Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

Andy Warhol Image of Martin BuberAt the beginning of each volume of Kaplan's diary (of which there are 27) Kaplan recorded quotations from books he had been reading and which he especially liked. He once wrote in the diary that people should be known by what they quote.

In the following quotation we see Kaplan quoting from Buber’s collection of Hasidic tales. Buber and Kaplan were very different but Kaplan did appreciate much in Buber’s philosophy and the Hasidic tales were certainly part of the legacy of Buber which Kaplan wanted to pass on.

A rabbi once told the following tale:

"In my youth when I was fired with the love of God, I thought I would convert the whole world to God. But since I discovered that it would be quite enough to convert the people who live in my town, and I tried for a long time but did not succeed. Then I realized that my program was still too ambitious, and I concentrated on the persons in my own household. But I could not convert them either. Finally it dawned on me: I must work upon myself, so that I may give true service to God. But I did not accomplish even this."

Copied from Buber's Hasidic Tales: Saturday, October 2, 1948