IMMANUEL ETKES is the Bella and Israel Unterberg Professor of History of the Jewish People and Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. A prolific author, Etkes has published in Hebrew several works on major religious movements in the modern period including Hasidism and the Musar movement. He has published critically acclaimed monographs on the lives of major Jewish religious figures, including the The Gaon of Vilna: The Man and His Image (2002).
"Different understandings and portrayals of the Besht abound in the
works of scholars . . . Etkes's book makes an important and
valuable contribution to our understanding and in many ways goes
beyond the efforts of previous scholars."--Allan Nadler
"Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter"
"Etkes' book is less of a biography than an analysis, an attempt to
understand who and what the Besht was within the context of his
times . . . I was particularly intrigued and impressed by the
section on the Besht as a mystic and a pioneer."--Allan Nadler
"Jewish Book World"
"Etkes' full control of the relevant historical and religious
material makes this a major study that will influence all
subsequent discussion."-- "Choice"
"Immanuel Etkes has produced a major, highly erudite re-evaluation
of the Besht that both clarifies and clearly contextualizes the
work of many earlier scholars, and as well presents a
well-documented and deeply learned portrait of the still-mysterious
Israel Baal Shem Tov. This book is essential reading for those
working in the field of East European Judaism, as well as for
anyone interested in the origins and early history of
Hasidism."--Allan Nadler "The Journal of the Association for Jewish
Studies"
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