Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk (; 1708 – 17 April 1782), also known as the Baal Shem of London and Doctor Falckon, was a

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

, ''

Baal Shem A ''Baal Shem'' (Hebrew: בַּעַל שֵׁם, pl. ''Baalei Shem'') was a historical Jewish practitioner of Practical Kabbalah and miracle worker. Employing various methods, ''Baalei Shem'' are claimed to heal, enact miracles, perform exorcisms ...

'', kabbalist and

alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

Biography

Falk was born in either Furth in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

or Pidhaytsi in

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

. After the rabbi narrowly escaped being

burnt at the stake Death by burning is an execution, murder, or suicide method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment for and warning agai ...

by the authorities in

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

who had charged him with

sorcery Sorcery commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Goetia, ''Goetia'', magic involving the evocation of spirits ** Witchcraft, the ...

, the German Count Alexander Leopold Anton von Rantzau secretly gave him refuge in

Holzminden Holzminden (; ) is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden (district), Holzminden. It is located on the river Weser, which at this point forms the border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. ...

. During this stay there in 1736, Falk made impressive kabbalistic performances in Rantzau's castle, witnessed by noblemen and the Count's son Georg Ludwig Albrecht. The latter's memoirs contain a detailed account of these mystical demonstrations. Sometime after 1736, Falk arrived in London. He lived at 35 Prescott Street, London, United Kingdom and at

Wellclose Square Wellclose Square is a public square in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, between Cable Street to the north and The Highway to the south. The western edge, now called Ensign Street, was previously called Well Street. The southern edge was c ...

, London until his death. He was a neighbour of

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (; ; born Emanuel Swedberg; (29 January 168829 March 1772) was a Swedish polymath; scientist, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, Christian theologian, philosopher, and mysticism, mystic. He became best known for his book on the ...

and there is some evidence that he had a significant influence on him. Rabbi

Jacob Emden Jacob Emden, also known as the Yaʿavetz (June 4, 1697 – April 19, 1776), was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed traditional Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement. He was widely acclaimed for ...

accused him of being a

Sabbatean The Sabbateans (or Sabbatians) are a variety of Jewish followers, disciples, and believers in Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676), an Ottoman Jewish rabbi and Kabbalist who was proclaimed to be the Jewish Messiah in 1666 by Nathan of Gaza. Vast ...

, as he invited Moses David of Podhayce, a known supporter of

Sabbatai Zevi Sabbatai Zevi (, August 1, 1626 – ) was an Ottoman Jewish mystic and ordained rabbi from Smyrna (now İzmir, Turkey). His family were Romaniote Jews from Patras. His two names, ''Shabbethay'' and ''Ṣebi'', mean Saturn and mountain gazelle, ...

with connections to Jonathan Eibeschutz, to his home. He died on 17 April 1782 and was buried in Alderney Road Cemetery, Mile End, London. Falk bequeathed in his will an annual sum of 100 pounds to the

Great Synagogue of London The Great Synagogue of London was a former Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the City of London, England, in the United Kingdom. The synagogue was, for centuries, the centre of Ashkenazi life in Lo ...

as well as some

Sifrei Torah A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...

Folklore

Many stories exist regarding Falk's extraordinary powers. According to one account, Falk made secretive visits to

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the Lond ...

in his carriage, where he was said to have buried some treasure. On one of these occasions a wheel came loose from the vehicle on the

Whitechapel Road Whitechapel Road is a major arterial road in Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It is named after a small chapel of ease dedicated to St Mary and connects Whitechapel High Street to the west with Mile End Road to the east ...

, but followed the carriage all the way to the forest. When Falk ran short of coal, he was said to have performed a magical feat involving three shirts and a ram's horn. Falk was also able to keep candles burning miraculously, and to transport objects from one place to another. Some claimed that he had saved the Great Synagogue from fire by writing something in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

on the pillars of the door.

Diary

Falk kept a diary containing records of dreams and the Kabbalistic names of angels. This can be found in the library of the

United Synagogue The United Synagogue (US) is the largest umbrella body for Orthodox Judaism in Britain. It is structured as a charity which serves the United Kingdom, British Jewish community in the broadest possible way. One of the largest charities in the B ...

in London. In 2002 Michal Oron published the diary and a biography of Falk. The diary is written in

and is very cryptic. The diary was published together with the diary of Falk's assistant, Tsvee Hirsch of Kalish.

Notes

:1.Variations of this portrait, originally subtitled "

", are sometimes erroneously used to represent the

Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (According to a forged document from the "Kherson Geniza", accepted only by Chabad, he was born in October 1698. Some Hasidic traditions place his birth as early as 1690, while Simon Dubnow and other modern scholars argue f ...

References

* Picciotto, James. ''Sketches of Anglo-Jewish History''. London: Soncino Press, 1956. * * * * Rantzow, George Louis Albert (Georg Ludwig Albrecht von Rantzau). ''Mémoires du comte de Rantzow'', vol. 1, Pierre Mortier Amsterdam (1741). First translation ever published by Renate Ricarda Timmermann: ''Die Memoiren des Grafen von Rantzau'', vol. 1, Profund-Verlag (2015),

Footnotes

External links

Dr. Samuel Jacob Falk: A Sabbatian Adventurer in the Masonic Underground
by Marsha Keith Schuchard {{Authority control Baal Shem Kabbalists 18th-century German rabbis 18th-century English rabbis 1708 births 1782 deaths English alchemists Practical Kabbalah German emigrants to the Kingdom of Great Britain English Orthodox rabbis British people of German-Jewish descent Rabbis from London 18th-century alchemists