A Fire in the Forest: The Life and Legacy of the Ba'al Shem Tov
2012•NR•58m•Released
Documentary
Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760), known as the Ba'al Shem Tov ("Master of the Good Name"), is one of the most beloved and celebrated, yet elusive, figures in Jewish history. Today, Jews worldwide – and even non-Jews – revere him as the founder of the Hasidic movement, a 18th-century offshoot of Judaism that promotes a mystical interpretation of the Bible, and as a model of piety and spirituality. The documentary A FIRE IN THE FOREST explores the life and legacy of the Ba'al Shem Tov through interviews with religious leaders and scholars, and on-location footage. The title derives from a tale about rabbis finding a hidden fire in the forest where they could appeal to God for help and have their prayers answered.
Director
Chuck Davis
Studio
Throughline Productions
Cast
Marc Soloway
Self - Host / Narrator (voice)
Recommended
8
My Mom Jayne
2025
6.4
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library
2017
7.3
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado
2020
7.4
That's Entertainment!
1974
7.4
Above Majestic
2018
7.4
I Am Heath Ledger
2017
6.2
DMT: The Spirit Molecule
2010
6.5
Heart of a Dog
2015
8
Take the Ball, Pass the Ball
2018
7.5
A Plastic Ocean
2016
7.4
For the Love of Spock
2016
8.2
Baraka
1992
6.8
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
2022
7
Stolen: Heist of the Century
2025
6.4
The Captains
2011
6.5
The Unbelievers
2013
7.1
The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends
2019
7.9
Alone in the Wilderness
2004
7.3
Harry Potter: A History Of Magic
2017
7.1
The Mole: Undercover in North Korea
2020
Similar Movies
7
Mystical Brain
2006
5.9
A Life Apart: Hasidism in America
1998
The Sacred Art of Tibet
1972
5
Rabbi Wolff
2016
8.7
Merton: A Film Biography
1984
Wellstone!
2004
6.7
Regina
2013
6.9
One of Us
2017
4.7
The Eternal Jew
1940
5.8
The Secret Glory
2001
4.2
H. Spencer Lewis: Restorer of Rosicrucianism
2009
6.7
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
2014
Adios Amor
2022
7.8
The Ornament of the World
2019
Nel silenzio del parco
2025
6
Going to Hell
2019
Our Aotearoa
2022
8
Aside From That
0
7.8
93Queen
2018
gOD-Talk
2023