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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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REINCARNATION
This weeks Torah portion Mishpatim
begins, "And these are the laws."
Just as the preceding words (the Ten
Commandments) were received from Sinai,
these following laws were also received from
Sinai.
Rashi
"These are the laws" means "these are the
orders (the foundations) of Gilgulim
(reincarnation)."
Zohar Parshas
Mishpatim
And then there was the time that the saintly
Rabbi Dov Ber (successor to the Baal Shem
Tov and later known as the Mezritcher
Maggid), asked his teacher and Rebbe, the
Baal Shem Tov, "Rebbe, would you teach me
the sod (spiritual foundations) of
reincarnation?"
The Baal Shem Tov took him to his study room
and told him to close his eyes. Suddenly, in a
dream-like vision, Rabbi Dov Ber saw a
handsome prince and a friend approach a
river for a picnic and a swim. The only other
person there was a border guard on duty as
the river separated two countries. After a
pleasant afternoon of swimming, the Prince
and his friend changed to their regular clothes
and left. But, unbeknownst to the Prince, his
wallet fell out of his pocket while he was
changing from his bathing suit.
Later that day, a man on horseback came
riding by and noticed the wallet on the
ground. When he picked it up and saw a large
sum of money, he decided not to mention it to
the border guard who was still there.
When the Prince returned to his palace and
realized that his wallet was missing, he thought
back to the last time he remembered having it
his possession. "That's it," he thought, "it
was by the river. The only other person there,
besides my friend, was that border guard. I'll
take care of him!" So he took a few of his
father's soldiers and arrested the border
guard. Of course, the border guard denied
seeing, much less taking, the wallet. But the
Prince was a bit arrogant and didn't believe
him. "Punish that thief," he ordered. The
border guard received thirty lashes.
When the dream vision was over and Rabbi
Dov Ber opened his eyes, he exclaimed, "That
just wasn't fair at all! Why," he asked the
Baal Shem Tov, "did the Prince lose his money?
Also, why did the border guard get lashes
when he didn't do anything? It's just not
right!"
"You asked me to teach you the sod (spiritual
foundations) of reincarnation. Now close your
eyes again," replied the Baal Shem Tov.
Then, as before, Rabbi Dov Ber saw a dream-like
vision. This time, he saw a first man
approach a second man and say in an angry
tone, "It's been a long time and I want you to
pay me back the money I lent you."
The second man answered, "Listen, I already
told you, I never borrowed any money from
you."
The first man replied, "You're such a liar. How
can you look me in the eyes and say 'I never
borrowed any money from you'? You leave
me with no option, I'm taking you to court
before a judge, you miserable
creature."
Then in the dream-like vision, Rabbi Dov Ber saw
the second man go to the judge and give him
a sack of money as a bribe. The second man
said to the judge, "Now you understand that no
matter what proof that man brings, I didn't
borrow any money from him."
The judge opened up the sack of money and
while he counted out the gold coins that spilled
out, he answered, "You have nothing to worry
about."
Later, during the trial, the first man, the
Plaintiff, brought written proof that the second
man, the Defendant, had borrowed the
money. But the judge wasn't convinced and
ruled, "I find for the Defendant (the second
man) and hold that the Plaintiff (the first man)
didn't lend him any money.
When the dream-like vision was over and Rabbi
Dov Ber opened his eyes, he exclaimed, "That
just wasn't fair at all. Why," he asked the
Baal
Shem Tov, "how could the second man get
away with not paying his debt? It's just not
right!"
"My dear Reb Dov Ber," said the Baal Shem
Tov, "this is the sod of reincarnation. The
first man that lent the money and didn't get it back
in the second dream vision was the the man on the
horse in the first dream-like vision and so it really
wasn't his
money anyway. The second man that borrowed the
money and refused to pay it back in the second dream-
like vision was the prince and so it really was his
money. And the crooked judge in the second dream-
like vision was the border guard in the first
dream -like vision and so he really did deserve the
thirty lashes."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story heard
directly from Rav Sholom Ber Chaikin.
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TORAH BAAL SHEM TOV
Selection from Sefer Baal Shem Tov on the Torah
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"Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an
unrighteous witness." (Mishpatim 23:1)
You must never say anything bad about any
Jew, G d forbid, because then you will have to
serve as an "unrighteous witness." When the
evil inclination accuses someone, he will call
you to bear witness to his
words.1
If you must speak disparagingly about some
bad trait or person, you should state clearly
that you are not referring to any specific
individual, but only to the bad character trait
itself.
Rishpei Aish, Mishpotim 44
One Rosh Hashana, when the disciples of the
Baal Shem Tov were praying together, one of
them dropped a snuff-box, and bent down in
the middle of his prayers to retrieve it.
Another of the disciples saw this, and severely
berated him for interrupting his prayers just to
take a whiff of tobacco. The Baal Shem Tov,
with his spiritual insight, realized that the
rebuke of his holy disciple had brought a
heavenly judgment upon his friend, to die
within the coming year. The Baal Shem Tov
made a "soul ascension," and argued fiercely
before the Heavenly Court, to no avail. He
continued trying, and on the night of Hoshana
Rabbah,2 his soul ascended one
last time, and he argued and cried out in
prayer. Finally, it was agreed that if the
accuser himself would judge his friend
favorably, the latter would be delivered from
the verdict.
The Baal Shem Tov entered the
study hall and found the disciple who had
chastised his friend reciting the book of
Devarim.3 The Baal Shem Tov
took away his ability to
concentrate,4 making it
impossible for him to recite the verses with the
appropriate attachment to G d. The student
began to pace the study hall, contemplating on
the greatness of G d, His Oneness, and other
matters (in order to regain his concentration).
Suddenly, a thought entered his mind. "Why is
it that the tobacco plant has only recently been
discovered, making it possible now for people
to snuff or smoke it?5 Perhaps
there are souls in our generations too sublime
to be clothed in the physical world, and that
the only way to rectify them is through
something equally refined, like the sense of
smell." This led him to feelings of regret over
the anger he had showed his friend; for who
knows which souls he raised up by snuffing
tobacco with the mystical intentions?
On the day of Hoshana Rabbah, it
was the Baal Shem Tov's custom to answer all
questions about what had been decreed
above and below, and about what would
happen throughout the world (in the coming
year), for with his divinely inspired knowledge,
he could see from one end of the earth to the
other. On that day, he was in especially good
spirits. Each of his students prepared a
different question, some in areas of Torah
discourse, and some with questions on the
Talmud, or other matters. The Baal Shem Tov
would answer them all.
That disciple, who had berated his friend,
chose to ask his question about the discovery
of tobacco. When he presented his question,
the Baal Shem Tov said to him, "Tell me what
you think!" He gave his reason, and the Baal
Shem Tov said, "But say more! Tell me all the
thoughts that you had last night." The student
remembered what he had thought, and told
the Baal Shem Tov how he had judged his
friend favorably. At that moment, the heavenly
decree was annulled. The Baal Shem Tov was
then able to tell him the whole story, about
what he had brought upon his friend. And he
warned him always to judge G d-fearing
people favorably, so as not to bring supernal
judgments upon them, that it should always be
good for them.
Otzar HaChaim, Kedoshim, p.
171c
1R. Moshe of Peshavorsk
explained that when the evil inclination rises
above to indict a Jew, his words are not
heeded, since he is only one voice, and the
Torah says: "According to two witnesses, shall
the matter be established." (Devarim 19:15)
Thus, he waits until another individual also
speaks badly about the person. Then, he
joins with him, to bear witness and accuse
(Hakdamos Likutey Torah v'Shas).
2According to Kabbalah, the
verdict issued on Rosh Hashana, and
considered during the entire holiday period, is
finally handed over to the Heavenly Court on
the night of Hoshana Rabbah (the last night of
Succot). From then on, it can no longer be
rescinded.
3There is a custom to recite the
entire book of Deuteronomy on the night of
Succot, as the following days are Shemini
Atzerus and Simchos Torah, when the yearly
cycle of Torah reading is complete.
4Literally, "he took away
his 'mind' (mochin)," which refers, as well, to
higher states of consciousness.
5Tobacco was introduced into
Eastern Europe in about 1600, one hundred
years before the birth of the Baal Shem
Tov.
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 54
At times when one is unable to pray, one
should not think that he won't be able to pray
at all that day; rather, he should push himself
more, and draw more and more fear. This is
comparable to a king who disguises himself
and goes out to war. Wise people will
recognize the king by his gestures, while those
who are not so wise can recognize him by the
signs. For in the place where there is great
joy, that is where the king is.
Likewise, if one is unable to pray
with concentration, one should realize that
right there, the guards are around the King.
The King is really there, only one can not draw
near to him due to all the protection.
Therefore, he must push himself to fear, and
with great efforts to have greater
concentration, so that he can draw near and
pray to Him. Then, one will be able to pray
with great concentration (focus).
Tzava'as HaRivash, p. 5a
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 44
Continued from last week — the story of the
Baal Shem Tov's cantor.
The cantor also told R. Elimelech how every
Friday afternoon, during the mincha prayer,
tens of thousands of souls would gather
around the Baal Shem Tov, and he would fix
them and raise them all to their
source.
He told him that when the Baal Shem Tov
would look at any object, such as a bench or a
table, he could tell all the thoughts that the
craftsman had when he made that object.
Rabbi Elimelech was astounded by
this.
From the Manuscripts of R. Yitzchok Isaac
of Komarna
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 71
The Baal Shem Tov
taught:1
When one feels that one's service of G d is
not going well, one should acknowledge that
the appropriate verse at this time is, "I [G d]
have sworn in My wrath/Aph [that they will not
enter My peaceful
Sanctuary]."2
For even during a period of Divine wrath —
Aph — one must realize that this is only a
manifestation of the eight lower
Sephiroth3 below
Binah,4 and that even in the
Aph — the Phe — is hidden the letter Aleph,
representing the Aluph/Leader of the World.
In this way, one sweetens5 the
Aph, the Divine wrath.
1Ben Porath Yoseph
126c
2Psalms 95:11
3The letters aph inverted are the
Hebrew letter Phe, which is numerically
equivalent to 80, a integer of 8, representing
the eight lower Sephiroth, each of which is a
complete holographic system of the ten
Sephiroth, as is known.
4Binah is the lower of the two
upper Sephiroth connected with knowledge
and understanding, while in comparison, the
eight lower Sephiroth as a whole are
connected with a lack of understanding and
with constrictions, which give rise to such
periods of Divine wrath. The implication here
is that one must bring this higher
understanding —this experiential reality — into
one's period of constricted
consciousness.
5The use of the
metaphor, "sweetening" the judgments, used
so extensively in Chassidic texts, alludes that
what is "done" does not change the essence
of the Aph, but only makes it palatable to us,
just as sweetener makes food palatable. This
fits in with the idea of the previous two
teachings (#69 and 70), that all evil is only
from our perspective, and we transform evil by
transforming our awareness, and recognizing it
as concealed Divine love.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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