Hasidic Judaism (from the Hebrew: חסידות‎, Sephardic pronunciation: [ħasiˈdut]; Ashkenazic pronunciation: [χaˈsidus]; Israeli pronunciation: [χasiˈdut]), meaning "piety" (or "loving-kindness"), is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality through the popularization and internalization of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspect of the faith. It was founded in 18th-century Eastern Europe by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov as a reaction against overly legalistic Judaism.