Yisroel (Israel) ben Eliezer, better known as the Ba'al Shem Tov or by the acronym Besht, was the founder of the Chasidut. Of humble and obscure origins, he was introduced to the secrets of Kabbalah by Rabbi Adam Ba'al Shem of Ropczyce and other masters of practical Kabbalah. In 1734, he presented himself to the world as a ba'al shem, a "Master of the (divine) Name," the title used for holy men who could work miracles. His teachings made Kabbalah more accessible to the common Jew and emphasized ways of drawing closer to the Divine beyond the traditional framework of Torah study. As leader of the nascent Chasidic movement, he gained followers, most notably Rabbi Dov Baer, known as the Maggid of Mezeritch.
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