רבי ישראל בן אליעזר, הידוע כבעל שם טוב היה מקובל ומנהיג ציבור יהודי במזרח אירופה, הנחשב לאבי תנועת החסידות.
Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov or BeShT (בעש״ט), was a Jewish mystic and healer regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. A baal shem tov is a "Master of the Good Name"—that is, one able to work miracles using a secret name of God. Other sources explain his sobriquet as arising from a reputation of being a saintly, or superior, Baal Shem ('miracle-worker'); hence, he was given the nickname Baal Shem Tov.
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