THE MAGGID OF MEZRITCH
The Life and Times of Rebbe Dov Ber,
the Great Maggid of Mezritch
by Yitzchok Dorfman
Introduction
|
In 1761, a frail aging
man who walked on crutches took over the reins of the fledgling Chassidic
movement. Described by his mentor, the Ba'al Shem Tov, as a "pure
golden menorah who needed only to be lit," and an "endless fountain,"
R' Dov Ber moved to Mezritch where his every word reverberated in the
hearts of his numerous disciples, each of whom became a luminary in his
own right. In twelve short years Chassidus was transformed from a "sect"
concentrated in the south-central Polish province of Podolia into a movement
that encompassed major segments of European Jewry. |
 |
The Ba'al Shem Tov's teachings, initially known only to a select circle
of disciples, soon became the inheritance of thousands. In the words of
a later Chassidic Master, R' Shlomo of Radomsk:
"The Ba'al Shem Tov
bestowed all the fountains of wisdom upon the Maggid, and he became the
leader of the generation. The light of his holiness sparkled in the disciples
who followed him in each era, by whose words we live until the coming of
the Moshiach" (Tiferes Shlomo, "Rimzei Purim").
While certain parts of this book are factual, many of the accounts of
the Maggid's life come to us via legend. Though one is not obligated to
believe all the legendary stories of the Chassidic Masters, Chassidic tradition
bids us to accept that they were capable of doing everthing related in
these tales, and more.
It was my own curiosity about the lives of these Chassidic masters that
led me to write this book. Upon researching the life story of the Maggid,
I could not help but feel that I was reliving Chassidic history. While
some of this feeling is undoubtably lost in translation, I truly hope
that some of it remains to inspire the reader.
Yitzchak Dorfman
