In Praise Of Baal Shem Tov
In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov is the first complete English translation of the tales surrounding the Besht, a rabbi and kabbalistic practitioner whose teachings bolstered the growing Hasidic movement in the eighteenth century. An important source on the life, philosophy, and mystical works of the Besht, In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov also reveals the daily life and concerns of eastern European Hasidic Jews in the late 1700s. Though portions of the book have been in print since its original...
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Who was the Baal Shem Tov? Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (1700-1760), also known as the Besht, was the legendary founder of the Hasidic movement. He taught that humans must worship and cling to God, not only during the practice of religious observances, but in all aspects of life - business, social contacts, and daily affairs. One must strive for the salvation of one's individual soul in order to bring about the redemption of the world. Little historical information is known about the Baal Shem Tov. He did not put his teachings into writing, and he opposed the attempts of others to publish his teachings. The first known document about the Baal Shem Tov, Shivhei ha-Besht, was published in Hebrew in 1814, just fifty-four years after his death. This work contained 251 tales about the Baal Shem Tov. Originally circulated orally, the stories were written down by Rabbi Dov Ber, known as the Maggid of Mezhirich, who was the son-in-law of Rabbi Alexander the Shohet, the Baal Shem Tov's scribe. It is thus probable that the oral sources of the stories were from among the Baal Shem Tov's closest circle. In fact, Rabbi Dov Ber offers the source of each story wherever possible. This authenticity has made Shivhei ha-Besht the most significant work on the Baal Shem Tov. The book has been in print in many versions - Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino - almost continuously for 180 years. It became a source for many writers, including Martin Buber, S. Y. Agnon, and Elie Wiesel. In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov: The Earliest Collection of Legends about the Founder of Hasidism is the only complete English translation of this valuable anthology. In addition to serving as a biography of the Baal Shem Tov, the tales also reflect the life of Jews in Eastern Europe during the eighteenth century and the emergence of the Hasidic movement. By bringing these legends of the Baal Shem Tov's life, personality, and mystical abilities to the modern English reader, Professors Dan Ben-Amos and Jerome R. Mintz have
Preface Translator's Note Introduction The Printer's Preface The Writer's Preface\ 1. Rabbi Eliezer\ 1a. Rabbi Eliezer: A Second Version\ 2. Rabbi Eliezer and the Viceroys Daughter\ 3. The Birth of the Besht\ 4. The Besht's Education and Youth\ 5. Rabbi Adam and the King's Banquet\ 6. The New Coat of Rabbi Adam's Wife\ 7. The Secret Manuscripts and Rabbi Adam's Son\ 8. The Besht's Marriage\ 9. The Besht and the Robbers\ 10. The Vengeful Robber\ 11.The Besht's Journey to the Holy Land\ 12. The Besht and the Frog\ 13. The Besht Serves as Rabbi Gershon's Coachman\ 14. The Besht Reveals Himself\ 15. The Rabbi Reveals Himself to the Sect of the Great Hasidim\ 16. The Besht Locks up the Secret Manuscripts\ 17. The Beginning of the Writer's Manuscript\ 18. Fingernails\ 19. The Besht's Seclusion\ 20. The Besht Exorcises a Madwoman\ 21. The Besht's Prayer Produces Rain\ 22. The Besht Curses a Madwoman\ 23. The Besht Exorcises Demons from a House\ 24. The Innkeeper's Death\ 25. The Besht Attracts Followers\ 26. The Besht and the Physician\ 27. The Besht Predicts a Need for Bloodletting\ 28. Rabbi Gershon, the Besht, and the Zohar\ 29. Elijah the Prophet Reveals Himself to the Besht\ 30. The Stolen Horse\ 31. The Besht Reveals Himself to Rabbi David of Kolomyya\ 32. The Melamed's Dream\ 33. The Delayed Homecoming\ 34. The Besht's Trembling in Prayer\ 35.The Besht's Trembling in Prayer: A Second Version\ 36. The Besht's Trembling in Prayer: A Third Version\ 37. The Besht's Trembling in Prayer: A Fourth Version\ 38. A Sincere Prayer\ 39. The Besht's Trembling in Prayer: A Fifth Version\ 40. The Dream of Rabbi Joseph Ashkenazi\ 41. The Besht in the Messiah's Heavenly Palace\ 42. The Palace of the Bird's Nest\ 43. The Besht and His Guests\ 44. The Wailing of the Shekinah\ 45. The Destruction of Balta\ 46. Rabbi Gershon Imitates the Besht\ 47. Rabbi Jacob Joseph Recognizes the Greatness of the Besht\ 48. Rabbi Jacob Joseph Is Expelled from Shargorod\ 49. The Ascetic Fasting of Rabbi Jacob Joseph\ 50. Rabbi Jacob Joseph Observes the Sabbath in Shargorod\ 51. The Protective Prayers\ 52. The Asceticism of Rabbi Jacob Joseph\ 53. The Voyage of Rabbi Gershon\ 54. Rabbi Gerson's Sin\ 55. Prayers for Rain in Jerusalem\ 56. A Quarrel in Safed\ 57. Rabbi Lipeh Quarrels with Rabbi Gedaliah\ 58. The Mocking Song\ 59. The Sick Girl\ 60. The Blood Libel\ 61. The Dance of the Hasidim\ 62. The Great Maggid and the Besht\ 63. The Death of Rabbi Eliezer Rokeah\ 64. The Book Hemdat ha-Yamin\ 65. The Dream of Rabbi Jacob Joseph\ 66. The Besht and Shabbetai Tsevi\ 67. Rabbi Isaac Drabizner\ 68. Perjury\ 69. The Oxen of Rabbi Barukh\ 70. The Stolen Halter\ 71. The Shohet Who Was a Drunkard\ 72. The Death of Rabbi Abraham the "Angel"\ 73. Rabbi Abraham as a Sandek\ 74. Rabbi Abraham as a Mohel\ 75. The Wife of Rabbi Abraham\ 76. The City of Adultery\ 77. The Advice of the Great Maggid\ 78. The Prayers of the Hasidim\ 79. The Two Brothers\ 80. Sounding Out the Nature of the Besht\ 81. The Lithuanian Jew and the Besht\ 82. The Besht and the Rabbi Sa'adyah Gaon\ 83. The Besht's Sermon\ 84. The Besht Banishes Demons\ 85. The Rabbi's Wife in Labor\ 86. The Church That Caught Fire\ 87. The Hose-Maker\ 88. The Sin of Pride\ 89. Two Hasidim Visit Hell\ 90. The Court in Heaven\ 91. The Besht and the Angel of Death\ 92. The Repentant Rich Man\ 93. The Defective Tefillin\ 94. The Tefillin Written by Rabbi Isaac\ 95. The Righteous Woman\ 96. The Righteous Woman and Her Sons\ 97. The Blessing of Rabbi Pinhas\ 98. The Besht's Combat with a Witch\ 99. A Choice of Punishment\ 100. The Revenant\ 101. The Redemption of Sparks\ 102. The Reader's Stand of Rabbi Samson\ 103. The Dismissed Arrendator\ 104. The Besht's Devekut\ 105. The Besht Resuscitates a Child\ 106. The Magical Enkindling of a Tree\ 107. The Choice\ 108. The Fish and the Dog\ 109. The Dance of Rabbi Yudel\ 110. Rabbi Nachman's Sigh\ 111. Rabbi Nachman's Prayer\ 112. Rabbi Jacob Joseph's Prayer\ 113. Pure Prayers\ 114. The Interruptions of the Besht's Vision\ 115. Rabbi Leib's Death\ 116. Rabbi Aaron in Heaven\ 117. The Sick Woman\ 118. The Adulterer\ 119. The Besht Cures by Bloodletting\ 120. The Death of Rabbi Joseph the Melamed\ 121. The Parable of the Dog\ 122. The Present Generation\ 123. A Dowry\ 124. Rabbi Abraham and the Besht\ 125. A Combat in Magic\ 126. A Combat in Magic: A Second Version\ 127. The Jewish Thief\ 128. The Besht's Funeral\ 129. Rabbi Nahman Travels to the Holy Land\ 130. Rabbi Mendele Visits With Rabbi Jacob Joseph\ 131. The Prayers of Rabbi Mendele and Rabbi Fridel\ 132. The Heavy Load of Honor\ 133. Rabbi Nachman's Cold Mikveh\ 134. Iniquities and Prayers\ 135. The Preacher's Sermon\ 136. A Madman Feigns Death\ 137. The Martyrs\ 138. The Adulterous Woman\ 139. The Delayed Homecoming: A Second Version\ 140. The Besht, the Merchant, and the Robbers\ 141. The Besht Discharges a Shohet\ 142. The Optimism of Rabbi Nahman\ 143. Rabbi Nahman Prays Minah\ 144. Feeling the Tefillin\ 145. The Height of Prayer\ 146. Ascension to Heaven\ 147. The Besht's Second Coming\ 148. The Perpetual Error\ 149. The Ring\ 150. Rabbi Motil\ 151. Rabbi Gershon's Enemies\ 152. The Wandering Soul\ 153. Dream Teaching\ 154. The Forbidden City\ 155. The Hunchback\ 156. The Forbidden Country\ 157. The Spiritual Cure\ 158. The Stolen Stockings\ 159. Writing Down the Besht's Torah\ 160. The Besht and his Son\ 161. The Generosity of the Besht\ 162. The Demons\ 163. The Guest Who Snored\ 164. The Impure House\ 165. The Preacher Who Spoke Evil of the Jews\ 166. The Dead Man in Hell\ 167. The Servant's Evil Thoughts\ 168. "Streams of Wisdom"\ 169. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Nahman\ 170. The Contaminated Bed\ 171. Rabbi Tsevi's Dream\ 172. The Protective Tefillin\ 173. Rabbi Jehiel Mikhel\ 174.The War Between the Greeks and the Ishmaelites\ 175. The Flickering Candle\ 176. The Poverty and Generosity of the Besht\ 177. The Shabbetian Shohet\ 178. The Hen Shohet\ 179. The Melamed's Death\ 180. The Invisibility of the Besht\ 181. Rabbi Moses' Death\ 182. Rabbi Zusman\ 183. The Death of the Arrendator's Wife\ 184. The Bastard\ 185. Praying Word for Word with the Besht\ 186. The Defective Mezuzah\ 187. The Amulet\ 188. The Devoted Weaver\ 189. The Turnip\ 190. Two Rabbis David\ 191. The Angel Hadarniel\ 192. The Young Martyr\ 193. Rabbi Gershon in the Holy Land\ 194. Storytelling and Ma'aseh Merkavah\ 195. Man in the World\ 196. The Demon\ 197. Competing for the Arrendeh\ 198. The Imprisonment of Israel Shafir\ 199. The Preacher Cancels Charges Against a Rabbi\ 200. The Sermon of Rabbi Moses\ 201. The Angels' Request\ 202. Rabbi Moses the Mohel\ 203. The Besht Chokes on his Food\ 204. A Charm for Easy Delivery\ 205. Heavenly Garments\ 206. The Besht in the Mikveh\ 207. The Kind Boy\ 208. Gematria\ 209. Rabbi Nahman of Kosov\ 210. The Flight of the Besht\ 211. The Chief Arrendators\ 212. A Tenth for a Minyan\ 213. The Fall of the Chief Arrendators\ 214. The Bear\ 215. The Exceptional Horse\ 216. The Death of Rabbi David Forkes\ 217. A Brand Plucked Out of the Fire\ 218. The Rabbi's Lolkeh\ 219. The Hasid who Prayed in the Fields\ 220. The Besht Saves a Drowning Man\ 221. The Council of Four Lands\ 222. The Blessing of a Poor Man\ 223. "The Hour has Come But Not the Man"\ 224. Jonah\ 225. The Three Brothers\ 226. Hearing at Will\ 227. The Sinner\ 228. Rabbi Nahman and the Besht\ 229. The Besht as Rabbi's Nahman's Guest\ 230. The Parable of the King's Crown\ 231. The Blind Boy\ 232. The Paralyzed Woman\ 233. The Son Who Hit His Father\ 234. Charity\ 235. The Besht Prevents a Blood Libel\ 236. The Gentile Who Blessed the Jews\ 237. The Language of the Animals\ 238. The Loose Woman\ 239. The Besht and the Old Priest\ 240. Rabbi Isaac of Berdichev\ 241. Rabbi David Forkes' Dream\ 242. A Glass of Wine\ 243. The Besht's Dinner\ 244. The Besht Resuscitates a Child: A Second Version\ 245. The Doctor\ 246. The Careless Shohet\ 247. The Besht's Death\ 248. Rabbi Leib Kessler's Offer\ 249. The Besht's Son\ 250. The Fish and the Dog: A Second Version\ 251. The Burning of Rabbi Jacob Joseph's Books Glossary A Selected Bibliography The Legends and Their Sources Index of Motifs Notes Index
