Editing Dov Ber of Mezeritch (section)

==Hasidic leadership ==

{{blockquote|Suddenly, Reb Tzvi got up and said, “My father appeared and told me that the Shechina now dwells in Mezritch.” Then Reb Tzvi removed the white cloak of leadership and put it onto the shoulders of Reb Dov Ber of Mezritch. And so, Reb Dov Ber, who later became known as the Mezritcher Maggid, assumed leadership of the Chassidic movement. And so it was<ref>Cohn, Tzvi. ''Baal Shem Tov Numbers: Mystical Stories On The Weekly Torah Portion'' BST Publishing</ref>}}

Immediately after the death of the ''Baal Shem Tov'' in 1760, his son Rabbi Tsvi became the next Rebbe. After only a year he gave up this position. Among the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, two stood out as contenders to succeed him, Dov Ber and [[Yacov Yoseph of Polonne]]. Yacov Yoseph would later become the author of the first Hasidic book published (''"[[Toldot Yaakov Yosef|Toldos Yaacov Yosef]]"'' in 1780), one of the most direct records of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. By collective consent, the ''Maggid'' assumed the leadership of Hasidism. In effect he became the architect of the Hasidic movement and is responsible for its successful dissemination.

The Maggid was housebound because of his poor physical condition. Jewish philosopher [[Solomon Maimon]] records an encounter with the Maggid in his memoirs, in which he passes a strong negative judgement on the [[Hasidic]] movement.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Salomon Maimon|url=http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/maimon/|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Fall 2012 edition|access-date=6 March 2013|author=[[Thielke, Peter]]|author2=Melamed, Yitzchak}}</ref> He relates that the Maggid passed the entire week in his room, permitting only a few confidants to enter. He appeared in public only on [[Shabbat]], dressed in white satin. On those occasions he [[Jewish services|prayed with people]], and kept open house for anyone who wanted to dine with him. After the meal he would reportedly begin to chant, and placing his hand upon his forehead, would ask those present to quote any verse from the Bible. These served as texts for the Maggid's subsequent sermon. Solomon Maimon wrote: "He was such a master in his craft that he combined these disjointed verses into an harmonious whole."<ref>Solomon Maimon. "Selbstbiographie," i. 231 et seq. in Kaufmann Kohler & Louis Ginzberg. [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=103&letter=B "Baer 04/06 (Dob) of Meseritz"], ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'', retrieved May 20, 2006</ref> Historian David Assaf studied the sermons quoted by Maimon and found that they are indeed attributed to The Maggid in other sources, indicating that the meeting between them did in fact take place.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Assaf |first=David |last2= |first2= |date=2006 |title=The Teaching of Maggid R. Dov Ber of Mezritsh in Salomon Maimon's Autobiography |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23567716 |journal=[[Zion]] |language=he |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=99–101 |issn=0044-4758 |jstor=23567716}}</ref>

He attracted a remarkable group of scholarly and saintly disciples, including most of his fellow students of the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov had travelled across Jewish areas, reaching out to and inspiring the common folk, whose sincerity he cherished. He sought to revive the broken spirit of the simple Jews. At the same time, he would also seek out the great scholars of [[Talmud]] and [[Kabbalah]], to win them over to Hasidism, to whom he taught the inner meaning of his teachings. Many Hasidic tales relate the stories of the Baal Shem Tov's travels, accompanied by his close disciples, and led by his non-Jewish wagon driver. Dov Ber, in contrast, set up his court in [[Mezhirichi]], where his lameness restricted him, and devoted his main focus to articulating the mystical-philosophical system within the Baal Shem Tov's teachings to his close circle of disciples, who would lead the future movement. The simple folk were also able to visit during the Sabbath public attendancies of Dov Ber, and receive spiritual encouragement and comfort. The Maggid's court became the spiritual seat and place of pilgrimage of the second generation of the Hasidic movement, and moved its centre north from the Baal Shem Tov's residence in [[Medzhybizh]]. This move benefited the growth of the movement, as it was closer to new territories in [[Galicia (eastern Europe)|Galicia]], [[Poland]] and [[Belarus]] to reach. It was also nearer to the centre of Rabbinic opposition in [[Lithuania]], who perceived of the new movement as a spiritual threat. The disciples of Dov Ber related that:

<blockquote>
With the move of Rabbi Dov Ber, the [[Shechina]] (Divine Presence) "Packed up Her belongings and moved from Medzhybizh to Mezeritch, and all we can do is follow"<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
</blockquote>

The elite group of disciples, the "Chevraya Kaddisha" ("Holy Society"), included Rabbis [[Aharon of Karlin (I)|Aharon of Karlin]], [[Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk]], [[Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev]], [[Elimelech of Lizhensk]], [[Zusha of Hanipol]], [[Shmelke of Nikolsburg|Shmelka]] (later Chief Rabbi of Nikolsburg), [[Pinchas Horowitz]] (later Chief Rabbi of Frankfurt-am-Main and author of profound Talmudic commentaries), and [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]] (author of the ''[[Tanya (Judaism)|Tanya]]'', and by instructions of his master, author of an updated version of the ''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'' code of Jewish Law for the new movement). These disciples, being themselves great [[Talmud]]ic authorities and well-versed in [[Kabbalah]] and [[Hasidic philosophy]], were successful in turning Hasidus into a vast movement.