[
Israel undertook journeys in which he is recorded as effecting cures and expelling demons and evil spirits (]shedim
''Shedim'' ( he, שֵׁדִים; singular: ''Shed'') are spirits or demons in the Tanakh and Jewish mythology. However, they are not necessarily equivalent to the modern connotation of demons as evil entities. Evil spirits were thought as the ...
). Later Hasidic tradition, however, downplayed the importance of these healing and magical practices, concentrating on his teachings, his charm, magnetism, and ecstatic personality.
Over the past few years, the "Agudas Ohalei Tzadikim" organization (based in Israel) has restored many graves of Tzadikim
Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...
( Ohelim) in Ukraine, including the Baal Shem Tov's. A guesthouse and synagogue are located next to the Ohel of Baal Shem Tov, and the Baal Shem Tov's synagogue in the village proper has been painstakingly restored. Both synagogues are used by the many visitors from all over the world who come to pray near the Baal Shem Tov's grave.
Disputes with the Frankists
The Besht took sides with the Talmudists in their disputes against the Frankists (Jacob Frank
Jacob Joseph Frank ( he, יעקב פרנק; pl, Jakub Józef Frank; born Jakub Lejbowicz; 1726 – December 10, 1791) was a Polish-Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi (1626 ...
's cultist movement which regarded Frank as the Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
, modelled after Sabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi (; August 1, 1626 – c. September 17, 1676), also spelled Shabbetai Ẓevi, Shabbeṯāy Ṣeḇī, Shabsai Tzvi, Sabbatai Zvi, and ''Sabetay Sevi'' in Turkish, was a Jewish mystic and ordained rabbi from Smyrna (now İzmir, Turk ...
.) After the mass conversion of the Frankists, the Baal Shem Tov allegedly said that as long as a diseased limb is connected with the body, there is hope that it may be saved; but, once amputated, it is gone, and there is no hope. It is alleged that he died out of grief that the Frankists left Judaism.
Legacy
Israel ben Eliezer left no books; for the Kabbalistic
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
commentary on Psalm 107, ascribed to him (Zhitomir
Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative ...
, 1804), ''Sefer mi-Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem-tov,'' may not be genuine. Therefore, the most reliable record of his teachings is in his utterances as recorded in the works of his disciples (Hasidim
Ḥasīd ( he, חסיד, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observ ...
). Most are found in the works of Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Polnoy. But since Hasidism, immediately after the death of its founder, was divided into various parties, each claiming for itself the authority of Besht, the utmost of caution is necessary for judging as to the authenticity of utterances ascribed to Besht.[
Some direct historical evidence remains of the Besht during the days he lived in Medzhybizh. Rosman discovered numerous legal documents that shed light on this period from the Polish ]Czartoryski
The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; lt, Čartoriskiai) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian- Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the Gediminids dyna ...
noble family
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
archives. The Besht's house is mentioned on several tax registers where it is recorded as having tax-free status. Several of the Besht's colleagues in his stories from Shivhei HaBesht also appear in Polish court records, notably, Ze'ev Wolf Kitzes and Dovid Purkes. Rosman contends that the Polish documents show the Besht and his followers were not outcasts or pariahs, but rather a respected part of mainstream Jewish communal life.
Other direct evidence
Direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion (in criminal law, an assertion of guilt or of innocence) directly, i.e., without an intervening inference. A witness relates what they directly experienced, usually by sight or hearing, but also p ...
includes the Besht's daily prayer-book (siddur
A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.'
Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ' ...
, owned by the Agudas Chabad Library in New York) with his handwritten personal notes in the margins. His grave can be seen today in the old Jewish cemetery in Medzhybizh.
Chapin and Weinstock contend that the Besht was essentially the right person, in the right place, at the right time. 18th century Podolia
Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...
was an ideal place to foster a sea-change in Jewish thinking. It had been depopulated one generation earlier due to the Khmelnitsky
Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (dist ...
Massacres. A Turkish occupation of Podolia occurred within the Besht's lifetime and along with it the influence within this frontier territory of Sabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi (; August 1, 1626 – c. September 17, 1676), also spelled Shabbetai Ẓevi, Shabbeṯāy Ṣeḇī, Shabsai Tzvi, Sabbatai Zvi, and ''Sabetay Sevi'' in Turkish, was a Jewish mystic and ordained rabbi from Smyrna (now İzmir, Turk ...
and his latter day spiritual descendants such as Malach and Jacob Frank
Jacob Joseph Frank ( he, יעקב פרנק; pl, Jakub Józef Frank; born Jakub Lejbowicz; 1726 – December 10, 1791) was a Polish-Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi (1626 ...
. Once the Polish Magnates regained control from the Turks, Podolia went through an economic boom. The Magnates were benevolent to the economic benefits the Jews provided, and encouraged Jewish resettlement to help protect the frontier from future invasions. Thus, the Jewish community itself was essentially starting over. Within this context, the Jews of Podolia were open to new ideas. The Besht's refreshing new approaches to Judaism were welcome, expanding with little resistance in a community hungry for change.
Practices
The Besht was a mystic who claimed to have achieved ''devekut
Devekut, debekuth, deveikuth or deveikus ( Heb. דבקות; Mod. Heb. "dedication", traditionally "clinging on" to God) is a Jewish concept referring to closeness to God. It may refer to a deep, trance-like meditative state attained during Jewi ...
'' (“adhesion”), meaning that his soul had reached the high level where he could "ascend" to heaven and speak with any soul in heaven that he wished to speak to (though his only recorded choice was of the Messiah, and only once), and intervene between humans and God. He had the ability to protect the Jewish community from plague and persecution. He did this through prayer.
According to a letter from the Besht's brother-in-law to the Besht himself—as interpreted by Moshe Rosman
Moshe Rosman (1949–present, he, משה רוסמן) is an Israeli historian specializing in the history of Polish Jews. He is a professor emeritus at the Department of Jewish History in Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, א ...
— the letter was a practitioner of prophecy, being able to see a messianic figure arrive in Jerusalem despite living far from the city; the brother-in-law claims to have inquired into the figure and discovered the Besht's vision to be true. This claim also supports the supposed belief that the Besht had the ability to see the souls of men, divining the messianic quality of the man despite only seeing him through a vision. Rosman also describes another letter written by the brother-in-law which claims that the Besht could travel to heaven and commune with God. This view is derived from a series of titles given to the Besht, attributing various religious achievements to him such as understanding the mysteries of God. Similarly, Rosman—though now citing the writings of a Polish rabbi—says that it was believed the Besht was a great medical practitioner with vast knowledge regarding salves, balms, and similar medicants. Some aspects of his medical practice are said to have been mystic in nature, though the degree to which this is the case is not agreed upon. Some claim that the Besht could only heal others through prayer and similar acts: recitation of holy words. In other works, he is said to have fewer limitations on his supposed ability, allowing for more mystic methods to be practised.
He ate ''farfel
Farfel (Yiddish: פֿאַרפֿל, ''farfl''; from Middle High German ''varveln'') is small pellet- or flake-shaped pasta used in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It is made from a Jewish egg noodle dough and is frequently toasted before being cooked. ...
'' every Friday night because the word was similar to the world ''farfalen'' which means "wiped out, over and finished". He considered the noodles a symbol marking the beginning of a new week.
Core doctrines
Although the teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov derive to some extent from the Kabbalah and frequently employ kabbalistic terminology, he added emphasis on personal existence and the salvation of the soul of the individual, as a requirement for the redemption of the world: “For before one prays for general redemption one must pray for the personal salvation of one’s own soul” (''Toledot Ya’akov Yosef''). He emphasised the personal against a previous preoccupation on messianism. In a letter to Abraham Gershon (dated 1751), he describes his dialogue with the Messiah during a spiritual ascent on Rosh Ha-Shanah, 1747: “I asked the Messiah, ‘When will you come, master,’ and he answered me, ‘When your learning will be made known and revealed to the world and its source will spread and all can recite yiḥudim and experience spiritual ascent as you can…’ and I was astonished and deeply grieved by this, and wondered when this would come to pass” (''Ben Porat Yosef'').
At the core of the Besht's teaching is the principle of ''devekut'', and he demanded that ''devekut'' exist in all daily acts and in social contacts. Man must worship God not only when practicing religious acts and holy deeds, but also in his daily affairs, in his business, and in social contacts, for when a “man is occupied with material needs, and his thought cleaves to God, he will be blessed” (''Ketonet Passim'' (1866), 28a). This belief is linked with the Lurianic doctrine of the raising of the holy sparks (niẓoẓot), though he limited this concept to the salvation of the individual soul. Because of his emphasis on ''devekut'', he did not advocate withdrawal from daily life and society, and he vigorously opposed fasts and asceticism.
He believed that physical pleasure can give rise to spiritual pleasure. A physical act can become a religious act if it is performed as worship of God and the act is performed in a state of ''devekut''.
The study of the Torah is of prime importance in his teachings, although he interpreted the traditional ideal of “Torah for its own sake” as “for the sake of the letter.” Through contemplation of the letters of the text, man can open the divine worlds before him. He based this belief on the assumption that the letters of the Torah evolved and descended from a heavenly source, and therefore by contemplating the letters, one can restore them to their spiritual, and divine source. The student thus becomes joined to their higher forms and receives mystical revelations.
Similarly, through prayer, a man can reach ''devekut'' and contact with the divine, by concentrating on the mystical meaning of the letters:
:According to what I learned from my master and teacher, the main occupation of Torah and prayer is that one should attach oneself to the spirituality of the light of the Ein Sof found in the letters of the Torah and prayer, which is called study for its own sake
The Besht's concept of the zaddik
Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...
is of the existence of superior individuals whose spiritual qualities are greater than those of other human beings and who are outstanding in their higher level of ''devekut''. These individuals influence society, and their task is to teach the people to worship God by means of ''devekut'' and to lead sinners to repent.[ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 10, p. 746, Avraham Rubinstein]
Influence on Hasidism
The later developments of Hasidism are unintelligible without consideration of Besht's opinion concerning man's proper relation with the universe. True worship of God, consists of the cleaving to, and the unification with, God. To use his own words, “the ideal of man is to be a revelation himself, clearly to recognize himself as a manifestation of God.” Mysticism, he said, is not the Kabbalah, which everyone may learn; but that sense of true oneness, which is usually as strange, unintelligible, and incomprehensible to mankind as dancing is to a dove. However, the man who is capable of this feeling is endowed with a genuine intuition, and it is the perception of such a man which is called prophecy, according to the degree of his insight. From this it results, in the first place, that the ideal man may lay claim to authority equal, in a certain sense, to the authority of the Prophets.[ This focus on oneness and personal revelation help earn his mystical interpretation of Judaism the title of ]Panentheism
Panentheism ("all in God", from the Greek language, Greek grc, πᾶν, pân, all, label=none, grc, ἐν, en, in, label=none and grc, Θεός, Theós, God, label=none) is the belief that the Divinity, divine intersects every part of Univers ...
.
A second and more important result of the doctrine is that through his oneness with God, man forms a connecting link between the Creator and creation. Thus, slightly modifying the Bible verse, Hab. , Besht said, “The righteous can vivify by his faith.“ Besht's followers enlarged upon this idea and consistently deduced from it the source of divine mercy, of blessings, of life; and that therefore, if one loves him, one may partake of God's mercy.[
On the opposite side of the coin, the Baal Shem Tov warned the Hasidim:
:]Amalek
Amalek (; he, עֲמָלֵק, , ar, عماليق ) was a nation described in the Hebrew Bible as a staunch enemy of the Israelites. The name "Amalek" can refer to the nation's founder, a grandson of Esau; his descendants, the Amalekites; or the ...
is still alive today … Every time you experience a worry or doubt about how God is running the world—that’s Amalek launching an attack against your soul. We must wipe Amalek out of our hearts whenever—and wherever—he attacks so that we can serve God with complete joy.
It may be said of Hasidism that there is no other Jewish sect in which the founder is as important as his doctrines. Besht himself is still the real center for the Hasidim; his teachings have almost sunk into oblivion. As Schechter (“''Studies in Judaism'',” p. 4) observes: “To the Hasidim, Baal-Shem esht... was the incarnation of a theory, and his whole life the revelation of a system.”[
]
Teaching methods
Besht did not combat rabbinical Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonian ...
, but the spirit of its practice. His teachings being the result of a deep, religious temperament, he stressed the spirit. Though he considered the Law to be holy and inviolable, and he emphasized the importance of Torah-study, he held that one's entire life should be a service of God.[ Hasidic legend tells of a woman whom her relatives sought to kill on account of her shameful life, but who was saved in body and soul by Besht. The story is said to be characteristic of Besht's activity in healing those in need of relief. More important to him than prayer was a friendly relationship with sinners. Unselfishness and high-minded benevolence are a motif in the legends about him.][
Besht's methods of teaching differed from those of his opponents. He directed many satirical remarks at them, a characteristic one being his designation of the typical Talmudist of his day as “a man who through a sheer study of the Law has no time to think about God”. Besht is reported to have illustrated his views of asceticism by the following parable:
:A thief once tried to break into a house, the owner of which, crying out, frightened the thief away. The same thief soon afterward broke into the house of a very strong man, who, on seeing him enter, kept quite still. When the thief had come near enough, the man caught him and put him in prison, thus depriving him of all opportunity to do further harm.][
Besht held a firm conviction that God had entrusted him with a special mission to spread his doctrines. He believed that he had heavenly visions revealing this mission to him. For him, every intuition was a ]divine revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Background
Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
, and divine messages were daily occurrences.[ An example of the power of his spiritual vision is found at the beginning of his grandson's work, ''Degel'', where he writes that his grandfather wrote to Gershon Kitover who lived in Israel, asking him why he was not in Israel that particular ]Shabbos
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
.
Legends
In Hasidic tradition, there's a saying, "Someone who believes in all the stories of the Baal Shem Tov and the other mystics and holy men is a fool; someone who looks at any single story and says 'That one could not be true' is a heretic."
According to the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica
The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a 22-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, Judaism, and Israel. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, langua ...
'' the number of legends that are told relating to the Ba'al Shem Tov have 'distorted his historical character.' An anthology of legends about him was first compiled by Dov Baer b. Samuel of Linits, who was the son-in-law of Alexander Shoḥat, who had acted for several years as the Besht's scribe. The collection was copied many times and over time it became filled with errors. It was printed with the title, ''Shivḥei ha-Besht'' after Dov Baer's death. It was published by Israel Jaffe who rewrote the first chapter and removed what he considered to be the distortions caused by copyists.
This edition, printed in Kopys (Kapust) in 1814, contains 230 stories grouped by common themes, characters, and motifs. Two editions also appeared in Yiddish that differ markedly from the Hebrew edition.
In the 19th century several further collections of legends about the Ba’al Shem Tov, and his followers appeared, in Hebrew and Yiddish, some of which repeated stories found in ''Shivḥei ha-Besht'' and some of which contained new stories. According to the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' only a few of these stories can actually be regarded as true.
One legend tells that his father, Eliezer, was seized during an attack, carried from his home in Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...
, and sold as a slave to a prince. On account of his wisdom, he found favor with the prince, who gave him to the king to be his minister. During an expedition undertaken by the king, when other counsel failed, and all were disheartened, Eliezer's advice was accepted; and the result was a successful battle of decisive importance. Eliezer was made a general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
and afterward prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
, and the king gave him the daughter of the viceroy in marriage. But, being mindful of his duty as a Jew and as he was already married, he married the princess only in name. After being questioned for a long time as to his strange conduct, he confessed to the princess that he was a Jew, who loaded him with costly presents and helped him escape to his own country.
On the way, the prophet Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...
is said to have appeared to Eliezer and said: "On account of thy piety and steadfastness, thou wilt have a son who will lighten the eyes of all Israel; and Israel shall be his name because in him shall be fulfilled the verse (Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
): 'Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.'" Eliezer and his wife Sarah, however, reached old age childless and had given up all hope of ever having a child. But when they were nearly a hundred years old, the promised son (Besht) was born.
File:Baal Shem Tov's shul restored.jpg, Baal Shem Tov’s shul reconstructed (as a museum); August 4, 2008
File:Ohel Baal Shem Tov.jpg, Ohel of Baal Shem Tov; August 4, 2008
File:Guesthouse and synagogue at Ohel Baal Shem Tov.jpg, New guesthouse and synagogue next to Ohel of Baal Shem Tov (work in progress); August 4, 2008
Notable students
The Baal Shem Tov directly imparted his teachings to his students, some of whom founded their own Hasidic dynasties.
* Yaakov Yosef of Polonoy (1710–1784)
* Ze'ev Wolf Kitzes of Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh, previously known as Mezhybozhe, population 1,731, (Census 2001) ( uk, Меджибіж, russian: Меджибож, Translit: ''Medzhibozh'', pl, Międzybóż, german: Medschybisch, yi, מעזשביזש, translit. ''Mezhbizh'') is ...
(~1685–1788)
* Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov (1721–1786)
* Dov Ber of Mezeritch
Dov Ber ben Avraham of Mezeritch ( yi, דֹּב בֶּער מִמֶּזְרִיטְשְׁ; died December 1772 OS), also known as the '' Maggid of Mezeritch'', was a disciple of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (the Baal Shem Tov), the founder of Hasidi ...
(1704–1772) traced to King David by way of Rabbi Yohanan
:''See Johanan (name) for more rabbis by this name''.
Johanan bar Nappaha ( he, יוחנן בר נפחא Yoḥanan bar Nafḥa; alt. sp. Napaḥa) (also known simply as Rabbi Yochanan, or as Johanan bar Nafcha) (lived 180-279 CE) was a leading r ...
, the sandal-maker and master in the Talmud
* Pinchas of Korets
Korets (, russian: link=no, Корец, , yi, קאריץ ''Koritz'') is a city in Rivne Oblast in Ukraine. The city is located on the Korchyk river, 66 kilometers to the east of Rivne. It is administrative center of Korets Raion. Population: ...
(1728–1790)
* Nachum Twerski of Chernobyl
Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about no ...
(1730–1797) founder of the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty
* Leib of Shpola (1725–1812)
* Rabbi Abraham Gershon of Kitov (Kuty
Kuty ( ua, Кути translit. ''Kuty'', german: Kutten, pl, Kuty, yi, קיטעוו translit. ''Kitev'', ro, Cuturi) is an urban-type settlement in Ukraine, on the Cheremosh river, in the Kosiv Raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. It is one of the ...
), brother-in-law of The Baal Shem Tov (1701–1761); descendant (possibly the grandson) of Shabbatai ha-Kohen
Shabbatai ben Meir HaKohen ( he, שבתי בן מאיר הכהן; 1621–1662) was a noted 17th century talmudist and halakhist. He became known as the ''Shakh'' ( he, ש"ך), which is an abbreviation of his most important work, ''Siftei Kohen'' ...
(“the ShACh”) (1625–1663)
* Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov
Moshe Chaim Ephraim, also known as Ephraim of Sudilkov, was born in Medzhybizh, Poland 1748 and died there on the 17th of Iyar in 1800. He was best known as the Baal Shem Tov's grandson and for the work ''Degel Machaneh Ephraim,'' first publish ...
(1748-1800) (his grandson)
* Boruch of Medzhybizh
Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh (1753–1811), was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov.
Reb Boruch (known in his childhood as Reb Boruch'l, a Yiddish diminutive, and subsequently as ''Reb Boruch'l HaKadosh'') was the first major "rebbe" of the Hasidic m ...
(1753-1811) (his grandson)
* Meir Hagadol of Premishlan (1703–1773)
* Nachman of Horodenka (d. 1765)
Confusion with Baal Shem of London
A portrait by John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. Afte ...
is often mistaken to be that of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, also known as the Baal Shem Tov. It is, in fact, a portrait of Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk, who was known as the Baal Shem of London
Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk ( he, חיים שמואל יעקב דפאלק מרדיולה לנידו; 1708 – 17 April 1782), also known as the Baal Shem of London and Doctor Falckon, was a rabbi, '' baal shem'', and alchemist.
Biography
Falk was b ...
.
In popular media
In 2019, American funk quartet The Fearless Flyers
Vulfpeck is an American funk band founded in 2011 by Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss and Joe Dart. The band has released four extended plays, five studio albums and a live album, having released all of their music Independent music, indep ...
released an instrumental single named "The Baal Shem Tov" in honor of the rabbi.
See also
* Hasidic Judaism
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Judaism, Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory ...
* History of the Jews in Brody
The Jewish community of Brody (a city in the Lviv region of western Ukraine) was one of the oldest and best-known Jewish communities in the western part of Ukraine (and formerly in Austrian Empire / Poland up to 1939). The Jewish community of Br ...
* List of Hasidic dynasties
* Hasidim and Mitnagdim
* Tzavaat HaRivash
* Baal Shem Tov family tree
The following charts illustrate the family of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism.
The first chart shows the Baal Shem Tov's close family: his closest relatives, by blood and by marriage. This is meant to clarify the va ...
References
Further reading
The chief source for the Besht's biography is Ber (Dov) ben Shmuel’s ''Shivchei ha-Besht'', Kopys, 1814, and frequently republished, and traditions recorded in the works of various Hasidic dynasties — especially by the leaders of the Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...
movement.
* Jacob Joseph ha-Kohen, ''Toldot Yaakov Yosef''
*''Likutim Yekarim'' (''Likut'') — a collection of Hasidic doctrines
*The works of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch
* Tzava’at HaRivash Tzavaat HaRivash (Hebrew: , "Testament of the Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem") is a book of collected teachings from the Baal Shem Tov regarding Divine service, personal refinement, and understanding the Divine. The title of the book is derived from its op ...
, guidelines, doctrines and instructions for religio-ethical conduct
*Keter Shem Tov, an anthology of his teachings, compiled mainly from the works of Jacob Joseph of Polonne Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Polonne, (1710–1784) (Hebrew: ) or Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Pollonye, was one of the first and best known of the disciples of the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the Baal Shem Tov.
Biography
Yaakov Yosef (sometimes spelled Yacov Yo ...
and Likutim Yekarim.
*''Sefer Baal Shem Tov'', a two-volume anthology of his teachings compiled from over 200 Hasidic texts, and constituting the most comprehensive collection.
Tzava’at HaRivash Tzavaat HaRivash (Hebrew: , "Testament of the Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem") is a book of collected teachings from the Baal Shem Tov regarding Divine service, personal refinement, and understanding the Divine. The title of the book is derived from its op ...
and Keter Shem Tov
''Keter Shem Tov'', ( he, כתר שם טוב, "The Crown of the Good Name") was the first published work of the teachings of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. The book was published in Zalkevo, 1794, more than thirty years afte ...
are anthologies and have been reprinted numerous times. Both texts have now appeared in annotated editions with corrections of the texts. ( Tzva’at HaRivash 1975, fifth revised edition 1998; Keter Shem Tov - Hashalem
Keter ( he-a, כֶּתֶר, Keter.ogg, link=yes, ''Keṯer'', lit. "crown") also known as Kether, is the topmost of the sephirot of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Since its meaning is "crown", it is interpreted as both the "topmost" of the Sep ...
2004, second print 2008.) These new editions were edited by Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet who also added analytical introductions, notes of sources and cross-references, commentaries, supplements and indices, and were published by the Chabad publishing house Kehot
Kehot Publication Society is the publishing division of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
History
Kehot was established in 1941 by the sixth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. In 1942, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak appointed his s ...
in Brooklyn NY.
* Buxbaum, Yitzhak, ''Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov'', , Bloomsbury Academic, NY, 2005 (420 pp).
* Etkes, Immanuel, ''The Besht: Magician, Mystic, and Leader'' (The Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry) Hardcover – December 21, 2004
*Dubnow, ''Yevreiskaya Istoria'', ii. 426–431
*idem, in ''Voskhod'', viii. Nos. 5–10
*Heinrich Grätz
Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective.
Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (now Książ Wielkop ...
, ''Gesch. der Juden'', 2d ed., xi. 94–98, 546–554
*Jost, ''Gesch. des Judenthums und Seiner Sekten'', iii. 185 et seq.
*A. Kahana, ''Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem'', Jitomir, 1900
*D. Kohan, in ''Ha-Sh.'' ;ar, v. 500–504, 553–554
*Rodkinson, ''Toledot Baale Shem-Tov'';ob, Königsberg, 1876
*Schechter, ''Studies in Judaism'', 1896, pp. 1–45
*Zweifel, ''Shalom ’al-Yisrael'', i.–iii.
* Zederbaum, ''Keter Kehunah'', pp. 80–103
*Frumkin, ''’Adat Ẓaddiḳim'', Lemberg, 1860, 1865 (?)
*Israel Zangwill
Israel Zangwill (21 January 18641 August 1926) was a British author at the forefront of cultural Zionism during the 19th century, and was a close associate of Theodor Herzl. He later rejected the search for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and be ...
, ''Dreamers of the Ghetto'', pp. 221–288 (fiction).
*Chapin, David A. and Weinstock, Ben, The Road from Letichev: The history and culture of a forgotten Jewish community in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
, Volume 1. iUniverse, Lincoln, NE, 2000.
*Rabinowicz, Tzvi M. ''The Encyclopedia of Hasidism'': Jason Aronson
Jason Aronson was an American publisher of books in the field of psychotherapy. Topics dealt with in these books include child therapy, family therapy, couple therapy, object relations therapy, play therapy, depression, eating disorders, pe ...
, Inc., 1996.
*Rosman, Moshe, ''Founder of Hasidism'': Univ. of Calif. Press, 1996.
Founder of Hasidism by Moshe Rosman
*Rosman, Moshe, “Miedzyboz and Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov”, ''Zion'', Vol. 52, No. 2, 1987, p. 177-89. Reprinted within ''Essential Papers on Hasidism'' ed, G.D. Hundert , New York, 1991.
* Schochet, Jacob Immanuel, ''Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov'', Liebermann, Toronto 1961
* Schochet, Jacob Immanuel,
Tzava’at Harivash — The Testament of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov
' (annotated English translation with an introduction on the history and impact of this work and the controversy it evoked in the battle between Hasidism and its opponents), Kehot, Brooklyn NY 1998. Full text provided online
* Schochet, Jacob Immanuel, ''The Mystical Dimension'', 3 volumes, Kehot, Brooklyn NY 1990 (2nd ed. 1995)
* Sears, David, ''The Path of the Baal Shem Tov: Early Chasidic Teachings and Customs'' Jason Aronson, Queens NY 1997
*Singer, Isaac Bashevis, "''Reaches of Heaven: A Story of the Baal Shem Tov''", Faber, 1982
External links
The Baal Shem Tov Foundation
Brief biography
Tzava’at Harivash
— The Testament of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov translated to English
Baal Shem Tov minisite
on chabad.org
Map of the Baal Shem Tov and his disciple’s travels
from Routledge Publishing
Thirty Six Aphorisms of the Baal Shem Tov
Jewish Encyclopedia article
* by Dr. Henry Abramson
Henry Abramson (born 1963) is the dean of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush, New York. Before that, he served as the Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Services at Touro College's Miami branch (Touro College South). He is no ...
History of Jewish Community in Medzhibozh
Beit Hatfutsot: Heroes - Trailblazers of the Jewish People
Baal Shem Tov stories
Baal Shem Tov Foundation Story Room
Baal Shem Tov Foundation — Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baal Shem Tov
Baal Shem
1698 births
1760 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
People from Ternopil Oblast
18th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire
Hasidic rebbes
People from Medzhybizh
Panentheists
Kabbalists
Polish Hasidic rabbis