Light from the Archives
Light from the Archives
This chapter explains how Jewish scholars tended to view the Besht, Hasidism, and the relevant sources as quintessentially internal Jewish phenomena that grew out of a genuinely and exclusively Jewish tradition. It points out how the scholars emphasized the Besht’s thought and actions without much reference to the physical, social, and economic framework within which these have taken shape. The chapter also provides evidence how Besht was not isolated. By virtue of his being a ba’al shem, the Besht had to be concerned with the personal problems of the people among whom he lived. His own letters and the traditions about him depict that Besht both as involved in issues on the public agenda and as active in helping individuals recover from illness, finance their marriages, exorcise demons, and escape from danger.
Keywords: Jewish phenomena, Besht, Hasidism, ba’al shem, Jewish tradition, Jewish scholars
Liverpool Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
