Alliance for Authentic Judaism

Level: Basic

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when the patriarch called, both physical and spiritual ancestors of Judaism. They founded the religion now known as Judaism and their descendants are the Jewish people. Of course, it is technically incorrect to refer to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as Jews, because the term “Jew” and “Judaism” is not usually refer to this nation for hundreds of years used their time, but for convenience and in accordance with common practice, I will use these terms.

The story is written from the bottom Betrayed, the Talmud, Mishra and other sources. Modern scholars question the existence of the Patriarchs and the historical accuracy of this information, it should be noted, however, that scientists, the question of the existence of Babylon and Troy. . . Archaeologists find it.

According to Jewish tradition, Abraham was under the name of Abram born in Ur in Babylonia in the year 1948 from creation (1800 BC). He was the son of Terah, a merchant idol, but from his childhood, he questioned the faith of his father and sought the truth. He came to the idea that the universe was the work of a single Creator, and he began to pass this faith to others.

Abram tried to convince his father, Terah the folly of idolatry. One day, when Abram was left alone in the store has the Spirit, he took a hammer and smashed all the idols except the largest. He put the hammer in the hand of the greatest idol. When his father asked again and what happened, Abram said: “The idols came to a fight, and shattered the greatest of all others.” His father said: “Have you not ridicule . These idols have no life or power. You can do something. “Abram said,” Then why do you worship them? ”

Finally leave the one true Creator that Abram had adored, and called him an offer: if Abram his home and his family, then Gd make him a great nation and bless him. Abram was the accepted offer, and has established B’rit (federal) between Gd and the Jewish people. (Genesis 12).

The idea of B’rit is fundamental to traditional Judaism: we have a pact, a treaty with God, covers the rights and obligations of both sides. We have certain obligations to Gd, Gd, and has certain obligations to us. The terms of this B’rit was even more evident over time, until the time of giving of the Torah. Abram was subjected to tests to prove the faith ten of its abilities in this alliance. Leaving his home is one of these studies.

Abram, raised as a city dweller, has a nomadic lifestyle, traveling through what is now the land of Israel for many years. G-d promised this land to the descendants of Abram. Abram is called in Hebrew (Ivri), possibly because he is descended from Eber (Gen. 11) or perhaps because it came from the other side “(boar) of the Euphrates.

But Abram was concerned because he had no children, and he was old. beloved wife of Abram, Sarai, knew she was at the beginning of the reproductive years, so she offered her handmaid Hagar to Abram as a wife. This has been a common practice in the area at the time. According to tradition, Hagar was the daughter of Pharaoh, as Abraham during his travels in Egypt. She bore a son Abram, Ishmael, according to Muslim and Jewish tradition, is the ancestor of the Arabs. (Genesis 16)

As Sarai Abram was 100 and 90, Gd promised Abram a son of Sarai. Gd changed Abram’s name to Abraham (father of many), and Sarai to Sarah (from “Princess” to “princess”). Sarah bore Abraham a son Isaac (in Hebrew Yitzchak), a name derived from the word “laugh” expression of joy on Abraham a son in his old age. (Gen 17-18). Isaac was the ancestor of the peopl Jewsih. Thus, the conflict between Arabs and Jews are considered a form of sibling rivalry!

Isaac was the theme of the tenth and most difficult test of Abraham’s faith, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a sacrifice. (Genesis 22). This test is in the Jewish tradition as Akeidah (binding, a reference to the fact that Isaac was bound on the altar known).

But this test is also an extraordinary demonstration of personal faith Isaacs, because according to Jewish tradition, knew he had to be sacrificed Isaac, but he could not resist and found his father in dedication.

At the last moment, God sent an angel to stop the victim. It is interesting to note that the sacrifice of children was a common practice in the area at the time. While the people of the time, is something amazing about this story, not the fact that Gd asked Abraham to sacrifice his child, but that Gd stopped!

Judaism uses this story as proof that the sacrifice of the man hates God. In fact, I have some sources indicating that this test of faith, Abraham failed because he did not refuse to sacrifice his son is alive! Judaism has always strongly opposed the practice of human sacrifice in many other cultures at the time and place.

Isaac married Rebecca (Rivka), who gave him two twin son: Jacob (Ya’akov) and Esau. (Genesis 25).

Jacob and Esau, his brother were at war with each other even before their birth. They fought in the womb of Rebecca. Esau was Isaac’s favorite, because it was a good fighter, but more spiritual Jacob was Rebecca’s favorite.

Esau had little regard for the spiritual heritage of his ancestors, and sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew intellectual leadership. Isaac was old, Rebecca tricked into giving him a blessing for Jacob to Esau. Esau was furious about this and about the birthright, Jacob then fled to his uncle, where he live his beloved Rachel. Jacob was to marry the older sister of Rachel, Leah, but later married Rachel, and disappointed, and Rachel and their handmaids Bilhah and Lea Zilphah. Between these four women, the father of 12 son of Jacob and a daughter.

After several years living and working with his uncle, father-in-law, Jacob returned to his homeland and sought reconciliation with his brother Esau. He prayed to God and gave his brother gifts. sent the night before he went to meet his brother, his wife, son and things across the river and he was alone with God that night, he fought with a man until daybreak . In the morning, Jacob asked the blessing of man and man “turned out to be an angel. He blessed Jacob and gave him the name “Israel” (Israel) means “one who wrestled with God” or “the champion of God.” The Jewish people is usually called the children of Israel, it means that our descent Jacob. The next day, Jacob met Esau and was welcomed by him.

12 Jacob begat son, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin. They are the ancestors of the tribes of Israel, and those for which the tribes are allowed. Joseph is the father of two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim.

Joseph’s older brothers were jealous of him because he was the darling of his father, and because he views it all lead. They sold Joseph into slavery and convinced that his father had died, Joseph. But that was all part God’slan Joseph was in Egypt, where his ability to interpret visions, brought him up in Pharaoh’s court, paving the way for his family later settlement in Egypt.

Over the centuries, the descendants of slaves in Egypt, Israel. They have suffered greatly under the hand of Pharaoh later. But God has the Israelites out of Egypt led by Moses. God has taken on a journey through the desert of Sinai. Here God revealed to the Israelites and gave them a big bouquet: When people listen and observe the covenant of God, they are the most popular nations, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Ex 19). Gd revealed the Torah to his people, both written and oral Torah, and all the people answered: “Everything that the L-RD spoke, we do!” According to Jewish tradition, every Jewish soul was that there would never be born at this time, and agreed to be bound by this Covenant.

Level: Basic

Moses, Aaron and Miriam were the heads of the children of Israel at a pivotal moment in our history: the Exodus from Egypt and forty years of wandering in the desert before the people came to the Promised Land.

An entire book could be written on the history of these three people. In fact, already four books have been written: the biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, which tell the story of his life and his time. This site can not begin to scratch the surface.

The story is written from the bottom Torah, Talmud, Midrash and other sources. When the information comes directly from the Bible, I have references available.

As with the stories of the patriarchs, modern scholars question the historical accuracy of this information, but scientists have argued that the Torah could have been written at this time because the alphabetic writing did not exist … Archeologists dug and samples older than 4000 years of alphabetic writing.

Moses was the greatest prophet, leader and teacher that Judaism has ever known. In fact, one of Rambam, the 13 principles of faith is the belief that Moses’s prophecies are true, and he was the greatest of the prophets. It is called “Moses Rabbeinu,” that is, Moses, our teacher / rabbi. It is interesting to note that the numerical value of “Moshe Rabbeinu is 613: the number of commandments that Moses taught the children of Israel! It was the only person who knew God face to face (Deut. 34:10) and mouth-to-mouth (Numbers 12:8), which means that Gd spoke to Moses directly in plain text means described and not by visions and dreams, as reported in other prophets God.

Moses was the 7th of Adar of the year 2368 from creation (1400 BCE born), the son of Amram, a member of the tribe of Levi and Yocheved, Levi’s daughter (Exodus 6:16-20). Unlike the heroes of many other ancient cultures, and not Moses had a miraculous birth. Amram married Yocheved, and she became pregnant and gave birth (Ex. 2:1-2). The only thing unusual about his birth is Yocheved’s advanced age: Yocheved was born while Jacob and his family have been to Egypt, it was 130 as Moses was born. His father gave him the name Chavez and his grandfather called Avigdor, but it is the story of Moses, a name to him the daughter of the pharaoh known.

The name “Moses” comes from a root meaning “take” because Moses from the river (Exodus 2.10 hit). Some modern scholars point out that the SSM root in Egyptian means “son”, as in the name of Rama (the son of Ra), but it is interesting to note that Moses in Hebrew the name M-SH-H, not MSS. According to a Jewish source, Pharaoh’s daughter actually said Minios, which means “out” in Egyptian established, and the name (Moses) Moses was a Hebrew translation of the name, as a Russian immigrant Ivan could have his name change in English equivalent, John.

Moses was born into a very difficult period Pharaoh had ordered all male children born to Hebrew slaves in the river (Exodus 1:22) must be drowned. Yocheved hid Moses for three months, and when they could not hide, we had put in a drawer and placed it on the river where Pharaoh’s daughter bathed (Ex. 2:2-3). Pharaoh’s daughter found the child and felt sorry for him (Exodus 2:6). At the suggestion of Moses’ sister, Mirriam, the daughter of Pharaoh, Moses hired a nurse Yocheved until he was weaned (Ex. 2:7-10). Yocheved in Moses a knowledge of his heritage and love of his people, not the 40 years he spent in the court of Pharaoh antisemitic could not be deleted instilled.

Little is known about the youth of Moses. The biblical narrative skips from his adoption by Pharaoh’s daughter after his assassination of Egyptian taskmaster than 40 years. A traditional story tells that when he was a child, sitting on the lap of Pharaoh, Moses took the crown of the pharaoh’s head and thrown on them. The court magicians took this as a bad sign and demanded that he be tested: they put a brazier full of gold and a brazier full of burning coals to see before it should. When Moses took the gold, he would be killed. An angel guided Moses’s hand coal, and put it in his mouth and left him with a speech impairment of long duration (Exodus 4:10).

Although Moses was raised by Egyptians, his compassion for his people was so great that he could not bear to see them beaten by the wheel of a pharaoh. One day, when Moses was about 40 he saw an Egyptian from a Hebrew slave, and he was so angry that he struck and killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2.11 to 12). But when his two colleagues Pharaoh and the Hebrews condemned for this action is forced to flee from Egypt, Moses (Exodus 2:14-15).

He fled to Midian, where he met and married Zipporah, the daughter of a Midianite priest (Ex. 2:16-21). They had a son, Gershom (Exodus 2:22). Moses spent 40 years in Midian tending sheep father-in-law. A midrash tells that Moses was chosen to lead the children of Israel because of his kindness to animals. When he brought the sheep to a river for water, one lamb did not come. Moses went to the lamb and it took a little water so that he could drink. Like Moses, God cared about each individual in the group, not only as the whole group. This shows that it was worthy of a shepherd of the flock of God.

I’m sure everyone knows what happened after that – if you have not read the book, then you’ve probably seen the film. Gd appeared to Moses and the people he chose Egyptian bondage and lead to the promised land (Exodus Ch. 3-4). With the help of his brother Aaron, Moses said to Pharaoh and triggered the plagues against Egypt (Exodus Ch. 4-12). Then he led the people out of Egypt and across the sea to freedom, and led them to Mount Sinai where God gave the people of the Torah and the people accepted (Exodus Ch. 12-24).

God revealed to Moses the whole Torah. The entire Torah includes the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) that Moses wrote that God taught him. It contains all the other prophecies and history that would later be written in other books of Scripture down, and all of the Oral Torah, the oral tradition interpreting the Torah, which would be written in the Talmud down. Moses spent the rest of his life, wrote the first five books, primarily dictated by Gd

After Moses received instruction on the law of God and how to interpret it is up to people and started hearing cases and try them for the people, but they soon became too much for one man . On the advice of his father-in-law, Yitro, Moses instituted a judicial system (Ex. 18:13-26).

Moses was not perfect. Like all men, his mistakes and his moments of weakness and the Bible faithfully records these shortcomings. In fact, Moses was not allowed to use the promised land because of a transgression (Deut. 32:48-52) in force. Moses was instructed to speak to a rock to get water from him, but he struck the rock repeatedly with a stick to indicate an anger inappropriate and a lack of faith (Numbers 20:7-13).

Moses died in 2488, shortly before the people crossed over the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 32:51). He closed the letter of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) before his death. There is a debate as to who physically wrote the last verses of Deuteronomy: according to some, Moses wrote these last years towards a vision of the future, but for others, have been the last few verses of Joshua after death of Moses. In all cases, these verses, like everything else in the Torah, were written by God, and the actual identity of the scribe is not important.

Moses’ position as leader of Israel was not hereditary. His son, Gershom, shall inherit the leadership of Israel. Moses’ successor has been chosen, Joshua son of Nun (Deut. 34:9).

Moses was 120 years, 34.7 at the time he died (Deuteronomy). The lifetime is considered ideal, and has become proverbial: one way is a person in the Jewish tradition would say: “May you be 120!”

Just as important as Moses to the children of Israel, it is always important to remember that Moses himself was not the savior or redeemer of Israel. It has been G-D, Israel, not Moses saved. Moses was the prophet of God, His spokesman. The text of the traditional Haggadah does not mention the name of Moses. To prevent people from Moses idolatry, his grave was left unmarked (Deut. 34:6).

Aaron was the elder brother of Moses. He was born in 2365, three years before Moses before Pharaoh’s edict requiring the death of male children in Hebrew. He was the father of all koheins, the founder of the priesthood, and the first Kohein Gadol (High Priest). sacrifices Aaron and his descendants and not the altar and offered. Aaron’s role, unlike Moses, was inherited, his son, continued the priest after him (Num 20:26).

Aaron has served as spokesman for Moses. As mentioned above, Moses was not eloquent and had a speech impediment, Aaron spoke for him (Exodus 4:10-16). Contrary to popular belief, it was Aaron, not Moses, who was crushed that the staff of a snake before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:10-12). It was Aaron trigger, not Moses, who insisted his team to the first three plagues against Egypt (Exodus 7:19-20, Exodus 8:1-2 or 8:5-6, 8:12-13 or Exodus from 8.16 to 17). According to Jewish tradition, it was also Aaron who performed the sign of old before going to Pharaoh (Exodus 4:30).

Aaron’s most remarkable quality of his personal was a peacemaker. His love of peace is proverbial, Rabbi Hillel said: Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving people and put them near the Torah. “According to tradition, when Aaron learned that two people argue, it would each of them and tell them how others regretted his actions until the two men agreed to each other as friends in the face.

Indeed, Aaron peace so long as the incident of the golden calf (Exodus 32), received the construction of the idol in order to avoid dissension among the people. Aaron is to buy time until Moses on Mount Sinai (he was late, and people were worried return), to prevent people going by giving away their precious jewels to make idols, and Teaching the error of their ways in time (Exodus 32:22).

Aaron, like Moses, died in the desert near the population of the Promised Land (Numbers 20) is entered.

Miriam was Aaron and his older sister of Moses. According to some sources, she was seven years older than Moses, but other sources suggest it is older than he was. Some sources indicate that Miriam Puah, one of the midwives, babies from Pharaoh’s edict Hebrew against them (Exodus 1:15-19 has been recorded).

Miriam was a prophetess in her own name (Exodus 15:20), first woman described as the means of Scripture (though Sarah is also a prophetess, that word is not used to it in Scripture). According to tradition, she prophesied before Moses’s birth that their parents bring them to the birth of a person to give their people’s redemption.

Miriam waited among the bulrushes while Moses’s ark was in the river and looked around to make sure he was okay (Exodus 2:4). As the daughter of Pharaoh, Moses drew water, Miriam arranged for their mother, Yocheved, maintain, Moses and raise until it is weaned (Ex. 2.7 to 9).

Miriam led the women of Israel in song and dance of celebration after the Pharaoh’s men were in the sea (Exodus 15:20-21 drowned). It is the ancestress of other creative geniuses in the history of Israel: Bezalel, the architect of the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary in the desert) is used (Exodus 31:1-3) and King David are.

According to tradition, because justice Miriam, a well-kept people in the desert during their journey, and have stayed with them until the death of Miriam.

Like his brothers, has not been perfect, Miriam. She led her brother Aaron to Moses on a question he had married an Ethiopian woman (Sephora, or perhaps a second wife) had (Talk Num 12:1). also challenged his leadership, noting that it is not a monopoly of divine communication (Num 12:2) had. Miriam is punished with tzaaras (translates a condition known as leprosy) (Num. 12:10). However, Aaron pleaded on their behalf, and she was healed (Numbers 12:11).

Level:

Many people today think of a prophet as any person who sees the future. While the gift of prophecy certainly includes the ability to see the future, a prophet is much more than just a person with this ability.

A prophet is in fact a spokesman for God, a person chosen by God to speak to the people of God’s name and a message or teaching. Prophets were models of holiness, science and the nearness of God. They set standards for the entire community.

The Hebrew word for prophet, Navi (Nun-Yod-Alef-Bet) from the lev sefatayim term which means “fruit of the lips,” which focuses on the role of the prophet as a spokesman.

The Talmud teaches that there are hundreds of thousands of prophets: twice the number of people to Egypt, which had left 600,000. But most of the prophets conveyed messages that were intended solely to their own generation, and have not been reported in Scripture. Scripture mentions only 55 prophets of Israel.

A prophet is not necessarily a human being. Scripture records the stories of seven prophets Male, below, and the Talmud reports that Sarah prophetic ability was superior to Abraham.

A prophet is not necessarily a Jew. The Talmud says that the prophet among the nations (notably Balaam, whose story is told in Numbers 22), but not as high as the prophets of Israel (like the story of Balaam demonstrates). And some of the prophets, like Jonah, have been sent on a mission to speak to the Gentiles.

A prophecy is not a gift that is arbitrarily assigned to people, but it is the culmination of a spiritual person and the development of ethics. If a person is a sufficient degree of intellectual and ethical achievement, the Shechinah (Divine Spirit last) comes to him to rest. Just leave the gift of prophecy, the person if that person leaves his intellectual and moral perfection.

The largest of the prophet Moses. It is said that anything that combines Moses saw all the other prophets have seen, and much more. Moses saw the entire Torah, including the prophets and writings which were written hundreds of years later. All of the following prophecy was that the expression of what Moses had already seen. We learn that nothing can prophets or writings are in conflict with the writings of Moses, because Moses saw everything in advance.

The Talmud explains that the writings of the prophets will not be able to come necessary in the world, because that day, all mentally, spiritually and morally perfect, and everything is to have the gift of prophecy.

The following list of prophets is based on the Talmud and Rashi.

I am often asked why the book of Daniel in the literature section of the Tanakh in place of the prophet section is included. Was not Daniel a prophet? his vision of the future, we produced?

According to Judaism, Daniel is not part of the 55 prophets. His writings are visions of the future, which we believe to be true, but his mission was not a prophet. His visions of the future has never been intended to be proclaimed to the people, they have been developed to be written for future generations. They are written, and not the prophecies, and are classified accordingly.

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These two great scholars born a generation or two before the start of the Common Era are usually discussed together and contrasted with each other because they are contemporaries and the leaders of both schools of thought (known as “houses”) were. The Talmud of over 300 differences of opinion between Beit Hillel (the House of Hillel) and Beit Shammai (the House of Shammai). In almost each of these disputes, see Hillel prevailed.

Rabbi Hillel was born into a wealthy family in Babylonia, but came to Jerusalem without the financial support of his family and himself as a woodcutter. They say he lived in poverty so great that it is sometimes not pay for admission to the study of Torah was and because he, the tax has been abolished. He was known for his kindness, his gentleness and concern for humanity. One of his most famous words in the words of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot, a tractate of the Mishnah) is recorded: “If I am not for myself, then who am I to be, and if I am only for myself What I am, and if not now, when? “The Hillel organization, a network of Jewish organizations, students, is named after him.

Rabbi Shammai was an engineer, the rigor of his point of view. The Talmud says that a heathen came to Shammai said he wanted to convert to Judaism if Shammai could teach him the entire Torah by the time he was standing on one leg. Shammai drove him away with a manufacturer fathom! Hillel, on the other hand, to convert the Gentiles, saying: “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor. Is the whole Torah, the rest is commentary. Go and study. ”

Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai was the youngest disciple and most important of Rabbi Hillel. It is considered the “father of wisdom and the father of generations (of scholars)” because he was guaranteed the continuation of Jewish scholarship after Jerusalem to Rome in 70 AD

According to tradition, Ben Zakkai was a pacifist in Jerusalem in 68 CE when the city was under siege by General Vespasian. Jerusalem has been controlled by the Zealots, people who die than surrender to Rome (These are the same people, Masada has been controlled). Ben Zakkai urged surrender, but the Zealots would not hear of it, “said Ben Zakkai had faked his own death, his disciples and to bring them out of Jerusalem in a coffin. They carried the coffin to Vespasian’s tent, where ben Zakkai on the coffin. He told Vespasian that he had a vision (some would say, a shrewd political insight) that Vespasian soon to be emperor, and he asked Vespasian to set aside a place in Yavneh (near modern Rehovot) where he could move his yeshiva (school) and Torah study in peace. Vespasian promised that if the prophecy comes true, he would grant ben Zakkai request. Emperor Vespasian and his word, so the school put in place after the war was over. The yeshiva survived and was a center of Jewish learning for centuries.

A poor semi-literate shepherd, Rabbi Akiba was one of the greatest scholars of Judaism. He developed the exegetical method of the Mishnah, linking the traditional practice based in the biblical text, and systematized the material that later, the Mishnah.

Rabbi Akiba was active in the Bar Kochba rebellion against Rome. He believed that Bar Kochba the Mashiach (Messiah), though some other rabbis openly for him, that belief (the Talmud records another rabbi said: “Akiba, grass will grow in the cheeks and the son of David do not laugh, have. “) When the Bar Kokhba rebellion failed, Rabbi Akiba was tortured by the Roman authorities and led to death.

The patriarch of the Jewish community, was educated Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi well in Greek thought and Jewish thought. He organized and compiled the Mishnah, building upon Rabbi Akiba work.

A grape grower living in Northern France, Rashi wrote the definitive commentary on the Babylonian Talmud and the Bible. Rashi has collected materials from a variety of sources, “she wrote in the order of the Talmud and the Bible for easy reference, and he writes like a clear, concise and clear that they will also be appreciated by novices and experts can. Almost all editions of the Talmud printed since the invention of printing, the text of Rashi’s commentary side-by-side has been included in the text of the Talmud. Many traditional Jews will not study the Bible without commentary of Rashi to his side.

A doctor Moorish Cordoba, Rambam born lived in various places in the Arab countries of Spain, the Middle East and North Africa, often fleeing persecution. He was a leader of the Jewish community in Cairo. He was strongly influenced by Greek thought, especially Aristotle.

Rambam is the author of the Mishnah Torah, one of the greatest codes of Jewish law, compiling every conceivable topic of Jewish law for the subject and offers a simple explanation for the prevailing view in plain text. In his time, he was widely condemned because he claimed that the Mishneh Torah was a substitute for the study of Talmud.

Rambam is also responsible for some important theological works. He developed the 13 principles of faith, the most widely accepted list of Jewish faith. He also wrote the Guide for the Perplexed, a discussion of difficult theological concepts from the perspective of a philosopher Aristotle wrote.

Ramban is the largest halakhist his age. As before him Rambam, Ramban was a Spaniard, a doctor and a great scientist was Torah. But unlike the rationalist Rambam, Ramban had a strong mystical bent. His biblical commentaries are the first to incorporate the mystical teachings of Kabbalah.

He was known for his aggressive refutations of Christianity, known for his confrontation with Pablo Christiani, a converted Jew, before King Jaime I of Spain in 1263

Ramban could be described as a story of the early Zionists, as he explained that a mitzvah to take possession of 33.53 and with it Israel (live based on Num.). He said: “While Israel is [] the Holy Land, the land is treated as subject to Him.” Ramban fulfilled this commandment, moving in the Holy Land during the Crusades, after being expelled by Spain for his polemics. It was the devastation of the Holy Land “, but even in this destruction,” he said, “is a blessed country. “He died in 1270 CE

The founder of Hasidic Judaism. Although many books exist about his teachings, wrote on Bescht not even have books, perhaps because his teachings emphasized the fact that even a simple uneducated peasant could God approach (a radical idea to time, when Judaism emphasized that the road approaching God through the study). He insisted on prayer, the observance of the commandments, and ecstatic, personal mystical experiences.

AUTHOR

SESAN SAMUEL OYEDEPO