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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE MAGICAL
POWER OF TEFILLIN
"Bind [these words] as a sign on your hand, and let
them be an emblem in the center of your head."
Deuteronomy 6:8
And then there was the time that the Baal Shem Tov
was studying Torah in the Bais Medrash (study hall)
with his close disciples. Suddenly, he became so
sick that he was unable to speak.
The disciples became very alarmed. "Rebbe, Rebbe,"
they asked, "What's wrong? Can we get you
something?"
The Baal Shem Tov motioned to his Tefillin bag.
Quickly, the students took out his Tefiilin and wrapped
one around his arm and put the other on his head.
By this time, the Baal Shem Tov was so weak that he
just lay down on a bench. He closed his eyes and
didn't move. The disciples sat by his side unsure of
what to do.
After a long time passed, the
Baal Shem Tov sat up and began speaking to the
disciples. "Thank G·d, I'm feeling better."
The disciples asked in a concerned voice, "Rebbe,
what happened?"
The Baal Shem Tov explained, "In my youth, I
committed a sin. An accusation was made against
me before the Heavenly Court and the Court decided
that I deserve to die. At first, I wasn't aware of what
was happening to me. All I knew was that I started to
feel very, very weak. Just then, my teacher, Achiya
HaShaloni (a spiritual Being and teacher of King
David), came and told me the situation. Then he told
me, 'Reb YIsrael, quickly put on your Tefillin.'"
"After you put my Tefillin on," continued the
Baal Shem Tov to the disciples, "the Accuser (the
Satan) came in the form of a Russian peasant
carrying an iron shovel in his hand. He wanted to
chop off my head. But because of the power of the
Tefillin, the Satan could not get close to me. He
started yelling, "Take off that leather (the Tefillin are
made of leather)!" But I didn't pay any attention to him
and he continued yelling until, thank G·d, the
accusation was nullified."
The Baal Shem Tov continued, "During that time, my
brother-in-law, Rabbi Gershon came to testify for me.
However, the gates to the Heavenly court were closed
and he couldn't get through. But that didn't stop Reb
Gershon. He took a heavy wooden pole and started
banging on the Gates until they were finally opened.
Then, he ran in and started yelling before the Court in
an angry voice, 'Will you sentence Rabbi Yisrael to
death, G·d forbid, for a trivial thing that
happened in his youth?' The court wasn't able to
overcome the defense of Reb Gershon and revoked
their original sentence."
The Baal Shem Tov continued, "It says in the Tikune
Zohar (book of Kabbalah), the commandment of
Matronita (the Schechina, the female aspect of G·d)
places a man under her wings and protects him from
the hand of the Accuser. So it is with the
commandment of wearing Tefillin."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane
(Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found
in SHIVCHEI HABESHT and translated in IN PRAISE
OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Ben Amos and Mintz.
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Sefer Baal Shem Tov
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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All the commandments which I command you this day
shall you observe to do. . . . (Deuteronomy 8:1)
There is one great principle - that a person must
attach himself to the inner dimension of the Torah and
the commandments. That is, to bind one's thoughts
and soul to the root of the Torah and the mitzvos that
one fulfills. If not, one cuts and separates
the "shoots."1
I received this
from my Master, and I also found it in the book
Chesed l'Avraham, nahar 14.
Ben Poras
Yosef, p. 21a
1A Talmudic term
implying that one posits a division between
G·d and creation. In this case, the Baal Shem
Tov applies it to a separation between the soul of the
Torah and its outer manifestation. The Talmud states
that the Elisha ben Abuya "uprooted the shoots" when
he became an apostate.
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 1.2
Praying to attach yourself Above
When you attach yourself Above during the silent
prayer, you will merit to be raised even higher during
that prayer.1 As our Sages have said: "A
person who
seeks to be purified will be helped."2
through this
prayer, you can attach your thoughts above, and then
come to an even greater level, so that even when you
are not praying, you are attached above.
Tzava'as HaRivash 37
1The Amidah, the main section of all
obligatory
prayers which is said standing in an inaudible
voice.
2Shabbat 104a.
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 16.
The following story was told over many times by the
Alter Rebbe, who heard it from his rebbe, the
Mezritcher Maggid.
Once, the Baal Shem Tov was teaching the Chevraya
Kadisha, his inner circle disciples, revealing to them
intimate secrets of the Torah that had never been
heard in this world before. These secrets could not be
found in any of the works of the early mekubolim or
even the Arizal.1
And all the Baal Shem Tov's disciples were Torah
giants is their own right, especially the eminent Rebbe
Reb Dovber (later known as the Mizretcher Maggid).
He was famous, even before coming to the Baal
Shem Tov, for having studied every available book,
both of revealed knowledge and mystic thought, and
reviewed them all one hundred and one times.
Rebbe Reb Dovber said that upon this occasion, he
heard from the Rebbe previously unknown teachings
about such deep concepts that they utterly confused
him. As he thought about the Rebbe's ability to
transmit such teachings, he found it difficult to believe
that a soul that was encased in an earthly body of
flesh and blood could know such hidden thoughts
which were most probably beyond the grasp of the
angels themselves. He was seized with the thought
that the voice that spoke from the mouth of the Baal
Shem Tov was the disembodied soul itself. Several
disciples finally drew near and touched his hand to
see if it really was a tangible one.
Niflaos Sipurim
1Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534 -1572)
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 174.
BECOMING A MERKAVAH FOR G·D
"Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai did not miss learning a
single verse, Mishnah, Gemara. . . .great thing or
minor thing. A great thing refers to ma'aseh merkavah,
and a minor thing refers to the discussions of Abayee
and Rava."1
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
How can the Talmudic discussions of Abayee and
Rava be referred to as "minor things," when they are
an essential part of the [oral] Torah transmitted at
Sinai?
Rather, both the exoteric and the esoteric parts of the
Torah are essentially one, but it all depends upon
one's intentions. If one's goal is only to understand the
teaching, one will attain nothing, and regarding such a
person the verse says, "All his goodness is like the
withering of the field."2
On the other hand, if one's goal arises from a desire
to come closer to G·d, to be a vehicle for His
presence, for which Torah study and mitzvah
fulfillment are the sole means, then this person will
merit to become a vehicle for G·d's presence
whether he is studying the exoteric Torah or the
esoteric Torah.
This, then, is the meaning of minor things being the
discussions of Abayee and Rava. That is, whoever
learns simply for his own pleasure or needs is doing
a "minor thing," because he is serving G·d
with trivia, as if he were only studying any worldly
wisdom. But the one who yearns with his Torah study
to be a vehicle-a merkavah-for G·d, is doing a great
thing. And this is, "A great thing refers to ma'aseh
merkavah," that is, to make oneself a merkavah, a
vehicle, for G·d by Torah study.
1Tractate Sukkah 28a.
2Isaiah 40:6.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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