Stories That Changed History

In this insightful and engaging lecture, Moshe Rosman explores the career of Shivhei Ha-Besht. Considered one of the best known and widely read Jewish folklore collections of the past two hundred years, ""In Praise of the Ba'al Shem Tov"" covers such themes as Besht's miraculous birth and childhood, his initiation into mystical secrets, his dreams, his travels, and most of all the miracles that he performed. Rosman examines the historical and cultural significance of these stories. The annual B. G. Rudolph Lecture in Judaic Studies was inaugurated by B. G. Rudolph in 1962. Since then, his son Jay Rudolph, along with others, have helped to build the Judaic Studies Program at Syracuse University.