I’m very happy to “meet” you in this new electronic world of ours. I am Avraham Yitshak (rendered by my assimilating parents into “Arthur Elliot”) Green. I am pretty universally known as Art. Thank you for stopping by. Let me quickly add that I do not consider this a real meeting. I welcome the thought that your “visit” here might lead to that as well.

What do I have to offer you in this very much updated shtetl market stall? I have been thinking, writing, and teaching about Jewish spiritual life, theology, and mysticism for the past half century. I have a big pekl (“briefcase,” let’s call it) of writings on these subjects, articles published here and there over more than forty years.  They used to live in a filing cabinet, and I would send copies to people who asked or expressed interest in seeing them. By the miracle of electronic scanning, they now reside here. You are welcome to help yourself to as many as you like. I hope you find them of interest and learn something from them.

In posting an article here, I am asserting that I continue to stand by it as worthy of your time and attention. But do note the dates on these pieces. My own thinking has evolved over these decades, and I would no longer say things exactly as I did in some of my earlier writings. Don’t hold me too closely to them. You’ll also find a few bits of audio and video of lectures I’ve given. Take me along when you go for a ride. (Since I am a neo-Hasidic Jew, I even give you permission to play me on shabbos or yomtov, if that’s your thing.) As you read or listen, please argue with me. I love it.

Neo-Hasidism, as I understand it, means loving and learning from the great spiritual revival of Judaism that took place in Eastern Europe two hundred years ago, while choosing to live outside the strictly regulated world of the contemporary Hasidic community. It means choosing among the many riches of Hasidic teachings to decide which ones might usefully be applied today and which others should be left to history. It is also a faith that some key elements of the Hasidic revival can be re-tooled and universalized to create a Judaism that will be spiritually alive and attractive to seekers — both Jewish and not yet Jewish — in our day. For a fuller outline of my neo-Hasidic views, see the article “A Neo-Hasidic Life: Credo and Commentary.”

I have given much of my life to the training of future spiritual leadership for the Jewish community. Despite mounds of reasons not to, I still believe in a great future for our people. Our worst years lie in the immediate past, while our best years lie ahead of us. We are the humble bearers of one of the world’s most profound spiritual and moral legacies. We have much to say to a world that is ready, even anxious, to listen. No, we do not have all the truth, or the only truth, but we have much to offer, teachings the world needs to hear, now more than ever. We need new generations of leaders who love our sources and know how to render our teachings in forms that are accessible and attractive to each new generation.