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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE INVISIBLE
MAN
"And he shall remove his vestments, and put on other
garments." (Tzav 6:4)
Once the Holy Reb Uri of Strelinsk said, "Concerning
the Prophet Eliyahu, we've been told that 'the girdle of
his loins was a girdle of leather.' This means that in
his case, his very loins, his very body, was like a
leather girdle, which he could put on and take off at
will."
Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the Torah Sedra
Tzav
AND then there was the time that a well know
local nobleman by the name if Lord Vasily who held
great disdain for the Baal Shem Tov.
He would boast to all, even the Jews, "Tell your holy
Baal Shem Tov that one day I will catch him and
dispatch him to his holy world-to-come with one shot
from my hunting rifle!" Everyone knew of the
nobleman's hatred for the great Tzaddik.
The Governor was an acquaintance and admirer of
the Baal Shem Tov. Once, when the Baal Shem Tov
called on the Governor, he was invited to walk through
the beautiful private gardens of the Governor's estate.
As they were walking, a servant of the Governor
approached to notify the Governor that a local
nobleman was waiting to meet with the Governor on a
civil matter.
As it happened, the Governor's visitor was none other
than Lord Vasily. The Governor was well aware of
Lord Vasily's great dislike for the Baal Shem Tov and
wished to avoid any trouble. The Governor excused
himself and entered his large house with the intention
of keeping Lord Vasily's visit as brief as possible, then
escort him to the door and on his way, so to avoid any
confrontation.
But suddenly in the midst of their discussion, the Baal
Shem Tov appeared at the garden entrance doors,
and entered the room where the Governor and Lord
Vasily were meeting. The Baal Shem Tov approached
the Governor and said: "My dear Governor, I thoroughly
enjoyed our conversation. But I see that you are busy
and I do not wish to impose, so I will be on my way
back home."
As the Governor and the Baal Shem Tov shook hands
and said goodbye, Lord Vasily looked on with great
curiosity but didn't say a word. He thought to
himself, "The Governor is acting very
strangely."
The Governor, on the other hand, was wondering the
same thing: "Why hasn't Lord Vasily reacted to seeing
the Baal Shem Tov right in front of him! After all, hasn't
he been telling everyone that he intends to kill the Baal
Shem Tov the next time he sees him. And here he is
with his favorite hunting rifle and the Baal Shem Tov
standing just a few feet away, and he acts like the
Rabbi isn't even here. There must be something
seriously wrong with him." The Governor feeling
worried about his friend said, "My dear Lord Vasily,
why don't you rest and spend the afternoon here in my
home, and then please join me for dinner. It's a long
ride back to your manor and I would appreciate your
good company. "
The nobleman, flattered by the Governors attention,
immediately accepted the invitation.
Later that evening, as the Governor and his guest sat
enjoying their dinner meal, the Governor said, "So tell
me my friend," he began, "why do you have such
disdain for the Baal Shem Tov?"
The nobleman sneered. "That so called Holy man
has all the local Jews tied around his finger. They
won't take a step without first getting his approval.
They call it getting the Baal Shem Tov's blessing.
What a hoax! And besides, the Jews on my property
don't work as hard as before. They are more
interested in spending the Sabbath and Jewish
holydays together, going to the synagogue, eating and
drinking."
The Governor leaned closer to Lord Vasily.
"Didn't you see the Baal Shem Tov here, in my Great
Room, where we were meeting earlier today? He was
standing right in front of you! He shook my hand
before he left."
Lord Vasily grew pale and was speechless. Finally,
after a long pause he said, "What do you mean, dear
sir? Are you saying the Rabbi was here and I didn't
see him?"
"Well I can assure you that I am not insane!"
exclaimed the Governor. "He was right here, in the
flesh!"
Both men sat in stunned silence.
"It appears we just witnessed a miracle," said the
Governor. "The Baal Shem Tov really is a holy man
and it seems he made himself invisible! I could see
him but you couldn't!"
Lord Vasily was stunned. After a few minutes, he
regained his composure.
"I must go immediately to the holy Rabbi and beg his
forgiveness for my threats. After all, a man that can
make himself invisible at will I cannot risk making my
enemy. I must go immediately!"
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaKohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from SHIVCHEI HABESHT
translated in IN PRAISE OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by
Ben Amos and Mintz.
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TORAH BAAL SHEM TOV
Selection from Sefer Baal Shem Tov on the Torah
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"If he offers it for a thanksgiving." (Tzav 7:12)
This is what the verse says: "A fool explains his sin"
(Proverbs 14:9). Rabbi Yuden said, "This fool
has to explicate his sins with his
mouth."1
The Baal Shem Tov often taught that a person who
sins by night will inevitably tell people what he did the
next day. However, they may not understand what he
is saying, and he himself will be unaware as to what
his own words testify.
Once, the Baal Shem Tov was traveling with his
disciples [by wagon]. "You should know," he
said, "that last night, this wagon driver slept with his
wife who is in nidah."2 The disciples
were surprised. "We didn't hear even a suggestion of
this the entire day," they replied. Immediately, they
started to pay closer attention to everything the wagon
driver said for the rest of the day.
It was almost sundown, and they stopped at a
roadside inn. The wagon driver jumped from the
wagon and entered the house, and they followed him
to hear what he would say and imply. "Sell me some
vodka," they heard him say to the innkeeper. The
innkeeper poured him a cup, and gave it to him. He
was about to drink it, when the innkeeper said, "Wait! I
will give you another cup, because that one wasn't
immersed [in a mikvah]."3 "So what if it
wasn't immersed?" the wagon-driver answered
him.
When the disciples heard this, they rejoiced and
praised G d, for they saw that He shares His wisdom
with His Tzaddikim and those who fear Him. And they
saw that the G d's words were indeed in the Baal
Shem Tov's mouth.
Sifsei Tzaddikim, Matos
1Vayikra Rabbah 9:2
2Ritual impurity: The Torah forbids
marital relations during and slightly after a woman's
menstrual cycle. Furthermore, even after the
conclusion of her period, she must immerse in a
mikvah — a ritual pool or body of water — before she
can be with her husband. The Baal Shem Tov knew
this through his divine inspiration.
3All vessels that a Jew acquires from a
Gentile must also be immersed in a mikvah before
they may be used. See Numbers
31:23
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer
Shore
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THE PILLAR OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
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Section 60
Joyous prayer is certainly more acceptable to G d than
depressed and tearful prayers. For example, even
though a poor man might entreat the king with great
tears and cries, he still receives only a little. However,
when a prince joyfully praises the king, and then
makes his request, the king bestows upon him
bountifully, as is fitting for royalty.
Tzava'as HaRivash p.13a
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
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THE LIGHT OF THE EYES
On the Greatness of the Baal Shem Tov
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Section 50
The Holy Rabbi of Kobrin said, "We must believe all
the stories, miracles and wonders attributed to the
Baal Shem Tov. We should believe that even if they
didn't happen, they could have happened."
Imros Tahoros, p. 34
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer
Shore
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KESER SHEM TOV
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov
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Section 79
"He thinks evil on his bed, he stands on a path that is
not good."1
This refers to someone who prays in his illness — "on
his bed" — fooled by the evil inclination into asking
G d's assistance in merit of his good deeds, when in
truth, "he stand on a path that is not good."
2
1Psalms 36:5. This verse follows
the one quoted at the end of the previous teaching,
and is explained as continuing the same idea.
2Not only is a person fooled into acting
improperly and justifying himself by believing that he
acted properly, but he then turns around and expects
G d to assist him in merit of that "good deed."
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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