The Passing of the Baal Shem Tov on Shavuot – Mystery of the First or Second Day

In the presence of his holy disciples, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, passed from this world. It happened on the festival of Shavuot, a sacred day when, as the tradition says, the heavens rejoiced as the pure and righteous soul of the Baal Shem Tov ascended on high.

Yet, despite detailed records of his final hours — who was present, and what took place, a remarkable confusion arose that has lasted for generations: Did the Baal Shem Tov pass away on the first day of Shavuot or on the second?

When Did the Baal Shem Tov Pass Away?

The early biographical work Shivchei HaBesht (Praises of the Baal Shem Tov) states explicitly that his passing occurred on the first day of Shavuot. This became the accepted tradition in the Mezhibuzh community.

Further confirmation comes from several sources that mention the custom of Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibuzh, the Baal Shem Tov’s grandson (son of his daughter Adel). Each year, during Tikkun Leil Shavuot — the traditional night of Torah study, Rabbi Baruch would enter his study hall in the middle of the night, and whenever the congregation reached a point in the prayers requiring Kaddish, he would rise and recite Kaddish for the soul of his grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov. This indicates that the Yahrzeit was observed on the first night of the festival.

However, the matter remained uncertain for many years, as other accounts claimed that the Baal Shem Tov passed away on the second day of Shavuot.

Scholarly Evidence

A particularly convincing piece of evidence supporting the first-day tradition was found by Dr. Yitzhak Alfasi, a noted scholar of Chassidic history. He discovered an original note inside the prayer book (siddur) of Rabbi Avraham Shimshon of Roshkov, one of the Baal Shem Tov’s disciples.

In the margin, the student had written: “My master, our teacher Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem (of blessed memory), passed away on the first day of Shavuot, which was Wednesday, in the year 5520.”

This handwritten note, found in the siddur of a direct disciple, provides rare and decisive historical evidence.

No One Knows His Burial Place

As for the confusion surrounding the details of his burial, the holy Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin once explained that this mystery reflects what the Torah says about Moshe: “And no man knows his burial place.”

In the same way, the hiddenness surrounding the Baal Shem Tov’s passing and resting place is part of the spiritual mystery surrounding his soul — a secret not meant to be revealed.