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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE WELL OF THE
BAAL
SHEM TOV
"And Moshe raised his hand and struck the rock with
his staff twice: water rushed out abundantly. . . . "
Numbers 20:11
And then there was the time that the Baal Shem Tov
was walking with a few followers through the country
side. The time to pray the afternoon prayer (Mincha)
arrived. The students were looking for water to wash
their hands before praying, as is still the custom. But
no water was to be found. "Rebbe," they said, "how
can we pray before we wash our hands?"
The Baal Shem Tov thought for a minute.
Then he raised his walking staff and struck the
ground. The earth opened and water started to flow,
and continues to this day. Ever since then, the local
villagers have called this place the Well of the Baal
Shem Tov. They attribute healing powers to the water
that is drawn from this Well.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane
(Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found
in Me'trat Eynayim 35 and translated in THE GREAT
CHASSIDIC MASTERS by Finkel.
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Sefer Baal Shem Tov
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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This is the statute of the Torah, which the
L·rd has
commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Israel,
that they bring you a red heifer, faultless, with no
blemish. . . (Numbers 19:2)
All the commandments are eternal in the mind. Even
though in practice they require a certain time and
action, in thought, they exist forever. For the Torah
partakes of G·d's divinity, and His divinity is
eternal. As the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov said,
the entire
Torah must always be found applicable in the mind
and intellect, and one can learn from every mitzvah its
[spiritual] allusion. They asked the Baal Shem Tov
how this applies to the mitzvah of the Red Heifer,
which was rarely performed even in the day of the Holy
Temple. Furthermore, what is the significance of its
ability to purify the impure and make impure the pure?
The Baal Shem Tov answered
that this
pertains to the ego. Because if a person acts wrongly
and is far from G·d, the beginning of his
reform
depends upon the ego, and [actions that are] not for
the sake of heaven.1 For instance, in
order to show
off, or to merit the World to Come. For this too is a
hidden type of egotism, in that he thinks it fitting for
G·d to reward him for his deeds. He imagines
that he
has done something for G·d, when really,
without
G·d's influence in our lives, what are we? How
can we
possibly receive reward?
However, it is impossible to
realize this at
first, and the person would remain in
the "externalities,"2 G··d forbid.
Therefore, it is
permitted for him to use pride, ostentation and self-
centered actions, for "amidst selfish reasons, one
comes to selflessness."3
On the other hand, selfless worship must be pure and
clean from all traces of ego, which will ruin the action.
Ego, then, purifies the impure that are distant from
G·d, and defiles the pure that are already
close to
Him, for if become prideful, they are despised by
G·d.
This applies even to Tzaddikim,
who are
already pure. They, too, must always follow this path,
that requires both pride and humility to draw close to
G·d. Because before a person wants to come
close to
G·d through the performance of an important
mitzvah,
or Torah study, or prayer, he is still far-off. Compared
to the degree of closeness he will attain through this
deed, he is, in a sense, still impure. It is impossible
for him to come close to G·d without his ego.
For just as there is Smallness and Largeness in
holiness, so do they exist on the side of
evil,4
G·d
forbid. Smallness in the Sitra Achra occurs when the
evil inclination tells us, "You are not fit to perform such
an important mitzvah or act of worship as this." Then,
one must become proud in the way of
G·d.5
This is
as our Sages said: "Why was Adam created alone, so
that a [each] person should say, 'The world depends
upon me.'"6 Lacking this attitude, his evil
inclination
will tell him that he is unfit to approach G·d
through his
action. Thus, he must use his very ego to come close
to G·d, for this is really humility, as we
explained. It
only seems like pride compared to the evil inclination,
who seeks to deceive him into thinking that it is a
mitzvah to be lowly.
Thus, he pride purifies him and allow him to draw
close to G·d through Torah study, prayer, or
the
commandments. However, afterward, when he is
actually involved in the act, he must be on guard to all
forms of pride. He must humble himself before
G·d
and others. This is holy Smallness - not thinking that
he is better than anyone else because they do not do
this deed. It turns out that feeling egotistical during the
actual performance of the mitzvah, when a person is
called pure, actually makes him impure, G·d
forbid.
Now, pride is called a Heifer, for it increases and
enlarges a person's mind.7 It is also
red, from the
side of the "shells."8
Therefore,
one
must throw into
the pyre of the Heifer cedar wood, hyssop and
crimson [wool], as the Talmud says: "One who is as
proud as a cedar should lower himself like a
hyssop."9 And Maimonidies determined
that the rod
of cedar wood must be a hands breath
long.10 That
is, the power and the greatness that a person uses to
perform the mitzvah has to be precisely measured to a
hands breath, and immediately afterward, he must
lower himself like a hyssop.
This is called the Red Heifer that purifies the impure,
and makes impure the pure.
Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p. 18a
1I.e. not with selfless
intent.
2In the chitzoniyut - i.e. trapped in a
superficial
relationship with life, and far from G·d.
3Pesachim 50b. The Talmud
speaks about a person
who studies Torah in order to be honored with the
title "Rabbi." Even though his motivation is self-
serving, the very act of studying Torah will purify him
and bring him to a level of selflessness in his studies.
4The Sitra Achra - the "Other Side,"
referring to the
forces in creation that appear opposite the Divine will.
5Based upon II Chronicles
17:6: "And
[Jehoshaphat's] heart was lifted up in the ways of the
L rd; and furthermore he took away the high places
and the Asherim out of Judah."
6Sanhedrin 37a.
8The Hebrew word for "Heifer,"
Parah, is related to
the word Pore'ah, "to be fruitful" - translated here
as "to increase."
9The color red is usually
associates with forces of
negativity, such as blood, or the Sefirah of Gevurah.
Here, it represents the kelipot - the impure shells that
block the perception of
G·d.
10Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora
3.
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 125.
Rav Chiya Rabba said, "I never
concentrated in prayer. One time alone, when I
wanted to concentrate, I started thinking 'who should
enter before the king first, the exilarch or the
arkabasa.1'" Shmuel said, "I found
myself counting chicks." R. Bun bar Chiya said, "I was
counting the rows of bricks in the wall."2
"Do not be like servants who serve their master in
order to receive recompense; rather be like servants
who serve their master not in order to receive
recompense."3
There is another version of this statement: "be like
servants who serve their master in order not to receive
recompense." I heard from my
grandfather that both versions are correct, and reflect
two different levels, one higher than the other.
"Not in order to receive recompense," is the proper
and great form of worship. Your intention in praying
for something should be for the sake of
G·d.5 And it does not matter whether or
not you receive the object of your prayers. Indeed,
everything you do should be for the sake of G·d, and
not for your own pleasure at all.
However, there is another, higher level. By way of
example, a certain person has a deep and burning
desire to speak with the king. The king issues a
decree that anyone who presents him with a request
will have it granted. When this person who longs to
speak to the king presents his request, he is actually
afraid that the king will fulfill it, and then he will have
nothing more to talk to him about. He prefers, rather,
that the king not fulfill his request, so that he has a
reason to come before the king and speak to him
again.
This is the meaning of: "A prayer of the poor, when he
faints, and pours out his words before G·d" (Psalms
102:1). That is, his prayer itself is that he can pour out
his words before G·d. This is also alluded to in the
Talmud, in the story of Shmuel
HaKatan.6
This is the meaning of: "in order not to receive a
reward."
Degel Machane Ephraim, Haftarah Ki Setze, s.v. "Rani"
1A high Persian dignitary.
2Jerusalem Talmud, Berachos 17b,
cited in Tosephos, Berachos 16b, s.v. "v'Iyun tefillah."
3Pirkei Avos 1:
5Tzorech gavo'ah, lit. "for the needs of
the high one."
6Ta'anis 25b. Once, in
a period of drought, Shmuel HaKatan declared a
public fast. The rains fell that same day, although after
sunset. (This was considered late, as another story in
the gemara tells of the rain falling immediately in the
morning.) The people assumed that it was because
G·d desired to hear the prayers of the congregation
the entire day. Shmuel HaKatan, however, rejected
this assumption.
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 9.
The holy rabbi of
Ruzhin1 said that many people claim
that the Baal Shem Tov earned his name because he
used holy Names.2 But this is not the
case. Rather, "The tzaddik rules with the fear of
G·d" (II Samuel 23:3), for "G·d decrees and
the tzaddik annuls."3 He was called the
Baal Shem Tov because he annulled many decrees
issued by G·d against the Jewish
people.4
Yeshuos Yisroel, 2:6
1Rabbi Yisroel Friedman (1797-
1850)
2"Baal Shem Tov" literally
means, "Master of the Good Name." The Baal Shem
Tov used these holy names for contemplative and
healing purposes.
3Mo'ed Katan 16b.
4Meaning, the words "Master of the
Name" - Baal Shem - are read as "Master of
HaShem (G·d )," for the Tzaddik has the
power to annul heavenly decrees.
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 167
FOCUSING ON
G·D
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
In our generations, which have very little
understanding, we must strengthen ourselves in the
awe of G·d, constantly focusing our thoughts
in awe.
Even during study time, it is good to take out a few
minutes every so often from one's studies in order to
focus one's thoughts. And even though this seems to
be at the expense of study time, on the contrary, study
is not the goal [- the goal is action].1
1 The goal of Torah study is to bring one
closer to G·d
(see #155), and even in the Baal Shem Tov's time,
study alone did not always achieve this purpose (see
this translator's Visions of a Compassionate World
[Urim Publications] II:9). And at the other end of the
spectrum, the Talmud relates that those who spent
nine hours a day in meditation and prayer were
blessed to achieve in their studies with their little time
left what took others an entire day (Berakhot 32b).
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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