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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE NIGGUN OF
AROUSAL
"Prepare to die on the mountain." (Devarim 32:50 )
And then there was the time, just before the Baal
Shem Tov passed on to the next world, that he
gathered
his closest followers around his deathbed and asked
them to sing the Hisorerus Niggun (Tune of Spiritual
Inspiration) of Reb Michel of Zlotchover.
Summoning all of his last strength, the Baal Shem
Tov sat up in bed and announced: "I hereby guarantee
you and all coming generations, that whenever
someone sings this song of inspiration with a true
desire to arouse himself to repentance, no matter
where or who he is, I will come to join him in his song
and help arouse heavenly mercy for him.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane
(Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found
in SIFREI CHABAD 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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The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are just.
He is a faithful G·d without iniquity; righteous
and moral is He. Destruction is His children's fault,
not His own... (Deuteronomy 32:4-5)
The Baal Shem Tov told a
parable:1
There was once an extremely poor
woman, who lived in a little house on the outskirts of
the city, near a forest. She would go begging door to
door in order to support herself. Whenever a person
gave her a gift or charity, she would never thank or
praise them, or bless them for what they gave her.
Rather, she would always give the same answer to
each one: "Whatever a person does, whether good or
bad,2 he does to himself." This is all she
would say.
It happened that she once begged at the
castle of the queen. The queen gave her an
impressive gift, yet the beggar replied as she always
did. The queen became infuriated at this poor woman,
for she felt that she was mocking people who gave
her charity.3 In her anger, she ordered
her baker to prepare a beautiful cake, but to put
poison in the dough. Thus the baker did.
The next time the poor woman came to the queen's
palace, the queen gave her the cake. The poor woman
took it, and replied as usual. When she arrived home,
she decided not to eat it right away, as it was so
splendid; rather, she saved it for a few days in order to
appreciate it.
In the meantime, the queen's son went hunting in the
forest. He spent a lot of time there, and became
exhausted. He went to the house of the poor woman
to rest. She was delighted to receive him. "Perhaps
my lord would like something to eat?" She said. "I
have here a beautiful cake from the queen." He took it
and ate it, and immediately fell down dead. The poor
woman became panicked and ran to the queen to tell
her what had happened. "Now I see that you spoke
truthfully," the queen said, "for I caused this myself."
The meaning of this parable is that a person
should always remember that whatever he does, he
does to himself. He should not listen to the seductive
words of the evil inclination, but should answer it as
above: Whatever evil a person does, he does to
himself.
Ge'ulas Yisroel
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 1.10
The Baal Shem Tov
taught:
A person should proceed level
by level in his prayers, and not spend all his energy at
the beginning. Rather, he should start slowly, and in
the middle, attach himself with great cleaving [to
G·d]. Then, he will even be able to say the
words of prayer quickly.1
Even though he cannot pray with mystical attachment
at the beginning of the prayers, he should still say the
words with great concentration. He should keep
applying himself slowly, until G·d helps him to
pray with great attachment.
Tzivos HaRivash, p.4a
1The Baal Shem Tov
taught: "Sometimes it is possible to pray very quickly,
because one's heart burns fiercely with the love of
G·d, and the words come out by themselves"
(Tzivos HaRivash p.4b).
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 26.
Rebbe Reb Dov Ber of
Mezeritch1(known as the Mezritcher
Maggid) did not want to submit himself to the Baal
Shem Tov or to even go to see him. Only because of
his extremely poor health, did he eventually seek the
Baal Shem Tov's help and treatment. As it happened,
the Baal Shem Tov brought about Reb Dov Ber's
recovery through prayers, supplications, and miracles.
The Baal Shem Tov even transmitted to Reb Dov Ber
all the wellsprings of his wisdom. In this way, Rebbe
Reb Dov Ber-the Maggid-became the leader
of the next generation.
The Baal Shem Tov had to show Rebbe Reb Dov Ber
miracles, in order to draw him under his wing. The
light of Reb Dov Ber's holiness still shines through
his disciples, from generation to generation. From
their words we live, until the coming of the
Redeemer-may it be soon in our days.
Tiferes Shlomo, rimzei Purim.2
1(1710-1772) Also known as the Great
Maggid succeeded the Baal Shem Tov.
2See also, In Praise of the Baal Shem
Tov.
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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Kst 183: PRIDE AND HUMILITY
The Baal Shem Tov told the following
parable1:
There was once a king who sought an elixir that would
allow him to live forever. He was given the advice
to avoid pride.2 However, the more the
king acted
humbly, the more pride arose in his heart, thinking to
himself that not only is he a great king, but he is also
humble.
Then the king's mentor arrived and taught him how to
act ostensibly in a royal fashion while remaining
humble in his heart. He did this by taking the king into
an outhouse and showing him what a human being
produces.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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