It has been more than fifty years since I began to acquaint the West with the religious movement known as Hasidism, which emerged in the eighteenth century but extends into our time. If, today, reporting and clarifying, I wish to speak of that work as a whole, it is not—I think I can say this with confidence—for the sake of my personal endeavors. In producing this work I had nothing else in mind other than carrying out a commission to the best of my ability, as an honest artisan would. I speak for the sake of what my work wished and wishes to point to. Much in it has at times been misunderstood and needs clarification.