Magid devarav le-Ya‘akov (He Declares His Word to Jacob)

Dov Ber, the Magid (preacher) of Mezritsh, was the spiritual successor to the Ba‘al Shem Tov (Besht). Born in Volhynia, he was a teacher who consulted the Besht to improve his health, and thereafter abandoned his ascetic practices and adopted the more emotional and contemplative expressions of Hasidism. After the Besht’s death in 1760, Dov Ber settled in Mezritsh, where he pioneered the role of the tsadik and influenced major Hasidic dynasties. It was from him, more than from the Besht, that Hasidism grew. His teachings were later published by his disciples.