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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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A HOLY
LETTER
""He will not come to the land that I am giving the
Israelites." (Chukat 20:24)
AND it happened that Reb Refoel of Bershid
was a learned Talmud chochom and wholly devoted
to his Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov. He had a burning
desire to settle in Eretz Yisroel (The Land of Israel),
and sought his Rebbe's blessing to do so.
"Eretz Yisroel is Eretz HaKodesh (The
Holy Land) only because the Torah makes it so.
The holiness of Eretz Yisroel descends from Above to
below. Poland needs you and the holy Torah you
teach. You can create holiness from below to Above,"
the Baal Shem Tov told Reb Refoel.
Reb Refoel understood his Rebbe's words, that he
was not yet destined to settle in Eretz Yisroel. He was
disappointed but as a devoted chassid, he accepted
the Baal Shem Tov's advice without question, and
thought that perhaps at sometime in the future he
would be able to fulfill his desire.
Many years passed and Reb Refoel, who
had served his community as a rabbi, was now
growing old. Again, the desire to move to the Holy
Land awakened in him.
"I am too old to serve as a Rabbi," he
thought, "and would like very much to live out my last
days in the Holy Land." But he refrained from asking
his Rebbe for his blessing to go. Somehow he knew
that the Baal Shem Tov would not agree.
Soon thereafter, he received a letter from
the Baal Shem Tov again discouraging him from the
move. There was no doubt in Reb Refoel's mind that
the Baal Shem Tov knew of his renewed plan through
his holy vision.
Disappointed again, Reb Refoel decided
to put the whole idea out of his mind.
He dearly treasured the letter written with the holy
hand of the Baal Shem Tov, and placed it in a locked
box that he put in a safe place.
Many years later, after the Baal Shem Tov
had left this world, Reb Refoel who was now very old
and weak, again had thoughts of moving to the Holy
Land.
"This is my last chance to move to the
Holy Land before my time comes to leave this world."
So he packed his possessions and put them on a
wagon. When all his preparations were complete,
Reb Refoel invited his friends and relatives for a
farewell meal. In the midst of the celebration, he
stepped outside the house to get a breath of air. It
was not windy outdoors, yet suddenly from out of
nowhere, a piece of paper fluttered down landing at
Reb Refoel's feet. He bent down and picked it up.
Looking at the paper in his hands, he turned white
with shock! It was the Baal Shem Tov's letter that he
had kept locked away for safekeeping all these years!
How is it possible? He could not begin to guess, but
he understood what had just occurred.
Reb Refoel returned to his guests, and
placed the letter under the tablecloth. He then began
to recount to his friends and relatives the entire history
of his attempts to immigrate to the Holy Land. As he
explained how the Baal Shem Tov had sent him a
letter, he reached under the tablecloth, but to his
amazement the letter had disappeared! Reb Refoel
couldn't believe it!
He quickly retrieved the locked box where
he kept the holy letter. Everyone gathered around with
baited breath as he unlocked the box and lifted the
lid. Sure enough, the letter was still there just as he
had left it many years before.
"The bond between a chassid and his
Rebbe transcends all worlds" he exclaimed. "It is
clear that my holy Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov knew
from the very first time I asked for his blessing, that it
was not my destiny to dwell in The Holy Land, but to
remain here."
Reb Refoel lived to a ripe old age, and
continued to enlighten his community with his
wisdom and teachings of Torah, as he was destined
to do.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Pe'er
Layeshorim 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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"This is the statute of the Torah, which the L·rd has
commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Israel,
that they bring you a red heifer, faultless, with no
blemish."
(Chukat 19:2)
All the commandments are eternal in the mind. Even
though in practice they require a certain time and
action, in thought they exist forever. For the Torah
partakes of G·d's divinity, and His divinity is eternal.
As the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov said, the entire
Torah must always be found applicable in the mind
and intellect, and one can learn from every mitzvah its
[spiritual] allusion. They asked the Baal Shem Tov
how this applies to the mitzvah of the Red Heifer,
which was rarely performed even in the day of the Holy
Temple. Furthermore, what is the significance of its
ability to purify the impure and make impure the pure?
The Baal Shem Tov answered that this
pertains to the ego. Because if a person acts wrongly
and is far from G·d, the beginning of his reform
depends upon the ego, and [actions that are] not for
the sake of heaven.1 For instance, his
actions are in order to show off, or to merit the World
to Come. For this too is a hidden type of egotism, in
that he thinks it fitting for G·d to reward him for his
deeds. He imagines that he has done something for
G·d, when really, without G·d's influence in our lives,
what are we? How can we possibly receive reward?
However, it is impossible to realize this at
first, and the person would remain in
the "externalities,"2 G·d-forbid.
Therefore, it is permitted for him to use pride,
ostentation and self-centered actions, for "amidst
selfish reasons, one comes to
selflessness."3
On the other hand, selfless worship must be pure and
clean from all traces of ego, which will ruin the action.
Ego, then, purifies the impure that are distant from
G·d, and defiles the pure that are already close to
Him, for if they become prideful, they are despised by
G·d.
This applies even to Tzaddikim, who are
already pure. They, too, must always follow this path,
that requires both pride and humility to draw close to
G·d. Because before a person wants to come close
to G·d through the performance of an important
mitzvah, or Torah study, or prayer, he is still far-off.
Compared to the degree of closeness he will attain
through this deed, he is, in a sense, still impure. It is
impossible for him to come close to G·d without his
ego.
For just as there is Smallness and Largeness in
holiness, so do they exist on the side of
evil,4 G·d forbid. Smallness in the Sitra
Achra occurs when the evil inclination tells us, "You
are not fit to perform such an important mitzvah or act
of worship as this." Then, one must become proud in
the way of G·d.5 This is as our Sages
said: "Why was Adam created alone, so that a [each]
person should say, 'The world depends upon
me.'"6 Lacking this attitude, his evil
inclination will tell him that he is unfit to approach G·d
through his action. Thus, he must use his very ego to
come close to G·d, for this is really humility, as we
explained. It only seems like pride compared to the
evil inclination, who seeks to deceive him into thinking
that it is a mitzvah to be lowly.
Thus, he pride purifies him and allow him to draw
close to G·d through Torah study, prayer, or the
commandments. However, afterward, when he is
actually involved in the act, he must be on guard to all
forms of pride. He must humble himself before G·d
and others. This is holy Smallness - not thinking that
he is better than anyone else because they do not do
this deed. It turns out that feeling egotistical during
the actual performance of the mitzvah, when a person
is called pure, actually makes him impure, G·d forbid.
Now, pride is called a Heifer, for it increases and
enlarges a person's mind.7 It is also
red, from the side of the "shells."8
Therefore, one must throw into the pyre of the Heifer
cedar wood, hyssop and crimson [wool], as the
Talmud says: "One who is as proud as a cedar
should lower himself like a hyssop."9
And Maimonidies determined that the rod of cedar
wood must be a hands breath long.10
That is, the power and the greatness that a person
uses to perform the mitzvah has to be precisely
measured to a hands breath, and immediately
afterward, he must lower himself like a
hyssop.
This is called the Red Heifer that purifies the impure,
and makes impure the pure.
Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p. 18a
1I.e. not with selfless intent.
2In the chitzoniyut - i.e. trapped in a
superficial relationship with life, and far from G·d.
3Pesachim 50b. The Talmud
speaks about a person who studies Torah in order to
be honored with the title "Rabbi." Even though his
motivation is self-serving, the very act of studying
Torah will purify him and bring him to a level of
selflessness in his studies.
4The Sitra Achra - the "Other Side,"
referring to the forces in creation that appear opposite
the Divine will.
5Based upon II Chronicles
17:6: "And [Jehoshaphat's] heart was lifted up in
the ways of the L·rd; and furthermore he took away the
high places and the Asherim out of Judah."
6Sanhedrin 37a
7The Hebrew word for "Heifer," Parah, is
related to the word Pore'ah, "to be fruitful" - translated
here as "to increase."
8The color red is usually associates
with forces of negativity, such as blood, or the Sefirah
of Gevurah. Here, it represents the kelipot - the
impure shells that block the perception of G·d.
9Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora
3
10Mishnah Torah, Hilchos Metzorah
11:1.
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 71
Sometimes, you can pray extremely quickly because
of the love of G·d that burns powerfully in your heart.
Then, the words will leave your mouth by
themselves.
Tzava'as HaRivash p. 4b
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 8
I heard from my teacher and father-in-law, who was
the chief disciple of Rabbi Yechiel Michal of Zlotichov,
that once when the Baal Shem Tov was traveling on
the road, he stepped into a wooded area to pray the
afternoon prayer. His disciples were dumbfounded to
see him hitting his head against a tree, crying and
screaming. Afterward, they asked him what had
happened. He explained that he had seen, with divine
inspiration, that in the generations before the coming
of the Moshiach there would be a multitude of rabbis,
and that they would be the very ones who would
impede the
redemption.
Otzar Chayim, p. 134c
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 90
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
After a person experiences a period of spiritual
elevation, one must return and descend in order to
elevate those still on lower levels,1 as
alluded to in the verse, "I have washed my
feet."2 This is also the meaning
of, "running and returning,"3 and what is
referred to as, "katnuth/immaturity and
gadluth/maturity."4
And every time one descends, one must take care to
be able to rise again,5 so that one does
not remain in spiritual descent. For as the Baal Shem
Tov said, many people fell and remained
there.6
1This idea is connected with the
previous teaching (#89), in that one can elevate others
only by identifying and becoming "one" with them on
some level. During periods of spiritual ascent, when
one is experiencing a spiritual "high," one may tend to
disassociate from those people still on lower levels,
and is thus unable to elevate them. But when one
has fallen oneself, one understands and identifies
with the difficulty others are experiencing, and is thus
able to elevate them with his own return.
2Song of Songs 5:3. The "feet"
are a metaphor for the lowest spiritual levels, and the
verse thus alludes to the thought that may go through
the mind of someone presently at a higher level: I
have "washed" my own "feet" already, so I don't want
to dirty myself again.
3Ezekiel 1:14. This verse refers
to the angels running towards and returning away
from God, and is metaphor for the spiritual ups and
downs of the human soul.
4Although physiological maturity is
irreversible, spiritual maturity is cyclical.
5Although one may be in a state of
spiritual descent, one must remain aware of this and
not allow oneself to wallow in this state or to act in
ways that would reinforce it.
6Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, VaYera
#1. Indeed, the higher one goes, the deeper the
potential fall, and the disappointment and frustration
one experiences.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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