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Israel ben Eliezer (1700-1760), better known as the Ba'al Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name), or BESHT, was born in Podolia, in the Ukraine. He was orphaned at a young age and supported himself by various means while studying Torah. According to Hasidic tradition, he began to publicly teach and perform healings when he was 36, attracting many followers. In this way Hasidism was born
The BESHT encouraged joy in the worship of God, and put less emphasis on the formal study of Torah, to the dismay of many of the religious leaders of the Jewish community.
This stamp was issued to commemorate the bicentenary of the death of the Ba'al Shem Tov. It depicts the synagogue of the BESHT, at Mezhibozh. The tab inscription is: "Bicentenary of the death of Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism".
