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The Ba’al Shem Tov (1700-1760) is considered the founder of Chassidism. During his lifetime, only a small circle of mystics considered him a source of inspiration and emulation. Following his death, however, his disciples began circulating his teachings among wider circles of Jews. This led to the founding of the Chassidic court, which became a place that followers flocked to so they could see the Tzaddik (the righteous one) – namely, the Chassidic leader. The main message of the Chassidim was “adherence”: the mystical proximity to the Creator, due to which the centrality of studying the Torah was undermined.
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