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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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A SPEEDY
JOURNEY
"You [also] saw that G d your L rd carried you
along the road you traveled."(Devarim 1:31)
And then there was the time that Reb Michel of
Ostropol, a great Torah sage and
respected by all, received news that his
close friend and colleague Reb Yankel would be
making a Bris (circumcision) for his newly born son,
on the coming Friday. As Reb Michel and Reb Yankel
were as close as brothers, Reb Michel decided that
he would attend.
Besides being known as a great Torah sage, he was
also known to be as fastidious and nervous man. So,
as he began to ponder the anticipated trip, he
became nervous. "Reb Yankel's village is a half day's
travel from Ostropol," he thought. "How will I be
able
to go the Bris and still have enough time to return
home
for Shabbos? I know. I will send Reb Yankel a
message
requesting that he make the Bris as early as
possible. Then I can return home to Ostropol in time
for Shabbos."
A few days later Reb Michel received a
letter from Reb Yankel agreeing to make the Bris
early
in the morning. Reb Michel traveled to Reb Yankel's
village Thursday morning allowing plenty of time for
any delays. He immediately went to the home of Reb
Yankel where they warmly greeted each other and
celebrated the good news.
By early the next morning, preparations for the Bris
had been completed so that Reb Michel could return
home in time for Shabbos.
Suddenly, a wagon full of chassidim pulled up in front
of Reb Yankel's house. It was the Baal Shem Tov
and his disciples who had come to participate in the
joyous event. Reb Yankel was overjoyed with this
unexpected surprise of his Rebbe and the
accompanying Chassidim. As it was the custom of
the Baal Shem Tov to immerse himself in a mikvah
(ritual bath) before morning prayers, the Bris had to
be delayed
until he returned. The Baal Shem Tov did not rush
his immersion, nor his walk to or from the
mikvah.
The Bris was finally held several hours after the
intended starting time. The seudah (meal) took
longer than
expected as the Chassidim sang song after song,
exchanged Torah thoughts and rejoiced. Reb Michel
was so overjoyed to be celebrating such a wonderful
Simcha (joyous celebration), and in the company of
Chassidim, that he
forgot the time. When the festivities were finally
over, he looked at his watch and saw to his horror
that there was less than an hour until candle lighting
time for Shabbos.
Reb Michel began to panic: "What shall I do?" he
thought to himself in despair. As he began to pace
the floor, the Baal Shem Tov approached
him.
"Reb Michel," he began, "why are you so worried
about time? Time is a creation like anything else. If
the Almighty has created it for us, then it is to be
used to serve Him. Do you think that you have
somehow lost time because of our joyous celebration
for the sake of the great occasion of a Bris? If I
arranged for you to arrive home in time for Shabbos,
will you allow me and my Chassidim to be your guests
this Shabbos?"
"But of course!" exclaimed Reb Michel in a daze. The
Baal Shem Tov quickly instructed his Chassidim to
climb into their wagon, and sat Reb Michel by his
side. The wagon driver Alexei whipped the reins and
the horses were off on the road to Ostropol. After
fifteen minutes of travel, the Baal Shem Tov turned
to the bewildered Reb Michel. "Look, Reb Michel,
we're already approaching Ostropol, and you still
have forty five minutes to spare to prepare for the
holy Shabbos."
The wagon stopped in front of Reb Michel's house.
Still unsure of what had just transpired, he quickly
stepped down from the wagon and welcomed his
honored guests into his home. It was a memorable
Shabbos, and as of that day, Reb Michel became an
ardent chassid of the Baal Shem Tov.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in
SHIVCHEI HABESHT as translated in Stories of the
BAAL SHEM TOV by Y.Y. Klapholtz.
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TORAH BAAL SHEM TOV
Selection from Sefer Baal Shem Tov 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, 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, ibid.)
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 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 as
brightly at dawn as when 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, i.e. 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 1/3200 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
the size, since 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 eye,
it obstructs your vision, until you cannot see
something much larger. This is similar to when a
person comes into this world, and becomes lost in its
frivolities, such that it seems to him that there is
nothing better. 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.
Also, 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 (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.
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, and 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 seeing
the great and exalted light of the Torah and the
Tzaddikim. The light of the Torah and Tzaddikim is
infinitely greater than this entire world and its
attractions.
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?' 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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THE PILLAR OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
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Section 22
You must actually ask the letters [of
prayer] themselves to help you — that is, the secret
Divinity within them. It should help you speak the
words with true and selfless intent. This sweetens all
the Severities in their root.
Degel Machane Ephraim, BeShalach,
Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p.
17b
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Menachem
Kallus
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THE LIGHT OF THE EYES
On the Greatness of the Baal Shem Tov
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Continued from last week..
However, if he were to look at himself truthfully, he
would realize that he completely lacks humility.
Rather, his attitude comes from the evil inclination
that has accompanied him since birth and blinds him
to the truth, making him think that he is humble,
though he becomes only prouder. For were he truly
to be humble, he would not become angry and belittle
[the reproof], but consider it appropriate that he
listen to this chastiser. He would realize that
perhaps he might learn something from the words
that he rejects, perhaps they are sent from
heaven.
Now, though, we must thank G d for
sending us, in His great love and compassion, an
angel and redeemer to enlighten our eyes in the way
of Chasidism. Every Jew can follow this path,
strengthening himself to fear G d even amidst
suffering, hardship and poverty. The little bit of
goodness that he derives from Torah study and the
performance of mitzvos will be a great light for him,
to prevent him from following after his eyes and
heart.
For instance, when he is
preoccupied by his daily activities and in business, he
will not lie, as it says in our holy Torah, "You shall not
steal; neither shall you deal falsely, nor lie to one
another." (Leviticus 19:11) Likewise, he will
be just in his measurements: "a just ephah and a just
hin," (Leviticus 19:36), because this is G d's
will in His Torah. Likewise, he will be careful not to
speak malicious gossip or other foul language so as
not to [spiritually] damage his mouth. Nor will he look
at women or their beautiful clothing, so as not to
damage his eyes. He will do all this because it is
G d's will.
It comes out that he is always serving G d — the
same as if he were actually studying Torah — when
he is involved in business or walking through the
market. This is even truer if he knows the secret of
how to make Unifications. Then he can make
Unifications even with mundane things, as the Baal
Shem Tov taught us, so that he is actually
considered to be studying the secrets of Torah and
the writings of the Arizal even when involved in
worldly, mundane activites. Thus, he serves G d
constantly, and does not take his thoughts from
G d's holiness. This is the meaning of binding oneself
to G d. It is the essence of Chasidism.
Abridged from
Seder HaDoros HaChadash
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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The main purpose of man being created in this earthly
world was for him to refine his natural negative
tendencies.
The Baal Shem Tov taught on the above teaching of
Rav Saadiah Gaon:
When one does as above, one elevates the level
referred to as "his nature" to the upper worlds that
are otherwise hidden. (The Hebrew word for world is
from the same root as the word for hidden.)
This is then the meaning of the verse, "Go away from
your land, from your birthplace." That is, from the
nature with which you were born. See to refine it, as
said. "And from your father's house," means as
follows: Father refers to the Sefirah of Wisdom,
which is also called "Abba." The "Father's house"
refers to the companion Sefirah of Binah [also
called, "Imma," the Mother], which is the World of
Thought. Thus, "Go away..from your father's house"
would mean that one should refine his negative
thoughts, and elevate the thoughts that had fallen
from "the Father's house" [Imma/Binah/the World of
Thought] back to their source. When one does that,
then one can go "to the land that I will show you," to
the upper worlds, meaning that G d will make your
nature known in those worlds.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua
Starrett
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