Book excerpt: The present book, the second of a six-volume series, is an adaptation into readily accessible English of 11 fundamental discourses--one for each weekly Torah portion in the book of Exodus--from Rabbi Schneur Zalman's classic work, Torah Or. It is thus an unprecedented presentation of chassidic philosophy and mysticism as explained in detail in their original source. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of the intellectual branch of Chassidism--Chabad--is credited with bringing the deepest secrets of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah "down to earth," so they could be read and understood by even the average person. He broke the paradigm: it was no longer, "first perfect yourself spiritually, then you will be fit to study this"; now it was, "study this and it will help you to perfect yourself spiritually." The worldwide spread of Chabad-appealing to people of all backgrounds, and in every conceivable culture-in the centuries since bears elegant testimony to the power of these ideas to tap the very Jewish soul. And yet, written in scholarly Hebrew, these keys to the essential core of Judaism were locked away, untranslated, for almost 200 years. In this series, Rabbi Yitzchok Wagshul, a master teacher, does not merely translate the original material, he clearly explains it in friendly, articulate English for scholar and lay person alike. No background in Jewish knowledge is required; just a willingness to think. If Rabbi Schneur Zalman were teaching today, this book is what he might well say. Book jacket.