<p>In this volume Immanue Etkes enters a heated debate over the origins of the Hasidic movement, as well as the historicity of its mythic founder, Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, who lived much of his life as a miracle worker.Etkes sheds light on the personality of the Besht, on his mysticism, and on his close cirlce of followers. But equally important, he challenges the popular myth of the Besht as a childlike mystic, wandering the fields in prayer, seeing visions, and engaging in godliness and piety</p>