Found in Thought
Becoming a Rebbe is more than just being a Rabbi. This novel about the transformation of a person from young man to one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century is every person's story. Reb Yosel Horowitz, the founder of one of the most powerful networks of institutions of higher learning in Europe, is at the center of this amazing story about how moments in our lives shape who we are.
Reb Yosel, clearly the product of his father Reb Shlomo, was often the victim of his brother Kopel''s cruelty but rose above it in order to be able to endure the Russian revolution and thrive in its aftermath. The people, the times, the accidents and the plans all come together to create the man.
Set in the late 19th and early 20th century we meet Yosel who grew into Reb Yosel and ultimately became The Alte Rebbe of Navoroduk. Faced with adversity and tragedy the child is transformed into The Alte Rebbe and in the process attracted thousands of students and established, all over Europe amazing places for them to study. In the face of challenges from the Bolsheviks and his colleagues, Reb Yosel built a life and way of living that astounds.
This is his story and the story of one student who adored his teacher and only wanted to be close to him. It is through the student's eyes we see Reb Yosel as only Sroel could possibly see him.
Far from an idealized version of a visionary, Sroel struggles with how very human Reb Yosel is. At times a reluctant husband, father, son he emerges as an innovator and a personal guide. Through the emotional journey from Dagda to Kiev, from Memel to Latgale, Sroel pieces together the story of how Reb Yosel became an extraordinary Rebbe.
This highly charged novel brings together the events of a WWI and the emergence of the Mussar method of understanding Jewish tradition planted squarely in the private and public lives of Reb Yosel Horowitz, the Alte Rebbe of Navoroduk.
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