|
BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
Following the Weekly Torah Reading
|
|
THE SUKKAH OF REB
PINCHAS OF KORETZ
Although every holiday is considered joyous, Sukkot is
specifically called The "Season of our Rejoicing".
True joy is the pleasure one Jew has when he shares
with his fellow Jew. (Divrei Chassidim)
Reb Pinchas of Koretz was a disciple of
the Baal Shem Tov and known as a Tzaddik and a
great masmid (devoted totally to the study of Torah).
He was a reserved and quiet man, and spoke little
other than what was necessary in the course of his
Torah study. With time, people began to approach
him for blessings and spiritual advice. Being that his
blessings were very effective, his reputation began to
spread, and soon there was a steady stream of
people seeking his help. But Reb Pinchas became
increasingly more upset at the number of people at
his door asking for his blessing and felt it was taking
too much time away from his Torah study.
He finally became so aggravated by the number of
interruptions of people seeking his blessing, that he
prayed, "Dear G-d, please make people hate
me so they won't seek me out and disturb my study of
Torah."
The Talmud states that "the words of the righteous
last forever" and the heartfelt prayer from such a holy
man did not go unheeded.
Soon, people began to become indifferent
to Reb Pinchas, and the number of those knocking on
his door began to decrease. It wasn't long before no
one visited at all.
Reb Pinchas was quite pleased with his new
freedom. He was able to totally immerse himself in
his Torah studies without interruption. And so it was
until the holy festival of Sukkot approached.
Reb Pinchas' wife always arranged to have someone
build their sukkah so not to disturb her husband's
studying. But that year, there was such lack of interest
in Reb Pinchas that no one was available to help.
Finally, exhausting all avenues, she was forced to hire
a non-Jew who to help her, and the sukkah was
completed with just minutes to spare before the
holiday began.
On the first night of Succoth, Rabbi
Pinchas sat in his sukkah eating his holiday meal and
studying Torah. As the hour grew late, the Rebbetzyn
went to bed and Reb Pinchas sat alone in his sukkah
bent over his holy books.
Suddenly he heard a knock. Reb Pinchas looked up
to see an old man standing at the door of his sukkah.
The man had a flowing, long white beard and was
dressed in a long white robe. Reb Pinchas realized
this was not a normal person but a heavenly being
standing at the door of his sukkah. Each night of
sukkot, we recite the "Ushpizin" - inviting each of our
forefathers as guests, to our sukkah. As it was the
first night of the festival, Reb Pinchas realized that it
was the first guest, Avraham Avienu (Our father
Abraham) who was standing before him.
"Baruch Haba!" (Blessed to those who come)
exclaimed Reb Pinchas jumping to his
feet. "Welcome to my humble sukkah".
Avraham Aveinu smiled and replied, "thank you Reb
Pinchas, but I am sorry, I only visit those sukkahs in
which the joy of the holy festival of Sukkoth can be felt.
But alas, you have no guests and your joy is lacking."
And then he disappeared.
Rabbi Pinchas was devastated, but realized the grave
error he had made in praying that he be left alone.
So he again prayed to G-d for forgiveness,
and from that day, Reb Pinchas always lent a ready
ear and gave abundant blessings to anyone that
approached him.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney).
|
|
BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
|
|
A DRY SUCCAH
"During these seven days you must live in Succahs
(thatched huts). This is so that future generations will
know that I (G-d) had the Israelites live in
Succahs when I brought them out of Egypt." Leviticus
23:42-43
One year, in the holy community of Kitov, it poured with
rained on the first night of Succos. Rabbi Chaim, a
great Torah scholar and opponent to the fledgling
Chassidic movement ("the Sect"), was slightly
aggravated that he would not be unable to enjoy the
first night in the Succah (thatched hut covered with
schach [typically branches or bamboo] so that the
stars are visible).
While waiting in his house
for the rain to abate, R. Chaim saw one of his
acquaintances casually walking down the street as if
he had already finished his Yom Tov meal in the
Succah. When Rabbi Chaim inquired as to where he
was going, the man told him that he was returning
from having dinner in the Succah of Rabbi Gershon
Kitover (the brother-in-law and close follower of the
Baal Shem Tov).
"And Rabbi Chaim," he
continued, "there was a miracle there because not a
single drop of rain was falling through the schach."
Rabbi Chaim asked his son to go to Rabbi Gershon's
Succah and see if it really wasn't raining there. When
his son came to the Rabbi Gershon's Succah, he
looked in and sure enough, everyone was sitting,
talking and eating. There was not a single drop of rain
coming through the schach into the Succah. Rabbi
Gershon invited Rabbi Chaim's son to join them but
he refused, explaining that he had to return to have
Yom Tov dinner with his father.
When the son returned, he told his father, Rabbi
Chaim, that it was true. "Father, Rabbi Gershon was
sitting in his Succah, and I saw with my own eyes that
there was not even a single drop of rain coming into
the Succah."
Rabbi Chaim rolled his eyes. Of course he believed
his son's report but he wasn't that impressed. The
rain finally relented and Rabbi Chaim and his son
went into their own wet Succah for Kiddush and the
Yom Tov meal. Naturally, they discussed the miracle
of Rabbi Gershon's dry Succah and other miracles
that the so-called tzaddikim (Holy men) of The Sect
were able to do. Rabbi Chaim said, "In my opinion,
creating such miracles, as obviously done by our
friend Rabbi Gershon, is against the spirit of the
Torah."
Early the next morning, Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi
Gershon met on their way to the mikveh (ritual bath), in
preparation for fulfilling the mitzvah of the lulav and
esrog.
"Rabbi," said Rabbi Gershon to Rabbi Chaim, "I
understand that you were sitting in your Succah last
night and speaking loshon hara (slander) about me."
Rabbi Chaim answered with astonishment, "How did
you find out about what I said in my Succah? I was
sitting there completely alone with my son. And I'm
sure he didn't tell you what I said. The only logical
answer is that a Heavenly angel told you. But that
seems impossible because an angel does not have
the authority to speak loshon hara."
Rabbi Gershon answered, "Our Sages teach us
that 'Whoever fulfills one mitzvah acquires one angel
to speak up in his defense, and whoever does one
transgression acquires one prosecuting angel to
speak against him.' So it was that prosecuting angel
who you created last night by your loshon hara about
me who came and told me what you said."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane
(Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found
in TREASURY OF CHASSIDIC TALES ON THE
FESTIVALS by Rabbi S.Y. Zevin
|
|
THE PILLAR OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
|
|
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
|
|
THE LIGHT OF THE EYES
On the Greatness of the Baal Shem Tov
|
|
Section 27.
When Rebbe Reb Dov Ber,
the Maggid of Mezritch, wanted to take leave of the
Baal Shem Tov, the latter repeatedly prevented the
Maggid from going. The Maggid asked the Baal Shem
Tov why he did not want him to leave. The Baal Shem
Tov replied that his own mind was like a flowing
spring - and the more a flowing spring is drawn
from, the more strongly it flows.1
Lev Sameach, Bereishis, p. 6
1The Degel Machane Ephraim (Rabbi
Moshe Ephriam of Sudlikov 1740-1800) writes that "In
relation to his friends who heed him, who have the
aspect of students, each person is like a fountain of
wisdom that flows ever-stronger, the more his
students draw from him - in the same way that a
spring flows." As long as the Maggid was with the
Baal Shem Tov, the Baal Shem Tov would give forth
spiritual insights. If the Maggid were to leave, the Baal
Shem Tov's "spring" would flow less.
Translation
and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore
|
|
KESER SHEM TOV
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov
|
|
Kst 184: LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
The Baal Shem Tov taught1:
There are three levels in serving G-d:
One is elevating periods of lower consciousness
during periods of higher consciousness, as alluded to
in the verse, "You have formed me back and
front."2
A second level is even if one is unable to return to
higher consciousness, nevertheless, simply being
aware that one is in lower consciousness is in itself a
sweetening of the harsh judgments by way of ƈ"
3.
A third level is when one is completely unaware that
one is in a state of lower consciousness, as alluded
to in the verse, " ݈."4
4
1Tzofnath Paneach 2a, 51c.
2Psalms 139:5. Just as the back and the
front constitute a single entity and are only two sides
of the physical human being, so are the "back" and
the "front" of human consciousness two sides of our
being. Elevating the "back," the lower states of
consciousness, entails realizing just that, accepting
those inevitable but limited and limiting states of
being as part of ourselves, and becoming aware in
retrospect that G-d was with us even then.
3 In the vacillation of human
consciousness, we are sometimes in states of
constriction, during which we feel "out of touch and
tune" with G-d, and whatever we do in His
service seems pretentious. At such times, accepting
this constriction as also being G-d's will is all
we can do. This itself allows G-d into our
experience, if only from the distance. These periods
and states of constrictions are the result
of "judgments," which are ameliorated by way of the
limited awareness represented by the final letters
ƈ". All letters from aleph onward represent a
progressively limited state of awareness of
G-d, until these final letters, which are the
most constricted. Yet, we are taught elsewhere that all
redemptions take place via these letters (Sefer
HaLikutim, Ari z"l, Zoth HaBrakhah #7; Yismach
Mosheh, VaYigash 106a).
4Deuteronomy 31:18. This state of
awareness is below even the final letters, and is not
even considered an awareness of G-d. It is
represented by the double verb of hiddenness in this
verse. Nevertheless, it is included in the three levels of
serving G-d, because one still goes around
thinking that he is indeed serving G-d,
although he is completely in the dark.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua
Starrett
|
|
