Bidspirit auction | Rare portrait of the holy

Rare portrait of the holy Baal Shem Tov (zt”l), together with a facsimile of his signature, apparently from the first half of the 20th century. - A printed portrait of the Baal Shem Tov, with a reproduction of his sacred handwritten signature printed beneath it. At the lower part of the sheet appears the inscription: “Portrait of Maran the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, and the reproduction of his holy signature (Festival of Shavuot, 5120)” — wording that emphasizes the sanctity of the figure and its connection to Hasidic tradition. The item is printed on thick, high-quality paper, measuring 11 × 15 cm, and is presented in an old wooden frame. Condition: Very good. Is this how the Baal Shem Tov looked? Many wished to behold the facial features of the founder of the Hasidic movement, Israel ben Eliezer. This desire led to mistaken attachments to various images and to their erroneous identification as portraying the Baal Shem Tov. One image that became widely associated—by popular belief—with the Baal Shem Tov is the image presented here. In 1953, this image was sent to Menachem Mendel Schneerson together with a lengthy letter requesting clarification of the accuracy of this attribution. In his reply, the Rebbe noted that “the image has already been published several times, and there are various opinions and disputes concerning it.” In the margins of his response, he listed scholarly sources for further study of the matter. In the winter of 1981–82, the Rebbe again addressed the claim attributing the image to another “Baal Shem” who lived and was active in London, stating that “there are outlines of teachings from our sages” according to which this image should not be regarded as a portrait of the Baal Shem Tov—based on a tradition transmitted to them that the Baal Shem Tov’s beard visibly displayed all thirteen Tikkunei Dikna. On another occasion, the Rebbe was told of images displayed in Chicago that were likewise attributed to the Baal Shem Tov. He responded that “the image attributed to the Baal Shem Tov is that of another Baal Shem who lived and was active in Deutschland (Germany).” The Rebbe expressed a firm position on the matter to his secretary, Rabbi Leibel Groner (of blessed memory), stating that he would not accept any image attributed to the Baal Shem Tov, as he had received a tradition from his father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz, that no authentic image of the Baal Shem Tov exists.