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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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In the last edition of Parsha Mattos-Massei, robbers
hidden in the mountains observed the Baal Shem Tov
experience a miracle. Then Alexei, his new servant,
related an astounding story: --
A while ago, two of the bandits came to his master to
have him decide an argument between them. One of
the bandits, however, was very displeased
with the verdict, because it was not in his favor. The
night afterward, he hid near the Baal Shem Tov's
home, planning to kill him.
"Well," said Alexei, "that night I was sleeping near my
master, and suddenly I heard a voice cry out, shouting
and screaming and weeping that he was being
beaten with murderous blows. We went out and found
this bandit, Serge - a burly, vicious robber that
everyone
for miles around is terrified of - and there he was
lying with dreadful wounds, blood running from his
hands and feet.
"The next day, when he had returned somewhat to
himself, he admitted that he had planned to kill my
master. But he told us that when he had come close,
men
with spears and swords had met him and attacked
him. When my master asked him: Who were these
ment that attacked you, he said that he didn't know.
But continued Alexei, "I know, they were
angels protecting my master,
because he is a holy man."
Finally Alexei and the two youn men reached the cave,
the place in the hills that
the Baal Shem Tov had chosen, where he could study
Torah, meditate, and worship the Creator without
being disturbed. Alexei pointed with his finger: "This
is where my master stays."
The two youths went inside, and found their teacher
seated at a small table studying the Zohar, the
great book of mysticism. He interrupted his learning to
give his two pupils a warm welcome. He wanted to
close the holy volume, so that they could talk; but the
youths put their hands on the open book and asked
him to teach them what he had just been studying.
This is what he told them:
Rabbi Hizkiya and Rabbi Yosa were walking on the
road, when a man came along and met them. He
begged them to give him some water, because he
was tired and thirsty from the strong hot sun that beat
down on him.
"Who are you?" they asked him.
"I am a Jew, and I am very tired and thirsty."
"Have you learned any Torah?"
"Oh, rather than talk to you, I had better go up the
mountain and get some water to drink."
Rabbi Yosa took out a leather bottle of water and
and gave it to him. When he had drunk his fill, they
said, "Let us
go up the mountain with you and refill the bottle with
water."
So they went together and found a spring of water, and
there they sat.
Said the man, "Now you may ask me if I have learned
any Torah; for Indeed I have, thanks to my son. I used
to take him to school, and on account of him I also
learned Torah."
Rabbi Hizkiya said, "It is good that you learned
Torah by virtue of your son; but we have another matter
to consider."
To this the man replied, "State
your
matter; for sometimes in a poor man's knapsack you
may find gems."
They thereupon asked him to explain for them the
following words of Shlomo HaMelech (King Solomon)
in the Book of
Koheleth (Ecclesiastes). "I said in my heart about the
talk of the sons of men" (3:18).
He gave them
a long
explanation, and then concluded, "Come and see: The
Holy One, blessed is He, cautions the people of the
world, 'choose life, so that you shall live" - and this
means life in the future world, the Hereafter. And
Shlomo HaMelech derides those who have ho faith."
The two rabbis pleaded with the man to join them on
their journey; but he replied, "I
cannot. I am a messenger, and I have been sent on a
mission. Come and learn from the spies, the people
whom Moses sent from the wilderness to spy out the
land of Canaan, that was to become the homeland of
the Israelites. Because they were not faithful
messengers, because they did not carry out their
mission faithfully (they gave a slanderous report about
the land of Canaan), they had to pay with their lives in
this world and the next world."
The man embraced them, and went his way; and they
did not learn who he was. They continued walking,
and met a group of travelers. "Do you know perhaps,"
the two rabbis asked them, "who that man was who
just passed by?"
"His name is Rabbi Haggai," they replied. "He is a
member of the Group of holy Scholars, and they have
sent him to Babylonia to learn the answers to certain
questions from Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai and his
friends."
"Yes, yes," said Rabbi Yosa. "His name Is Rabbi
Yosa, like mine. He is the one who never wants to
take any pride or honor from his Torah learning. He
conceals it; and this is why he said that he learned
Torah on account of his son. Oh yes, he is a faithful
messenger indeed; and happy in his lot in life that
they have sent their messages by such a faithful
deputy. Abraham's servant Eliezer was a faithful
messenger; and this is why the Torah writes that he
was told, 'Come in, 0 blessed man of the
L-rd -
literally blessed of the L-rd"
As the Baal Shem Tov finished studying the words of
the Zohar, the two youths felt themselves soaring high
in the worlds of the spirit, among the group of holy
scholars who went walking in the wilderness, thirsty
to hear words of the L-rd's Torah - especially
in these
days before Lag Ba'omer, the day of the year when
Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai's life on earth ended and
he went to live as an angelic spirit in heaven. How
good it was then to learn the conversations of Rabbi
Shimon's pupils and friends, who had lived in the
wilderness and the field, and had travelled the road on
foot.
The Baal Shem Tov asked them to wait for him,
because he had to go and see if all was well with the
sheep and the boy Alexei, the little shepherd who was
helping him.
In that cave, the two youths remained a few days with
their beloved rabbi, eating and sleeping there. As the
Sages of the Mishnah taught, "Such is the way of the
Torah: a piece of bread with salt shall you eat, a
measure of water shall you drink, and sleep on the
ground..." They were waiting specially for Lag
Ba'omer, when their dear teacher would certainly take
them strolling in the woods, and they would learn
wondrous things from him.
On the morning of Lag Ba'omer, he rose early to say
his
morning prayers ("schaharit") as always, with the
rising of the sun. After the prayers, he told his pupils
that now it was urgently necessary for him to ride to
Brody, to see his brother-in-law. He was going to hire
a horse and wagon, and have Alexei drive it; and they,
his two pupils, were to watch the sheep. He showed
them where there was good pasture for the sheep to
graze, and where they could find a stream of clear
fresh water for the sheep to drink. And he instructed
them not to be afraid of any harm.
"But dear rabbi," the two pupils asked him, "how can
you reach Brody and come back here, all in one day? It
is so far from here to Brody."
"Don't you worry; it can be done." The Baal Shem Tov
would not tell them, however, his secret way to cover
long distances in very short time.
He blessed his pupils and embraced them. Then he
went
with Alexei to his home in the village. There he found a
wagon harnessed to two horses waiting for
them.
When Alexei went up
to the driver's seat, the Baal Shem told him to turn
about and face him. The boy did so and the horses
ran on and on themselves, By the Baal Shem Tov's
side sat his good wife Channah, whom he had taken
along.
In one hour, the galloping horses brought them to
Brody, to the house of Rabbi Gershon, his brother-in-
law. Rabbi Gershon was not at home, however. He
had ridden of to the holy city of Lemberg, about a
matter of
importance that concerned the rabbis of the cities.
Only the orphan boy Shabsai was there, whom Rabbi
Gershon (his relative) was raising in his home.
Shabsai was old enough now to study Torah with
Rabbi Gershon himself. He was very happy, though, to
see his old friend Yisroli, who had been his teacher in
his early childhood., He loved the man dearly; and
now he was reminded how the Baal Shem Tov's wife
Channah, whom he had known then only as Rabbi
Gershon's sister, used to give him cookies and
goodies very day, telling him to be sure to give some
to his poor teacher Yisroli.
The Baal Shem Tov entered Rabbi Gershon's room,
took a sheet of paper, and began writing a letter. "You
will have to ride with Shabsai," he told his wife as he
finished writing. Why?, where? To whom? And what
had he written? . . . . As yet they did not know.
Having signed and sealed the letter, he handed it to
Shabsai. " You are to tell no one of this." He ordered
the boy. " and you must be very careful not to read it.
You must ride to Lemberg at once with my wife
Channah, and there you are to give the letter to Rabbi
Gershon and no one else - directly into his hands."
Channah and Shabsai carried out his
orders faithfully, and soon the letter was in Rabbi
Gershon's hands. This is what he read.
"With
the L-rd's help / Lag Ba'omer 1733 / Brody
"To my dear brother-in-law, the learned holy man of
wonders . . . Abraham Gershon: Let me convey to you
that you are to return swiftly to your home here
because in a few days, the time will come for me to
become revealed to all (so that all may know my true
self). So my great spirit-teacher has told me, and you
also. I therefore particularly want you to be in your
home then, for who knows what that day may bring -
the day when I shall become revealed and known,
when we shall rejoice.... I am sending this letter with
my dear wife, your sister; but she knows nothing; and
for heavens sake do not tell her . . . .
Your brother-in-law, Yisrael the son of Eliezer of Okup."
That same day, while his wife and Shabsai travelled
to Lemberg, the Baal Shem Tov returned to his home
and went up into the hills to find his two young pupils,
whom he had left to watrch the sheep.
Meanwhile,at that moment, the two young men Yitchak
Dov and Meir now working as shepherds were
discussing how the Torah teaches that when the
Almighty saw how Moses was
taking care of the sheep with compassion and
kindness He proclaimed: 'Moses you have
compassion for the sheep. So you will be a
compassionate and faithful shepherd of My people!"
"Do you know what I think?" said Meir, "Our teacher is
going to be a faithful shepherd of the Jewish people."
Yitzhak Dov was very moved by these words. "It is
written in the Talmud," he replied, "that from the day
the holy Temple was destroyed, the power of prophecy
was given over to children. I dearly hope that your
prophecy will come true."
Suddenly they heard the bells of a wagon coming
closer. They looked up and saw the Baal Shem Tov
approaching in a wagon with Alexei in the driver's
seat. Yitzhak
Dov called out joyfully, "Here comes the shepherd!"
And Meir, the younger one, exclaimed with
enthusiasm,
in the language of the Zohar, "Blessed be the one who
arrives - blessed be the L-rd - 0 faithful
shepherd!"
To be continued next week. . . . .
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard Cohn
Patent Attrorney) from Legends and Stories of
the Baal Shem Tov by Rabbi Menachem Gutman
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Sefer Baal Shem Tov
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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Behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven, many.
(Deuteronomy 1:10)
Were they like the stars on that day, why were they only
numbered six-hundred thousand? Rather, what is the
meaning of "Behold, you are this day"? Behold, you
are likened to the day, that is, you will always exist, like
the sun and the moon and the stars.
(Rashi)
It is written: "The path of the righteous is as the gleam
of sunlight that shines ever brighter until the height of
the day" (Proverbs 4:18). That is, the sun in itself
shines in its place equally, both at the onset of the day
and in the middle. The only thing that obstructs it is the
earth, which stands between us and the sun.
Therefore, its light does not shine so brightly at dawn
until it spreads across the earth.
The same holds true of the Tzaddik. In himself, he is
always shining: the blockage is only on the part of the
receivers. This too is due to the obstruction of the
earth - that is, this world. For people are sunk in this
world, and are unable to receive the light of the
Tzaddik. This is as the Talmud said on the verse: "I
lifted my eyes, and beheld a folded scroll" (Zechariah
5:1): "When you unfold it. . . . .When you peel
it. . . . ."1 It
comes out that the entire world is 1/3,200 the size of
the Torah, which is exceedingly great and "broader
than the ocean."2 It is difficult to
understand how such a small thing as the world can
block such a great thing as the Torah, which is
thousands of times its size, for the entire world is
minute in comparison.
However, this is like the oft-quoted analogy, that a
small coin held up to your eyes will block out a great
mountain, even though the latter is thousands of
times larger. Since the coin is in front of your eyes, it
obstructs your vision, until you cannot see something
much larger. Likewise, when a person comes into this
world, and becomes lost in its frivolities, so that it
seems to him that there is nothing better, then this tiny
little world keeps him from seeing the great and
exalted light of the Torah, which is thousands of times
the size. This is the example of the sun, that the earth
prevents us from seeing its great light, though the sun
is many times larger.
And this is the meaning of: "The path of the righteous
is as the gleam of sunlight." It is exactly like the gleam
of sunlight! For just as the sun shines constantly, with
only the earth (though it is much smaller) creating a
barrier; so too, Tzaddikim constantly shine. It is only
the earth - that is, [the attractions of] this world - that
prevents us from seeing their great light. Even though
this world is so very small and insignificant in
comparison, it still obstructs and prevents us from
seeing the gleam of sunlight, like the example of the
coin.
All this is because the world stands before a person's
eyes and obstructs them, until he cannot see the light
of the Torah and the Tzaddikim, which is thousands of
times greater. However, if he removes that small
obstruction from his eyes: that is, he turns his eyes
away from this world and does not look at it, but only
lifts his head and raises his eyes to gaze above this
occluding world, then he will merit to see the great
and exalted light of the Torah and the Tzaddikim.
Because really, their light is infinitely greater than this
entire world and its attractions. It is only that this world
blocks his eyes and does not let him turn them away
at all, to gaze above on the light of the Torah and the
Tzaddikim.
This is exactly like the example of the small coin that
stands before the eyes and obstructs them from
seeing the great mountain. However, it is very easy to
remove the coin from before one's eyes. Then, one
will immediately see the great mountain. So it is with
the world and the Torah. For with a small swipe, one
can remove the world from before one's eyes. Then,
one merits seeing the great light of the Torah and the
Tzaddikim, which shines in all the worlds with a very
great light.
Likewise, I heard in the name of the Baal Shem Tov,
who said, "Woe, woe! The whole world is filled with
awesome and wondrous lights and secrets, yet a
small hand stands before the eyes and prevents us
from seeing the great light."
Likutey Moharan I:133
1Eiruvin 21a. The Talmud juxtaposes
two verses from the Books of the Prophets. In
Zechariah 5, the prophet sees a rolled up scroll of
phenomenal size: "Then again I lifted up my eyes, and
saw, and behold: a rolled up scroll. And he (an angel)
said to me: 'What do you see?' And I answered: 'I see
a rolled up scroll; the length of it is twenty cubits, and
its breadth ten cubits." According to the Talmud, these
measurements are not based upon human
dimensions, but Divine ones: Ten of G-d's cubits (as it
were). The second verse is from Ezekiel (2:9-10): "And
when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to
me; and lo, a scroll of a book was in it. And He spread
it before me, and it was written on the back and the
front." The Talmud considers these two scrolls as
one, and tries to determine its full size. First, the scroll
must be unrolled and then peeled, so that both sides
face front and can be measured together. The
conclusion is that the scroll is 20 x 40 of G-d's cubits.
The Talmud then cites Isaiah 40:12 to determine the
size of the universe: "Who has measured the waters
in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with
a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a
measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and
the hills in a balance?" According to Biblical
measurements, a "span" (zeres) is half the length of a
cubit (amah), and one square span is a quarter of a
square cubit. It comes out that 800 square cubits
contain 3,200 square spans. Thus, the scroll of the
Torah is 3,200 times the size of the universe.
2Based upon Job 11:9.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
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HEART OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
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4b1.
The essence of prayer is to bind the Judgments of
Malchut, and to sweeten the Judgments in their root,
which is Binah.
Translation
and
Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light of the Baal Shem Tov
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Section 18.
The following story was told
many times by the Alter Rebbe, who heard it from his
Rebbe, the Mezritcher Maggid.
Once, the Baal Shem Tov was teaching the Chevraya
Kadisha (his inner circle of followers) intimate secrets
of the Torah that had never
before been heard in this world before. These secrets
could not even be found in any of the writings of the
early mekubolim (Masters of Kabbalah) or even the
Arizal.
And all the Baal Shem Tov's disciples were Torah
giants in their own right, especially the eminent Reb
Dov Ber. Even before coming to the Baal Shem Tov,
Reb Dov Ber was famous for having studied and
reviewed every available book of Torah, both of
revealed knowledge and mystical thought, one
hundred and one times.
Upon this occasion, Reb Dov Ber heard previously
unknown teachings about such deep concepts of
Torah that they utterly confused him. As he thought
about the Baal Shem Tov's ability to transmit such
teachings, he found it difficult to believe that a soul
enclothed in flesh and blood could know such hidden
thoughts, probably beyond even the grasp of the
angels themselves. He was seized with the thought
that the voice that spoke from the mouth of the Baal
Shem Tov came directly from his disembodied soul.
At the same time, several of the other disciples were
so mesmerized by these teachings that they finally
were compelled to touch the Baal Shem's hand to see
if it was tangible.
Niflaos Sipurim
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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KST 32.
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Today I arrived at the well."1
The Divine Name connected with translocation is
found in the acronym of these
words.2
"If she was speaking with someone in the
market. . . "3
This teaching can be understood with another
one: "The one who reviews his lessons one hundred
times is not comparable to the one who reviews his
lessons one hundred and one times,"4
that is, one hundred times with One - with
G-d. Hence, a person must be able to remain
with One - with G-d - even when one is
speaking mundane conversation in the market: he
must be able to see G-d in that
conversation.5
1Genesis 24:42
2The Hebrew letters,are
connected because these same letters form
the acronym of the words, referring
to G-d's creating the heavens and the earth.
This alludes to the singular Force that connects the
earth with the heavens, meaning that the Supernal
Light is evident even in the darkness on earth. From
G-d's perspective, this is of course always
true, but in
order for it to be true from our perspective, this truth
must be a vivid reality in one's life. When this is so,
one is close to G-d, and as such, is not
limited by the normal constrictions of time and space
(Sod Yesharim II 72b).
3Tractate Ketubos 13:1.
4Tractate Chagigah 9b.
5This teaching was probably placed
together with the previous one because the
verse, "Today I arrived at the well," which contains an
allusion to the Divine Name and to what was said in n.
#2, was said in mundane conversation, thus meaning
that it was expressed while maintaining G-d-
consciousness.
Translation and commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua Starrett.
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