Stories That Changed History: The Unique Career of Shivhei Ha-Besht »

Moshe Rosman is a professor in the Department of Jewish History, at BarIlan University, Israel. He is the author of Founder of Hasidism: A Quest for the Historical Ba'al Shem Tov.

In this insightful and engaging lecture, Moshe Rosman explores the career of Shivhei Ha-Besht. Considered one of the best known and widely read Jewish folklore collections of the past two hundred years, In Praise of the Ba'al Shem Tov covers such themes as Besht's miraculous birth and childhood, his initiation into mystical secrets, his dreams, his travels, and most of all the miracles that he performed. Rosman examines the historical and cultural significance of these stories.