 Rabbi
Yisroel (Israel) ben Eliezer (רבי ישראל בן אליעזר August
27, 1698 (18 Elul) – May 22, 1760), often called Baal
Shem Tov or Besht, was a Jewish mystical rabbi. He is
considered to be the founder of Hasidic Judaism (see
also Mezhbizh Hasidic dynasty).
The Besht was born to Eliezer and Sara in Okopy
(Ukrainian: Окопи) a small village that over the
centuries has been part of Poland, Russia, and is now
part of Ukraine, (located in the Borshchivskyi Raion
(district) of the Ternopil Oblast). He died in
Medzhybizh, (Ukrainian: Меджибіж, Polish: Międzybórz,
Międzyborz or Międzybóż, Yiddish: מעזשביזש), which had
once been part Poland and Russia, and is also now in
Ukraine, in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast (not to be confused
with other cities of the same name).
The Besht is better known to many religious Jews as "the
holy Baal Shem" (der heyliger baal shem in Yiddish), or
most commonly, the Baal Shem Tov (בעל שם טוב). The title
Baal Shem Tov is usually translated into English as
"Master of the Good Name", with Tov ("Good") modifying
Shem ("[Divine] Name"), although it is more correctly
understood as a combination of Baal Shem ("Master of the
[Divine] Name") and Tov (an honorific epithet to the
man). The name Besht (בעש"ט) — the acronym from the
words comprising that name, bet ayin shin tes—is
typically used in print rather than speech. The
appellation "Baal Shem" was not unique to Rabbi Yisroel
ben Eliezer; however, it is Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer
who is most closely identified as a "Baal Shem", as he
was the founder of the spiritual movement of Hasidic
Judaism.
The little biographical information that is known about
Besht is so interwoven with legends of miracles that in
many cases it is hard to arrive at the historical facts.
From the numerous legends connected with his birth it
appears that his parents were poor, upright, and pious.
When he was orphaned, his community cared for him. At
school, he distinguished himself only by his frequent
disappearances, being always found in the lonely woods
surrounding the place, rapturously enjoying the beauties
of nature. Many of his disciples believed that he came
from the Davidic line tracing its lineage to the royal
house of King David, and by extension with the
institution of the Jewish Messiah.
Torah Gems - Baal Shem Tov |
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