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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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A SIMPLE
MISUNDERSTANDING
Korach son of Yitz'har (a grandson of Kehoth and
great-grandson of Levi) began a rebellion with ... They
confronted Moses. Numbers 16:1-2
And then there was the time, in the town of Tarnopol,
that there lived a wealthy Jew by the name of Reb
Yitzchok. He and his wife Sheindel had only one son
who suffered from mental illness.
They had consulted with all the
best doctors without any success. The boy was prone
to wild ramblings, and would scream out for no
reason. They lived in a community of misnagdim -
those opposed to the new chassidic groups, and to
their leader, the Baal Shem Tov. It was therefore with
great trepidation that the boy's mother approached her
husband to take their son to the Baal Shem Tov for
help. She felt that is was their last resort. Reb
Yitzchok immediately rejected her suggestion, despite
his wife's pleadings and tears: "Please Yitzchok, I can
no longer bear to look at my precious son in his
present state. Please disregard your feelings for the
Baal Shem Tov's chassidic followers and their
customs, and beg him to heal our son."
At first Yitzchok couldn't see himself
begging the Baal Shem Tov for anything. The
community had branded the Baal Shem Tov as fraud
and a charlatan. But after hearing his wife's tearful
cries, he realized there was no alternative, and he
agreed to see the Baal Shem Tov.
As his son was too unstable to travel, Reb
Yitzchok decided to approach the community leaders
with whom he had some influence, and ask them to
invite the Baal Shem Tov to Tarnopol. At first, the town
leaders were vehemently opposed to Reb Yitzchak's
request. To invite the leader of the chassidim would
rouse the ire of their Rabbi and the community in
general. They all agreed it was a waste of time. But
the town leaders had a great deal of sympathy for Reb
Yitzchok and his wife because of their ill son. Also,
being a successful businessman, Reb Yitzchok was a
pillar of the community and held great influence with
all its leaders. Finally, after much discussion, the
community leaders agreed to pen an invitation to the
Baal Shem Tov to come to Tarnopol for a
Shabbos.
Reb Yitzchok traveled to Mezibush for an
audience with the Baal Shem Tov and to extend the
invitation. Reb Yitzchok tearfully told the Baal Shem
Tov of his son's illness, and begged the Rebbe to
come to Tarnapol.
The Baal Shem Tov sat in deep thought for
a few minutes, then raised his head, smiled and
nodded his head. He called Alexei, his driver, to
prepare his carriage.
When the Baal Shem Tov arrived, Reb
Yitzchak promptly brought him to his home to meet his
son.
The Baal Shem Tov smiled as he slowly
stroked the boy's cheek. He then said to Reb Yitzchok
and his wife the following: "Your son is not ill. It is
simply a misunderstanding. Allow me to talk to your
son for a few minutes, and then allow me to do so
again privately for about an hour each day for the next
few days, and I am sure your son will
recover."
Reb Yitzchok and his wife were
dumbfounded! How could the Baal Shem Tov say
their son's illness is simply a "misunderstanding"
after the best doctors couldn't help them?
Nevertheless, they were encouraged by the Rebbe's
words, and agreed to allow the Baal Shem Tov to talk
to their son each day, as he requested, on condition
that the boy's caretaker stay with them in case their
son reacted violently, as he was known to do.
The Baal Shem Tov then sat down and
spoke to the lad. The boy sat quietly as he looked into
the Baal Shem's holy eyes and listened to his
whispered words. The Baal Shem Tov asked the lad
some questions and the boy responded calmly. For
the next few days, the boy was brought by his
caretaker to meet with the Baal Shem Tov. It seemed
that the Baal Shem Tov had a most calming affect
upon him. After a few days, it seemed as if the boy
was cured! He seemed to behave normally whenever
he sat with the Baal Shem Tov. Reb Yitzchok and
Sheindel were elated.
For Shabbos, Reb Yitzchok asked his
guest, "What type of meat shall we prepare for you this
Shabbos?" The Baal Shem Tov asked for a lamb and
that the shochet (slaughterer) be brought to him. The
Baal Shem Tov watched as the shochet correctly
slaughtered the lamb, but just as the shochet was
about to cut it open, The Baal Shem Tov stopped
him. "I will inspect the lamb." He inserted his hand
into the lamb's body and felt for any lesions on the
lung that would render the animal as being unfit.
When he removed his hand, he pronounced the lamb
Kosher. Then, the Baal Shem Tov then left for the
mikveh.
Meanwhile, the shochet proceeded with the
preparation of the lamb. He was called away briefly
but when he returned and withdrew the lung from the
animal he found to his dismay a round puncture.
He waited for the Baal Shem Tov
to return, and then told him the story of how he had
briefly left and returned to find a hole in the lung. The
Baal Shem Tov didn't seem disturbed and told the
slaughterer to continue with the preparations since he
considered the lamb kosher. "I want it to be cooked
for my Shabbos meal," be announced.
The shochet was stunned, and
immediately rushed to tell the townspeople about the
treif (unkosher) lamb that the Baal Shem Tov planned
to eat on Shabbos! The town elders, who were all
opponents of the Baal Shem Tov, planned to confront
him front of the entire congregation over the
matter.
The next morning, after the Shabbos
prayers, the Rav of Tarnopol accompanied by a group
of townspeople went to Reb Yitzchok's house to
confront the Baal Shem Tov with his guilt. The Baal
Shem Tov had not returned, so the Rav took a seat at
the head of the table to await his arrival.
Meanwhile, the young man's caretaker
brought him for his daily session with the Baal Shem
Tov. The non-Jewish caretaker did not realize that the
man seated at the head of the table was not The Baal
Shem Tov. So he brought the young man into the
room and left assuming that the boy would act
properly as he always did in the presence of the Baal
Shem Tov.
The lad began to give a rambling
account of his activities. He circled the group at the
table in a mad shuffle and began to relate how after
the Baal Shem Tov had gone to the mikveh, the
shochet had returned and made a round hole in the
lung.
The townspeople were astonished at
these words. It seemed the young man was telling
the truth. There was no reason for him to fabricate
such a story and he was lucid enough to understand
what had transpired. They now realized their error in
judging the Baal Shem Tov. One by one they rose and
quietly left. They were now convinced of the Baal
Shem Tov's honesty.
As the town Rav left Reb Yitzchok's
home, he encountered the Baal Shem Tov returning
from the Sabbath prayers. The town Rav was so
embarrassed; he couldn't speak, and began to
mumble some words of apology. The Baal Shem Tov
smiled and lifted his hand in an expression of
assurance. "Don't worry", he said, "its simply a
misunderstanding".
And so it was.
Adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from Emunas Tzadikim as
translated in Stories of the Baal Shem Tov by Y.Y.
Klapholtz
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Sefer Baal Shem Tov
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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All the [evil traits] that Balaam had, Moses was
suspected of having as well. For as long as the
ascension of the Shechinah is not complete, as it will
be in the Messianic Era, when the impure shells will
be annulled and G·d will swallow up death
forever (Isaiah 25:8), all the elevations can only occur
in the mind of an upright individual. And an upright
individual can only reach and ascend to his root by
means of his opposite. That is, when [evil] comes to
his mind, and he becomes motivated to [serve]
G·d.1
Pri Ha'Aretz, Matos
1Every human being contains the entire
world, whose myriad creatures are reflected in the
endless thoughts that pass through his mind each
day. Good thoughts parallel good creatures and evil
thoughts are related to harmful ones. By subduing the
evil in one's own thoughts, the evil in the world is also
overcome. The non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer
Balaam was the very opposite of Moses, and
embodied every possible evil trait; yet he too existed
within Moses' thoughts, and through his presence
there, Moses was inspired to overcome his own evil
and attain the level of a Tzaddik. This is the process of
uplifting the sparks of holiness from among the
impure shells that will continue until the coming of the
Messiah.
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 124.
Each day's prayers require a different
mystical intention. Thus, it says in the Talmud: ". . . .If
a
person can say something new."1 For
the essence of prayer is to extract the 288 sparks of
the broken vessels, which is the mystery of raising
the "feminine waters," to Malchus, in order to reunite
the wife to her husband.2 This occurs
when [extraneous] thoughts arise in one's mind
during prayer. A wise person knows how to extract the
essence of these thoughts, which is the holy spark in
the impure shells.
For instance, if a person has lustful thoughts, which
come from the side of Chesed, as it is written: "If a
man takes his sister3 . . . . it is a
shameful thing (Chesed)"4 (Leviticus
20:17), he should realize that this pleasure's whole
existence derives from the one holy spark within it,
[How much greater, then, is the pleasure] of clinging
to its root, where it is beyond limit. The same applies
if a person has thoughts of idolatry, G·d forbid,
or murder, which is from the left
column.5 However, it is dangerous to
expound on this theme, and a wise person will be
silent.
Now, we see for ourselves that one day's
thoughts are never like another's. And so too, the
prayers one formulates according to these thoughts.
But for this, one needs a truly broad mind and
tremendous concentration in order that his mouth and
heart be aligned. This is not the case of one who
prays by rote, each day the same. His mouth routinely
utters the words, and his head bows automatically
when he reaches "Modim." His heart is absent, as
Tosephos writes in the name of the Jerusalem
Talmud: "We are grateful to the head that bows by
itself at Modim."6
For this reason, it seems to me, there are
ten types of prayer, which correspond to the ten
qualities of Malchus,7 which is
called "prayer" (tefilah) and is the last quality of
Malchus - Malchus of Malchus. Now, each day of a
person's life, he must repair one spark of these ten
qualities, until the very end of his life, when he repairs
the last quality of Malchus and returns in perfect
repentance to Malchus-prayer - each individual
according to his level and his personal channel of
influence. This is similar to the generation before the
Moshiach, when the entire world will be repaired down
to the "heels," and all the sparks of the universal
Malchus will ascend. Then "death will be swallowed
up forever" (Isaiah 25:8), and the Moshiach will come.
So too, the life of each individual is a complete
structure.
Thus, a person should thus realize that
prayer is not for his own sake, but for the sake a
higher purpose -- for the good of the Shechinah. The
Arizal wrote that if a person prays for himself, the
Shechinah laments over him: "G·d has
delivered me
into their hands; I am unable to rise" (Lamentations
1:14). But if he is concerned with the good of the
Shechinah, he is answered immediately. Thus, it is
written in the Tikunei Zohar: "If the Shechinah is there,
they immediately open [the supernal gates] for him."
8 Furthermore, his requests are
included in Binah, which is the "mother of all living."
For all souls are part of the Shechinah, and he too will
be answered. 9 However, if he prays for
the Shechinah in order to be answered, he creates a
barrier. May G·d enlighten us to serve him in
truth and
simplicity!
Now, the sign that your prayers have been
answered is alluded to in the verse: "You will direct
their heart, Your ear will hear" (Psalms 10:17). If
[Heaven] helps him so that he can concentrate on his
prayers, then certainly "Your ear will hear." For were it
not a propitious time for him to enter the King's
chamber and be answered, he would be unable to
concentrate. But since he has come before the King,
his request will certainly be fulfilled, for nothing can
keep G·d from fulfilling his desires and
requests, for
He is the ultimate love and compassion.
Still, there are those who come before the
King and are not answered. This is like a king whose
consort has sinned. The King eventually dismisses
her and she travels far away. One day, the king must
go to that place on royal affairs. When his consort
hears that he is coming, she devises a plan to see
him. She comes before him and pleads with him.
She tells him how bitter her life has been since she
left the king, and she relates to him everything that
happened to her since then. Ultimately, the king
forgives her and fulfills her requests. However, if she
comes before him with threats and accusations,
claiming that he betrayed her, her words will go
unheard -- unless she finds the king in good spirits.
Then her words will make an impression on him, and
he will realize that her claim that he abandoned her is
correct, and that his actions were inappropriate for a
king. Then he will fulfill her will, and answer her
favorably, despite the fact that she spoke accusingly.
This is called the "Shechina quarrels with her
husband." It is enough of an explanation for one who
understands.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, p. 181a
1Berachos 28b, 29b: "Rabbi Eliezer
said, 'If a person makes his prayers routine, they will
not be heard. . . . What does 'routine' mean? Rabbi
Yosef said: 'Whoever is not able to say something
new in his prayers.'"
2The Shechinah with the Sefirah of
Tiferes.
3I.e., has incestuous relations with
her.
4According to most Biblical
commentators, the word chesed, in Aramaic,
means "shameful." The Baal Shem Tov, however,
follows the Hebrew meaning of the word, which
is "love," or "kindness." The underlying idea is that all
desire, even the most illicit, has a root in holiness.
However, as a result of the primordial Breaking of the
Vessels, that emotion fell to an impure, material state.
The task of man is to uplift all thoughts and emotions
to their supernal root.
5The Sefiros
on the right-hand column of the Sefirotic chart are
expansive, and are the root of human emotions, such
as love, desire, and pleasure. The Sefiros of the left-
hand column are contractive (Binah, Gevurah, Hod),
and are the supernal root of emotions such as fear,
anger and bloodthirstiness.
6Rosh Hashanah 16b.
7Malchus, the lowest Sefirah, contains
within it a reflection of all the upper Sefiros.
8Tikunei Zohar p. 55a. See, also, the
end of Tikun 33.
9I.e. by praying for the benefit of the
Divine Presence, he draws down goodness to
everyone who needs the same thing that he is praying
for, including himself, for all souls are offshoots of the
Shechinah.
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.
The Baal Shem Tov was
incapable of speaking down-to-earth language with
simple people because of his devekus - his intense
attachment to heaven - until his Heavenly mentor,
Achiyah Ha Shaloni,1 taught him to recite
certain psalms which enabled him to speak everyday
language without losing his devekus.
Shivchei Baal Shem Tov
1In prior incarnations, Achiyah
HaShaloni was one who left Egypt and a prophet
during the time of King David. 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 166
SILENT PRAYER
"Their hearts cry out to
G·d."1
The Baal Shem Tov taught 2:
A person must learn how and train oneself to pray in a
low voice, including the pesukei d'zimra, but be able to
cry out in silence with all one's strength, and similarly
in Torah study, as the verse says, "All my bones will
say. . . " 3 Indeed, when one cries out
from a state of dveikus, it will be in
silence.4
1 Lamentations 2:18.
2Tza'vaas HaRivash #33.
3Psalms 35:10. Just as the bones call
out to G·d in silence, so must one's cry to
G·d from the depths of one's heart be in
silence.
4Rebbe Nachman provides guidance
how one can train oneself to cry silently: "Imagine the
sound of such a scream in your mind. Depict the
shout in your imagination exactly as it would sound.
Keep this up until you are literally screaming with this
soundless "still small voice" (Rabbi Nachman's
Wisdom, Breslov Research Institute, p. 118-119).
However, the Baal Shem Tov here seems to be saying
that if one can enter a state of dveikus, the cry will
naturally be silent.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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