With the passing of his teacher, the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid (1710-1772), assumed the leadership of the Hasidic movement—a movement which was “really a protest against indifference.” In this light, Professor Wiesel explores the mystery of the Maggid’s greatness. This included putting the accent on the tzadik, the just man; concentrating on the elite group of students gathered around him; knowing whom to send where throughout Eastern Europe and thus serving as a “means against solitude”; having no jealousy of students whose greatness surpassed his own; and understanding “the necessity, not only to begin a new road but to continue” that initiated by his own teacher.