Did Wikipedia remove the word "occupation" from the Baal Shem article?

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When did the Baal Shem article stop using the word "occupation"?

The word appeared 1 times in the opening at its peak in 2015. It is absent from today's opening, the part search engines quote and AI systems train on, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

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What did Wikipedia remove from the Baal Shem article?

The opening as it read in 2010

Baal Shem in Hebrew translates as "Master of the Name" , and is almost always used in reference to Israel ben Eliezer, the Rabbi who founded Hasidic Judaism and was called the Baal Shem Tov . More generally, it refers to a rabbi who, due to his ability to perform super- and supra-good deeds that benefit others, is "given" the title by those who recognize or have benefited from his powers. It's a name that was given in the Middle Ages to a Jewish rabbi miracle worker who could bring about cures and healing , as well having mystical powers to foresee or interpret events and personalities. They were considered to have a "direct line" to Heaven evoking God 's mercies and compassion on suffering human beings. The "Name" referred to in "Master of the Name" is the most holy Four-Letter Name of God or Tetragrammaton . In Jewish tradition, this Name was pronounced only by the High Priest on Yom Kippur . With the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in the year 70 C.E., the true pronunciation was presumably lost. (Jews today do not pronounce the Name out loud, and substitute another Hebrew word, usually Adonai , in prayers and texts.) In some accounts, a Baal Shem was believed to have re-discovered the true pronunciation, perhaps during deep meditation , and could use it in magical ways to work miracles. Some stories say he pronounced it out loud, others say he visualized the Name in his mind. He also used the names of angels in this way. Not many people with this title have been recorded (outside of the Baal Shem Tov, the Baal Shem of Michelstadt was one example) and none have it today. The very first person to receive the title was Eliyahu of Chelm . Other Baalei Shem include Rabbi Eliyahu of Worms (the founder of the movement variously known as " Macheneh Yisrael ", the " Nistarim ", and the "Holy Brotherhood"), Rabbi Joel of Ropshitz (a student of Rabbi Yoel Sirkis ), Rabbi Adam Baal Shem , and Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk (known as the Baal Shem of London ). It mainly survives in Jewish surnames of people descending from Ba'ale Shem such as Balshem , Balshemnik and Bolshemennikov . In recent years, some new age Jewish groups have revived the term as referring to the Jewish equivalent of a shaman or folk healer.¹

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 346100964.

The opening as it stood in 2005

Baal Shem in Hebrew translates as "Master of the Name" , and is almost always used in reference to Israel ben Eliezer , the Rabbi who founded Hasidic Judaism and was called the Baal Shem Tov, or Master of the Good Name. More general, it refers to a rabbi who, due to his ability to perform super- and supra-good deeds that benefit others, is "given" the title by those who recognize or have benefited from his powers. It's a name that was given in the Middle Ages to a Jewish rabbi miracle worker who could bring about cures and healing , as well having mystical powers to foresee or interpret events and personalities. They were considered to have a "direct line" to Heaven evoking God 's mercies and compassion on suffering human beings. Not many people with this title have been recorded (outside of the Baal Shem Tov, the Baal Shem of Michelstadt was one example) and none have it today. It mainly survives in Jewish surnames of people descending from Ba'ale Shem such as Balshem , Balshemnik and Bolshemennikov . v t e

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 16386790.

The opening as it stood in 2015 15 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Marianne von Werefkin , Police Sentinel in Vilnius (1914) Baal Shem (Hebrew plural: Baalei Shem ) in Hebrew meaning " Master of the Name ", refers to a historical Jewish occupation of certain kabbalistic rabbis with knowledge of using names of God in Judaism for practical kabbalah healing, miracles, exorcism and blessing.

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The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Marianne von Werefkin , Police Sentinel in Vilnius (1914), showing east European life with occult influences A Baal Shem (Hebrew: בַּעַל שֵׁם, pl. Baalei Shem ) was a historical Jewish practitioner of practical Kabbalah . Employing the names of God , angels, Satan and other spirits, a Baal Shem could heal, enact miracles, perform exorcisms, treat various health issues, curb epidemics, protect people from disaster due to fire, robbery or the evil eye , foresee the future, decipher dreams, and bless those who sought his powers. In Judiasm, similar figures arbitrated between earthly realities and spiritual realms since before the establishment of Talmudic Judaism in the 3rd Century. However, it wasn't until the sixteenth century that these figures were called Baalei Shem . Herbal folk remedies, amulets, contemporary medical cures as well as magical and mystical solutions were used in accordance with traditional Kabbalistic teachings as well as adapted Lurianic guidelines in the middle ages. Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (born around 1700, died in 1760), was a Polish rabbi and mystical healer known by the name of Baal Shem Tov . His teachings imbued the esoteric usage of practical Kabbalah of Baalei Shem into a spiritual movement: Hasidic Judaism .

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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Historical Jewish practitioner of Practical Kabbalah A portrait of Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk , the Baal Shem of London . A Baal Shem (Hebrew: בַּעַל שֵׁם, pl. Baalei Shem ) was a historical Jewish practitioner of Practical Kabbalah and supposed miracle worker. Employing the names of God , angels, Satan and other spirits, Baalei Shem are claimed to heal, enact miracles, perform exorcisms, treat various health issues, curb epidemics, protect people from disaster due to fire, robbery or the evil eye , foresee the future, decipher dreams, and bless those who sought his powers. In Judaism, similar figures arbitrated between earthly realities and spiritual realms since before the establishment of Talmudic Judaism in the 3rd century. However, it was only in the 16th century that the figures were called Baalei Shem . Herbal folk remedies, amulets, contemporary medical cures as well as magical and mystical solutions were used in accordance with traditional Kabbalistic teachings as well as adapted Lurianic guidelines in the Middle Ages. Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer was a Polish rabbi and mystical healer known as the Baal Shem Tov . His teachings imbued the esoteric usage of practical Kabbalah of Baalei Shem into a spiritual movement, Hasidic Judaism .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1174633952.

The opening as it stood in 2025

Historical Jewish practitioner of Practical Kabbalah A portrait of Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk , the Baal Shem of London . A Baal Shem (Hebrew: בַּעַל שֵׁם, pl. Baalei Shem ) was a historical Jewish practitioner of Practical Kabbalah and miracle worker. Employing various methods, Baalei Shem are claimed to heal, enact miracles, perform exorcisms, treat various health issues, curb epidemics, protect people from disaster due to fire, robbery or the evil eye , foresee the future, decipher dreams, and bless those who sought his powers. In Judaism, similar figures arbitrated between earthly realities and spiritual realms since before the establishment of Talmudic Judaism in the 3rd century. However, it was only in the 16th century that the figures were called Baalei Shem . Herbal folk remedies, amulets, contemporary medical cures as well as magical and mystical solutions were used in accordance with traditional Kabbalistic teachings as well as adapted Lurianic guidelines in the Middle Ages. Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer was a Polish rabbi and mystical healer known as the Baal Shem Tov . His teachings imbued the esoteric usage of practical Kabbalah of Baalei Shem into a spiritual movement, Hasidic Judaism .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1292470983. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.

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