Baal Shem Tov

Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov ("Master of the Good Name"), was a Jewish mystic and spiritual leader in 18th-century Eastern Europe, widely regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism.

He emphasized joyful worship, sincere prayer, spiritual devotion (devekut), and the belief that every Jew, regardless of education or social status, could develop a close relationship with God.

His teachings inspired a major religious revival among Ashkenazi Jews, spreading throughout Eastern Europe through his disciples and their successors. The Hasidic movement became one of the most influential developments in modern Jewish religious history and continues to shape Jewish communities worldwide.