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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE BROKEN
PROMISE
"If a man takes a vow to G·d or swears an
oath to prohibit himself (from something which the
Torah permits), he shall not violate his word (and) he
must act in accordance with whatever he uttered."
Mattos 30:3
There exist very stringent halachos (Torah laws) with
regards to oaths. A person is only permitted to take a
vow abstaining from something which is relevant to
the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple in Jerusalem which
was destroyed approximately 2,000 years ago). For
example, taking a vow to refrain from one's wife would
immediately be annulled, since this has no bearing
on the Beis HaMikdash. Additionally, a vow only is
legitimate if it is actually verbalized. However, the
actual language which is spoken does not matter;
rather it is the intention of the oath giver. If a person
has the intention to go without wine but mistakenly
says bread, neither is forbidden to him. Amazingly, if a
person made a vow in a dream, it is legitimate and he
must have it nullified properly. Conversely, if one
dreams that a vow was nullified, this is not regarded
as valid.
One may wonder the reason to take an oath, and the
Midrash gives three explanations. First, if a Jewish
person strays from the Torah path, a vow is an
excellent way to toughen his resolve to do Teshuvah
(return to G-d). Second, if there is an occasion to do a
mitzvah (Bibical commandment), one may take an
oath to do this mitzvah. Third, Issac's son Jacob had
the custom of making oaths in difficult times.
However, it is clear that taking oaths frivolously is
highly disregarded and considered a sin.
If one wishes to nullify an oath, there is a prescribed
manner with which to do so. He must confer with
three Rabbis who specialize in the halachos of vows.
They decide and declare that he was not familiar with
the consequences of taking such an oath because if
he had been aware, he would not have done so. If he
sufficiently regrets the oath, the three Rabbis have the
authority to nullify it.
Freely adapted from Me'am Lo'ez.
And then there was the time that two chasidim who
were best friends throughout their lives made a
solemn oath as they reached old age. Whichever
man passed onto the next world first would return in a
dream and describe the World to Come to the other.
The first man to pass on fulfilled his promise. When
he came to the other in a dream, he had troubling
news.
"There is a great amount of Torah study here, but the
righteous men of Heaven will not include me in their
discussions."
"That's terrible news," exclaimed the one still
living. "Maybe you should consult with the Baal Shem
Tov for guidance."
Sure enough, the deceased followed his friend's
advice and came to the Baal Shem Tov in a
dream. "Rebbe, you have to help me! I'm being
ignored in Heaven."
"What is the subject of Torah they are now
discussing?" asked the Baal Shem Tov.
The chasid responded, "It's a certain section found in
the Holy Zohar."
"There is a confusing topic in that section of the
Zohar," said the Baal Shem Tov. "I will explain it to
you, and you can join the discussion when no one
else will be able to expound on that topic."
The chasid was overjoyed, but the next night returned
to the Baal Shem Tov. "Rebbe," he cried, "the others
were very happy to hear your teaching, but they
continue to act as if I'm not there."
"You only have one option at this point. You must
interrupt their Torah study until they tell you why you
are being ignored."
The chasid followed the advice of the Baal Shem Tov
and after persistent badgering, he got the answer.
"As long as you have an active oath in the physical
world, you cannot participate in Torah study here. You
are still connected with that world, and this bars you
from a complete presence here. You must break your
earthly promise with your friend, and only then can you
learn with us."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in STORIES OF
THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Y.Y Klapholz.
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Sefer Baal Shem Tov
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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And Moses spoke to the tribal heads of the Israelites,
saying: This is the thing that G·d has
commanded. If a
man makes a vow to G·d, or makes an oath to
obligate himself, he must not break his word. He must
do all that he expressed verbally. (Numbers 30:2-3)
This is what is written: "·Better not to make a vow, than
to make a vow and not complete it" (Ecclesiastes 5:4).
The Holy One says, Be careful making vows, and do
not break them, for all who breaks vows will eventually
transgress oath.1 And one who
transgresses oaths
is considered to have denied G·d. There is no
forgiveness for him, as it says: "You shall not take the
name of the L-rd your God in vain; for G·d will
not hold
him guiltless that takes His name in vain" (Exodus
20:6). And it is written: "If you will return to me, O
Israel . . . and will swear, 'As the L·rd
lives'. . . ."
(Jeremiah 4:1-3). The Holy One said to Israel, "Do not
think that it is permissible for you to swear, even in
truth. You are not permitted to swear by My Name . . . ."
2
Our Sages enjoined us to say before each
mitzvah: "For the sake of the union of the Holy One and
His Shechinah. . . ." This is alluded to in the
verse: "This is the thing that G·d has
commanded."
The matter is as follows.
King Solomon said: "Better not to make a
vow." But what type of individual is he addressing? If it
is a person who does not plan on fulfilling his vow,
obviously he is forbidden to make it, for he
transgresses a negative commandment and a
positive one, as the Talmud says.3 And if
it is a
person who wants to fulfill his vow, why is it better for
him not to make it. The Sages said: "How do we know
that a person can vow to fulfill a mitzvah? From the
verse: 'I have sworn and I have fulfilled it, to observe
Your righteous ordinances" (Psalms 119:106). King
David also said: "My vows to G·d I will fulfill"
(ibid.
116:14). And would David transgress this, G·d
forbid?
Rather, with every mitzvah that a person
performs, he fixes all the aspects of nefesh, ruach,
and neshama, up until the highest point - the tip of the
yud,4 which is hidden and concealed. If
the
commandment requires action, making that the
lowest level of the commandment, a person must still
fix speech and thought. If it involves speech, then that
is the lowest aspect of the mitzvah, and he still must
fix voice and thought.5
Now, when a person thinks about
performing a mitzvah, he still has no fear of the
accusation of the "shells,"6 for they have
no
attachment to thought. However, when he verbalizes
[his intention] to do a mitzvah, then there are Accusing
Forces to hinder the mitzvah, for the "shells" draw
sustenance from the place of
speech.7
Therefore, when a person wants to
perform a mitzvah and must speak about doing it,
making him concerned about the Accusers, our
Sages enjoined him to say: "For the sake of the union
of the Holy One and His Shechinah, in fear and in love,
in love and in fear, to unite the Name Y-H and V-H by
means of He who is hidden and concealed in the
name of all Israel," Then, he has created the
Unification of the mitzvah on [the level of] speech,
voice and thought, up until above, to He who is hidden
and concealed.8 Then he will not be
afraid of the
Accusers or obstacles to the mitzvah, nor from any
selfish motivations [on his part], since he has uplifted
all the vitality of the mitzvah, and lacks only the
mitzvah's performance, which is the last level.
Consequently, the Accusers will lack all ability to stop
him.
This is what the verse says: "When shall
make a vow to the L·rd your G·d, you
shall not be late
in fulfilling it . . . " (Deuteronomy 23:22). This verse
guarantees that when a person makes a Unification
before performing a mitzvah - that is "to the
L·rd your
G·d"9 - he can be absolutely sure that he
will not
delay in fulfilling it - that is, to also fulfill it in actuality -
since he did the Unification completely. This is why
the verse says: "This is the thing . . . . ." alluding to the
Unification. For "this" is Yesod and "the thing"
(hadavar) is Malchus. "That G·d has
commanded" -
that is, that G·d commands each person to do
before
performing a mitzvah, to say the Unification
completely. So that, "If a man makes a vow to
G·d," to
do a mitzvah, he shouldn't just say that he will do it, he
should make the complete unification.
This is what the Midrash said: "Better not
to make a vow, than to make a vow and not complete
it" - that is, not to complete the Unification, but merely
to state that one will do the mitzvah. Because then
concern exists about the Accuser, and it would be
better not to have vowed, not to say anything, only to
think about doing the mitzvah, so that there is no worry
about the Accusers. However, if a person can
complete the Unification perfectly, it is certainly better.
He will not have any fear of Accusers, and in fact, will
receive help and support to complete the mitzvah.
This is what David said: "My vows
to G·d I will fulfill." Meaning, the vow will be
with a complete
Unification. For when the Unification is incomplete, it
is called "breaking the vow," which will lead him to
transgress an oath, which is the impediment to the
mitzvah, which is a rectification of the seven attributes
called "oaths." Therefore, one must be careful to
complete the Unification.
Devorim Nechmadim, Ginzei Yosef
1Taking an oath involves swearing on
G·d's Name.
Thus, transgressing it is a more serious offense than
breaking a vow.
2Yalkut Shimoni, Matos #284.
3Nedarim 3b.
4Although the Baal Shem Tov explicitly
names the
three lowest levels of the soul - nefesh, ruach, and
neshama - he alludes here to still higher levels - the
chaya and yechida. These five levels are alluded to in
the four letters of the Tetragrammaton. The nefesh
corresponds to the final hey, the ruach to the vav, the
neshama to the first hey, the chaya to the yud, and the
yechida to the small point at the top left of the yud -
é
5The Baal Shem Tov divides each
mitzvah into three
components. When the mitzvah is performed with
speech, such as prayer or Torah study, then that is the
lowest level. The two higher levels would then be
voice (kol - undifferentiated sound) and thought.
6Kelipot - forces of impurity and evil that
oppose the
performance of a mitzvah, by claiming that a person is
not worthy to do it.
7See Likutey Moharan I:38,2, on the
verse: "Sin
couches at the door" (Genesis 4:7), alluding to
the "door" of the mouth.
8Apparently, by reciting this prayer, one
unifies even
a physical mitzvah on three upper levels. The actual
performance of the mitzvah that follows is almost
secondary, and can proceed with obstruction.
9The conjunction of the Divine
Names "L·rd your
G·d" - Y-H-V-H Elo-hecha - corresponds to the
union
of G·d and the Shechinah, described above.
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 128.
There are many aspects of prayer, one
higher than the other. On the lowest level, a person
prays for his own needs. This is the level of the world,
as it is written: "All flesh is grass, and all their
goodness is like the flower of the field" (Isaiah 40:6),
and "Their acts of kindness are only for
themselves."1
The next higher level is to pray to fill a lack
in the Shechinah. Indeed, by rectifying the supernal
source, the deficiency below is also filled; for Above
and below are one. However, you should not intend to
repair both Above and below, for this is like "uprooting
the shoots"2 to create a
division.
I also heard an explanation of the
Talmud's statement: "There are things that stand at
the height of the world, yet people belittle
them."3 Meaning, the effects of prayer
are Above, in the heights of the world, and not always
below. Therefore, people belittle prayer and think that
their supplications are worthless. But this is not so.
There is yet a higher level, when a person
does not demand that even the supernal rectifications
be accomplished, for there is a danger in that as well.
As our Sages said on the verse: "Do not awaken and
do not arouse love until it please." And the story of
Rabbi Yosef d'LeReina is proof.4
Therefore, the best thing for a wise person is to do
what is required of him, to pray over whatever
happens, and let the Master of desire do as He knows
best. This is the most exalted level - a service that is
not for the sake of receiving recompense.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, p. 144b
1Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 30, p.73b
2A Rabbinic term for heresy.
3A reference to prayer.
4A fifteenth century kabbalist who tried to
force the coming of the Messiah, but in failing, caused
the Spanish exile instead.
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 12.
The Baal Shem Tov was an
exceptional Torah giant, involved in Torah study all of
his days. Who can even begin to compare to him! His
sainted student, Reb Yaakov Yosef HaKohane of
Polonoye, the author of Toldos Yaakov, said before his
departure from this world that he asked G·d
Amighty to credit him for all the Torah and mitzvahs of
his entire life with the same value he gave to the great
Baal Shem Tov's heavenly thoughts when he smoked
his pipe.
One day Reb Dovid, head of the Ostrow Beis Din was
shown by the Baal Shem Tov the new heavens that
had been created by his thoughts while smoking. Reb
Dovid fell into a faint from the awe and fear that the
sight inspired in him. The Baal Shem Tov was worthy
of all this through constant study of Torah for its own
sake, through prayer with the congregation, and
through daily purification in a mikveh.
Zohar Chai - Truma
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 170.
HUMILITY
"He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells
with him."1
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
G·d "knows" - He is fond of2 -
the
person who
is "what," who makes himself nothing, even when
he "is in the darkness," even when he is among the
downtrodden, who are considered as being in the
darkness.3 Out of deep humility, this
person humbles
himself even before such people.
Regarding such a person, "light dwells with
him."4
1Daniel 2:22.
2This may be a play on the Hebrew
word, "to know," which elsewhere is used in reference
to intimate relations, and would in this context mean
here that G·d is intimate with this person.
3The Hebrew word for darkness may be
used here in its alternative meaning of deprived or
lacking (deprived of light or financial means).
4It is our own egos that keep us "in the
dark" about the true nature of the world and blind to
G·d's presence. As soon as we are able to see our
own essential nothingness, we are able to "see the
light."
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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