Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, teaches a piety of joy, prayer, and cleaving to God open to ordinary Jews; his disciples spread Hasidism across Eastern Europe, remaking its religious life and provoking the Mitnagdic opposition.
Tagged: Revival Jewish Orthodox Judaism
The Event
- Date
- c. 1700–1760 (approximate)
- Era
- Early Modern; Standard periodization of Jewish history
- Location
- Podolia; today Ukraine
- Traditions
- Judaism
- Streams
- Orthodox Judaism
- Key figures
- Baal Shem Tov, Dov Ber of Mezeritch
- Key texts
- Toldot Yaakov Yosef (1780)
Primary Sources
- Shivhei ha-Besht (In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov)
Secondary Sources
- Goodman, A History of Judaism (Princeton, 2018)
- Johnson, A History of the Jews (Harper, 1987)
Provenance: HIST-0122; confidence 0.85; accessed 2026-10-27.
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