NASO
Experiencing the giving of the Torah, even for a
saint, is difficult.
"When Moses came into the Tabernacle, to
speak [with G-d], he would hear the Voice speaking
with him Numbers 7:8,9
THE LIGHT
And then there was the time that a successful
businessman by the name of Reb Naftali, who lived in
the town of Mezibush where the Holy Baal Shem Tov
lived, lost touch with his only son Joseph.
Reb Naftali always worked long hours in his
dry-goods store, and had little time to devote to Torah
study, communal activities, or even some family
gatherings. He told himself that the generous charity
he gave to the needy would make up for his lack of
Torah study, and that his family would surely
understand that he was working for their benefit.
Reb Naftali and his wife had an only
son, Joseph, who worked with his father in the store.
Reb Joseph was well learned in Torah
and known for his "midos tovos" — fine character
traits. Every year, he would take several business
trips to a large town Breslau to buy merchandise to
stock the store. Usually, the trip took about one
month.
Once, after a month had still not returned Reb
Yosef departed for Breslau as usual, but. His parents
were not overly concerned, because sometimes he
would find additional merchandise that ould take
additional time. But after two months had passed
and there was no sign or word from their son, they
became worried for his safety.
Reb Naftali's wife begged her husband
to speak to the Baal Shem Tov for advice and a
blessing for their son's safe return. But Reb Naftali
came from a family of misnagdim — those fiercely
opposed to the Holy Baal Shem Tov and his
teachings. Finally, Reb Naftali's wife begged
him: "Please Naftali, put aside your personal feelings
and your family's dislikes, and ask the Baal Shem Tov
for his advice about our son. People travel from all
over to Mezhibuzh to seek his advice and blessing,
and he helps them. You who live right here, — five
minutes away, but you refuse to go? — The welfare of
our son may be at stake — I beg you to go!"
But Reb Naftali wasn't easily swayed by
his wife's pleading, and he refused to go. But as the
days passed and Reb Josef still did not return home,
Reb Naftali became increasingly worried. "What could
be so bad about asking The Baal Shem Tov his
opinion?" he reasoned. So he made his way to the
Baal Shem Tov's shule.
It was late Friday afternoon, before the
holy Sabbath, when he approached the Baal Shem
Tov's gabai (assistant) to ask if he could have a few
minutes of the Rebbe's time. When he was admitted
to the Baal Shem Tov's study, he asked: "Rabbi, it is
more than two months since our only son, Josef
left for Breslau to purchase merchandise for our
store. He hasn't yet returned, and we've heard not a
word from him or about him."
The Baal Shem Tov sat quietly at his
desk for a moment, then rose and walked to his
bookshelf and removed a volume of the holy Zohar
from the shelf. He opened it at random and closely
studied the page open before him. After a few
minutes of silence, he looked up at Reb Naftali and
said: "With G-d's, help your son is alive and well.
This very Sabbath, he will stay in a small village not
too far from our town."
Reb Naftali couldn't believe his
ears! "How could that be?" he thought. "No doubt
Joseph knows how his mother and me are worried
about him. If he were close to home, surely he would
spend
whatever necessary to rent a carriage and return
home for the Sabbath. — Perhaps he ran out of
money?" he thought.
It would soon be the Sabbath, so Reb
Naftali quickly arranged for one of his non-Jewish
servants to take the carriage, ride to the nearby
village and remain there until nightfall. Perhaps his
son would arrive in enough time to travel home with
his servant before the Sabbath.
It was well after dark when Reb Naftali's
servant returned and reported that Reb Joseph had
not arrived in the village.
Reb Naftali was livid! "You see" — he
screamed at his wife: "This proves what I've been
saying. This rabbi is a fake, with words of empty
promises. It's probably just another scheme to make
money."
Actually, Reb Joseph had set out for
Mezibush with ample time to arrive home before the
Sabbath. But, Divine providence would have it
otherwise, and his wagon had broken down several
times on the road. He arrived at the little village as
predicted by the Baal Shem Tov just minutes before
the beginning of the Sabbath — just enough time to
find lodging in the local Inn. He remained there until
the holy Sabbath had ended, and then returned
home, where his parents where overjoyed to see him
in good health.
When Reb Joseph explained his delay to
his parents, Reb Naftali realized that the Baal Shem
Tov's words were indeed true.
He immediately went to the Baal Shem
Tov to ask forgiveness. "Rebbe, I have said some
terrible things about you. Please forgive me."
The Baal Shem Tov smiled: "Don't worry
Reb Naftali — all has turned out for the best. I
completely forgive you for whatever you may have
said."
Then Reb Naftali asked The Baal Shem
Tov, "Rebbe, how were you able to know the
whereabouts of my son?
The Baal Shem Tov explained: "To The
Almighty, each Jew is a ben yochid — an only
son.
Just as a father is always mindful of his only child,
and always tries to protect him from danger, so to
our Father Above protects each and every Jew as if
he or she were His only child. Sometimes, even the
Jew who realizes that he is a ben yochid,
becomes
lost, or perhaps overly 'occupied' with material
pursuits, — then he may forget that his father is
concerned about him. And sometimes, the father
needs to send a 'messenger' to remind his son of his
purpose in this world.
You asked how I knew of your son's
whereabouts: The Almighty first created light. Light
illuminates — if one can use it correctly, one can see
from one end of the world to the other — and even use
it to find a lost child.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Shivchei
Habesht and translated in Praise of the Baal Shem
Tov
by Ben-Amos and Mintz.
