Editing Dov Ber of Mezeritch (section)

==Views and teachings==
{{See|Hasidic philosophy}}

===Published writings===
The ''Maggid'' left no writings of his own. Many of his teachings were recorded by his disciples and appeared in  anthologies  "Maggi'''D''' Debara'''V''' le-Ya'ako'''V'''" (מגיד דבריו ליעקב the last letters of which title spell "Dov"), known also under the title of ''Likkutei Amarim'' ("Collected Sayings"), published at [[Korets]] in 1780 (second edition with additions Korets, 1784), and frequently reprinted; ''Likkutim Yekarim'' ("Precious Collections"), published at Lemberg in 1792; ''Or Torah'' (the largest collection) published in Korets, 1804; ''Or Ha'emet'' published in Husiatin, 1899; ''Kitvei Kodesh'' (small collection) published in Lemberg. 1862; ''Shemu'ah Tovah'' (small collection) published in Warsaw. 1938. A number of manuscripts with additional teachings are in the [[National Library of Israel|National Library of the Hebrew University]]. They consist of excerpts from his sermons, transcribed and compiled by his students. The first to be published (''Likkutei Amarim'') was collated by his relative, Rabbi [[Shlomo Flam]] of Lutzk, who, as he himself notes, was unhappy with the manuscript but did not have time to edit it properly.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

There is a great deal of overlapping between all these texts, but each contains teachings that do not appear in the others. Work and editing has been done on them: ''Maggid Devarav Layaakov'' was edited by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (Jerusalem, 1961).  Later, a critical edition was edited by Prof. Rivkah Shatz-Uffenheimer (Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1976).  Kehot Publishing of [[Chabad]] put out another edition edited by Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet (Brooklyn, NY, 2008). These editions all contain  introductions, annotations and indices. ''Or Torah'' has appeared in an annotated edition with introduction, commentaries, cross-references and indices, authored by Schochet (Brooklyn, NY, 2006). ''Likkutim Yekarim'' is in annotated edition by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (Jerusalem, 1974).{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

===View of God===
For the ''Maggid'', [[Names of God in Judaism|God]] manifests Himself in creation, which is only one aspect of His activity, and which is therefore in reality a self-limitation. Just as God in His goodness limited Himself, and thus descended to the level of the world and man, so it is the duty of the latter to strive to unite with God. The removal of the outer shell of mundane things, or "the ascension of the [divine] spark,"<ref name=JE/> being a recognition of the presence of God in all earthly things, it is the duty of man, should he experience pleasure, to receive it as a divine manifestation, for God is the source of all pleasure.<ref name=JE/>

===On the ecstasy of prayer===
Rabbi Dov Ber's view of [[Jewish services|prayer]] was that it is the purpose of the life on earth to advance until the perfect union with God is attained. Thus the vegetable kingdom serves as food for the animal kingdom, in order that the lower manifestation of divinity, existing in the former, may be developed into a higher one. Man being the highest manifestation has a duty to attain the highest pinnacle in order to be united with God. The way to achieve this, he argued, is through prayer, in which man forgets himself and his surroundings, and concentrates all his thought and feeling upon union with God.<ref name=JE/>

Like the [[Neoplatonism|Neo-Platonists]], he said that when a man becomes so absorbed in the contemplation of an object that his whole power of thought is concentrated upon one point, his self becomes unified with that point. So prayer in such a state of real ecstasy, effecting a union between God and man, is extremely important, and may even be able to overcome the laws of nature.<ref name=JE/>

===Role of the ''tzadik''===
Rabbi Dov Ber taught that only the ''[[tzadik]]'' is able to remove '''all''' his thoughts from earthly things and concentrate '''completely''' on God. Because of his union with God, he is the connecting link between God and creation, and thus the channel of blessing and mercy. The love that men have for the ''tzadik'' provides a path to God. The duty of the ordinary mortal is therefore to love the ''tzadik'' and be a student of his.<ref name=JE/> In this connection Hasidim cite the classical [[Judaism|Jewish]] teaching<ref>Ketubot 111b</ref> that Scripture considers one who serves Torah scholars to be cleaving to the Almighty Himself.