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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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PESACH IN
ISTANBUL
And it happened once that ten days before
Pesach,
the Baal Shem Tov and his daughter Udel arrived in
Istanbul on their way to Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel).
They had sailed from the port city of Odessa leaving
ample time to reach Eretz Yisrael before the holiday
began. Once out to sea, the weather turned stormy.
After a day of treacherous weather, the captain
announced, "Unless the weather subsides by
daybreak, we will dock in Istanbul to wait for better
weather. It is too dangerous too continue."
Now, just two days before Passover, the
Baal Shem Tov and his daughter Udel found
themselves in Istanbul. They were exhausted and
penniless after the hardship of the arduous journey
from Medzibush.
Usually, the Baal Shem
Tov's
reputation preceded him wherever he went. But In
Istanbul, no one recognized the famous Rebbe as he
walked among the Jewish people busy with their
Passover preparations.
Yet another strange event had occurred;
the Baal Shem Tov suddenly lost all of his heavenly
powers.
Not knowing where to spend Pesach,
the Baal Shem Tov went to the local beis medrash
(study hall) hoping that someone would invite him and
his daughter to their home to celebrate the Pesach
Seder.
Meanwhile, Udel took her father's holiday
clothing down to the sea to wash. She sat by a rock,
weeping as she scrubbed, remembering the beautiful
Seder at her home in Medzibush and thinking of their
prospects for Pesach, without wine, matzos or other
kosher food.
As Udel sat weeping, a passenger ship
arrived at the harbor. Among the passengers was a
wealthy merchant who had noticed the weeping young
girl. Touched by her sorrowful appearance, he
approached to offer some assistance.
Udel was not one to talk to about personal issues with
strangers, and particularly regarding her father, but in
her emotional state she broke down. "My father is a
famous Tzaddik (Holy man) who is being punished by
heaven by
having all his powers taken from him. We are alone in
Istanbul with no food, and nowhere to celebrate the
Yom Tov (holiday)."
"Please do not worry," said the merchant. "I'll send a
carriage to bring you and your father to my home
where you can both spend the Yom Tov in comfort."
Udel hurried to the beis medrash, to tell her father the
good news. Together they made their way to the
merchant's luxurious home where they were made to
feel welcome. After refreshing themselves with drink,
they were shown to their quarters. The Baal Shem Tov
promptly went to sleep in anticipation of the evening
Seder.
The Baa! Shem Tov slept on for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, his host went to shule for the evening
prayers. Seeing that the Baal Shem Tov was still
sleeping on his return, the merchant asked Udel to
wake her father as the hour was late and certainly the
time to start the Pesach Seder Yom Tov.
"I am sorry," replied Udel, "I cannot wake my father.
Such a thing is disrespectful. Every act of a Tzaddik
has deep meaning. If my father is sleeping, then it is
for a purpose"
"Very well," responded the host, "I will have to wake
him myself."
As the merchant entered the room and approached
the bed, he was stunned by what he saw: The body of
the Baal Shem Tov was glowing brightly and tears
flowed from his closed eyes. The merchant
immediately realized that his
guest was no simple man. so quickly and quietly left
the room. After what he had seen, he was not about to
disturb the Tzaddik's rest.
A short while later, the Baal Shem Tov woke from his
sleep thoroughly refreshed. While the Tzaddik had
slept, his spiritual powers had returned and he began
his evening prayers with his usual fervor and devotion,
a sight, which further inspired and impressed his
host.
The Baal Shem Tov led the Seder with his
great inspiration, singing, and expounding the
inner meanings of the Exodus from Egypt. His host,
the merchant and Udel sat spellbound. When the Baal
Shem Tov came to the words of the Hallel
Prayer, "Le'oseh
niflaos — For He performs wonders," the Tzaddik's
voice rang out loud and clear, as he articulated the
words with utter devotion. The sound of his words
carried out far into the stillness of the night. The rest
of the Seder passed in previous fashion and it was
early morning by the time they had finished. Until now
the merchant had refrained from making any
comments or asking questions for fear of disturbing
his G dly visitor. But now that the Seder was over, he
ventured several comments.
"Rabbi, if I may ask, why did you sing that
particular verse of The Hallel so loudly?"
"The Jews of Istanbul were in grave
danger," disclosed The Baal Shem Tov. "While I slept
my soul ascended to heaven where I interceded with
all my might on their behalf. At the very moment that I
sang the Hallel so loudly, I was informed that the
decree had been nullified. You will learn all about it
tomorrow morning in shule."
On the following morning, as the
congregation assembled for their holiday prayers, one
prominent member of their community suddenly
rushed in. "Mazel Tov, my good friends. Congratulate
yourselves on having escaped imminent danger,
praised be Hashem (The Name)."
Everyone crowded around to hear the
details of his surprising announcement. "As you may
well know," he began, "our late Sultan was in the habit
of dressing in common clothing to walk incognito
among his people, as did his father, the late Sultan.
This particular stroll took him far out of the city limits
and before he realized what had happened, he was
surrounded by a group of roving bandits."
"They seized him and brought to their
hideout. It occurred to the Sultan that these thieves did
not know his identity."
"After his pockets had been emptied of the
all his valuables, the sultan was confident that he
would be released. But the thieves informed him that
they must kill him since he knew the location of their
hideout."
"The sultan contemplated his chances of survival. 'If I
reveal my identity, they will surely kill me, for they
would realize that capital punishment would await
them of anyone knew whom they had captured and
robbed. Let me use my wits instead and see if I
cannot save myself.'"
"'I am trained with a particular skill which may bring
you much profit,' he told his captors. They gathered
around the Sultan in interest: 'I know how to fashion
valuable tapestries, given the proper raw materials.
My products will fetch high prices for you on the
market. Try and see.'"
"The robbers were willing, for the sake of profit, to give
his plan a fair try. They purchased simple mats from
which the sultan fashioned his tapestry. After two
days, the first product was ready for the market."
"The finished product did not over impress the bandits
but the Sultan hastened to warn, 'this tapestry can only
be appreciated by a true connoisseur of art. Do not be
daunted if at first people laugh at the price you ask.
But by no means are you to settle for less than what I
tell you. Go from shop to shop until you find the proper
customer, a person who is expert enough to
appreciate this work.'"
"It happened just as the captive has foretold. At the
first place they entered, the bandits were greeted by
jeers and hoots when they demanded an outlandish
price for their merchandise. The scene was repeated
at the next store and again at the next. By now a large
crowd of people had gathered to see the outcome of
the farce. Who would be mad enough, they wondered,
to pay the price these men were asking for what
appeared to be a simple mat? Just then my father
happened to walk by, attracted by the commotion. He
learned from the people around me the cause of the
gathering and pushed forward sensing something
had happened. He was shown the merchandise and
quoted the ridiculous price. Here was clearly
something deeper than met the eye, he was sure, as
he asked the men to allow him so that he could
examine the tapestry closely. A quick look showed
him that there was nothing especially artistic about the
piece before him saves for one letter intricately woven
and hidden in the cloth."
"'I'll take it at your price,' my father told
them, and went on to ask about the craftsman who
had fashioned it. The men were reluctant to give him
any information. 'If you like this work, we can bring you
more like it,' they promised but that was all they would
say."
"The bandits returned to their hideout with
good news for the imprisoned Sultan. Not only had
his cloth been purchased at his price, but the
customer wished to order more. The sultan was
certain that some clever person had caught on to his
ruse and set about his work cheerfully, ingeniously
weaving in the second initial into the center of the
cloth."
"When this cloth was brought to my father
the next day, he knew that he had been right in
assuming that it contained a clue. After paying the
price he hurried to the Sultan's palace with his tale.
The palace broke into pandemonium. No one knew
what had happened to the Sultan. Searches were
being organized but no trace or clue had yet been
found. When my father presented his story and
evidence to the proper authorities, all agreed it was
indeed the Sultan who was trying to send a message
as to his whereabouts. My father was told to hold his
tongue but continue to purchase the tapestries as they
were brought."
"Day after day, letter by letter, the sultan spelled out
directions to his location. Soon, a battalion of soldiers
was dispatched to the robber's hideout where they
succeeded in freeing the Sultan."
"The Sultan did not forget my father, his
benefactor, and summoned him to the
palace. 'How can I thank you enough?' he
said. 'Name a reward and you will have it.' My father
refused to hear of a reward. 'Is it not reward enough
that I have had the privilege to save the life of my
king? It is a privilege which is reward in itself.' This
was not enough for the Sultan, however. He made out
a proclamation stating that my father and his children
would forever have the privilege of free access to the
Sultans palace and the attention of the Sultan himself
for any need they may have. This all happened to my
father many, many years ago. He never had any
reason use his privilege."
"My father passed away as did the Sultan.
Until this day, I found no cause all these
years to seek access to the Sultan."
"This year our Sultan happened to be
walking through the market place with his Chief
Counselor, who is well know as one who vehemently
hates Jews, when he notice a flurry of activity.
Cartloads of strange bread were being transported
from place to place. The Sultan had never seen
anything like it. 'What are these cakes?' he asked his
Chief Counselor. 'These are called matzos. They are
eaten by the Jews throughout the holiday they call
Passover. Some Jews pride themselves in eating
only "shmura" (watched) matzos made from the blood
of a Muslim child which they slaughter for that
purpose.' The Sultan was stunned! 'Don't take my
word for it, Your Majesty' the counselor said, 'make
your own inquiries. You will hear the same
story.'"
"The Sultan did ask around and learned that there
were, in fact, many Jews who only ate the special
loaves known as shmura matza which were baked
under the most careful supervision and inferred that
his counselor's comments had indeed been true. He
was horrified."
"He instituted a special inquiry to
determine which Jews ate only shmura matzah. He
intended to have his guards arrest the culprits while
they sate at their Seder, and imprison them."
"Then, last night, on the eve of our holiday,
I had a dream. My father appeared to me to warn me
of the impending danger. He instructed me to go
straight to the Sultan, by virtue of my special privilege
of free entry and present the true version of the blood
libel to acquit my fellow Jews. I was to expose the
Sultan's Chief Counselor for what he was — not a
devout Moslem as the Sultan thought, but a practicing
Greek Orthodox Christian. Tell the Sultan to send his
soldiers to the counselor's home in the middle of the
night,' my father instructed, 'and they will find him in
bed with a cross upon his chest.'"
"I awoke towards evening, deciding that
the dream had been simply a dream, and I went about
with my preparations for the evening Seder. But
suddenly I became very tired-so much so I had to lie
down. I fell asleep again and my father appeared
once more, warning me to heed his advice for only I
could save the community. When I awoke the second
time I realized that it was not a meaningless dream
and that immediate action had to be taken."
"It was already late at night when I arrived
at the Sultan's palace. Despite my right to enter the
palace when I wished, I did not want to cause a
commotion and wake the Sultan. I begged the palace
guards to take me to the "Old Queen," the Sultan's
mother. The Queen happened to be awake, and
listened patiently to my story. I hastened to remind her
that in all these years neither my father not I had used
our privilege. If I was asking her to intercede for the
Jews on my behalf, it was because the matter was
one of life or death."
"The Queen asked me to wait while she
spoke to her son. She did not plan to present the
Jew's cause for she had heard nothing of the
impending decree and thought it might not be true.
Instead, she decided to tell her son she had dreamed
that his father, the late Sultan, had appeared to her in
a dream, instructing her to warn her son against
issuing any evil decrees. At first the young Sultan
denied any impending evil decrees. When his mother
mentioned the Jews, he confessed. 'Yes, Mother, but
my law concerning the Jews is a beneficial one for it
concerns those Jews who use Moslem blood in their
matzah baking. I have ordered this cult to be
destroyed for the public benefit.'"
"Seeing that the Jew had spoken the truth,
the Queen now told the entire story to her son who
asked that the wine merchant be brought before him.
I ran forward, throwing myself at his feet, my story
pouring out in tearful pleas. I begged the Sultan to
follow my father's suggestion of sending soldiers to
surprise the Chief Counselor in his own home to
prove that he was unfaithful to the Moslem faith. The
Sultan followed my suggestion and all proved as I had
predicted. In their fury, the soldiers executed the Chief
Counselor on the spot."
"The Sultan immediately cancelled the
decree that would have killed us all."
"All this happened just as I was reciting the Hallel
Prayer, did
it not?" the Baal Shem Tov asked the wine merchant.
The
statement was confirmed for indeed, the Baal Shem
Tov had become aware of the miracle at the very
minute which coincided with his recital
of "Le' ose niflaos gedolos!"
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in ADAS
TZADIKIM and translated in STORIES OF THE BAAL
SHEM TOV by Klapholtz.
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TORAH BAAL SHEM TOV
Selection from Sefer Baal Shem Tov on the Torah
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PESACH
The cause of the Egyptian exile
was that they did not
know what they lacked.1 As is
explained in the writings
of the Arizal; for in the Egyptian exile, [their] da'at left
them. Thus, the verse says about Moses (at the
burning bush), "And G d saw that he turned to see"
(Exodus 3:4).
Thus, they were in exile under the rule of Pharaoh,
who is the aspect of the neck, which is the place of
forgetfulness.2 Pharaoh said, "I do not
know G d,"
which is the opposite of da'at. [The exile continued]
until the aspect of Moses was revealed in the world,
the aspect of da'at. Then, "the King of Egypt died"
(Exodus) 2:23), which is Pharaoh, the neck.
Forgetfulness was
lifted, and the aspect of da'at came into the world.
Then they realized their shortcomings, and "The
Children of Israel cried out from their labor"
(Exodus).3
They realized that they were lacking in the service of
G d. "And their cries rose to G d from their labor." All of
this was because of Moses: "And Moses was a
shepherd" (Exodus).
Therefore, the essence of the
Egyptian exile was the removal of da'at, which was a
spiritual exile. However, because of the aspect of
forgetfulness and the Children of Israels inability to
recognize their own shortcomings, it also
became a physical exile. This is not true of one who
recognizes his own shortcomings by means of da'at.
For then, they can repent and fix what they lack, and
speed the Final Redemption.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Pekudei
1The recognition of one's faults is the
first step in
coming to deliverance, since one can then cry out to
G d over what one is lacking. This is a common
theme
in the writings of R. Yaakov Yitzchok of Polnoye.
2The root letters of the word Pharaoh
also
constitute the letters of the word "neck," oref In
Kabbalah. The face always corresponds to that which
gives illumination. The Hebrew word for face, panim,
is the same as the word for "interiority," penim, for the
face reveals the soul. The "back" always represents
that which conceals, for little can be discerned by
seeing someone's back. Based upon the coordinates
of the sefirot and the human body, Da'at corresponds
to the throat, for the throat is the passageway that
unites the mind and the heart — a function of
da'at.
3Moses corresponds to da'at, the
throat and
illumination, whereas Pharaoh corresponds to the
back of the neck, exile and concealment. (Thus,
according to the Midrash, Pharaoh sought to cut off
Moses' head.)
Moses was the aspect of da'at, and when he came
to redeem the Israelites, he invested them with da'at
as well.
Translation and commentary by
Rabbi Doctor Eliezer Shore
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