Editorial Reviews 
The author, Rabbi Yonassan Gershom , July 16, 2000 
70 authentic stories -- in one volume! 
This is the first-ever collection of Jewish teaching stories focused entirely on reincarnation ("gilgul" in Hebrew). In my previous two books, "Beyond the Ashes" and "From Ashes to Healing," I made frequent reference to traditional Jewish stories about reincarnation. So where can we find them, my readers asked? Until now, they were scattered throughout a number of texts that were difficult to track down and/or not available in English. Plus, in many cases, the references to rebirth were simply "assumed" by the context of the story itself, and not at all clear to the modern reader. (The reason is, that traditional Judaism is a "context sensitive" culture, where things are inferred by hints and illusions within the cultural context of the story, not always spelled out step-by-step as in Western philosophical thought.) 

What I have done in this book is to re-tell the stories in a way that makes them much more accessible to the modern reader. Where the mystical references were "assumed" in the original version, I expanded the story in my re-telling, weaving in the cultural details that help to make the ideas clear. (There are endnotes for each story that explain the source(s), my own insights, etc.) 

It took me over five years to track down all these stories, some of which have never appeared in print before. Now you have them all together in one volume -- enjoy! 

The author, Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (rooster@pinenet.com) , July 14, 1999 
At last -- Jewish reincarnation stories in one volume! 
To my knowledge, this is the first book ever published in any language that is totally devoted to reincarnation stories in Judaism. The book was inspired by the readers of my previous two works on reincarnation, BEYOND THE ASHES and FROM ASHES TO HEALING. 

Every time I spoke on the topic, I said that there are many traditional Jewish teaching stories about reincarnation and the audience asked, "Where can we find them?" 

Well, until now, they were scattered here and there in a plethora of obscure books. It took me over five years to track them down, translate and re-tell them. 

So here they are at last, all together in a single volume! Over 60 authentic Jewish tales, from both classical and modern sources. Also included are overviews for each chapter and commentaries for each story. Plus clear, easy-to-read explanations of the basic Jewish teachings about rebirth. 
So nu -- enjoy! 

About the Author  
Rabbi Yonassan Gershom is a Hasidic storyteller, teacher, and writer. He received his rabbinical training from Rabbi Zalman Schachter in the 1970's and 80's, then moved on to become a Breslover Hasid in the 90's. Today, he utilizes techniques from Jewish mysticism to help seekers integrate traditional religious practices with personalized holistic consciousness. He is the author of "Beyond the Ashes" and "From Ashes to Healing," two books on documented cases of reincarnation from the Holocaust period, "Jewish Tales of Reincarnation," a collection of classical and contemporary teaching stories, and "49 Gates of Light," an interactive e-book on kabbalah. His articles and book reviews on mystical topics have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies, and he is a correspondent for "Life and Soul" magazine (formerly "Reincarnation International," London). Reb Gershom also facilitates a reincarnation discussion group on Onelist.com, and maintains an extensive website on that topic. He and his wife, Caryl Rachel, live on a small hobby farm in northern Minnesota with three dogs, seven cats, two rabbits, and a flock of chickens. He is currently working on two books: "Shamanic Rabbi's Journey," and "Allergic to the Light."