Herbert Weiner was an ordained American Reform Judaism[ rabbi in South Orange, New Jersey, and the author of The Wild Goats of Ein Gedi and Nine and a Half Mystics. Weiner is credited for introducing Jewish mysticism to many American Jews.][ "Herbert Weiner". Essex News Daily. Accessed March 10, 2014. ]
Activities
Herbert Weiner served as the founding rabbi of Temple Israel in South Orange, New Jersey. He also served as the first administrator of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.[
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Nine and a Half Mystics
Herbert Weiner's Nine and a Half Mystics, published in 1969, explores themes on Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. Weiner also recounts his experiences with Jewish groups who incorporate the mystical tradition in their religious practice.[ Kaplan, Dana Evan. Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal. Columbia University Press, Aug 13, 2013. Accessed March 7, 2014.]
Weiner formed the book after visiting various Jewish communities in his search for Jewish mysticism.[ "9 1/2 Mystics: The Kabbala Today Today" by Herbert Weiner. Commentary Magazine. Accessed March 7, 2014.] For many American Jews, Weiner's work was their first exposure to the Jewish mystical tradition.[ Rabbi Herbert Weiner. NJ Jewish News. Accessed March 7, 2014.][ Rabbi Herbert Weiner. The Star Ledger. Accessed March 7, 2014.]
Impact on Neo-Hasidism
Weiner's writings on Jewish mysticism help shape the Neo-Hasidism impulses among some American Jews. Rabbi Arthur Green, a leader in the Jewish Renewal movement and a proponent of Neo-Hasidism in general, was first exposed to Jewish mysticism by reading Weiner's Nine and a Half Mystics.[ Rabbi Arthur Green. Jewish Foundation. Accessed March 9, 2014.]
Weiner also authored a preface to neo-Hasidic guru Reb Zalman Schachter's (Leaves of Grass Press, Germantown, Pennsylvania: 1975).
