Venue: YU Israel YU Israel

Machshava:

History 

Collections: Rabbi Rakeffet: History of Torah in Modern Times

Description

Polish Jews suffered the most from Chmelnitzki massacres, the worst up until the Holocaust. Polish Jewry never regained its economic status. The Shabbtai Tzvi episode only made things worse psychologically. Along came the Baal Shem Tov, who proabably influenced more Jews in the Modern era than anyone else. He began as a teacher of children. After his dream on Rosh Hashana 1747 in which Moshiach appeared to him, he became a public figure. His students changed the course of Torah history. He introduced the concept of a tzadik-chasid relationship in contrast to the rebbe-talmid relationship.