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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!
And then there was the time that an amazing
event occurred with a simple boy that lived In a small
village near the holy community of Mezibush (the
home of Israel Baal Shem Tom). He had only
received a basic Jewish education and could barely
read the "aleph bais" (the Hebrew alphabet). He had
left cheder (school) at a young age to help his father
care for the small farm they leased from the local
Poritz (the Duke). The boy would care for the few
animals they had one old cow and a few chickens.
The boy had one, strange skill: He would
sing to his chickens as he went about his chores in
the chicken-coop, and the chickens would always lay
an abundance of eggs-more than any other chickens
on the surrounding farms. Everyone who passed by
could hear his "cock-a-doodle-do".
When the boy reached the age of twelve, his
father said: "My son, you are old enough to go with me
to Mezibush for the high holidays, and to pray at the
shule (synagogue) of the Holy Rabbi Yisrael (the Baal
Shem Tov)."
Several days before Yom Kippur, the man
and his son embarked on their journey with a group
traveling from their village to Mezibush. They arrived
just in time to settle in at the local inn, immerse in the
mikveh and rush to the Baal Shem Tov's shule for Kol
Nidrei.
The shule was packed. People stood in
silent thought, the men in their white kittels (traditional
robes for the High Holidays) and Talleisim (prayer
shawl), and the women in their finest clothes. The
boy was deeply affected by the solemnity of the
scene.
All stood in preparation for the holy
Day of Judgment when the fate of each man is
decided. Each person sought forgiveness for past
transgressions and to be inscribed in the Book of Life
for a New Year of health, happiness, healthy children
and sustenance.
Father and son stood shoulder to shoulder in the
crowded shule. The boy stood staring into his
machzor (holiday prayer book), but could hardly read a
word. He stood watching the chazzan lead the
prayers as tears streamed down his cheeks. All
around him people stood with their eyes closed in
prayer.
As the sky darkened on that night of Kol Nidrei, the
Baal Shem Tov realized that there was a judgment in
Heaven against the People of Israel.
That
night, and the whole next day of Yom Kippur, the Baal
Shem Tov stood in deep prayer and mediation. The
boy felt that something was wrong. The chassidim
gathered about in grave concern as their Rebbe stood
motionless at his shtender (prayer stand). Word had
spread that something was amiss, and people began
to weep with a feeling of dread.
The boy turned to his father and asked, "Why is
everyone so upset and worried?"
But his
father only answered with a "Shah!" (Be quiet!). - "We
are all praying that G·d should have mercy!"
The boy couldn't take it! Suddenly, without
thinking, he took a deep breath and burst out as loudly
as he could, "Cock-a-doodle-do! G-d have mercy on
us!"
The entire congregation was horrified! The
men yelled angrily, "Keep quiet you fool!" and the
women mumbled among themselves.
Somebody asked the boy to leave the shule,
but he refused. "I am a Jew! Where should I go on
Yom Kippur?"
At that moment, the Baal Shem Tov stirred.
He stepped back three steps indicating the
completion of his silent prayer, and began to sing a
joyful melody. Finally, the Shofar blew and the holy
day of Yom Kippur ended.
The Baal Shem
Tov's face was radiant. As he walked from the shule
wishing everyone well, he paused in front of the young
boy, and nodded with a broad, warm smile.
That night, as he sat at the festive meal with
his close followers, the Baal Shem Tov spoke of a
grave threat that hung over the community from the
moment the holy day began. "I tried my best to
intercede, but the Heavenly Court would not hear my
arguments. But just as the sentence was about to be
sealed, a strange sound rang out throughout the
Heavens: 'Cock-a-doodle-do! G·d have mercy
on us!' The Heavenly Court was so pleased with this
prayer that came from the depths of a simple Jewish
soul that, thank G·d, the decree against our
community was annulled."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in
TREASURY OF CHASSIDIC TALES ON THE
FESTIVALS by Rabbi S.Y. Zevin
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TORAH BAAL SHEM TOV
Selection from Sefer Baal Shem Tov on the Torah
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Then My anger shall bun against them on
that
day,
and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from
them, and they shall be devoured . . . .(Deuteronomy
31:17)
The Baal Shem Tov told the following parable:
A king once
ordered [his servant] to strike and punish his son, the
prince, for sinning. However, as long as the king was
watching, the servant was too scared to do anything -
despite the fact that the king had commanded him.
What did the king do? He hid his face so as not to
look. Then the servant was able to strike the son, until
he repented and cried out to his father.
So too, as long as G·d looks over
His
children Israel, the Forces of Judgment cannot affect
them. For we are called children of Hashem. Thus it
says: "I will hide My face from them, and they shall be
devoured."
Rav Yibei, Tehilim
17
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 85
The Baal Shem Tov said:
There is no speech without thought, for a person first
thinks what he is going to say. Now, when you think
before you speak, you will certainly feel fear and
shame. You will fear the words themselves, when
you realize that the World of Speech - the Shechinah -
is speaking through you and that incorporates all the
Attributes - fear, love, beauty - as is
known.1 How can a person not be
scared and ashamed when he knows that he
arouses the Shechinah and all the Attributes? This is
the meaning of: "They do His word" (Psalms 103:20) -
they make speech into action.2
Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p. 5b
1 The Shechinah - the Divine
Presence - corresponds to the world of Malchus,
which is the lowest Sefirah and incorporates in it all
the upper Sefiros - the Divine Attributes.
2In Hebrew, the words "to do" and "to
make" are the same - asseh.
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 22
The Zohar says: "If a
person is worthy, they give him the nefesh-soul. If he
is more worthy, they give him the ruach-soul. If he is
still more
worthy, they give him the neshama-soul. If he is yet
more
worthy, they give him the neshama to the neshama-
soul." .1
Rabbi Mordechai of
Chernobyl said that the
Baal Shem Tov attained the neshama to the
neshama-soul.
It is known that the nefesh comes from the
world of Asiyah (Action), the ruach from Yetzirah, the
neshama from Beriyah, and the neshama to the
neshama from Atzilus. The soul of Baal Shem Tov
was from the world of Atzilus.
2
Tzror HaChaim, p. 29a, in the name of the Trisker Rav
1 Zohar 2:94b
2The highest of the four spiritual
worlds. See the work Zohar Chai, by the Komarno
Rebbe: "Our Master the Baal Shem Tov merited the
nefesh-soul from the world of Atzilus, and our Master
the Arizal merited the ruach-soul [from the world of
Atzilus]."
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 111
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Untoward thoughts that come to a person
during prayer are from the "broken vessels" and "288
fallen sparks," which a person must sort through
everyday to rectify and elevate them. Furthermore, the
thoughts of one day are unlike the thoughts of the next
day. This is verifiable to anyone who pays attention to
his thoughts.
How does one rectify these thoughts? If they
are lewd thoughts, one should have the intention of
elevating them to their source in the Divine kindness,
as alluded to in the verse, "If a man takes his sister, it
is a sexual perversion."1 Similarly,
idolatrous thoughts are a perversion of the Tiphereth
of Israel. 2
Enough said.
1 Leviticus 20:17. The Hebrew word
used for perversion literally means kindness. This
idea is mentioned regarding the marriage of Adam's
sons with their own sisters, since at the time, there
were no other available women, and "The world was
created with God's kindness" (Psalms 89:3; Yalkut
Shimoni, Leviticus loc. cit. #625).
2The Sephirah of Tiphereth is the
central part of the entire Supernal "body," the Divine
dynamics through which G·d interacts with
His world.
But idolatry lies in seeing these dynamics as
independent forces outside of G·d's
dominion.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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