by Les Schachter
Step beyond the veil into a realm where angels whisper in the attics of synagogues and forgotten spirits still bargain with those who dare listen. In this collection of short stories, threads of Jewish mysticism and folklore are woven into tales of wonder, fear, and revelation — where dreamers wrestle with unseen forces, ordinary lives brush shoulders with the eternal, and shadows cast by candlelight may conceal truths more ancient than time.
Both timeless and uncanny, these stories carry the echoes of fables retold around the Sabbath dinner table, yet pulse with a fresh, modern enchantment.
My name is Les Schachter. I also go by Ari Lev Ben Binyamin. The choice, my friend, is yours....
I've always been fascinated by the Magidim. A Magid is a Jewish itinerant preacher, particularly active in 17th and 18th-century Poland and Russia, who specialized in narrating Torah stories, delivering moral instruction, and offering words of comfort and hope to communities. Unlike rabbis, who typically focused on ritual and legal matters, magidim served as popular preachers responsible for widespread religious and spiritual education. The term also has a mystical meaning in Kabbalah, referring to a heavenly messenger, angel, or a soul who communicates mystical knowledge to a living person, often through dreams or visions.
by Les Schachter
Open the next chapter of wonder and wisdom. More Tales of the Magid continues the tradition of original Jewish folklore and fantasy, bringing new stories that are by turns mystical, moving, and delightfully unexpected.