Rabbi Seckel Loeb Wormser (1768-1847) was reverently called the Baal Shem of Michelstadt by his myriad admirers and beneficiaries. He was a miracle-working rabbi, whether by extraordinary, G-d-given powers of the spirit or of the intellect. Whoever came in contact with the Baal Shem of Michelstadt could not help but love and honor him. Oppressed and needy people from far and wide came to Rabbi Seckel Loeb to ask for his advice, his blessing, and his assistance. His inexhaustible love for humanity provided sympathy for petitioners; his clear head had advice for the helpless; his strong hand was ready to assist at any given moment. Rich and poor, mighty and low, scholar and layman, Jew and non-Jew, they all could count on the Baal Shem of Michelstadt. His heartfelt empathy with the worries and sufferings of the poor, combined with a boundless unselfishness, reliability, and vitality, did indeed work miracles. This new edition of a classic opens a window onto the daily lives of German Jews in the early nineteenth century. - from Amzon