Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov,
the founder of Chassidism, was born
in a small town in Ukraine in 1698 (Elul 18,
5458 on the Jewish calendar). His
father, Rabbi Eliezer, who was a member of the secret society of
"hidden tzaddikim,"
passed away when young Israel was only five years old; his last
words to his son were, "Fear nothing but G-d alone.
Love every Jew with all your
heart and all your soul."
The young orphan would spend much of his time wandering and meditating in the
forests that surrounded his hometown; there, he one day met with one of his
father's compatriots, and eventually joined their society.
For many years, he lived disguised as a simple innkeeper and
clay-digger, his greatness known only to a very small circle of fellow mystics
and disciples. But on his 36th birthday,
he was instructed by his master to
"reveal" himself and
publicly disseminate his teachings.
Drawing from the mystical "soul of Torah,"
the Baal Shem Tov ("Master of the Good Name," as he came to be known) taught about the
spark of G-dliness that is to be found
in every creation, and about the great love that G-d has for each and every one
of His children, scholars and simple folk alike. He emphasized the importance of
joy and simple faith
in serving G-d, rather than ascetism. Initially, his
teachings encountered fierce opposition from the scholarly elite and established
leadership of the Jewish community; but many of those very scholars and communal
leaders ended up becoming his devoted disciples. When Rabbi Israel passed at
age 62 on Shavuot of 1760,
the movement he founded was well on the way to becoming the most
vital force in Jewish life.
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