Overview

Founded in Eastern Burope in the eighteenth century, the Hasidic movement dramatically transformed modern Judaism. The figure of the Ba'al Shem Tov (known in acronym form as the BeSHT) - the purported founder of the Hasidic movement - has fascinated scholars, Jewish philosophers, and laypeople interested in popular Jewish mysticism in general and the contemporary Hasidic movement in all its variety. In this volume, Immanuel Etkes enters a rich and heated debate over the origins of the movement, as well as the historicity of its mythic founder, Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, who lived much of his life as a miracle worker. The eighteenth century, as Etkes vividly portrays, was the heyday of the kabbalists, who dabbled in the magical power of letters and words to solve personal and communal problems. Etkes sheds light on the personality of the Besht, on his mysticism, and on his close circle of followers. Equally important, he challenges the popular myth of the Besht as a childlike mystic, wandering the fields in prayer, seeing visions and engaging in acts of godliness and piety. According to Etkes, it was never the intention of the Besht to found a religious movement. Although Etkes shows great empathy for his subject, the Besht who emerges in these pages is much more down to earth, much more a man of his times.

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9781584654223

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Reviews

Immanuel Etkes has produced a major, highly erudite re-evaluation of the Besht that both clarifies and clearly contextualizes the work of many earlier scholars, and as well presents a well-documented and deeply learned portrait of the still-mysterious Israel Baal Shem Tov. This book is essential reading for those working in the field of East European Judaism, as well as for anyone interested in the origins and early history of Hasidism. --Allan Nadler, The Journal of the Association for Jewish Studies

Etkes' book is less of a biography than an analysis, an attempt to understand who and what the Besht was within the context of his times . . . I was particularly intrigued and impressed by the section on the Besht as a mystic and a pioneer. --Jewish Book World Different understandings and portrayals of the Besht abound in the works of scholars . . . Etkes's book makes an important and valuable contribution to our understanding and in many ways goes beyond the efforts of previous scholars. --Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter Etkes' full control of the relevant historical and religious material makes this a major study that will influence all subsequent discussion. --Choice Immanuel Etkes has produced a major, highly erudite re-evaluation of the Besht that both clarifies and clearly contextualizes the work of many earlier scholars, and as well presents a well-documented and deeply learned portrait of the still-mysterious Israel Baal Shem Tov. This book is essential reading for those working in the field of East European Judaism, as well as for anyone interested in the origins and early history of Hasidism. --Allan Nadler, The Journal of the Association for Jewish Studies

Author Information

Immanuel Etkes is the Bella and Israel Unterberg Professor of History of the Jewish People and Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He has published acclaimed monographs on the lives of major Jewish religious figures, including the The Gaon of Vilna: The Man and His Image (2002).

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