From the compiler: A number of times throughout the years, I have mentioned to Rabbi Steinsaltz that such wonderful gems are embedded within his lectures, interviews, and writings - and I find myself repeating these gems to people. "Perhaps not gems," he responded. "Maybe pebbles." So, for nearly 30 years, I have been collecting pebbles from Rabbi Steinsaltz. The pebbles in this book are all from unpublished sources. Each is notated with additional pebbles from published sources that relate to the unpublished ones. I have done this for two reasons: to offer a lot more pebbles to the reader, and to send the reader to Rabbi Steinsaltz's published works to see how the ideas are expanded - and to then discover even more pebbles, as well as lengthier pieces and more fully developed thoughts.