The Ba’al Shem Tov brought about a return to the most basic tenets of Judaism: faith in God, love of God, love of one’s fellow Jews, and fear of Heaven. In doing so, he revolutionized the Jewish world. Many people, whether educated or ignorant, poor or rich, distinguished or simple, were drawn to his approach. His most outstanding students grew particularly close to him and formed the group with whom he would pray, speak about what it means to serve God, produce original Torah ideas, and travel throughout Europe helping Jews with both physical and spiritual matters. After his death, the members of this group disseminated the traditions that they had learned from him, some orally and some in writing. As a result, hasidic ideas spread throughout eastern Europe and the movement grew and was a powerful influence on subsequent generations.

The Ba’al Shem Tov (1698–1760) established the movement of Hasidism. He was born in Wallachia, Romania, and was orphaned at a young age. He lived in the towns of Tovste, Brody, and Kuty, and would seclude himself in the Carpathian Mountains. He earned his living as a ritual slaughterer, schoolteacher, caretaker of a synagogue, and mystical folk healer (this is the meaning of baal shem). The Ba’al Shem Tov became one of the community leaders of Medzhybizh, Ukraine, which is where he died, on the festival of Shavuot.

He did not leave behind any writings except for letters he wrote to his students. In one of his letters, he told his brother-in-law that his own soul had ascended to the hall of the messiah. The Ba’al Shem Tov asked the messiah when he will arrive in this world, and he replied, “when your ideas are revealed and become known…and your wellsprings flow outward.” The Ba’al Shem Tov gained fame due to both his ideas and his character. His ideas constitute the foundation of Hasidism: God can be found in the physical reality of this world, and every single person is capable of serving Him, anytime and anywhere.

The Ba’al Shem Tov was revered by both Torah scholars and ordinary people because of his prayers and teachings, as well as the wonders he performed. His reputation spread rapidly throughout the Jewish world. He would travel to Jewish towns to inspire and reignite the people’s connection to Torah and mitzvot. He would preach love of other people, wholehearted fulfillment of the mitzvot, and love and fear of God. The book Shivĥei HaBesht (Besht is an acronym for Ba’al Shem Tov) describes his life, deeds, and character. The books Ba’al Shem Tov Al HaTorah, Keter Shem Tov, and Tzava’at HaRivash contain his Torah discourses, which were recorded by his students.

From the Ba’al Shem Tov:

It is a great kindness from God that a person remains alive after prayer. According to the laws of nature, he should die, because he loses his strength, as he expends so much energy in prayer due to his mystical intentions.

Rabbi Dov Ber (1710–1772), the Maggid of Mezeritch, was born in Lokachi, Poland, and studied with Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua Falk, the author of Penei Yehoshua. He served as a maggid, one who gives sermons and admonishes the community, in several towns. Before meeting the Ba’al Shem Tov he had already studied both the revealed and mystical aspects of the Torah extensively, but the Ba’al Shem Tov made him see that his learning lacked soul; the Ba’al Shem Tov breathed new life into his Torah.

After the death of the Ba’al Shem Tov, Rabbi Dov Ber lived in the town of Mezeritch and became the unofficial leader of the hasidic movement. His mobility was limited due to a medical problem with his legs, so he could not travel and his students had to come to him. There are numerous historical accounts of encounters people had with the Maggid. His discourses appear in the books Or Torah and Maggid Devarav LeYaakov, as well as in the works of his students. He died in Mezeritch.

During his lifetime, a powerful movement of opponents to Hasidism and the changes that it stood for arose. These opponents of Hasidism came to be known as mitnaggedim, meaning “those who object.” Rabbi Dov Ber worked assiduously to refute their objections.

From Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch:

For God, the past and the future are equal, because He is beyond time. Before the Jewish people existed, every saintly person was revealed before Him, together with all their deeds and Torah discourses. As soon as the idea of Israel arose before Him, it was more delightful to Him than all the saintly people and their deeds.

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye (1710–1782) was born in Sharhorod, Ukraine, and served as a rabbinical judge in Rascov and Polnoye, in Poland. His writings are Toledot Yaakov Yosef, on the Torah, and Ben Porat Yosef, a collection of sermons. As one of the closest disciples of the Ba’al Shem Tov, he expounds the Torah of his teacher in these works. He deals extensively with the role of the saintly individual, who elevates his surroundings, bringing about connection to God.

Before meeting the Ba’al Shem Tov, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye was mainly engaged in studying halakha and Kabbala, and would fast often, living the life of an ascetic. After he met the Ba’al Shem Tov, he learned to appreciate the simple Jew’s connection to the mitzvot; to value humility and fear of Heaven over wisdom, which leads to pride; and to prefer the joy derived from the mitzvot over afflictions and fasting. The mitnaggedim banned his books, even burning them publicly and writing letters condemning him. The works of the Ba’al HaToledot, as Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye was known, reflect the essence of early hasidic thought.

From Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye:

A person is created from matter and form, and these are opposites. Matter is limited by the physical, the outer shell, whereas form desires that which is spiritual. Human beings were created in order to make form out of matter, merging them into one entity. Just as this is the purpose of the individual, the same is true with regard to the entire Jewish people.

Rabbi Pinĥas of Koritz (1726–1792) was born in Shklow, Belarus, to a distinguished family of rabbis. He lived in the towns of Koritz, Ostroh, and Shepetivka, which is where he died. He was one of the older students of the Ba’al Shem Tov, and was a good friend of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye and Rabbi Yeĥiel Mikhel of Zloczow.

Although his descendants owned a printing house in Slavita, they did not publish his works, because they had received a tradition that they should not do so. Notes from some of his Torah insights were compiled in the book Midrash Pinĥas, and his halakhic analyses were published in Givat Pinĥas. He also studied Hebrew grammar and philosophy, and was known for his sharp intelligence.

From Rabbi Pinĥas of Koritz:

There are some people whose thoughts and movements are very quick and who do not have a settled mind…. They burn whatever they are thinking, and therefore their thoughts are not realized.