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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE LAST
MOMENTS
"When Israel realized he would soon
die, he called his son.." Genesis 47:49
As the time of the Baal Shem Tov's passing to the next
world approached (On the first day of Shavuos), he lay
in his bed surrounded by his closest disciples -
the "Chevraya Kadisha"- the Holy Brotherhood. They
realized that the passing of their beloved Rebbe was
not a parting, but rather an ascent of his soul to a
higher level, and that despite his perceived
absence.They also felt that their Rebbe would always
be with them.
But Reb Tzvi Hersh, the Baal Shem Tov's
son, was absent. One of the Chassidim cautiously
asked, "Rebbe, do you want to speak to your son?"
The Baal Shem Tov answered with a
sigh, "Yes, but he is sleeping, and one should not
wake from their sleep to hear bad news."
Nevertheless, the Chassidim took it upon
themselves to summon their Rebbe's son. One of the
Chassidim was quickly sent to wake Reb
Hershel.
"Reb Hershel wake up! Your holy
father is
preparing to leave this world."
"No!" answered Reb Hershel,"It can't be."
"Reb Hershel," responded the Chassid
in a solemn voice, "the Rebbe said that he will pass
on to the next world today."
Reb Hershel quickly dressed and rushed
to his father's room. When he arrived at his father's
side, Reb Hershel began to weep. "Father, Father,
please don't leave us!"
The Baal Shem Tov reached out and took
his son's hand. "My dear Hershelah, do not fear. I am
only departing from this world. I wish to impart to you
one thing that you should know and take to heart. You
have a lofty soul. At the time you were conceived, it
was revealed to me that I could bring down from the
heavenly worlds any soul I wished. I could have even
chosen the soul of Adam Harishon (the first man). But
I selected your soul, not because of what it was, but
because of what it could become. It possesses all
that you need to fulfill your holy mission in this world."
Please father, tell me something before you
depart," requested Reb Hershelah.
So the Baal Shem Tov started to speak to his son, but
his voice was barely audible.
"Father, I can't understand what you are trying to tell
me," said the distraught Reb Hershelah.
The Baal Shem Tov gathered his strength and spoke
louder, "My dearest son, there is nothing that I can do
now. Just listen and remember this Name."
And then the Baal Shem Tov motioned to his son to
come closer. Reb Hershelah bent down very near to
his father and the Baal Shem Tov whispered the
Name to him. Then he said, "Whenever you
concentrate on this Name, I will come and study with
you."
Reb Hershelah spoke, "But what if I forget the Name?"
"Come close to me again," said the Baal Shem
Tov, "and I'll tell you a way of remembering the Name."
After the Baal Shem Tov whispered the way to
remember to Reb Hershelah, he closed his eyes and
his soul ascended.
And to this day, no one knows the Name or how to
remember the Name.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane
(Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found
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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And Jacob called to his sons and said, "Gather
yourselves together, that I may tell you what will
happen to you in the end of days." (Genesis 49:1)
Jacob said, "What will happen" - because the
redemption will seem to just happen.1
Everyone will be busy with their work, not thinking
about it at all, and suddenly, the Messiah will come.
Yalkut Moshe, Vayechi
The Baal Shem Tov said that in the process of the
Messiah's coming, no one will have to die,
G·d forbid.
Midrash Pinchas, p. 28
1The word mikreh in Hebrew means "an
occurrence," and has the implication of a chance
happening.
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 98
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
If an extraneous thought suddenly enters your mind
[during prayer], you should feel humiliated, for they are
pushing you out of the King's palace. You should
return to the palace with great shame and
submission. For the sin of having foreign thoughts is
like that of giving birth to an illegitimate child, as the
Gemara states: "one sheep follows the
other."1 For thought is masculine and
feminine, and voice and speech are masculine and
feminine.2 If you have a foreign thought
and speak words of holiness, those words are like a
bastard, whose body is normal, but whose soul is
bad.3 So too, the speech uses holy
letters, but the thought is bad; for by thinking about
something else, you give birth to a bastard with these
holy words.
You should also imagine that G·d
is asking you, "Why have you come into the word,
while I am not in the word?"- for your thoughts are in
other things.
Tzava'as HaRivash, p. 10b
1Kesuvos 63a. I.e. the acts of the
children follow the acts of the parents.
2Voice is non-differentiated sound, and
is considered masculine. Speech gives it shape and
meaning, and is considered feminine. This follows
the principle that the vessel - the feminine aspect -
gives form to the expansive masculine element.
3The Sages consider the soul of an
illegitimately conceived individual to be blemished by
the sinful act of his parents.
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 35
There is a
segulah1 from the
Ramban to say the Psalm "May the graciousness of
the L·rd our G·d be upon us. . . ."
(Psalm 90:17), repeating each sentence seven times,
after lighting the Chanukah candles. This is very good
to do.
My Master, the Baal Shem Tov, told us to say both this
Psalm and Psalm 91: "Whoever sits in the refuge of
the Most High . . . " seven times straight. He would do
this as well on the High Holy Days, and in all times of
trouble.
The Siddur of R. Shabsai
1A segulah is a deed, object, or
utterance that acts as a charm that has spiritual or
material benefits.
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 130
"The trumpets were blown abruptly, but the shofar was
blown for a long time, for the shofar was the timely
mitzvah."1
The Baal Shem Tov taught:2
The sages of the Kabbalah taught that every mitzvah,
Torah, or prayer should be done with awe and love,
that is, the awe and love should be
equal.3
However, on Rosh HaShanah, one's awe should be
greater than one's love, while on the Sabbath and
Festivals, one's love should be greater than one's
awe.
Therefore, on Rosh HaShanah, "the trumpets were
blown abruptly, but the shofar was blown for a long
time, for the shofar was the timely mitzvah," because
the sound of the shofar arouses awe.
1Mishnah Tractate Rosh HaShanah
3:3.
2Toldot Yaakov Yoseph, Kedoshim #5.
3Although love and awe are
contradictory emotions, they arise simultaneously
when one has a true experience of G·d. At
certain times, though, as this teaching says, the
context of the experience leans more to one or the
other, although both are still present.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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