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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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And then, during the time of the Baal Shem Tov,
people often talked about the miracle of how he
traveled in his carriage with Alexei, his gentile driver, at
such great rates of speed (kifitza haderech), that he
could complete three days journey in less than half a
day. When they traveled, Alexei would put down the
reins, take a few sips from his ever present bottle of
vodka, get comfortable and go into a deep state of
sleep. The Baal Shem Tov would usually be in a very
profound state of contemplation.
Once, the Baal Shem Tov took three of his
students, Reb Dovid of Mikalov, Reb Dovid Firkes and
Reb Dovid Leikes, along with Alexei on a trip in his
wagon to an unknown destination. As usual, once the
wagon had left Mezibush, Alexei put down the reins,
took a few sips from his bottle and fell into a deep
sleep. The horses, being free, seemed to almost fly
across the road.
On the second day of the
journey, the
horses entered a dense forest. The road turned into a
seldom used path. After a while, the three Dovids and
Alexei were wide awake and mumbling among
themselves.
"Where in G-d's name
are we and where
are we going?" Then, they all looked towards the Baal
Shem Tov at the same moment. "Rebbe, where are
we going? When will be there?" they asked.
The Baal Shem Tov answered rather
solemnly, "I've
lost my spiritual perception. I'm like you now."
They
continued to travel for another day. It was already
Friday, Erev Shabbos. Everyone was getting very
nervous and thinking the same thing, "What are we
going to do for Shabbos?"
Just then, they saw a small cottage in a clearing just
where the path came to an end. "Baruch HaShem
(Thank G-d)!" they said in unison.
When the wagon stopped in front of the cottage, the
first thing they noticed was a Mezuzah on the
doorpost. "Baruch HaShem, Baruch HaShem!" they
said with glee as they jumped off the wagon. They
rushed over to the door and knocked.
The door opened and facing them was a very tall,
muscular peasant. His clothes and body were
dirty. "A bunch of Chassidim I see," the peasant said
with disgust. Then he spit on the ground right before
the Baal Shem Tov.
The Three Dovids were
aghast.
Alexei spoke up, "What do you think you're
doing?"
The peasant just raised his nose, snorted and turned
away. "So what do you want?" he asked.
The Baal Shem Tov stepped up and said, "I'm sorry to
bother you but it is almost Shabbos and we need a
place to stay."
"The closest inn is one day journey from here," said
the peasant with a sarcastic laugh. "I guess you holy
ones won't have such a comfortable
Shabbos."
"We would be happy to pay you for our food and
lodging if we could stay here," said the Baal Shem
Tov.
"I'm sure you would, you holy ones," said the
peasant. "The only problem is that you don't have
enough money. Frankly, I can't bear the thought of
having you Rabbis in my house, watching what I do,
criticizing me and even telling me what to do? Just go
away."
"Reb Dovid jumped into the discussion. Eventually
they reached an agreement costing them all their
money and accepting three conditions.
"First you must pray silently. I can't stand all that crying
out. Second, you must finish your prayers very quickly
because I don't want to wait to eat. Third, I don't want
you asking questions about the kashrus of the food.
You can either eat what I serve or not. That's it," the
peasant concluded.
Not having a choice, the Chassidim agreed to the
conditions and took their belongings into the
house.
The Baal Shem Tov asked the peasant, "Excuse me,
is there a stream nearby where we can take a mikveh
before Shabbos?"
The peasant started to scream, "You ungrateful
hypocrites, get out of my house!"
The Chassidim spent an half an hour trying to calm
him down and let them stay. The afternoon was
quickly passing and there was no sign of Shabbos
preparations or preparing for Shule by the host. It
grew still later and no sign of Shabbos
preparation.
"Maybe this man does not even
keep
Shabbos," they speculated. But they were afraid to
ask anything for the fear they would have to leave.
About five minutes before Shabbos, the host
put out a
filthy table cloth, stuck a candle into a ball of clay and
lit it for Shabbos. No one even saw him daven Mincha
(the afternoon prayer). Then he prayed Kabbalas
Shabbos and Mairev (evening) prayers very quickly.
The Chassidim were forced to rush through their
prayers as required by the second condition.
When they said "Good Shabbos," the host answered
by cursing them.
Next, the Chassidim
started to sing
Sholom Aleichem to welcome the Shabbos angels.
The host told them to shut up.
Then he filled
a glass
with wine, held it and began to recite Kiddush so
quickly that no-one could be sure he said all the
words. He took a big gulp from his glass.
When the
Chassidim asked for wine to make their own Kiddush,
as was their custom, he answered, "You're lucky to
hear mine!" and then he swallowed the remaining
wine leaving only a few drops for the Chassidim to
share among themselves. "I know how you
Chassidim like to drink. Don't worry, you won't get
drunk on this," he laughingly said as he passed the
essentially empty cup to the Baal Shem Tov.
Next, the host washed his hands and recited the
blessing Hamotzi over a loaf of dried bread. The
Chassidim asked for their own double loaves. He cut
a thin slice of his bread for each. "Even this is too
good for your types," he commented as he threw a
slice to each. The Chassidim couldn't answer since
they had agreed to remain silent.
The peasant gave each man a bowl of potato soup.
He ate so quickly that they had barely finished when
they had to Bench (say the long blessing after a meal).
When the Chassidim were preparing for
sleep, the
man brought them smelly animal skins. The next
morning, when the Chassidim awoke, the host was
almost finished the morning prayers. They jumped up
and prayed at the fastest speed so that they would
finish with him and not hold him from making the
Shabbos day Kiddush.
All Shabbos long, the host yelled at them for the
smallest request. In the late afternoon, the
Chassidim asked for something to eat for shalosh
seudos (third meal). "What, you want to eat again?"
asked the host. So the Chassidim spoke Torah
quietly to each other. When Shabbos was over the
host made them join him for an evening meal. When
they finally got to sleep, they couldn't wait for the next
day when they would leave.
But the next day,
the host
stood before the door and made them stay for another
day. And so it went for the next several days.
Finally, it was Friday morning and they were prepared
to do anything when suddenly the host said, "Okay,
you can go. Let's make an accounting of the money
you owe." It turned out they had to give him every
single bit of money they had. Still they were glad to get
out. Just as they were about to leave, the host barred
the door again. The Chassidim were afraid that he
planned to kill them.
Then they heard the sound of a door opening. When
they looked up, they saw a beautiful young woman
walking through the doorway into their room. The
Chassidim were in shock.
"Rebbe, wouldn't you please honor us by staying for
one more Shabbos?" she asked. The Chassidim all
looked to the Baal Shem Tov. The woman
continued, "Don't you remember me,
Rebbe?"
The Baal Shem Tov answered, "No, I don't know you
and I don't remember ever seeing you
before."
"I am Sarah. I was a maid in your home. Being an
orphan, your wife took me in. Every Friday Shabbos, I
helped serve the guests. Once, I dropped a platter of
food and the Rebbetzyn gave me a strong look
because I wasn't paying attention. It made me feel so
bad, I started to cry and ran to my room. You saw the
incident and didn't say anything, the heavenly court
required retribution since you did not have mercy on
an orphan. You were judged and your punishment
was to lose your portion in the World to
Come."
"When
I married my husband," pointing to the host, "we
learned of your sentence and decided to do
something about it. Through our many prayers we
converted the sentence of losing your portion to olom
haboh to the loss of the pleasure of one Shabbos
which is a taste of the World to Come. But who could
carry out the sentence in this world? We were given
the task and now, thank G-d, we have
succeeded in
returning your portion in the next world (olam haboh)."
As she finished her explanation, the Baal
Shem Tov
felt the return of his spiritual powers and he knew that
all she said was true.
The Baal Shem Tov and his Chassidim agreed to stay
for Shabbos. This Shabbos was spent as it should
with Holiness and Torah.
And so it was.
Adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn.
Patent Attorney) from a story in (Peulos Hatzadikim) 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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"Happy is the man who makes G-d his trust,
and does
not turn to the arrogant" (Psalms 40:5).
This is Joseph. [However,] by saying to the wine
steward, "remember me," and "mention me to
Pharaoh" two years were added [to his
sentence].1
The Baal Shem Tov commented on these verses as
follows:
The verse says: "Blessed is the man
who
trusts in
G-d, and G-d will be his trust"
(Jeremiah 17:7). You
should not trust in G-d to provide you with a lot
of food
and material goods, for perhaps He will not. Rather,
when you serve Him, you can trust that He will send
you a mitzvah, and surely give you the strength to fulfill
it. Don't rely on food for this strength; just trust simply
that G-d will give it to you. For G-d is
not limited to food
to deliver a person. This is the meaning of "and
G-d
will be his trust" - and not by eating.
Kisvei Kodesh, p.
18b
1 Midrash Rabbah, Bereishis 89:3.
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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2.5 Speak with love and fear for G-d.
When you speak, you should feel fear, for the World of
Speech is the World of Fear. But when you speak with
a sense of love and fear for G-d, you will first
feel fear, and then reach a level of immense
enthusiasm.
Tzava'as HaRivash, 88
Translation
and
Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
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Section 37.
They once asked the Baal Shem
Tov, "Why is it that although we study Torah, pray and
perform mitzvos and good deeds, our prayers remain
Above; yet your prayers and words are heard in
heaven, for we see that your supplications bear
fruit."
The Baal Shem Tov answered them with a parable.
There was a king's son who became lost, and found
himself in a field of grazing flocks of sheep. He was
very hungry, thirsty, and tired. A shepherd found him
and invited him to his home. But what does a poor
shepherd have to host such a person graciously? He
took the cleanest and best piece of cloth from his
knapsack and spread it on the table. Then, he lay the
prince down on the ground on a clean, white blanket.
(The poor man had nothing else with which to honor
the prince, neither bread to put on the tablecloth, nor
pillow and pillowcase to put on the blanket. But he did
what he could do, with great honor and courtesy.)
Later, when the prince returned home, he summoned
the shepherd before him, and exalted him higher than
all the noblemen. The noblemen then asked the
prince, "Why do you exalt this shepherd so much? We
always do your will in whatever task you appoint
us."
The prince answered, "All the honor and prestige that I
bestow upon him is only because he gave me a
clean, white sheet, and a white blanket on the earth."
This is what the Baal Shem Tov said.
Understand
these words, for they are very profound.
Shoshana l'Dovid, Tehilim 2
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 200: DVEIKUT
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
One should be in such dveikut with G-d that
one's main focus should be on
G-d,1 rather
than on Creation and only apropos on G-d.
Indeed, one's main focus should be on G-d,
for one can make no movement whatsoever without
G-d's influence and life-force.2
Similarly, when one gives a Torah discourse in public
one's intention should be for the sake of honoring and
promulgating holiness.3
1 Elsewhere
(Tzavaath Rivash #137; Hakhsharath Avreikhim ch. 10;
Tzav V'Zeruz [tr. into English in To Heal The Soul] #29),
the Baal Shem Tov says that when beholding the
universe, one is beholding G-d. But, of course,
as said
here, this refers to the ability to see beyond the veil of
the visible universe, and to perceive it as merely a
manifestation of G-d.
2This is referring to what can be
called, "meditation
in movement," where one focuses on the force
underlying one's movement. This can be done even in
such banal and mundane endeavors as washing the
dishes, and one is thus able to serve G-d
even at
such times.
3That is, just as one should focus on
G-d rather than
on Creation, one should focus on the Source of the
Torah, rather than on the Torah itself that one is
saying.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
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