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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
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THE BLESSING OF A
POOR MAN
AND YOU SHALL BE A BLESSING (Genesis 12:2)
The blessings are entrusted to your hand.
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040-1105 CE).
It has been told that during the time of the Baal Shem
Tov, there were two tailors, Reb Moshe and Reb
Yankel, that lived in Vilna. These tailors were rather
average in their skills and sewed clothes of the poor
people that lived nearby. Since there were so many
other struggling tailors, they decided to become
partners and travel from one small village to another
plying their trade. Being that many of the small
villages did not have a tailor, they were able to make a
modest living.
After many years of travel, on their way back to Vilna
with their earnings, they stopped in a small village.
There they met a Jew that earned his living by
collecting taxes for the local poritz (the nobleman that
owned the town and surrounding area).
The tax collector seemed very downcast and they
asked him what was wrong. At first he wouldn't say,
but after a bit of coaxing, he told them his story.
The daughter of the poritz was about to be married
and he (the tax collector) was asked by the poritz to
find some tailors to make the bridal gown. The tax
collector brought in the finest tailors and materials
from the nearby, large cities but none of them satisfied
the poritz or his wife and daughter. Now it was close
to the time of the wedding and the poritz warned the
tax collector that if he couldn't find a decent tailor, he
would be thrown out of the village, or worse.
The two tailors looked at each other and said, "listen,
we're tailors and we can sew the bride's wedding
gown."
The tax collector began to laugh. "You two", I've
brought the best tailors here and they weren't good
enough. So how can I recommend you two that sew
clothes for the common folk? What can you possibly
know about sewing a wedding gown for the daughter
of a nobleman"?"
"That may be true", answered the tailors, "but there is
some divine providence that we are here and what do
you have to loose anyway? The poritz sounds so crazy
that he might be crazy enough to like our work."
The tax collector realizing that he had no choice,
introduced the two tailors to the poritz. The poritz not
only allowed them to sew a sample job, but was
thrilled when it was completed. Then he
commissioned the tailors to make the entire wedding
wardrobe and paid them well upon its completion.
The Poritz also called in the tax collector to thank him
for finding such good tailors and told the tax collector
he could keep his position.
When the wife of the poritz saw how happy the tailors
were that the tax collector could keep his job, she
called her husband to the side.
"Look, if these Jews are so happy that the tax collector
wasn't thrown out of the village, why don't you tell
them about the last tax collector that we threw into the
dungeon? Maybe they'll pay a ransom to free him."
The poritz told the tailors about the last tax collector
that he imprisoned with his family in his underground
prison for not paying his dues. They had been there
so long that they were begging to die.
"So how much does he owe you?" asked the tailors.
"Four hundred silver rubles," answered the Poritz.
The first tailor, Reb Moshe looked at the other, "what
do you think?"
"Are you crazy," said Reb Yankel. "If it were not so
much I'd agree. But we've been working for years to
get our money."
"Okay, said Reb Moshe, let's dissolve our partnership
and split our money"
After dividing all the money, each had 400 silver
rubles.
Reb Yankel, not wanting to give away all of his money,
tried to persuade dissuade Reb Moshe from giving
away all of his money. But to no avail.
So, Reb Moshe gave the four hundred silver rubles to
the portiz and the pitiful family was released. The
family thanked Reb Moshe profusely.
The two tailors left and returned to Vilna.
Reb Yankel used his savings to open a prosperous
store.
Reb Moshe, not having any money fell on hard times,
became very depressed and had to beg for just to
eat.
One day, Reb Moshe stopped a business
man and asked for money to buy food. The business
man asked "What will I get for giving you charity?
"I'll give you my blessings," said Reb Moshe.
"The blessings of a fool" thought the businessman,
as he gave him some change.
That day his business with a supplier that was usually
difficult went very easy. So much that the next time he
had to deal with that supplier, the businessman
decided to find Reb Moshe, give him a donation and
ask for his blessings. Again the business went well
and the businessman started to visit Reb Moshe, give
a donation and receive his blessings before every
business transaction. Within a few months, the
businessman was wealthy.
Up to now, the businessman had not told a soul about
the blessings he got from Reb Moshe. But then, he
began telling his friends and family the secret of his
success. Before long, the word had spread around
and people thronged to get blessing from Reb
Moshe.
They found that his blessings really did work.
As time passed, two of the Chassidim of the Baal
Shem Tov happened to hear about were visiting Vilna
and heard about the blessings of Reb Moshe and his
blessings. So the next that the several of his When
the Chassidim went to Vilnareturned to Medzibush, he
asked them to invite they told the Baal Shem Tov
about Reb Moshe and his blessings. The Baal Shem
Tov asked that they bring Reb Moshe with them to the
Baal Shem Tov after their next to visit him in
Medzibush. to Vilna.Reb Moshe was thrilled to meet
with the Baal Shem Tov and gladly accepted the
invitation.
When they met, tThe Baal Shem Tov asked Reb
Moshe "do you know why how the gift of blessings had
been given to you". him from heaven. To this, Reb
Moshe had no answered, "to tell you the truth I have no
idea.".
So the Baal Shem Tov asked had Reb Moshe to
recount his life story. Reb Moshe finally got around to
telling the He eventually told the Baal Shem Tov the
story about the wedding gown and his payment for the
release of the prisoners of the poritz.
"That's it", exclaimed the Baal Shem Tov. So the Baal
Shem Tov healed Reb Moshe from his depression
and taught him Torah until Reb Moshe finally became
a great Tzaddik that wrote about the mysteries of the
Kaballah.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story by R. S.Y. Zevin in
a Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the Torah.
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Sefer Baal Shem Tov
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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And G-d said to Abram, "Go out from your
land, from
your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the
land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)
"I will make your nature known in the world" (Rashi).
I heard from my Master in the name of Rav Sa'adiah
Gaon, that a person is created in this world solely to
break his negative, inborn character traits. Through
this, he raises up the level called "your nature" [i.e.
what is natural for you] "in the world" - [i.e. into the
world] Above." It is called "world" (olam) from the
word "hidden" (he'elam) and "concealed."
Kesser Shem Tov, p. 3b
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 1.13
PRAYING FOR THE SAKE OF
G-D
The Baal Shem Tov
taught:
It is known that "In all their afflications, He was
afflicted" (Isaiah 63:9), and "I am with him in trouble"
(Psalms 91:15). Yet, it states in the Tikkunei
Zohar: "They cry out like dogs, but there is no one to
wake in repentance to break their prison house." For
the main repentance must be for G-d's honor,
which means rectifying and removing the agony of our
sins. In all that you request, have in mind the honor of
the Shechinah, i.e., that G-d's [requests]
should be fulfilled. This is the meaning of: "May
G-d fulfill all of your requests" (Psalms 20:6).
That is, all of your requests should be that G-d
is fulfilled.
When your intentions are only for
the sake of G-d, you cause the Shechinah to
ascend, and create a Unification with G-d.
Mevaser Tzedek, Chukas
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 30.
From the year 1575 (three years
after R. Isaac Luria, the Arizal, passed on
to the next world and the beginning of the spreading of
his teachings) until G-d sent us the holy soul
of the Baal Shem Tov, most of
the world was still groping in the dark [over the study
of Kabbalah] and many opponents challenged its
study. Many of those who did study this wisdom were
unaware as to how to deal with its abstract concepts,
and they even stumbled in anthropomorphism, (That
is, they began to imagine that the spiritual concepts
found in Kabbalah, many of which are explained in
images drawn from human physiology, were actually
describing the physical proportions of G-d)
G-d forbid. The Baal Shem Tov enlightened
us as to how
to study these concepts, and how to derive a pure and
whole-hearted service of G-d from their
wisdom. He
clothed the details of this wisdom in the intellectual
faculties of the soul. The Baal Shem Tov's teachings
were recorded and spread by his closest holy
disciples within the inner circle, called the Chevreyah
Kadisha. And the disciples directed their words only to
a person who toils in this holy wisdom in order it to
deepen their understanding of the service [of
G-d].
Notes on the sefer Sur M'Ra
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 187: THE FIFTY GATES
The Baal Shem Tov taught1 :
The reason why Moses was only granted the forty-nine
gates of wisdom and not the fiftieth was because the
fiftieth gate is actually the first gate of a higher set of
forty-nine.2
1Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, Devarim
#2.
2That is, the fifty gates represent the
totality of
wisdom, which were in fact given to Moses, but since
the highest fiftieth gate is always the lowest gate to a
higher dimension, and this upward ascension has no
end, it is as if he were not given the fiftieth gate
(Kethem Ophir [Komarna commentary on Megilath
Esther] 5:14).
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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