This book goes farther than any previous work in uncovering the historical Israel ben Eliezer―known as the Ba'al Shem Tov, or the Besht―the eighteenth-century Polish-Jewish mystic who profoundly influenced the shape of modern Judaism. As the progenitor of Hasidism, the Ba'al Shem Tov is one of the key figures in Jewish history; to understand him is to understand an essential element of modern Jewish life and religion. Because evidence about his life is scanty and equivocal, the Besht has long eluded historians and biographers. Much of what is believed about him is based on stories compiled more than a generation after his death, many of which serve to mythologize rather than describe their subject. Rosman's study casts a bright new light on the traditional stories about the Besht, confirming and augmenting some, challenging others. By concentrating on accounts attributable directly to the Besht or to contemporary eyewitnesses, Rosman provides a portrait drawn from life rather than myth. In addition, documents in Polish and Hebrew discovered by Rosman during the research for this book enable him to give the first detailed description of the cultural, social, economic, and political context of the Ba'al Shem Tov's life. "The only scholarly book, in any language, that deals with the figure of the Besht in a detailed, profound, and very documented manner. Dr. Rosman has mapped the background of the life and activity of the Besht, using unknown material, penetrating analysis, and a broader perspective regarding Jewish history in Poland. . . . A very remarkable achievement."Moshe Idel, Hebrew University "The subject is crucial; the approach is bold and brilliantly chosen. The result is a persuasive revision of a fundamental chapter in the Jewish experience."Gershon Hundert, McGill University "The only scholarly book, in any language, that deals with the figure of the Besht in a detailed, profound, and very documented manner. Dr. Rosman has mapped the background of the life and activity of the Besht, using unknown material, penetrating analysis, and a broader perspective regarding Jewish history in Poland. . . . A very remarkable achievement."―Moshe Idel, Hebrew University "The subject is crucial; the approach is bold and brilliantly chosen. The result is a persuasive revision of a fundamental chapter in the Jewish experience."―Gershon Hundert, McGill University Moshe Rosman teaches Jewish History at Bar Ilan University and is the author of The Lords' Jews: Magnate-Jewish Relations in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1990), among other works. Founder of Hasidism: A Quest for the Historical Ba'al Shem Tov By Moshe Rosman University of California Press Copyright © 1996 Moshe Rosman All right reserved. ISBN: 0520201914 Chapter One Ba'al Shem Tov Scholarly biographical descriptions of Israel ben Eliezer contain a few points on which there is at least a consensus. Most writers agree that he lived from approximately 1700 to 1760 and was a person of humble origins who eventually merited the appellation Ba'al Shem Tov (the Besht), which translates as "Master of the Good Name" (the precise meaning of this title has been the subject of some discussion; see below).1 The Besht had certain mystical powers and was known as a nonascetic, pneumatic-ecstatic who projected charismatic appeal. He involved himself in the problems of everyday life and communicated with people through folksy discussion and the telling of stories. He was in some sense the founder of the movement that became known as Hasidism.2 Beyond these basic points, however, there is little agreement about most aspects of the Besht's biography. Scholars dispute whether the Besht became prominent as a result of the spiritual devotion he personified and inspired or as a result of his healing and magical abilities. Some denied that he claimed or utilized magical or theurgic abilities, while others theorized that at some point he ceased to employ them. There were those who called him a vulgar ignoramus and those who styled him a profound and original religious figure comparable to Buddha, Jesus, or Spinoza. With regard to the details of his activity, there are many questions with multiple answers, and each implied answer has had its proponents.3 Did the Besht create a new movement, or redirect an existing movement, or have nothing to do with a movement? Did he establish institutions? Was his stance toward the rabbinic/communal establishment approving or disapproving, and did his position change over time? Were his followers marginal people, the "common people," second-class intelligentsia and clergy, or first-rank mystics and scholars? Was the Besht's public activity primarily religious, or did it focus on social and political issues as well? Did he inaugurate a new path in religious life or simply realize traditional ideals in a more successful way? Was he populist or elitist or some combination of the two? How much attention d