Mezhbizh

The Mezhbizh dynasty served as the earliest "trunk" of Hasidic Judaism, led by the Baal Shem Tov and his direct descendants.

He came to be known as the Baal Shem Tov ("master [of the] good name" in Hebrew) abbreviated as BESHT, a name that was given to various Jewish miracle workers in the Middle Ages.

Reb Boruch was not yet bar mitzvah (under 13 years) at the time of his grandfather's death, and he was then taken to live in Reb Pinchos' home, where the Baal Shem Tov's other close Hasidim and other leaders of the Hasidic movement visited regularly to check on his progress and assist with his preparation to assume his grandfather's mantle.

When he finally returned to Mezhbizh, all of the Hasidic leaders of that time regularly visited Reb Boruch, including the Maggid of Chernobyl, the Magid of Mezritch, Reb Shneur Zalman of Liadi (founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement), and others.

The last rebbe of this lineage to be born in Mezhbizh was Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Korff.