Baal Shem Tov
| Baal Shem Tov | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Yisroel ben Eliezer |
| Signature |  |
| Main work |
Keter Shem Tov Tzavaat HaRivash |
| Born | Circa 1700 Okopy Świętej Trójcy, Podolian Voivodeship, Kingdom of Poland |
| Died | 22 May 1760 (6 Sivan 5520) Międzybóż, Podolian Voivodeship, Kingdom of Poland |
| Buried | Międzybóż, Kingdom of Poland |
| Successor | Dov Ber of Mezritsh (1704–1772) |
| Father | Eliezer |
| Mother | Sara |
| Wife | Chana |
| Children | Tsvi of Pinsk (1729–1779) Udel (1720–1787) |
Rabbi Yisroel (Israel) ben Eliezer (born circa 1700, died 22 May 1760), often called Baal Shem Tov (/ˌbɑːl ˈʃɛm ˌtʊv/ or /ˌtʊf/) or Besht, was a Jewish mystical rabbi. He is considered to be the founder of Hasidic Judaism (see also Mezhbizh Hasidic dynasty).
The Besht is better known to many religious Jews as "the holy Baal Shem" or "Baal Shem Tov", meaning "Master of the Good Name" or perhaps "one with a good reputation". The name Besht — an acronym from the Hebrew letters bet ayin shin tet—is typically used in print rather than speech. The appellation "Baal Shem" was not unique to Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer, but it is he who is most closely identified as "The Baal Shem Tov", as he was the founder of the spiritual movement of Hasidic Judaism.
The little biographical information that is known about Besht comes from oral traditions handed down by his pupils (Jacob Joseph of Polonnoye and others) and the legendary tales about his life and behavior which were collected in Shivḥei ha-Besht (In Praise of the Ba’al Shem Tov; Kapust and Berdichev, 1814–15).
The attitude of the Hasidim towards these legends is a blend of suspicion and belief. The Rebbe Shlomo of Rodomsk pithily declared, "Whoever believes all the miracle stories about the Baal Shem Tov in Shivhei HaBaal Shem Tov is a fool, but whoever denies that he could have done them is an apikoros [a heretic]." Similarly, the Rebbe Mordechai of Neshkiz explains, "Even if a story about him never actually occurred, and there was no such miracle, it was in the power of the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be a blessing for the life of the World-to-Come, to perform everything."
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