To fully enjoy this book, begin by reading aloud. The "story-teller" sets the mood so that the soul may enter into another realm -- the realm of the mystical within the most simple aspects of life. Gradually the reader steps into the rhythm of the anthology of tales of the Baal Shem Tov, who is widely held to be the progenitor of the Chassidic movement.

If the reader resists total immersion into this vision, perhaps a review of the crises of the era from which the Baal Shem Tov arises would help. Pograms have physically devastated the Jews. The false messiahs Shabtai ben Zvi and Jacob Frank have dashed the hopes and damaged the faith of the people. Jewish leaders attempt to protect the flock from further ravages by focusing upon the intellectual pursuit of Torah, which tends to leave the poor and under-educated masses in the dark and cold.

Onto the stage steps a charismatic figure. Like fire, charisma can be a danger or it can be a blessing. In the Baal Shem Tov, this charismatic energy is the light and fire of Torah, which both illuminates and warms all Jewish souls.

As I read this book, I found myself slowly warming up, then enjoying the light and fire found within the tales of the Baal Shem Tov. Toward the end, the fire cools as the story follows through to the death of the Besht. It behooves the reader to review the middle parts to regain the light and warmth.

The Light And Fire of the Baal Shem Tov by Yitzhak Buxbaum is a book of holy stories of the Baal Shem Tov. The stories are organized through the life of the founder of Chassidus, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, starting with stories of his parents and birth, early years, starting on his path, leading the path, and coming to and beyond life's end. In a way, it traces the life of the Baal Shem Tov through the miraculous stories associated with each period.

The book is well written and targeted at a general audience, making a point of avoiding the use of any special Jewish religious terminology that is often found in such books. The stories are warm, engaging, and faith inspiring.

This book has two special distinctions. First, it's by far the largest collection of stories of the Baal Shem Tov in English that I've ever seen. As opposed to most similiar stories-of-the-righteous books, it's so long and complete it easily lasted through several weeks of reading! Second, it's the priciest book of stories of the Baal Shem Tov that I've ever seen (though given the number of stories included, it's easily equivalent to 4-5 similar books). That said, it can be had at a substantial discount at Amazon.com.

One small formatting gripe, the printing is a bit small and also a bit wide on the page. The result gives you more content per page than similar books, but makes it a less physically comfortable reading experience.

Regardless, my wife and teenage children thorough enjoyed the book, as did I when I finally was able to get it from them.