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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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"One does not see evildoers in Yaakov; and he has seen no transgression in Yisroel." (Balak 23:21)
Bilaam (a prophet that had extroadinary power from the bad side) was offered a great reward by Balak, the King of Moav, to curse the Children of Israel. Bilaam hated the Children of Israel and wanted to harm them. But he was only able to speak the words put in his mouth by an angel sent by G-d. Ultimately, Bilaam blessed the Jews, albeit against his will.
And it once happened that in the city of Brody, there lived a great number of people who were strongly opposed to the the Baal Shem Tov and the Chassidic movement he started. As more and more people were drawn to the fledgling Chassidic movement, those in the opposition tried even harder to discredit the Baal Shem Tov and dispel the spiritual aura that surrounded him.
One time, when the Baal Shem Tov was spending a Shabbos in Brody, a local wine merchant thought of a great way to discredit the Baal Shem Tov. He instructed his servant, "Go into the wine cellar and fill a bottle with that especially fine wine we sell only to the wealthy, non-Jewish landowners. Then take it to the Baal Shem Tov as a gift from me and tell him that it is a very fine vintage wine. Insist that he taste the wine and don't leave until you see him sip it with your own eyes."
The wine merchant's servant fulfilled his master's instructions and waited until the Baal Shem Tov had taken a sip of the wine. Then he returned and reported to his master that everything had been completed, even the Baal Shem Tov drinking the wine. The wine merchant was thrilled to have tricked the "Holy Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov" into drinking yayin neseck (non-kosher wine). He quickly spread the word around the town of Brody. Everyone was whispering about how the Baal Shem Tov had committed a transgression of the Torah, by drinking non-kosher wine.
The whole town of Brody was present at the Baal Shem Tov's Shabbos meal where he expounded teachings of the Torah. Of course the wine merchant also attended the meal and gloated to himself that he had personally caused the downfall of his enemy. After the meal concluded, the Baal Shem Tov called the wine merchant over and asked him. "I've heard the report that you sent me the bottle of wine that I drank. The rumor is that the wine was yayin neseck and that I committed a transgression. I'd like to know if you personally poured the wine into the bottle."
The wine merchant answered, "No, my servant poured it at my direction."
The Baal Shem Tov responded, "In that case, will you call him? I'd like to speak with him myself."
"Certainly," answered the wine merchant with a smirk on his face.
When the servant arrived, the Baal Shem Tov questioned him, "From which casket did you take the wine that you brought me?"
The servant answered that it was from the casket which contained the wine normally drunk by the wine merchant.
The wine merchant screamed out, "But I told you to pour the wine from the casket with the fine wine normally sold to the non-Jews!"
"I'm sorry master," answered the servant, "I made a mistake and took the wrong wine."
"But you told me that you took the Rabbi the fine wine normally sold to the wealthy, non-Jewish landowners!" yelled the wine merchant.
"I made a mistake master," answered the servant. "Once I realized I had taken the wrong wine, I thought, 'What's the difference?' So I gave the Rabbi the wine poured from the casket containing the wine that you always drink."
The wine merchant realized that his plan was stopped by Heavenly intervention and left in disgrace.
After this, the opposition of the people of Brody to the Baal Shem Tov lessened.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in Sipurei Chassidim and translated in STORIES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Klapholtz
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SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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"And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel dwelling at peace by tribes, and the spirit of G-d came upon him." (Balak 24:2)
He saw that their doors were not opposite one another, and he said, "It is fitting to bless them."1
Sometimes, two scholars who are debating one another cannot admit to the truth. Each one seeks to disprove his friend's words. Even though he knows that the other is right, his intention in arguing merely to harass, G-d forbid. Yet, the main intention in a debate should be to admit to the truth, and to fulfill what our Sages have said: "If two people sit together and share words of Torah, the Divine Presence dwells among them."2
Now, the mouth is called a "door," for speech goes out from it. This is the meaning of: "Their doors were not opposite one another." They did not intend to oppose or provoke each other in their debates, but to admit to the truth. And so he said, "It is fitting to bless them."
Dudayim BaSadeh, Likutey Amorim, p. 29d
1Bava Basra 60a. See Rashi on this verse.
2Pirkei Avos 3:2
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HEART OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
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7-c7 Weakening the body and mind through prayers.
Even though on Shabbat and Festivals you pray the morning and musaf prayers with deveikut, if need be, you can pray the afternoon prayer with less deveikut for your body and mind have been weakened from the morning prayers.
Likkutim Yikarim p. 2c
From
HEART OF PRAYER by Tzvi Meir
Cohn
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light of the Baal Shem Tov
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58. The holy Reb Mordechai of Chernobyl (1770-1837) said, "I believe that until the coming of Moshiach - soon in our days - whenever a Jew sighs and his heart breaks with thoughts of repentance, it comes from the spiritual power initiated by the Baal Shem Tov."
Mefalos HaTzaddikim
From DIVINE LIGHT by Tzvi Meir
Cohn
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KESER SHEM TOV
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov
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One should always praise G-d before praying.1
One should always pray before praising G-d.2
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
These two Talmudic sayings do not contradict, but both are actually expressing the same idea.
The power of the Creator is in the Creation, and the world can be compared to the shell of an insect that is an integral part of its body. Thus, a spark of G-d can be found in all types of physical or spiritual pain, albeit hidden within a veil. This is alluded to in the verse, "The seven maidservants fitting to be given to [Esther] from the royal palace."3
Thus, when one deeply understands that G-d is with him right there and then, the veil is removed and all suffering ceases. This is what the first teaching means by saying that one should first praise G-d, because G-d's praise is that His Glory fills all the earth, and that He can be found amidst all pain. When one realizes this, the suffering ceases, as said, and one can pray, because the suffering will automatically cease, since one knows how to praise G-d in this manner.
The other opinion, though, says that one should pray first, that is, by believing that G-d is with him wherever he is, and then one is able to express G-d's praises.4
1Tractate Brakhoth 32a.
2
Tractate Avodah Zarah 7b.
3Esther 2:9.
4Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, VaYechi #1.
From the context in which this piece appears in the source (Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, Bo #2), "wicked" in this instance does not mean sinning, but Jews who betray their people and try to harm them. The one who acts in public is not ashamed of his behavior, and is thus likely to be more dangerous than the one who is still uncomfortable about acting in public.
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