Scholarly research has secured Gershom Scholem's prominent place among the interpreters of Judaism and Jewish history. Just like his standard works on Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, the smaller writings collected here address issues related to the uniquely Jewish piety and its various forms of expression. It is here that one learns how to understand concepts such as the messianic idea, the symbol of the Star of David, Hasidism, and the legend of the 36 hidden righteous ones.