: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Practice. The author also reflects on his own experience with doubt in his faith as he presents ancient Hasidic tales and discusses how to become more spiritually active in a way that enables one to practice Judaism as a living religion. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author "offers a Judaism with a keen sense of the present infused with the sacredness of the past, yet written with a hopeful eye toward the future." Graham Christian, writing in the Library Journal, commented that Schachter-Shalomi bases his beliefs in tradition but that they "are fresh in their emphasis."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Religious Leaders of America, 2nd edition, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1989.

Schwartz, Howard, collector and reteller, The Dream Assembly: Tales of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, illustrated by Yitzhak Greenfield, Amity House (Amity, NY), 1988.

Wiener, Shohama Harris, and Jonathan Omer-Man, editors, Worlds of Jewish Prayer: A Festschrift in Honor of Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi, J. Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1993.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 1995, Denise Perry Donavin, review of From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older, p. 1459.

Library Bookwatch, May, 2005, review of Jewish with Feeling: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Practice.

Library Journal, April 15, 2003, Herbert E. Shapiro, review of Wrapped in a Holy Flame: Teachings and Tales of the Hasidic Masters, p. 93; March 1, 2005, Graham Christian, review of Jewish with Feeling, p. 94.

Publishers Weekly, February 28, 2005, review of Jewish with Feeling, p. 64.

Tikkun, November-December, 1995, Thomas R. Cole, review of From Age-ing to Sage-ing, p. 78; May-June, 2004, Roger S. Gottlieb, review of Wrapped in a Holy Flame, p. 75; July-August, 2004, Or Rose, "On the Growing Edge of Judaism: Reb Zalman at Eighty," p. 49.

ONLINE

Integral Naked Web site, http://integralnaked.org/ (September 19, 2005), "Who Is Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi?"

Spiritual Eldering Institute Web site, http://www.spiritualeldering.org/ (February 16, 2006), profile of author and excerpts from speeches and writings.