Rabbi, Mystic, or Impostor?
The Eighteenth-Century Ba’al Shem of London
Translated from the Hebrew by Edward Levin
Contents
Note on Transliteration and Conventions Used in the Text
Translator’s Note
List of Figures
Map
Introduction to the English Edition
TODD M. ENDELMAN
INTRODUCTION
I A Brief History of Ba’alei Shem
II A Biography of Samuel Falk
III Falk’s Activities According to the Diary of Zevi Hirsch
IV Samuel Falk as Seen by Jacob Emden
V Samuel Falk and the Freemasons
VI The Diaries and Their Research
THE DIARIES
The Diary of Zevi Hirsch of Kalisch
The Diary of Samuel Falk
Appendices
A People Featuring Prominently in the Diaries
B Falk’s Dream
C The Letter of Sussman Shesnowzi to his Son
D The Letter of Jacob Emden
E Falk’s Library
F Falk’s Will
Glossary
Bibliography
Index