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Tzava'at Harivash Introduction

Tzava’at Harivash is an anthology of teachings and instructions attributed to the Baal Shem Tov and his successor, R. Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezhirech. Tzava’at Harivash is one of the earliest Chassidic texts to be published.
The central theme in Tzava’at Harivash, not surprisingly, is the ultimate of Chassidism’s religious values: deveikut, attachment or cleaving unto God. It implies constant communion with God, a vivid and overwhelming consciousness of the Omnipresent as the sole true reality.
Tzava’at Harivash is one of the early publications of Chassidism. It became a primary target in the attacks by the opponents to Chassidism. Their criticisms against Chassidic teachings refer specifically to Tzava'at Harivash and they had public burnings of the book.