Reviewed for Hadassah Magazine, March, 2007 by Judith Fein

It is said that a tzadik's story is like a prayer. If that is true, then Yitzhak Buxbaum's The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov is one long prayer and, like a prayer, it can heal. If you're depressed, distressed, ailing or just want balm for your soul, this remarkable book will transport you to a place where miracles occur.

A baal shem was a master of Divine names who used mystical knowledge for faith healing. The Baal Shem Tov (1700-1760) was a healer, scholar, teacher and the founder of the Hasidic movement. Even if only 10 percent of the miraculous tales related in the book are true, we can rejoice that Buxbaum has passed them down to us.

During the Besht's lifetime — Besht is an acronym for baal shem tov — there was great turmoil and misery for Ukrainian Jews. Whole villages had been destroyed in massacres, there were blood libels and poverty was rampant. What the Besht brought to Judaism was joy. He felt that Jews had suffered enough. He offered a passionate, heart-opening experience of Judaism. He and his disciples leaped and shook while they prayed; they danced, laughed and celebrated God's great bounty.

The Besht traveled the land incognito, working at menial jobs, helping fellow Jews. He loved children and the poor and greatly admired their faith and openheartedness.

In one tale, "A Hug, a Touch, a Glance," the Besht was visiting a Jewish home and saw that one of the children was an exceptionally soulful boy. He became so enthused he took the child on his lap and entered into a trance, unknowingly hugging the boy so tight the child fainted. They had to shake the Besht awake so he would release his grip; after much effort, the boy was revived. Before he left, the Besht, who when a child had himself been taken under the tutelage of hidden mystics, blessed the boy to become a tzaddik and servant of God.

By age 30, the Besht was recognized as a leader; some of the great rabbis of his time became his disciples, listening to his stories and modifying the way they practiced and taught Judaism, Still, there were others who opposed him; he tried to love those who stood against him, debating and often converting them with his wit, wisdom, boundless compassion and love of God.

The genius of the Besht has long been known and celebrated, but the genius of Buxbaum is a revelation as he passes on the story of the Besht's life through these thought-provoking and humorous stories.