This compendium of documents and essays offers a rich picture of Rabbi Samuel Falk, from Poland, who lived in London from the 1740s until his death in 1782. Some thought Falk was an ignorant impostor, or clever charlatan; others believed was a brilliant healer and performer of miracles, learned in the secrets of kabbalah, skilled at finding hidden treasures, able to move objects telekinetically. Though poverty marked his early years in London, he gained wealth and the support of important, wealthy Jewish families, but also Christians and visitors from mainland Europe. Falk attracted a following with his “miracles,” amulets, and kabalistic occult practices involving gematria (numerological meanings of Hebrew letters) and “the name” of God, hence the title ba'al Shem (literally, master of the name). Though Falk was hated by some Jews like Jacob Emden, who persecuted him in the 1760s, and there were rumors that Falk was a Mason or had converted to Christianity, he was a practicing Jew, buried with honor in a Jewish cemetery.

Originally published in Hebrew, Rabbi, Mystic, or Impostor is the life work of Michal Oron, a brilliant researcher and scholar, who died before it was completed. It is now available in English, enriched by a superb introduction by Todd Endelman, who points to the importance of understanding Falk and his circle, as it “complicates the conventional characterization of eighteenth-century Britain as the birthplace of the modern—the cradles of toleration, reason, liberty, science, and enlightenment” (1).

Rabbi, Mystic, or Impostor is not an easy book. There are many sections, the authoring of it so layered. “Translator's Note” (by Edward Levin), “Note on the Editing of the Diaries” (by C. W. [copyeditor Connie Webber], who says it was the most challenging work she had done), Endelman's introduction. Then follows Oron's six short essays, including “A Brief History of Ba'alie Shem,” “A Biography of Samuel Falk” (curiously devoid of many dates), “The Diaries and Their Research.” Fascinating Appendices include Falk's dreams, library, and will, as well as his enemy Jacob Emden's nasty writings about him. The center of the book is Oron's transcription of two diaries: The Diary of Zevi Hirsch of Kalisz and The Diary of Samuel Falk, which has never appeared in print. Oron's discovery of these diaries is groundbreaking. They offer a glimpse into the kind of “superstitious,” bizarre, “irrational” beliefs and practices that the Enlightenment thought was part of a past that rational people had cast aside.

These diaries show what life was like for Rabbi Falk and his assistant (and probably other poor Jews) in mid-eighteenth-century London—a period that overlaps with the controversy over the Jew Bill in 1753. Endelman suggests that probably Falk had a low profile then, escaping notice. But I like to imagine Falk quietly practicing his kabalistic “magic” in London while opponents of the bill raged at the thought that Jewish foreigners might be naturalized, and harm good Christian Englishmen. Samuel Falk was exactly the kind of Jew they would not have wanted.

Zevi Hirsch was Falk's factotum, his assistant and errand-runner who lived in his household, and accompanied Falk when he went into his special “domain” on London Bridge (a room in a house he rented? sometimes it seems more like a “tent”). Hirsch's diary covers the years from 1747 to 1751.

Falk's diary is shorter but covers a longer period from the 1770s to 1781 (a year before Falk's death). It is rare to have the words of a ba'al shem written in his own hand. We learn of two dreams he had of his wife's death, not long after her passing. He does not seem regretful—in fact, Hirsch's diary makes it clear that they fought and he hated her. By this time, Falk is rich. He records the money he will be receiving, lottery tickets, money he has already been paid. At one point a hundred and six thousand and six hundred pounds (before interest, he says). A worldly kabbalist? Oron's note mentions that “Falk's wealth came mainly from winning lotteries and success at games of chance” (204). Without her invaluable notes, much of this material would remain incomprehensible.

Zevi Hirsch's diary is at least as illuminating, for it gives the perspective of a faithful worker who still managed to have a critical distance. Much of the diary records daily details, the many instances in which he pawned things of his own or his master's for small amounts of money so the household could survive. He records that one Passover the “sanctuary” had no candlesticks and only a single Torah without any of the necessary silver appurtenances (apparently they had been pawned). Falk is a parsimonious master. Occasionally, he gives Hirsch enough to buy “leggings.” Juxtaposed to such details are Hirsch's records of accompanying Falk to the places he did his kabbalistic work. Falk used the small “domain” on London Bridge (also called a “camp”) as a private synagogue (such places were forbidden by the Great Synagogue of London). In several long sections of the diary, Hirsch records Falk's ritual practices, which usually involve lighting candles, and making amulets with Hebrew letters. To have this kind of detail is rare, as Oron says. But how much detail is there really? Hirsch records the actions and movements of the Ba'al Shem without explanation, and usually without specific detail except for the lighting of candles. Though Hirsch records meticulously every time Falk goes to his “domain,” he simply says “he practiced.” Or “he practiced what he practiced.” Does Hirsch feel he must keep the mystery? More likely, Hirsch does not understand what is happening. Indeed, the mystery, the silent practice of ritual without explanation, is part of Falk's power, and it strikes Hirsch with awe. Occasionally Hirsch just says something miraculous or a wonder happened. “It was something new and marvelous, the knowledge that he had from Heaven” (109).

Hirsch's diary ends with a long list of folk remedies, cures, and charms, most likely things he learned from Falk or that Falk practiced. This is the most entertaining part of the diary. I cannot resist quoting a few charms. “For sleep: take horseradish and cook in a little water, then chop up in a grinder and spread on the person until he sleeps. Tested and proven . . . To make a person hated by everyone: take from his hair and place in his faeces while still warm, and immediately he will be hated by everyone . . . If you want your wife to tell you what she has done all her life, take a frog's tongue and place it on her when she is sleeping and she will tell you” (158, 161). Some of the others are even more hilarious. Just reading them will cure you of sadness or depression.