Baal Shem Tov

1 file changed +1 −0

Diff

diff --git a/judaism.html b/judaism.html
index dfd452a..d7be0b0 100644
--- a/judaism.html
+++ b/judaism.html
@@ -872,6 +872,7 @@
                             <li><strong>Hasdai Crescas (c. 1340–1410):</strong> Spanish philosopher. Critiqued Aristotelian physics and metaphysics, defending divine omnipotence and free will, influencing later thinkers like Spinoza.</li>
                             <li><strong>Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677):</strong> Dutch philosopher of Sephardic origin, excommunicated for his pantheistic views and critique of traditional religion. Highly influential in Western philosophy but outside the Jewish mainstream.</li>
                             <li><strong>Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786):</strong> German philosopher, central figure of Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment). Argued in *Jerusalem* that Judaism is a religion of reason and revealed law (not dogma), compatible with Enlightenment values. Advocated for Jewish civil rights and integration.</li>
+                            <li><strong>Baal Shem Tov (Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer) (c. 1700–1760):</strong> Eastern European Jewish mystic and founder of Hasidic Judaism. Emphasized joyful worship, heartfelt prayer, and the accessibility of the divine to all, countering the era's elitist and rationalist trends. His teachings highlighted *devekut* (cleaving to God), the sanctity of everyday life, and the spiritual leadership of the *tzadik*. His movement revitalized Jewish spirituality and continues to influence Hasidic communities today.</li>
                             <li><strong>Modern Thinkers (20th C - Selected):</strong> Diverse responses to modernity, existentialism, Holocaust.
                                 <ul>
                                     <li><em>Hermann Cohen (Neo-Kantian ethics), Martin Buber (I-Thou dialogue, existentialism), Franz Rosenzweig (*Star of Redemption*, new thinking), Abraham Joshua Heschel (theology of divine pathos, awe, social action), Joseph B. Soloveitchik (Modern Orthodox synthesis, *Halakhic Man*), Emmanuel Levinas (post-Holocaust ethics of responsibility to the Other), Yeshayahu Leibowitz (radical theocentrism).</em></li>