Translator's Foreword

The essay On Learning Chasidus is another in a series of translations of Chabad literature. It is taken from Kuntres Limud HaChasidus, Kehot, Brooklyn, 1947. The series consists of profound expositions of some Chabad teachings, historical data, moral instruction, and personal experiences and memoirs of the authors.

On Learning Chasidus was written by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. It discusses the urgency of studying this inner dimension (Chabad) of Torah, and demonstrates conclusively that with proper effort anyone can comprehend Chasidus. It may be regarded as a sequel to On the Teachings of Chasidus, an earlier essay of this series which addressed itself primarily to the basic character of Chasidus, and the place of worship in the total service of G-d. The reader is advised to examine that essay as an introduction to this work. He will probably discover that both require concentration and study, that mere perusal will not lead to understanding.

The footnotes were written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, excepting several short references and sources. Explanatory footnotes by the translator have been so marked.

Translator's Explanatory Notes, reprinted from On the Teachings of Chasidus, have been appended to facilitate the study of these translations. It is suggested that the reader examine these Notes at the outset, and then refer to them as the necessity arises. The translator has also added a brief Glossary of Hebrew terms, though the use of Hebrew has been kept to a minimum. The Order of Succession, describing the leaders of Chasidus and Chabad in sequence, should allay confusion arising from names relating to different generations of Chabad leadership.

Zalman Posner

Nashville, Tennessee

Iyar, 5719 (May, 1959)