the Besht • Rivash • the Baal Shem Tov
Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov
Era of the AcharonimRabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov (the Besht), was the founder of the Hasidic movement and one of the most formative spiritual figures in modern Jewish history. He was born in the Podolia region of Eastern Europe at the close of the seventeenth century and live…
Biography
Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov (the Besht), was the founder of the Hasidic movement and one of the most formative spiritual figures in modern Jewish history. He was born in the Podolia region of Eastern Europe at the close of the seventeenth century and lived in a time of despair and crisis among the Jews of Eastern Europe in the aftermath of the Tach ve-Tat persecutions. He developed a spiritual path that emphasized joy, love of one’s fellow, and nearness to God as something accessible to every Jew, regardless of scholarly standing. His teachings spread rapidly throughout Eastern Europe and became a broad-based movement that transformed the face of Jewish life for generations.
Life Story
Childhood
Israel was born to Eliezer and Sarah in the village of Okopy in Podolia. His father died when he was still a child, and he was left an orphan in poverty. According to Hasidic tradition, even in his youth he showed a tendency toward solitude and spiritual elevation, and would lead the village children to school while teaching them prayers. Much of his life in this period remains shrouded in mystery, and most of what is known comes from later Hasidic sources.
Teachers
Hasidic tradition relates that he studied under Rabbi Adam Baal Shem, a mysterious kabbalist who transmitted to him secrets of the hidden Torah. It is also said that he learned from and was influenced by the Ari and the kabbalists of Safed through revelations of Elijah and mystical ascent of the soul. At the same time, he did not belong to the formal scholarly institutions of his age.
Students
His foremost disciples included the Maggid of Mezritch, who succeeded him as leader; Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Polonne, author of Toldot Yaakov Yosef, the first Hasidic book; Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz; Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotshov; and many others. After his passing, his disciples disseminated his teachings and turned Hasidism into a movement that embraced the wider Jewish people.
Family
His parents were Eliezer and Sarah, both of whom died during his childhood. He married Hannah, and his only son was Rabbi Tzvi, who briefly succeeded him. His daughter Udl married Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim, and from her descended several great Hasidic leaders. His most famous grandson was Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
Key Events
Around the year 1736, the Baal Shem Tov emerged as a spiritual leader and wonder-worker. He began traveling among the towns of Podolia on journeys that became known as the “travels of the Baal Shem Tov,” during which he met simple Jews and offered them encouragement and blessings. His conflict with Rabbi Gershon of Kitov, who sought to drive him out of the town, and the Baal Shem Tov’s spiritual triumph, are regarded as a milestone in the establishment of Hasidism.
Miracles
Hasidic tradition attributes to him countless miracles and wonders: healing the sick, revealing hidden matters, the ascent of the soul to heaven, and conversing with souls. His title, “Baal Shem Tov,” derives from his role as a baal shem—one who made use of sacred names and amulets. Yet he himself stressed that the essential thing was service of the heart, not miracles.
Influence
The Baal Shem Tov’s influence on Judaism has been immense and enduring. The Hasidic movement he founded transformed Ashkenazic Judaism, placed the rebbe at the center of communal life, elevated prayer and inward devotion to supreme importance, and drew the ordinary Jew close. Within a single generation, Hasidism spread throughout most of Eastern European Jewry, creating courts and traditions that continue to this day. Even the Mitnagdic movement, which arose in response to Hasidism, was shaped in reaction to it.
Death
The Baal Shem Tov passed away in Medzhybizh on Shavuot, 6th of Sivan 5520 (21 May 1760), at approximately the age of sixty-two. He was buried in the town’s old Jewish cemetery, and his gravesite became a place of pilgrimage for Hasidim and worshippers from around the world. He was succeeded by the Maggid of Mezritch, who greatly expanded the movement.
Writings
Keter Shem Tov
ה'תקנ"דHasidism, Jewish thought
The first anthology of sayings and teachings attributed to the Baal Shem Tov, printed in 1794 and gathering material transmitted in his name. The work serves as an entryway to the study of his teachings.
Sefer Baal Shem Tov
ה'תק"סHasidism, homiletics
A more comprehensive collection of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings on the Torah and the festivals, bringing his discourses together in an organized form.
Iggeret Aliyat HaNeshamah
Kabbalah, Jewish thought
A short epistle attributed to the Baal Shem Tov, dealing with the mystery of the soul’s ascent during sleep and at the time of the bedtime recitation of the Shema.
His Way and Views
Torah Study
The Baal Shem Tov emphasized that the Torah was given to every Jew, not only to those who study in the tents of the yeshivah. He saw in every letter and every word a spiritual level that gives life to the soul. At the same time, his disciples followed his path in shaping a living Torah, one that is not merely studied but experienced.
Halacha
Although he was a wonder-worker and kabbalist, the Baal Shem Tov did not seek to set aside halakhah, but to live it fully. He taught that the commandments should be fulfilled with joy and inward intention, and that they should be seen as a personal relationship with the Creator. His Hasidic path bound halakhic practice together with inner devotion.
Faith
At the center of his teaching stands simple and pure faith, dwelling in the heart of every Jew. He believed that every Jew, even the simplest, is bound at the root of the soul to his God. The Holy One, blessed be He, is to be found not only in the details of halakhah, but in every moment of daily life.
Ethics
The Baal Shem Tov insisted on boundless love of Israel and on seeing the good in every person. He was broad-hearted toward the sinner no less than toward the righteous, and saw in every Jew a holy spark. Humility and joy stood at the center of his way of life and leadership.
Customs
In his time, prayer performed with inward intention and joy was renewed, and the Hasidic melody became a vehicle for the soul’s elevation. He encouraged hitbodedut—solitary communion with God—in fields and forests in order to draw close to the Creator. Great value was attached to Sabbath and festival meals, and to song and dance as modes of divine service.
Character
His personality was reserved and humble, yet filled with warmth and love. He avoided outward display, yet cherished every Jew. His patience and gentleness drew people of every social stratum to him.
Public Role
The Baal Shem Tov created a new form of Jewish public life: the community came to be centered around the tzaddik, and not only around a scholarly elite. He drew near the common people who had felt excluded, and established the rebbe as a spiritual leader concerned alike with body and soul.
Famous Quotes
"When your soul falls from a lofty height, cast yourself upon the heights of mercy."
"Everything you see, you see through the power of His divinity, may He be blessed."
"A person must always be joyful, for only through joy can one serve God as is fitting."
"Love the people of Israel whether you see good deeds in them or whether you do not."
"Where a person’s thought is, there he is entirely."
Famous Stories
It is related that in his youth the Baal Shem Tov worked as a teacher of small children, and would bring them to the synagogue and teach them verses. Though he was not yet regarded as a great scholar at that time, he awakened in the children a genuine fear of Heaven.
It is told of the Baal Shem Tov that he was able to ascend to heaven and converse with souls, yet he was careful to conceal his greatness. Once his disciples asked him why he did not reveal his spiritual stature, and he answered: “If I were to reveal it, they would follow me for who I am, and not for the sake of the blessed God.”
He once said: How can a person love all Israel? By seeing in every Jew a divine spark, and remembering that he himself still stands in need of repair.
Students
Teachers
Grave Site
Grave Details
- Grave Name
- The gravesite of the Baal Shem Tov, Medzhybizh
- City
- Medzhybizh (Mezhibozh)
- Country
- Ukraine
Timeline
Birth of Israel ben Eliezer in the village of Okopy in Podolia
He settles in Tluste and serves as a teacher while assisting in his wife’s business affairs
He emerges as a spiritual leader and wonder-worker; the beginning of his travels through the towns of Podolia
He settles in Medzhybizh, his permanent residence and the center of the Hasidic movement over which he presides
His passing in Medzhybizh and burial in the old cemetery; the Maggid of Mezritch succeeds him as leader of the movement
Publication of Keter Shem Tov, the first printed anthology of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings
Legacy
The Baal Shem Tov is the father of Hasidism, one of the most influential spiritual movements in the history of the Jewish people. His teachings, transmitted through his disciples, have become the heritage of millions of Jews throughout the world. Numerous Hasidic courts, from Breslov and Gur to Chabad and Karlin, regard him as their source. His gravesite in Medzhybizh is a pilgrimage destination, and his teachings continue to awaken souls in our own day.