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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE BURNING
TREE
"As he looked, [Moses] realized that the bush was on
fire, but was not being consumed." (Shemot
3:2)
And then there was the time, on a freezing winter
day, that the Baal Shem Tov was traveling in his
carriage with Reb Boruch of Kaminka,
Reb Tzvi the Sofer and his driver Alexei. They
planned to reach an inn before night fall in time to
daven Mincha (the afternoon prayer) and spend the
night.
While the cold weather did not bother the Baal Shem
Tov, the others were freezing. Reb Boruch asked
Alexei in a whisper, "How much longer until we get
there?"
"It's still many miles and it'll take a few more hours,"
answered Alexei.
"I don't know if I can make it," said Reb Boruch. "My
hands and feet are already almost frost
bitten."
"I'm also freezing," answered Alexei. "But," he
continued, "We surely cannot stop until the Rabbi
tells us to."
The Baal Shem Tov overheard the conversation and
ordered Alexei, "Stop the carriage right over there by
that large oak tree."
As soon as the carriage stopped, the Baal Shem Tov
jumped off, walked over to the oak tree and touched
it with his finger. Suddenly the tree burst into flames.
The cold travelers quickly warmed themselves around
the burning tree. When they were sufficiently
revived, they continued their journey. As they left,
Reb Boruch looked back to see what would happen to
the tree that saved them from the bitter cold.
The Baal Shem Tov spoke to him sharply, "Reb
Boruch, don't look back."
Immediately, Reb Boruch stopped looking. But he
never forgot the image of the burning tree.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Shivchei
HaBesht and 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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"And He said, I am the G d of your father."
(Shemot 3:6)
This is what is written: "A fool (pesi) believes in
everything." (Proverbs 14:15) What is the
meaning of "a fool?" A child, because in Arabia, they
call a child a pasia.
Midrash Rabbah, Shemot 3
The Baal Shem Tov told his students: "Despite the
profound levels of understanding that I have attained
in
the [supernal] roots of the Torah and the mitzvos,
and despite all the spiritual ecstasy that I have
experienced, I put everything aside to serve G d in
simple faith. I am a fool and believe — Ich bin a naar
un gleib!1 And even though it is
written: "A fool believes in everything," it is also
written: "G d protects the fools." (Psalms 116:6)
Yesod Ha'Avodah, letter 24
The seven nations that inhabited the Land of Israel
stand in direct opposition to the seven
attributes.2 For instance, opposite the
love of G d are the Canaanites, who represent the
love of other things. Opposite fear of
G d,3 are the Hittites.4
This is true of them all. Since love should be only for
G d, and for those whom G d wishes to make
beloved, the land is called the "Land of the
Canaanites."5
Zos Zicharon, Emor
If one feels the desire to commit a sin, he should
recite the Torah verses that speak of that sin, with
its syllables and cantillation marks, in fear and love of
G d, and the desire will pass. And if one feels
overwhelmed by some bad trait, he should say the
names of the six nations:6 the
Canaanites, etc., with absolute concentration, in
fear
and love, and the bad trait will pass.
Tzivos HaRivash, p.3a
1The Baal Shem Tov is making a word-
play on the statement of the Midrash, above. The
Hebrew word for child, na'ar, is similar to the Yiddish
word for fool.
2I.e., the seven traits that are
associated with the seven lower sefirot: Chesed —
love, Gevurah — fear, Tiferet — balance, etc.
3Literally, "pachad Yitzchok" — the fear
of Isaac. A reference to G d, from Genesis
31:42.
4The word Hittite relates to the Hebrew
"hit", which means "to be terrified."
5Apparently, the Baal Shem Tov means
that the intrinsic nature of the Land of Israel is the
love of G d; thus it is called the Land of Canaan.
However, before the Jewish people took possession
of the land, this love was distorted into love of other
things (materialism, licentiousness, etc.). With the
Jewish people's presence in the land, this trait was
uplifted. Rabbi Nathan of Breslov, in Likutey
Halachot, Milah 3:5, writes that the seven
Canaanite nations that inhabited the Land of Israel
correspond to the seven days that a Jewish male
child must pass through until his circumcision on the
eight day. Cutting off the foreskin, which symbolizes
the forces of concealment and animalism, is similar to
the defeat of the seven nations, and the uplifting of
love to its Divine source.
6It is not clear whether the Baal Shem
Tov means the six nations mentioned in this verse, or
in the verse from Nechemiah 9:8: "You found
his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant
with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the
Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the
Jebusite, and the Girgashite, even to give it to his
seed." R. Elimelech of Lizensk, in the Tzetel
Katan
(the "Small Letter"), writes that a person should
say the names of all seven nations.
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 49
It is impossible to pray with concentration without
help. A person must ask G d for help and
assistance.
Tzava'as HaRivash, p.7a
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 40
There is another principle through which a person
can
know if his prayers have been answered. If his heart
is joyful after he prays, then he has been answered,
and the opposite applies if [he feels]
depressed.
Based on this, I heard an
explanation of the Talmud's statement: "One day
[Rabbi Buna] joined Redemption to Prayer and a smile
did not leave his face the whole day." The seeming
confusion on this is famous.1
Surely he joined Redemption to Prayer every day. He
never knew, however, whether he had any effect
Above. On the day that he joined Redemption to
Prayer and did not stop smiling, he realized that he
had caused a Supernal Unification. Thus, his heart
was overjoyed.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Ekev
1Berachos 9b. The simple
meaning of this is that he recited the
blessing: "Redeemer of Israel" (go'al Yisroel) adjacent
to the Amidah prayer. However, since the contiguity
of these prayers is a normal part of the daily morning
liturgy, the Talmudic commentators have sought
alternative ways to understand this statement.
Tosephos, loc. cit., wrote that Rabbi Buna joined
these two prayer together at dawn. He finished the
blessing "Redeemer of Israel," and started the
Amidah
prayer at the exact moment of sunrise. This is
known as praying like the vatikin. The Baal Shem
Tov
offered a different explanation.
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 105
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
There are two types of wicked Jews: one acts only
in
privacy, while the other acts in
public.1
The difference between them can be seen from the
verse, "I saw an evil tyrant, then he vanished, and
behold — he was no more! So I searched for him, but
he was not to be found." (Psalms 37:35-36)
But why should one search for a wicked person who
has vanished? The answer is because someone even
more evil than he will take his place, which is why
the
previous one will be sought.2
1From the context in which this piece
appears in the source (Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph,
Bo
#2), "wicked" in this instance does not mean
sinning, but Jews who betray their people and try to
harm them. The one who acts in public is not
ashamed of his behavior, and is thus likely to be more
dangerous than the one who is still uncomfortable
about acting in public.
2The lesson of this teaching may be
that one should never complain about one's situation,
because it could always be worse. Indeed, Rebbe
Nachman of Breslov said that if one complains, then
G d says that He will show that person what bad
really is. On the other hand, if one praises G d for
one's situation, whatever it might be, G d says that
He will show him what good really is. (Siach Sarfei
Kodesh II [Breslov] p. 11, #32)
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua
Starrett
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