Rabbi Dan Hauser has published a new book, "On the Tip of the Toes of Existence," designed to bring Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's teachings closer to contemporary readers. The book uses close study of "Likutei Moharan" and adds practical tools for applying the ideas in everyday life.
The volume focuses on questions of faith, trust, and spiritual searching as they emerge from Rabbi Nachman's thought. In the introduction, Hauser explains that the title is a metaphor for the believer's condition, someone who must stand on tiptoe and rise upward, while struggling to keep balance after letting go of worldly certainties.
At the same time, the image also points to the last remaining anchor, trust in God. Hauser, a psychotherapist and educational and marital counselor, says the book explores the other side of the phrase, "We have no one to rely on except our Father in Heaven." Rather than starting from the heavenly perspective, he asks where a believer finds firm ground from which to rise.
Hauser has taught Rabbi Nachman's works for many years at the Midreshet Migdal Oz and Lindenbaum. Each essay in the book examines a section of "Likutei Moharan" in depth and ends with a practical exercise. The second volume also includes explanations of several of Rabbi Nachman's stories.