Fragments of a Future Scroll

The 50th anniversary edition of a paradigm-shifting work by one of the most important Jewish figures in postwar America.

By the time of his death, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924–2014), also known as Reb Zalman, had transformed the landscape of Judaism in America. The son of liberal Hasidic Jews, a Holocaust refugee, and a devoted Lubavitcher Hasid, Reb Zalman eventually left the traditional Hasidic fold and committed himself to seeding a mystical Jewish renaissance. An active participant in the counterculture and New Age movements, Reb Zalman began experimenting with different forms of Jewish ritual and contemplative practice—and their intersection with other spiritual traditions—ultimately founding the Jewish Renewal movement.

Fragments of a Future Scroll, Reb Zalman's first book, was originally published by a small press in 1975 and, until now, was long out of print. A truly unique book—or "anti-book," as Shaul Magid refers to it in his new introductory essay—Fragments gathers Reb Zalman's first idiosyncratic attempts at articulating a renewed "Hasidism for the Aquarian Age," envisioning Judaism's evolving place and role within an emergent "planetary consciousness." This wild text presents an electrifying weave of sparks, flashes, stories, teachings, and ecstatically lyrical translations of traditional Jewish sources—"spiritual sheet music," as Reb Zalman called it. Full of boundary-breaking wisdom and crackling poetic oddity, Fragments of a Future Scroll is a book for people from all religious and spiritual traditions who are looking to experience the world—and consciousness itself—anew.

This historic 50th anniversary edition presents an updated version of the original text, alongside essays by four contemporary Jewish thinkers—Rabbi Shaul Magid, Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Rav Jericho Vincent, and Arthur Kurzweil—reflecting on Reb Zalman's enormous impact, and guiding contemporary readers into his paradigm-shifting worldview.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924–2014), better known as Reb Zalman, was born in Poland, raised in Vienna, and ordained as a rabbi in New York. During his colorful, countercultural life, he was considered one of the foremost authorities on Kabbalah and Hasidism, and was one of the key initiators of the American Neo-Hasidic renaissance and the Jewish Renewal movement. Professor Emeritus of the Psychology of Religion and Jewish Mysticism at Temple University, and World Wisdom Chair holder emeritus at Naropa University, Reb Zalman was a unique figure in American Judaism and world spirituality, a beloved teacher and guide to many, and the author of numerous books, including Jewish with Feeling, Wrapped in a Holy Flame, From Age-Ing to Sage-Ing, and Paradigm Shift. Reb Zalman’s legacy and influence remain strong, and his vision of a progressive Jewish spiritual future has inspired generations of Jews and seekers worldwide.

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, PhD, is an author, Jungian psychologist, and rabbi emerita of Congregation Nevei Kodesh in Boulder, Colorado. She was ordained by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in 1992, an experience she describes in her spiritual memoir, With Roots in Heaven (Dutton, 1998). Firestone lectures internationally on Jewish mysticism, the reintegration of the feminine wisdom tradition in Judaism, and the essential work of healing intergenerational trauma. Her other publications include: The Woman's Kabbalah (Sounds True, 2000), The Receiving (Harper, 2004), and the award-winning Wounds into Wisdom (Monkfish, 2019). See more at www.tirzahfirestone.com.

Rabbi Shaul Magid, PhD, teaches Modern Judaism at Harvard Divinity School, is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) at Harvard University, and serves as rabbi of the Fire Island Synagogue. He works on Jewish thought and culture from the sixteenth century to the present, focusing on the Jewish mystical and philosophical tradition. His three latest books are Piety and Rebellion (Academic Studies Press, 2019); Meir Kahane (Princeton University Press, 2021); and The Necessity of Exile (Ayin Press, 2023). He is an elected member of the American Academy for Jewish Research and the American Society for the Study of Religion, and lives in Thetford, Vermont.

Rav Jericho Vincent is the founding rabbi of Temple of the Stranger. They are a Wexner Fellow, a member of the ROI: Schusterman Community, a recent fellow at Atra: The Center for Rabbinic Innovation, and they currently serve as an advisor to Beit Kohenet and the Shalom Center. They hold a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and are ordained by the Aleph Ordination Program in the lineage of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Rav Jericho has been named to the Jewish Week’s 36 Under 36 and the Forward 50 for their work. They live in Brooklyn on Lenape land with their partner and children. You can find them at a Temple of the Stranger ceremony, on Substack, or at www.jerichovincent.com.

Arthur Kurzweil is a writer, teacher, and magician. He is the author of several books, including On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz, Kabbalah for Dummies, The Talmud for Dummies, The Torah for Dummies, Pebbles of Wisdom from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, From Generation to Generation, and The Persistence of Memory. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the Melton Center for Jewish Studies at the Ohio State University for his unique contributions to Jewish education, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. He is also a member of the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians (Order of Merlin). He and his wife, Bobby, share seven children and thirteen grandchildren.

Eden Pearlstein is an author, artist, and cofounder of Ayin Press. He is the author of Nothing Is for Everyone: Poems, and coauthor/editor of the chapbooks In/Flux: On Influence, Inspiration, Transmission, and Transformation; Taste and See: A Psychedelic Pesach Companion; and Indwelling: An Earth-Based Sukkot Companion. Eden holds two master's degrees from JTS in Experiential Education and Jewish Philosophy. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.