Want to Spread Goodness in the World? The Book 'The Secret of the Good Point' Will Help You Do Just That

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, born in Mezhybizh in the Polish-Lithuanian Union (now Ukraine), lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. As the grandson of the sole daughter of the Baal Shem Tov, he grew up in a Chassidic, Kabbalistic environment his entire life and set his destiny as a child. He married immediately after his Bar Mitzvah, started a family, and became a rabbi. Throughout his life, he asserted that the role of a Rebbe is not limited to leading his followers but that every spiritual leader should work to change and improve the entire world. The rabbi suffered greatly during his life, and before he died at the age of 38 from tuberculosis, he lost his sons. As a follower of the Baal Shem Tov, who founded the Chassidic movement whose essence is to bring divinity into all aspects of a person's life through prayer and joy, ensuring that spirituality becomes an inseparable part of a person's life, he dedicated his life to spreading Chassidic teachings in a way that would guarantee that his teachings would not remain only among his followers of that time.

The 'Torat Azamra' (fully included at the end of the book, pages 220-224) is part of the collection of sermons known as 'Likutey Moharan' by the famous rabbi and deals with the perpetual search for goodness in oneself and others. The author of the book, Ran Weber, calls it: 'The Secret of the Good Point.' The meaning of this secret is the clear knowledge that there is good in everything. This goodness is the true essence of the world, and all other matters not included in it are coverings that people wrap themselves in, and the world wraps itself in. 'Torat Azamra' focuses on how one can enable themselves to see the goodness present in the world around them at all times. Many see 'Torat Azamra' as the core of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's teachings.

To understand the uniqueness of this current book among the many writings on Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's 'Torat Azamra,' familiarity with its author is required. Ran Weber was born and raised in a secular home. At the end of his military service in the 1990s, he founded a software company that was one of the first internet companies in Israel. The company employed 150 people in various countries around the world and raised over 400 million dollars. During the growth of the company, Ran began a spiritual search, and his personal search for goodness led him to conclude that his work in high-tech was not his way to add goodness to the world. This search led him to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's teachings and changed his life. Ran Weber returned to the faith, is now married with five children, and is engaged in writing, learning, and therapy. 'The Secret of the Good Point' is his third book.

Ran got the idea for writing the current book during a shared Shabbat meal at their neighbors. During the meal, they discussed the gap between different sectors in the country, particularly the gap between the secular and religious sectors, often driven by media coverage focusing on negative aspects. Living in both worlds and feeling belonging to both, he felt he had the opportunity to act and bring Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's 'Torat Azamra'—the possibility for everyone to find the good in the other—also to a secular audience, whose acquaintance with Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's teachings often stops short when encountering religious sacred literature. Ran Weber believes that Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's 'Torat Azamra' touches every person, regardless of their sector affiliation.

The book is divided into four parts, dealing with different aspects of the search for good in the world: the difficulty in believing in its existence, the search for goodness within oneself, the search for goodness in others, and the need to remember and preserve the goodness found. Each part addresses the reader in an immediate way, providing them tools to examine the discussed aspect in their life. Ran accompanies the different chapters with examples from his life and the lives of those around him, making the possibility of internalizing the ideas in the book straightforward. The different parts of the book include comic illustrations and exercises that allow the reader to pause and apply the points raised. The discussion of the nature of goodness in the world is done on several layers, allowing people in different stages of their lives to derive benefit from the book's advice.

The book has a hardcover—lending longevity to books and testifying to the author's intention that his book should not end up on a shelf collecting dust. The book is accompanied by illustrations by Adi Katz, adding charm and making the reading experience delightful. The way the book is structured and designed makes it suitable for repeated use, aligning with various points relevant to the reader wishing to access it at different moments in their life. The book, focusing on the Jewish worldview regarding the nature of goodness in the world, is suitable for anyone engaged in a search for meaning and has a place on the bookshelf in every home in Israel.

The challenging questionnaire with Ran Weber: "Before I returned to faith, I didn’t think about having children".

Chapters from the book 'The Secret of the Good Point' are featured on the 'Hidabroot' website by courtesy of the author. Here are links to different chapters:

If You Can See the Good in Yourself, You Can See the Good in Others
Want to Change Your Life? Rabbi Nachman Guides You
What Is the Role of Trials in Our Lives?

Every Person Is Beloved in the Eyes of Hashem

Don't Forget to Listen to Your Heart

The Guide to a Good Life

If I See Myself as Good, It's Hard to Do Bad Things

Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged

Every Person Creates Their Own Reality

"For twenty-three hours a day, I was joyful and had good desires, and for one hour, let yourself have a broken heart"

A Person Must Judge Themselves Favorably

The Praise Song That Makes People Beautiful

You're in the Right Place, Because That's Where You Are!