The most famous master of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism is the Baal Shem Tov (1698 to 1760). More stories are told about the Baal Shem Tov than about any other person in Jewish history. These stories have been passed down, primarily through an oral tradition, for over 250 years. More recently, books - and even more recently the internet - have been added as a means to continue the time-honored tradition of transmitting Baal Shem Tov stories from parent to child and from Chassid to Chassid. The Baal Shem Tov stories are indeed glimpses of the life and culture of downtrodden, 18th century,...

The Baal Shem Tov adapted Kabbalistic ideas in his mystical approach to prayer. The true aim of prayer is to penetrate beneath appearances and to see only the Divine vitality which infuses all things. To achieve this ultimate goal requires the annihilation of the self through the contemplation that all is in G-d. In this state, the ego is left behind and the soul soars to the upper worlds. The concept of prayer is a central idea of Torah. The theme of prayer is to know G-d and to recognize His greatness and His glory with a serene mind. Through contemplation, these can be fixed firmly in the...