Yoel Baal Shem ( he, ר' יואל בעל שם הראשון) was an Orthodox Jewish scholar of
Halacha and
Kabbalah who lived in
Zamość during the 17th century. He became renowned as a
Baal Shem () for performing miracles,
commanding demons
and authoring Kabalistic amulets.
Background
Rabbi
Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880–1950) writes in his memoirs
that Yoel's father was Yisrael Yosef, a disciple of Rabbi
Mordecai Yoffe. Sometime after the latter's passing in 1612 he moved to Zamosc. A year after his arrival to Zamosc he had a son and named him Yoel. Yoel learned for 5 years in the Yeshiva of Rabbi
Joel Sirkis (
Hebrew: יואל סירקיש) (possibly in
Liuboml) who was a
Halachist
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...
and adherent of Kabbalah.
Yoel married before the age of 20 and started learning Kabbalah. Upon a dream, Yisrael Yosef sent his son Yoel to
Prague to learn kabbalah from Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem. Yoel became one of the closest students of Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem who confided all his special teaching to him. Yoel returned to Zamosc and opened a Yeshiva there which became renowned for teaching both and ''
nistar''.
Reb Yoel had a son Uri who learned in the Yeshiva of Rabbi
David HaLevi Segal
David ha-Levi Segal (c. 1586 – 20 February 1667), also known as the Turei Zahav (abbreviated Taz ()) after the title of his significant ''halakhic'' commentary on the ''Shulchan Aruch'', was one of the greatest Polish rabbinical authorities.
...
(author of the ''Turei Zahav'') in
Ostroh ( uk, Остро́г; russian: Остро́г, Ostrog, pl, Ostróg). After the latters passing, he went to learn for another six years under Rabbi
Avraham Gombiner (Hebrew: אברהם אבלי הלוי גומבינר) (author of ''Magen Avraham'') in
Kalisz.
Upon Uri's marriage, Rabbi Yoel appointed him as
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
for Nigla studies, whilst he remained Rosh Yeshiva for Nistar. He was Rosh yeshiva for some 50 years.
Teachings and Legacy
Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem (I) was initiated by his teacher
Rabbi Elijah Baal Shem into a group of nistarim known as Machane Yisrael. He was the teacher of Rabbi
Adam Baal Shem According to Hasidic legend, Rabbi Adam Baal Shem of Ropczyce ( he, אָדָם נחום בַּעַל שֵׁם מרוֹפְּשִׁיץ) was a Rabbi and Jewish mysticism, Mystic who lead a group of Hidden Tzadikim Nistarim, Tzaddikim called Machane Y ...
of
Ropczyce ( yi, ראָפּשיץ) who instructed Rabbi
Israel Baal Shem Tov
Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...
in Kabbalah.
Stories and teachings of Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem (I) can be found in various kabbalistic ''
sefarim
''Sifrei Kodesh'' ( he, ספרי קודש, , Holy books), commonly referred to as ''sefarim'' ( he, ספרים, , books), or in its singular form, ''sefer'', are books of Jewish religious literature and are viewed by religious Jews as sacred. T ...
'',
especially in two ''sefarim'', ''Mifalos Elokim''
and ''Toldos Adam''
which earned the
imprimatur of his grandson, Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem (II), the son of Uri.
Rabbi Yeshaya Heilprin, son of Yoel Helprin (II), was also a kabbalist and expert in kabbalistic amulets.
References
{{reflist, 30em
Baal Shem
Kabbalists
Rabbis
Place of birth unknown
Year of birth unknown
Date of death unknown