The Baal Shem Tov's unstinting love for his fellow Jews led him to interpret every movement of theirs as reflecting their inner yearning for the living God. In a Jew's every gesture, the Besht saw a prayer addressed to the Creator; in every sigh, he perceived a penitent turn toward the Master of the world.
— Yitzhak Buxbaum, The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov