Emphasis Preaching Journal
The eighteenth-century Polish rabbi...
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The eighteenth-century Polish rabbi, Baal Shem Tov, began what would be called the
Hasidic movement. He was earthy and practical, yet also mystical. After the death of the
rabbi's wife, a teacher related: "The Baal Shem Tov believed that, like Elijah, he would
rise up to heaven in a storm. When his wife died, he said: 'I thought that a storm would
sweep me up to heaven like Elijah. But now that I am only half a body, this is no longer
possible.' "
