ba'al shem

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Pronunciations

ba'al shem (bah-ahl SHEM)

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Definitions

  • n. A miracle worker or healer.

Example Sentences

  • "Contemporary witnesses such as Pinḥas Katzenellenbogen testify to the enormous popularity of the ba‘ale shem among various strata of European Jews, and to their magical knowledge." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • בַּעַל שֵׁם ba'al shem 'possessor of the Name'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      ba'al-shem, baal shem, ba'alei shem, ba'alei-shem, baalei shem, baale-shem, ba'ale shem, ba'ale-shem, ba'ale-shemos, baale-shemos, ba'ale shemos

Notes

  • This term was used in the Middle Ages especially in Eastern Europe for one who possessed secret knowledge of the Tetragrammaton and other Divine names that were used in amulets to heal the sick and perform miracles (Steinmetz).

    Ba'alei shem or ba'alei shemos is the plural form of this term.

    Ba'al Shem Tov was a variant of this term, however, it came to be exclusively applied to the founder of Hasidism, Israel Baal Shem Tov.

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