Practical Tools from a Mystical Path

48 Things 49 Days

Author of A Simple Guide to Happiness and A Map of the Universe.

We all want to accomplish, and the Almighty gave us special times to help us. The Sefirah, the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot, are for spiritual growth,as the Sefer HaChinuch points out. Oddly, many people are unaware of the power in these weeks, and how perfectly a particular Mishna from Pirkey Avot (Chapters of our Fathers) fits together with this time. Chapter Six: Mishna Six lists 48 Things prerequisite to attaining true wisdom. Despite the encouragement of sages like the Alter of Chelm z'l and Rav Aharon Kotler z'l, many do not use this Mishna for spiritual growth during Sefirah.

Rabbi Noah Weinberg z'l explained the Mishna well and encouraged his students to use it at this time. Rabbi Max Weiman, a student of Rabbi Weinberg, has taken this one step further into the realm of Jewish mysticism. The outline of the 49 days of Sefirah in standard siddurim are in fact a mystical expression of the 48 Things in the Mishna. Rabbi Weiman shows the inherent connection, and as he is well known for, makes the spiritual... practical.

Other books have explained the Mishna or the Sefirot, but never before has a book shown how they are in fact one. Weiman has done this and given us a practical way to make the most out of this time. Of course, we should grow all year long and the tools in the book should be employed all year long. But now is the ideal time.

Rabbi Max Weiman and his wife have eight children and live in St. Louis, Missouri. He received smicha at Aish Hatorah Jerusalem in 1992 and has studied and taught ever since. While at Aish, he studied the 48 Ways with Rabbi Noah Weinberg, Z"l, the main inspiration for this book.

Rabbi Weiman teaches various topics on Jewish mysticism to adults through classes, email, and internet outlets, and he also teaches Jewish History at Esther Miller Bais Yaakov of St. Louis.

His articles on various topics have appeared in the Detroit Jewish Times, Jewish Press, Denver's Intermountain Jewish News, the St. Louis Jewish Light, as well as Today's Astrologer, the St. Louis Astrological Association Bulletin, Pathfinder, and Spirit Seeker.

He is the author of the Everything Learning Hebrew Book, A Mystical Tour of the Torah, A Simple Guide to Happiness, A Map of the Universe, and Kabbalah and Astrology.

He takes great pleasure in bringing esoteric topics down to earth.