orig. Israel ben Eliezer
born 0441; 1700, probably Tluste, Podolia, Pol.
died 1760, Medzhibozh
Charismatic founder of Hasidism ( 0441; 1750).
An orphan, he worked in synagogues and yeshivas, and when he retired to the Carpathian Mountains to engage in mystical speculation he gained a reputation as a baal shem , or healer. From 0441; 1736 he lived in the village of Medzhibozh and devoted himself to spiritual pursuits. He was widely known as the Besh 1E6D; , an acronym of Ba 02BD; al Shem 1E6C; ov. He rejected the asceticism of older rabbis and focused on communion with God, service of God in everyday tasks, and rescue of the sparks of divinity that, according to the Kabbala , are trapped in the material world. His discourses during Sabbath meals have been preserved; he left no writings of his own. He made a point of conversing with simple working people. Hasidism brought about a social and religious upheaval in Judaism, establishing a mode of worship marked by new rituals and religious ecstasy.