In this article, we will address the topic of Jacob Joseph of Polonne in depth, with the aim of providing our readers with a broad and detailed view on this matter. With the passage of time, Jacob Joseph of Polonne has become increasingly relevant in today's society, sparking great interest and debate among experts and the general public. From its beginnings to the present, Jacob Joseph of Polonne has generated numerous conflicting opinions, which is why in this article we will focus on analyzing and exposing the different perspectives that exist around this topic, in order to offer our readers a complete and objective vision. .
Jacob Joseph of Polonne, (1710–1784) (Hebrew: יעקב יוסף הכהן) or Yaakov Yosef of Pollonye, was a rabbi who was one of the first disciples of the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the Baal Shem Tov.
Yaakov Yosef had been an adherent of the school of Lurianic Kabbalah. Before becoming chassidic he was the rabbi of the city of Sharhorod for several years, where his pietistic asceticism and self-isolation alienated his community and led to his being fired from his position on a Friday afternoon (just before Shabbat) in 1748. Afterwards he joined the new hasidic movement and settled in Rașcov.
His book Toldos Yaacov Yosef, (published in 1780), was the first chassidic work ever published. He is a major source for the Baal Shem Tov's sayings, and quotes those he himself heard firsthand in a section called "Words I Heard from My Master."
He says of the dual requirement in Judaism to both love and fear God that when one reaches a high level of inwardness of the soul, fear and love of God coalesce into one, becoming indistinguishable from one another, eliminating the need to give priority to one over the other.
The titles of these four works are all biblical allusions to Jacob Joseph's own name, in particular the figure of Joseph.