As is clear from his title Israel Baal Shem Tov founder of Hassidism  and know by the acronym, Besht was a celebrated magician and healer - a Ba'al Shem. The seminar will examine his profile as a mystic. We will read his own teachings as imparted by students who knew him personally -- and these text will be analysed against the background  of both Lurianic and Sabbatean Kabbalah.