|
BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
|
|
EMOR
"The tenth of this seventh month (Tishrei) will
be a Day of Atonement (but it will only atone for
those who return to G-d). It is a holy celebration
(Yom Kippur) for you when you must fast. It is a Day
of Atonement, for you to be atoned before G-d your
L-rd." (Leviticus 23:27)
* * *
REB MOTTEL
And then there was the time that Reb Mottel, a
devoted chassid of the Baal Shem Tov that lived in
the holy community of Polonnoye, had a serious
financial problem. He owned a modest grocery store
and was known for being generous in extending credit
to the poor and providing them with their needs.
As a businessman, Reb Mottel had his ups and
downs. But even during difficult times, he never
stopped providing groceries on credit to needy Jews.
Finally, Reb Mottel had overextended himself with his
wholesalers to the extent that he had to sell all his
property to repay his debts. Only his modest house
remained his. In desperation, he went to the Baal
Shem Tov for advice and a blessing.
After hearing of his plight, the Baal Shem Tov
suggested to him that: "I understand that the
arrendeh of the city (a lease given by the Poritz
(Polish landowner) to produce and sell whiskey) is
available. Submit a letter to the Poritiz asking to be
granted the arrendeh, and be sure that you praise
the Poritz for his generosity. When the Poritz has a
hearing regarding the matter, do not go. Even if he
sends for you several times still do not go. Wait until
he sends a carriage for you before you agree to go.
When you receive the arrendah, turn your house into
an inn to rent to weary travelers."
After hearing of his plight, the Baal Shem Tov
suggested to him that: "I understand that the
arrendeh of the city (a lease given by the Poritz
(Polish landowner) to produce and sell whiskey) is
available. Submit a letter to the Poritiz asking to be
granted the arrendeh, and be sure that you praise
the Poritz for his generosity. When the Poritz has a
hearing regarding the matter, do not go. Even if he
sends for you several times still do not go. Wait until
he sends a carriage for you before you agree to go.
When you receive the arrendah, turn your house into
an inn to rent to weary travelers."
Several different people tried to get the arrendeh but
the Poritz could not come to an agreement with any
of them. Finally he became so aggravated with the
whole thing that he gave the matter to his wife to
handle. When she read Reb Mottel's letter asking to
take over the arrendah, she was taken by his
flattering words about the Poritz. When she sent a
message to Rabbi Mottel that he should attend a
hearing on the matter, he refused to go saying that
he did not feel well and could not walk. The Poritz's
wife sent a second messenger urging Reb Mottel to
please attend, but he still refused. Finally, sent her
personal carriage and Reb Mottel agreed to go as the
Baal Shem Tov had instructed him.
When the Poritz's wife offered him the arrendah, he
refused explaining that he did not have the means to
distill whiskey.
Not to be dissuaded, she pleaded with him to take
the arrendeh. Finally she said: "I will give you
several hundred sacks of grain at no cost so you can
distill whiskey, if you will just agree to rent the
arrendeh." Finally, Reb Mottel agreed to the delight
of the Poritz's wife.
In the end, Reb Mottel made a handsome profit
on his new venture and continued to be successful
running his small inn, and was even more charitable
then before.
On another occasion Reb Mottel had a business
opportunity that involved cattle. He consulted with
his Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, on the matter. The
Baal Shem Tov advised him: "Reb Mottel, do not
trade in oxen." But the deal seemed like such a great
opportunity to make a lot of money that Reb Mottel
forgot the Baal Shem Tov's advice. In a short time,
he lost all of the money he invested in the business
of trading oxen.
On several other occasions, he sought the Baal
Shem Tov's advice and blessings in various other
business ventures. Each time, for good business
reasons he didn't follow the Baal Shem Tov's advice
and ended up losing his money in each case.
In one deal, he not only lost all the money he
invested, but ended up owing a large amount to the
local Poritz.
The Poritz was enraged when Reb Mottel didn't
promptly pay his debt. "If that Reb Mottel doesn't
pay me, I'll shoot him!"
When Reb Mottel heard about the
Poritz's threat, he became terrified and went to
Mezibush planning to stay near the Baal Shem Tov for
all of the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah to Simchat
Torah). In the meantime, he received official
summons by a court to appear with the Poritz to
settle the matter. Not having the money due, Reb
Mottel replied that he couldn't repay the debt
because he simply did not have any money.
On Yom Kippur, Reb Motel prayed his
heart out given the dire situation he thought he was
in. Then, the day after Yom Kippur, early in the
morning, the Baal Shem Tov asked Reb Mottel to
accompany him to the mikveh. Right after the
morning prayers, the Baal Shem Tov told Reb Mottel
to return home. Reb Mottel was deathly afraid. "But
Rebbe, what will happen when I go home?"
The Baal Hem Tov replied: "Do not fear and do
not loose resolve." (Deuteronomy 1:21)
Reb Mottel returned home and
celebrated the holiday of Succos with his family.
Even after the assurance by the Baal Shem Tov, he
could not stop worrying about what would happen.
During the holiday, he
happened to be staring out of the window when he
saw a group of about 50 herdsmen called Haidamaks
returning home from a trip. They had searched
throughout the town of Pollonoye for lodging without
success. When they came to Reb Mottel's Inn, he
graciously welcomed them and somehow managed to
find room to house all of them. He also provided
them with ample food and whisky. When his guests
drank all the whiskey, he went to his next-door
neighbor and bought two additional barrels of brandy
to serve his guests. Soon, those two barrels of
brandy were empty. With the money he earned from
selling those two barrels, he purchased more brandy
from another neighbor. This time, he made so much
money that he was able to purchase a large cask of
brandy. The herdsmen were able to eat and drink to
their fill. For the next several days, they stayed at
his inn, drinking large amounts of brandy and eating
day and night. Even before they departed, he had
earned enough money to pay his debt to the Poritz.
Soon after the last of the
herdsman had left Reb Mottel's inn, the Poritz arrived
on his horse with his hunting rifle in hand. Banging on
the door he screamed: "Reb Mottel, give me my
money or else!"
Reb Mottel hesitantly opened
the door. "Master, I have the money I owe you.
Please come in and have a glass of brandy."
As soon as the Poritz came
into the inn and sat down, Reb Mottel placed a sack
of gold coins before him on the table. "Here is the
full amount I owe."
The Poritz calmed down as
soon as he saw the large sack of gold coins. While
sipping from the glass of brandy in his hand, he
spoke. "Reb Mottel, let's not have any hard feelings
between us. To be honest, when I heard that you
were not able to pay your debt, I became very
upset. But now I see it was a lie. Please keep all of
your money as a no interest loan and continue to run
your Inn. But Reb Mottel refused to keep the
money. He remembered learning in the Talmud that
one should not rely on miracles.
Later, when Reb Mottel told
his Rebbe the whole story, the Baal Shem Tov
said: "This nobleman was very fortunate, because, if
you had not obtained the money, he would have had
to die."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Shivchei
HaBest as translated in IN PRAISE OF THE BAAL SHEM
TOV by Ben-Amos and Mintz
|
|
TORAH BAAL SHEM TOV
Selection from Sefer Ball Shem Tov on the Torah
|
|
And the L-rd said to Moses: Speak to the priest.
(Leviticus 21:1)
This is what the verse says: "Day to day utters speech"
(Psalms 19:3)1
I heard from my Master [a commentary on the verse]: "Day to
day utters speech, and night to night expresses knowledge."
The Sages have said, "A person is judged first2
for the time he wasted from Torah study, as it says: 'The
beginning of strife is [like] the release of water' (Proverbs 17:
14)."3
Does a person really believe that he can escape judgment due
to the burden of making a living by day, and the [need to] rest
from his work at night? The days of winter contradict this, and
the nights of summer destroy [his argument].4
Ben Poras Yosef, p. 127c
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore
1 From the Midrash on this verse (Vayikra
Rabbah 26:4).
2 In the World to Come.
3 Sanhedrin 7a. The simple meaning of this
verse is that strife and contentiousness break forth like a gush
of water. Water is a classic metaphor for Torah, as in the
verse: "Ho, every one that thirsts, come you for water" (Isaiah
55:1). However, the Talmud interprets this verse different:
"The beginning of strife" — that is, the beginning of a
person's
judgment is over "the release of water" — the time he
wasted
from studying Torah.
4 In the past, most people would work only until
nightfall. The short winter days prove that a person can finish
work early and still make a living, thus contradicting the
argument that a person must work long hours, leaving himself
no time for Torah study. Likewise, the short nights of summer
demonstrate that a person can make do with less sleep and
still function. Why, then, should he need so much sleep the rest
of the year, rather than study Torah?
The connection of this teaching to the verse from Psalm 19
may be that day and night express words that negate a
person's arguments. Alternatively, the Midrash that cites this
verse (Vayikra Rabbah 26:4), speaks of the day and night as
"borrowing" from each other throughout the year. The long
summer days borrow hours from the night, and the long
summer nights borrow hours from the day. Only on the spring
and autumn equinoxes are day and night equal. This is in order
to prove to people that there is always time to study Torah.
|
|
THE PILLAR OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
|
|
1.5 When a person prays with the mystical
intentions, he is limited to using those intentions that
he knows. But when he recites each word with great
passion, all the mystical intentions are included in
each word automatically. For every letter is a
complete world, and when you say the word with
great emotion, you arouse those worlds above.
Therefore, a person should pray with great
attachment and fervor, which will definitely have
great effects in the upper worlds, because every
letter makes its mark above.
Tzivos HaRivash 14b
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer
Shore
|
|
THE LIGHT OF THE EYES
On the Greatness of the Baal Shem Tov
|
|
1.5 The Tzaddik, Rabbi Yosef of Yampeleh, the
son of Rabbi Michal of Zlotichov used to pray with
intense concentration, especially the evening prayer.
So much so that he was critical of anyone who would
not pray that prayer with great concentration.
About him, his holy father once: "My son, Yosef, is
able to pray."
Once, he became sick and fell into a coma. His
soul ascended Above and was immersed in the Dinar
River. Afterward, he beheld the Heavenly Court
weighing all of his merits. They brought forth all the
prayers he had ever recited, from his childhood
onward, with not one missing. Suddenly, a fearsome
angel came and declared: "What, are these
prayers!?" He blew upon them and they scattered,
until nothing was left but a single letter hey that
shone with a pure light. R. Yosef stood before the
heavenly court with his hands shaking.
However, on that very day, his holy father
suddenly passed away during the third meal of
Shabbos. For about two years before his death, his
family needed to watch him during that time, so that
that his soul not leave him due to his intense
attachment to G d. He would eat the third meal of
Shabbos in his private room with some of his sons.
Then he would go to the study hall to deliver words
of Torah and to sing, until the meal was finished.
Then he would walk back and forth in deep mystical
attachment, repeating the words: "In that [time of]
will, Moses departed," until his face burned like a
fire. Once, his student Rabbi Yosef of Zhemigrad said
to his brother, the Tzaddik, Rabbi Avraham
Mordechai: "Do you see how the heels of our Rabbi
are standing in the Upper Garden of Eden." Thus, he
required special supervision.
This time, however, there was no one there, and
he ran back and forth in his room saying: "In that
[time of] will, Moses departed." Suddenly, his
daughter saw him, and rushed to tell her brother,
Rabbi Yitzchok. He ran into the room and grabbed R.
Michal in an attempt to disrupt his thoughts, and
bring him down from his devekus. R. Michal fell on his
son's shoulder and cried, "Shema Yisroel, Hashem
Elokeinu, Hashem Echad" and departed.
Now, R. Yosef was still Above, until Sunday
morning. As he stood before the Court, he heard a
proclamation that all the Tzaddikim should go to
welcome Rabbi Michal of Zlotichov who was now
arriving. All the Tzaddikim went, and among them was
our Master, The Baal Shem Tov, who was R. Michal's
teacher. When he saw R. Yosef standing before the
court, he asked him: "Yosef, my son, what are you
doing here?" R. Yosef told him everything. The Baal
Shem Tov went before the court and said: "How can
you claim that the prayers of my dear friend, R.
Yosef, are not pure. I will tell him to pray the
morning prayer, and you will see that his prayers are
indeed sincere and true." He called to him and
said: "Pray here, my son, before the Creator of all,
and He will save you." He began to pray, and with
this one prayer, he uplifted all the other prayers so
that they all shone brightly. Because of the great
intensity with which he prayed, his body down below
began to sweat, and he awoke and was healed of his
sickness. His mother and sisters were there, and he
said to them: "Why do not you remove your jewelry?
Our father has passed away."
Nesiv Mitzvosecha: Nesiv Emunah, Shevil
3:25
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer
Shore
1
A river of fire that souls must immerse in before
being admitted into heaven.
2
Apparently, he would then retreat to his
private
study to pace the floor.
3
The Zohar states that Moses died at Mincha
time of
Shabbos, the highest point of the week, when the
inner will of G d (ra'ava d'ra'avin) is revealed.
4
Perhaps this event occurred in a different
town, and
so his mother and sister had not yet learned of R.
Michal's passing, or perhaps they had been to busy
taking care of R. Yosef to remove their jewelry as a
sign of mourning.
|
|
KESER SHEM TOV
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov
|
|
1.5 The Baal Shem Tov taught:
"A bat kol (a voice from Heaven) comes out from
Mount Chorev (Mount Sinai) and says, "The entire
world is sustained b'shvil (literally, for the sake
of) my son Chanina" Brakhot 17b. The word
shvil also means a path, a channel. Thus, the sages
mean here that Rabbi Chanina opened up a channel
and a path for the flow of Divine beneficence, and
hence, "The entire world is sustained through
the shvil of my son Chanina".
Furthermore, the sages teach us that Truth is
G-d's
seal (Genesis Rabbah 81:2), and truth is the only
gateway to G-d (Likkutei Moharan I 9:3; 112). If one
is not living truthfully with oneself, one cannot be
living with G-d. And finally, since no one can truly
grasp the spiritual level of another person, following
the unique behavior of another person can be nothing
more than mimicking his conduct, and is doomed to
failure, as the Baal Shem Tov says here.
1 This teaching is based on the premise that
there
can be no interaction between two utterly different
states of existence, specifically, between the
spiritual and material worlds, without a medium, an
intermediary state, an entity that has aspects of
both (Etz Chaim, 42:1:42; Toldoth Yaakov
Yoseph, Kedoshim 5). Thus, we are taught that
Moses served as the intermediary between G-d and
man in transmitting the Torah, since Moses was, "the
man of G-d" — he was G-dly, yet he was fully a man
(Deuteronomy 33:1; Sidduro Shel Shabbath,
II:2). In this regard, every tzaddik bears a spark of
the "Moses soul," and is thus an intermediary — a
channel — between G-d and man (Maor Eynayim,
Vayelekh [end]; ibid. Yithro, q.v. B'Masecheth
Shabbath). But this channel is not only for
material benefits, but for spiritual ones as well. For
example, the great tzaddikim pave new spiritual paths
that are then open for others to travel, or sometimes
just by their very attaining of spiritual heights, they
make it easier for others to attain them with
considerably less effort (Noam Elimelekh, Chayee
Sarah, q.v. V'Avraham Zaken).
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua
Starrett
|
|
