The Maggid: Divine Sparks and Tales of the Baal Shem Tov

Nearly twenty-five years ago, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, may his memory be a blessing, shared with Richard Stone a tale about the Baal Shem Tov and a disciple who went on to become a Maggid—a traveling preacher and storyteller. This story continued to percolate in Richard's soul until he recently wove it into the screenplay that is the source for this 1-hour performance. We hope that this tale will spark something in you, too, deepening your connection with all that is mysterious and holy.

Israel ben Eliezer, better known as the Baal Shem Tov, also known as the Besht was born in 1698 and died in 1760. He was a Jewish mystic whom many regard as the founder of the Hasidic movement. Translated, his name means "Master of the Good Name." Most of what we know about the Besht comes down through oral stories about him and his many deeds. When these oral tales were first collected in Shivhei ha-Besht (In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov), people didn't know what to make of them. Rebbe Shlomo Rabinowicz of Rodomsk declared, "Whoever believes all the miracle stories about the Baal Shem Tov...is a fool, but whoever denies that he could have done them is an apikoros [a heretic]." One thing is for sure, his stories and their lessons still reverberate to this day. While his teachings stressed the spirit, more important to him than prayer was a friendly relationship with sinners. Unselfishness and high-minded benevolence are a motif in the legends about him. It was also believed that the Besht's soul had reached such a high level he could "ascend" to heaven and speak with any soul there and intervene between humans and God.