Editing The Baal Shem Tov (section)

== His Activities ==

==== His Involvement in Educating Jewish Children ====
Before his revelation, the Baal Shem Tov worked as a melamed's (teacher's) assistant, and his role was to escort children from their homes to the cheder (learning room). During these walks, the Baal Shem Tov would instill spiritual experiences in the children, including the importance of answering Amen, and protecting them from dangers and dogs on their way.

He performed this work with endless joy and love, to the point where he later told his great students that "these were the happiest days of his life." His student, the Maggid of Mezritch, once remarked: "If only people would kiss the Torah scroll with the same love that the Baal Shem Tov showed when kissing the children as he led them to cheder when he was a melamed's assistant."

At age 18 (1716), he proposed to his fellow members of the hidden tzaddikim a new course of action: to travel from town to town ensuring each place had a melamed for the local children, and in places where there wasn't one, the hidden tzaddikim would serve in this role. During this period, the Baal Shem Tov also served as a melamed's assistant.

==== Leader of the Hidden Tzaddikim ====
At age 14 (1712), he joined the group of hidden tzaddikim, which was then under the leadership of the "Baal Shem" Rabbi Adam of Ropczyce.

Before the passing of Rabbi Adam Baal Shem, leader of the hidden tzaddikim, he was told in a dream to give his writings to Yisrael ben Eliezer of Okop. He sent his son to search for Rabbi Yisrael and asked him to deliver the writings, as they belonged to his soul root, and if he agreed to study with him, all the better. After a long search, he found the 'shul keeper' named Yisrael who was then fourteen years old. Rabbi Adam's son asked to study with him, and Rabbi Yisrael agreed on the condition that it would appear as if Rabbi Yisrael was the student. As a result of their learning, they arranged a marriage for him with a woman from Okop, but she passed away shortly after the wedding.

At age eighteen, he was officially appointed as leader of the hidden tzaddikim.

On his twenty-sixth birthday, Achiya HaShiloni was revealed to him and taught him Torah for ten years. During this time, he revealed to him the illumination within both the revealed Torah and Kabbalah as learned in Gan Eden. Until his thirty-sixth birthday, when his teacher urged him to reveal himself.

==== His Revelation and Name ====
On the 17th of Elul 1734, when the Baal Shem Tov was thirty-six years old, Achiya HaShiloni commanded him to reveal himself to the world, and he first revealed himself in the city of Tlust. Afterward, the Baal Shem Tov began spreading his teachings through journeys and wanderings. Initially, he mainly focused on pidyon shvuyim (redeeming captives), strengthening Torah and yiras shamayim (fear of Heaven), and spreading pnimiyus haTorah (inner dimensions of Torah). During his travels, he visited Horodenka, Kitov, Nemirov, Shargorod in Galicia and Podolia, Polnoye, Sde Lavan, and Zaslav in Volhynia.

During his travels, he would heal the sick through medicines and kameios (amulets). His kameios were written by the scribe Rabbi Alexander Ziskind, and later, as requests increased, he was also assisted by Rabbi Tzvi Sofer, whose Torah scrolls were highly valued. Eventually, Rabbi Tzvi remained his sole scribe.

Unlike other Baalei Shem before him, the Baal Shem Tov never used divine name invocations, and the kameios he distributed did not contain names. This is one reason why his title differs from all other Baalei Shem before him, and he was given the title 'Baal Shem Tov.'

In 1740, the Baal Shem Tov moved to the city of Mezhibuzh, where thousands of chassidim and admirers began to gather around him, including many Torah scholars and famous tzaddikim. The Baal Shem Tov would teach his students a Gemara shiur. The shiur was sharp and brilliant, and they also studied Rambam, Rif, Rosh, and other Rishonim commentaries related to the Gemara being learned. The Baal Shem Tov would translate the words into Yiddish.

During this period, the Baal Shem Tov also planned to make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, which held an important and central place in his teachings, but his plan did not materialize.
[[File:ביכנ בעשט מזיבוז.jpg|thumb|The Synagogue of the Baal Shem Tov in the Town of Mezhibuzh]]
==== His Ascent to the Chamber of Moshiach ====
In Rosh Hashanah of 5507, the Baal Shem Tov performed a soul ascension to the upper worlds, which he described at length in a letter known as the Igeret HaGeulah. During this ascension, [[Melech HaMashiach|Melech HaMoshiach]] told him that his coming depends on spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus. The Baal Shem Tov himself wrote the description of the ascension and the words of Melech HaMoshiach in a letter he sent to his brother-in-law R' Gershon of Kitov, saying:<blockquote>"On Rosh Hashanah 5507, I performed the soul ascension as you know, and I saw wonderful things in a vision that I had not seen since I gained understanding... I ascended level after level until I entered the chamber of Moshiach, where Moshiach learns Torah with all the Tanaim and tzaddikim, and also with the seven shepherds. There I saw tremendous joy... I asked Moshiach: When will the master come? And he answered me: By this you shall know - when your teachings become famous and are revealed to the world, and your wellsprings spread outward, what I have taught you and what you have achieved, and they too will be able to perform unifications and ascensions like you, then all the kelipos will be eliminated and it will be a time of favor and salvation. I was amazed at this and had great anguish about the length of time, when this would be possible."

— From the book 'Ben Porat Yosef' at its end, also printed at the beginning of 'Kesser Shem Tov'.</blockquote>During the Baal Shem Tov's anguish, his eyes shed tears.

==== Victory Over the Frankists ====
On 26 Tammuz 5519, the Baal Shem Tov defeated the Frankists in the city of Lvov. Letters found in the Kherson Genizah reveal that the Baal Shem Tov and his students declared this day as a holiday. In a letter dated 8 Kislev 5720, the Rebbe responds to someone who asked why this day is not celebrated every year, explaining that he hadn't heard an explanation for this, but what seems likely is that by the following year the Baal Shem Tov had already passed away (in 5520).