The Way of Humanity

Martin Buber (1878--1965) was one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century. A philosopher, seeker, and nurturer of dialogue, he responded to the complexities of his times by affirming the fullness of interpersonal encounter and the spiritual everyday. In 1947, Buber delivered lectures interpreting six traditional Chasidic stories to a German-speaking audience, published as The Way of Humanity. In the first new English translation in over half a century, Rabbi Bernard H. Mehlman, DHL, and Gabriel E. Padawer, ScD, z''l, bring the work to contemporary readers in a clear, accessible voice. The teachings within highlight the subversion and innovation of the early Chasidic masters of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while providing meaningful spiritual guidance and insight for any seeker today. Scholarly forewords by Paul Mendes-Flohr, PhD, and Rabbi Joseph A. Skloot, PhD, as well as an introduction, epilogue, and notes from the translators, place Buber's work in historical context. Timeless and enlightening, The Way of Humanity guides us to inner meaning and highlights our human wholeness.


Martin Buber has much to say to today's generation of Jews and non-Jews, but he is not always easy to understand. We can be grateful to Mehlman and Padawer for rendering one of Buber's seminal essays into accessible English.
--Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

These gifted translators deliver Martin Buber's teaching of Chasidic tales and inspired interpretations in a gender-neutral, poetic version of The Way of Humanity that delights the mind and touches the heart. Each careful word choice enables us to appreciate anew the power of the work's soulful message. Rabbi Mehlman and Dr. Padawer combine mastery of the material with their experience as beloved educators to deliver Buber's treasures to curious learners at any level. I will use it in my own teaching. This is an exquisite new translation filled with timely wisdom.
--Rabbi Elka Abrahamson, President, Wexner Foundation

Martin Buber lived in Germany and Palestine/Israel and yet his writing speaks to Americans today. His newly translated and annotated The Way of Humanity is a brief essay that uses six Chasidic tales---like Aesop's fables---and the wisdom of many Polish rabbis to answer the question, "How should I live my life?" A deeply spiritual man, Buber concludes that "ultimately, everything depends upon this: letting God in." Mehlman and Padawer's fluid translation eases the process for achieving that end.
--Shulamit Reinharz, PhD, Brandeis University

Martin Buber's still-large voice has more importance than ever, and in this new translation, it rings with special eloquence. Through Buber---and now through Mehlman and Padawer---the wisdom of the Chasidic rabbis lives, and lives again.
--James Carroll, author of Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Martin Buber's The Way of Humanity, a genuine masterpiece of twentieth-century religious writing, is given new life in this clear and learned annotated translation by Bernard Mehlman and Gabriel Padawer. Buber's luminous insights into the life of the spirit and the human condition, grounded in the simple yet profound wisdom tales of the Chasidic masters, are now made accessible to new generations of readers. The introduction of Mehlman and Padawer frames Buber's gem in its postwar historical context, uncovering new aspects of his triumphant achievement.
--Rabbi Dr. Nehemia Polen, Hebrew College

In this wonderful edition, Martin Buber speaks in warm and personal voice as a spiritual mentor to a beloved listener.
--Rabbi Dennis S. Ross, author of God in Our Relationships: Spirituality between People from the Teachings of Martin Buber