The Ba'al Shem Tov

The Ba'al Shem Tov was the founder of thepretend to still be sleeping!
Chassidut which is based on the Kabbalah.Later on the Ba'al Shem Tov married Chana and for a
Rabbi Yisrael, The Ba'al Shem Tov was born in 1700few years they lived in great poverty trying to make a
to his elderly parents Eliezer and Sara. During his earlyliving by selling clay that the Ba'al Shem Tov used to
years, the Ba'al Shem Tov, who's greatness had notmine up in the mountains, and later from the earnings
yet been revealed, worked as a children's teacher andof a small inn they owned next to the city of Kitov.
as the synagogue's guard. His job at the synagogueAt the age of 36 the great Ba'al Shem Tov was finally
allowed him to study and grow in Torah without beingrevealed. He started to heal people using the Holy
observed. None of the Torah scholars could haveNames of God (which is the meaning of "Ba'al Shem").
guessed that the simple guard would pretend to beHe wandered between cities and villages helping
asleep until the last man left the synagogue when hepeople through his prayers and his talismen. Not only
would get up and delve into the deepest intricacies ofdid he help cure their bodies, but he also offered aid to
the Torah and no one knew that in the morning, rightthier souls by instructing his followers in the ways of
before the first person would arrive in the synagoguelife and faith, bringing about the addition of the word
he would go right back to the same position and"Tov" (good) to his name.