A Palace of Pearls The Stories of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav

Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) is widely considered to be one of the foremost visionary storytellers of the Hasidic movement. Now, Howard Schwartz has compiled the most extensive collection of Nachman's stories yet. In addition to his famous Thirteen Tales, Schwartz includes here many stories, parables, dreams, and folktales.

The great-grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of the movement, Rabbi Nachman came to be regarded as a great figure and leader in his own right, guiding his followers on a spiritual path inspired by Kabbalah. In the last four years of his life he turned to storytelling, crafting highly imaginative, allegorical tales for his Hasidim. Three-time National Jewish Book Award winner Howard Schwartz has masterfully compiled the most extensive collection of Nachman's stories available in English. In addition to the well-known Thirteen Tales, including "The Lost Princess" and "The Seven Beggars," Schwartz has included over one hundred narratives in the various genres of fairy tales, fables, parables, dreams, and folktales, many of them previously unknown or believed lost. One such story is the carefully guarded "Tale of the Bread," which was never intended to be written down and was only to be shared with those Bratslavers who could be trusted not to reveal it. Eventually recorded by Rabbi Nachman's scribe, the tale has maintained its mythical status as a "hidden story."

With utmost reverence and unfettered delight, Schwartz has carefully curated A Palace of Pearls alongside masterful commentary that guides the reader through the Rabbi's spiritual mysticism and uniquely Kabbalistic approach, ultimately revealing Rabbi Nachman to be a literary heavyweight in the vein of Gogol and Kafka. Vibrant, wise, and provocative, this book is a must-read for any lover of fairy tales and fables.

Howard Schwartz is a prolific author of fiction, poetry and children's literature, as well as an editor of fourteen volumes of Jewish parables and tales. He is a three-time National Jewish Book Award winner for Next Year in Jerusalem, The Day the Rabbi Disappeared, and Tree of Souls.

FOREWORD:
People of the Stories by Rami Shapiro

PREFACE
INTRODUCTION

I THE MAJOR STORIES
The Lost Princess
The Pirate Princess
The Enchanted Tree
The Bull and the Ram
The Prince Who Was Made of Precious Gems
The Missing Portrait
The Spider and the Fly
The Rabbi and His Son
The Clever Man and the Simple Man
The Merchant and the Pauper
The Prince and the Slave
The Master of Prayer
The Seven Beggars

II ADDITIONAL STORIES
The Tale of the Bread
The Hanukkah Guest
The Tzaddik of Sadness
Destined to be a Thief
The Rich Man and the Thief
The Tale of the Pact
The Tale of the Diamond
The Palace Beneath the Sea
A Tale of Delusion
The Perfect Saint
The Mysterious Painting
Hungarian Wine

III THE PARABLES
The Angel of Losses
The Menorah of Defects
The Prince Who Thought He was a Rooster
The Synagogue in Jerusalem
The Soul of the World
The Coming of the Messiah
A Parable of Father and Son
Fable of the Rose and the Thistle
Harvest of Madness
Capturing the Bird
The Tale of the Millstone
The Foundation Stone
The Princess of the Torah
The Fable of the of the Spider Web
What Am I Holding?
The Parable of the Eggs
The Tale of the Wolf
The Map of Time and Space
The Heart of the World
The Fable of the Two Birds
The Last Resort
The Tale of the Candles
When a Candle is Blown Out
The Wise Son and the Foolish Son
The King and the Peasant
The Condemned Prince
The Tale of the Letter
The Three Messengers
The Royal Messenger
The Wheel of Creation

IV DREAMS AND VISIONS
The Endless Forest
Dream of the Shofar
Dream of the Brides
The Tzaddik Who was Shunned
The Vision of the Man in the Circle
The Sea of Wisdom
Unable to Teach
The Dream of the Birds
Dream of a Throne
The Sacrifice
A Dream of Disgrace
Dream of a Visitor
The Accusation
The Man Who Had Died
Dream of a Wedding

V FOLKTALES TOLD BY REB NACHMAN
The Treasure
The Fixer
The Jealous Minister
The Road to the Cemetery
A Tale of Two Artists

VI TALES OF HASIDIM TOLD BY REB NACHMAN
The Sabbath Guests
The Baal Shem Tov and the Preacher
Capturing the Bird
The Opposition of the Birds
The Journey of the Dead Merchant
The Hasid Who Had Died
A Tale of Understanding
For the Sake of a Cat
The Plank and the Pillar of Fire

VII HASIDIC TALES ABOUT REB NACHMAN
Bound to Reb Nachman
The Chamber of Souls
Reb Yisroel the Dead
A Vision of Light
The Tale of the Plums
The Scribe
The Sabbath Fish
The Lost Tale
The Journey to Kamenetz
The Sword of the Messiah
The Master of the Field
The Tale of the Lamp
A Hidden Saint
A Healing Verse
An Argument with the Evil One
The Tale of the Question
Divining from the Zohar
The Mysterious Old Man
The Rabbi's Attendant in the World-to-Come
The Book that was Burned
A Letter from the Beyond
Reb Nachman's Chair
Reb Nachman's Tomb
The Soul of Reb Nachman

VIII STORIES RETOLD FROM UNFINISHED TALES OF REB NACHMAN
A Garment for the Moon
The Souls of Trees
The Celestial Orchestra
The Mountain of Fire
The Lost Tzaddik
The Golden Dove
The Tale of the Deer
The Princess of Light
The Hollow of the Sling

APPENDICES
I The Art of Telling and Retelling
II The Exile of the Shekhinah
III How the Ari Created a Myth and Transformed Judaism
IV Cosmic Cataclysms in Judaism
V Important Dates in Reb Nachman's Life
VI Glossary
VII Hebrew Bibliography
VIII English Bibliography