Week 41 · mystical

The Baal Shem Tov

The Baal Shem Tov (whose name means "Master of the Good Name") was an 18th-century Ukrainian rabbi who transformed Judaism. At a time when the religion had become dominated by scholarly elites, he taught that God could be found by anyone, anywhere, through joy, prayer, storytelling, and simple daily acts. He founded Hasidic Judaism, a movement that valued the sincerity of a poor farmer's prayer over the technical mastery of a learned rabbi.

“"Everybody is unique. Compare not yourself with anybody else lest you spoil God's curriculum." He said that to students who kept measuring themselves against each other. His answer was always the same...your path is your path.”