Baal Shem Tov
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 17th and 18th Centuries
- Categories: Religion, Ethics
- Subcategories: Theology, Theologians, Teaching, Teachers, Judaism, Jews, Synagogues, Temples
- Curriculum: 18th Century European History, Eastern European History
Article abstract: Baal Shem Tov brought Eastern European Jewry out of a long period of decay and spread a rejuvenated religious outlook through society. He founded the modern Hasidic branch of Judaism.
Early Life
The man known as Baal Shem Tov, which means “master of the good name,” was born Israel ben Eliezer in the village of Okup in the Polish Ukraine, one of the strongholds of Judaism from the Middle Ages, with Jewish schools, community organizations, and businesses active throughout. Israel’s parents were poor and elderly, and they died when...
[The entire page is 1943 words long]