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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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SOUL OF BAAL SHEM TOV
The soul of the Baal Shem Tov, as disclosed by Rabbi Adam Baal Shem, was the Gilgul - transmigration -of the holy soul of a simple Jew who lived in Safed in the year 5333. This guileless man knew only how to pray but was a humble and modest man.
One night, as he had just completed praying the Tikun Chatzos -"midnight elegies" -and mourning for the destroyed Holy Temple, he heard a knock on the door. The reply to his "Who's there?", was none other than, "It is Eliyohu Hanovi (Elijah the Prophet)." He quickly opened the door and Eliyohu entered his room. The room was suddenly filled with light and joy.
"I have come to divulge to you the mighty secret of the coming of Moshiach. But first you must reveal to me what worthy act you did on the day of your Bar Mitzvah, an act which moved the Heavenly Court to rule that you are worthy of hearing the revelation of the most esoteric secrets."
The man answered simply, "What I did, I did only for the glory of G-d and I may not reveal it to others.
If this means that you too will not divulge to me the secret of the redemption, then I forego that knowledge. It is a basic tenet of mine that a man's deeds should be solely for the glory of G-d."
Eliyohu disappeared and returned to Heaven where great excitement had been caused by the man's loyalty to G-d, a loyalty which had made him refuse a chance to learn the most important secrets of Heaven. It was decided that Eliyohu should nevertheless return and teach him Torah and reveal its secrets.
This simple man was unique in his generation, but as he had wished, no one knew of his greatness. His deeds were solely for the glory of G-d.
When the time came for him to pass away, his pure soul was brought before the Heavenly Court. It was ruled that his reward would be to descend again to earth and be reborn. This time he would be revealed to the world, and through him, a new way of life. He would purify the world with his spirit. Thus would he glorify the Holy Name, fill the earth with wisdom and thereby hasten the ultimate redemption.
It was this selfsame spirit of the simple Jew of Safed that was reborn in Reb Yisroel Baal Shem Tov.
And so it was.
Adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in HATAMIM as translated in STORIES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Yisroel Klapholtz
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BAAL SHEM TOV STORY
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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CHAI (18TH) ELUL
Chai Elul is a special day among Chassidim. On this day was the birth of the Baal Shem Tov in 5458 (1698); the day his Heavenly teacher and master Achiya HaShiloni appeared to him in 5484 (1724); the day the Baal Shem Tov became revealed to the world in 5494 (1734); and the birth of the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman) 5505 (1745).
HAYOM YOM compiled by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson o.b.m.
THE BAAL SHEM TOV AND THE BIRTH OF SCHNEUR ZALMAN
And then there was the time, an a small shtetl in Poland, during the times of bloody pogroms and fierce anti-Semitism, there lived what appeared to be a simple Jew by the name of Reb Boruch, and his wife, Rivka. Actually, Reb Boruch was a Tzaddik nistar (a hidden Saint) and one of the members of a group of Tzaddik nistars that included the Baal Shem Tov.
Reb Boruch and his wife Rivkah had been married for some years but had not been blessed with a child. At the prompting of his wife, Reb Boruch traveled many miles in the freezing, snowy winter to reach the holy community of Medzibush and ask his Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, for a blessing.
Without pause, the Baal Shem Tov blessed Reb Boruch and his wife that they merit to be blessed with a child, and added the words that the child "should reveal heavenly light hidden in this world."
Soon thereafter Rivka became pregnant and on "Chai Ellul" - the eighteenth day of the month of Ellul, twelve days before Rosh Hashanah - the same birthday as that of the Holy Baal Shem Tov, Rivka gave birth to a baby boy whom they named Schneur Zalman.
On that day, the Baal Shem Tov's close followers noted the particularly jubilant mood of their Rebbe. He led the daily prayers with deep kavanah (intention), and afterwards a festive meal was held at which the Baal Shem Tov sang lively niggunim (chassidic melodies) and even danced with unusual joy.
During the festive meal, the Baal Shem Tov said: "Today a Neshamah Chadasha (a new soul that had not previously occupied a physical body) has come into the world. This soul will illuminate the world by spreading Torah and Chassidus (mystical explanations of the Torah) to sustain the spiritual well being of the Jewish people and will bring closer coming of the Moshiach (Messiah)."
After Yom Kippur, as is the tradition of Chassidim, Reb Boruch visited his Rebbe and requested a blessing for his newly born son. The Baal Shem Tov asked Reb Boruch to keep the news of the birth of their new son secret, and also gave specific instructions for the care and education of their child. In the following weeks, the Chassidim noted that the Baal Shem Tov mentioned the name Schneur Zalman three times during his Torah discourses.
The following year, Reb Boruch again returned to visit his Rebbe for the Yom Tov holidays. The Baal Shem Tov was very interested in the development of young Schneur Zalman, and asked Reb Boruch specific questions about the child. Again the Baal Shem Tov warned Reb Boruch not to talk to others about their son, particularly regarding his apparent intelligence - as is the nature of parents.
The following year, Reb Boruch again came to the Rebbe for Yom Tov and the Baal Shem Tov again asked many questions about the welfare of the child. Before departing for home, Reb Boruch told the Rebbe that G-d willing, on his next visit, when the child would turn three years old, he would bring his Schneur Zalman with him.
On the following Chai Elul, Reb Boruch brought young Schneur Zalman along with mother Rebbetzyn Rivka and his aunt Rebbetzyn Devorah Leah to the Baal Shem Tov to celebrate little Schneur Zalman's Upscherinish (the first cutting of a boys hair at three years old).
The Baal Shem Tov appeared very pleased at the joyous event. He cut some of the boy's locks, and then placing his holy hand son the boy's head, and blessed little Schneur Zalman with the words of the Birchas Kohanim (Priestly blessing).
During their visit, young Schneur Zalman asked his mother who was the "old" man that had been the first to cut his hair. His mother told him he was his Zaide (Jewish for grandfather and the term used until this day by Chassidim when speaking of the Baal Shem Tov). Following the joyous event, the Baal Shem Tov asked the child's mother and aunt to return home and not to reveal the events of the day.
Later on that day of Chai Elul, there was a special gathering of the chassidim in celebration of the Baal Shem Tov's birthday. The Baal Shem Tov mentioned that the Torah tells us that at three years of age, Avraham Avenu (The Patriarch Abraham, our father) recognized that there was one G-d. The Baal Shem Tov continued, "There is a great Neshamah (soul) in Poland that today reached the age of three years old and has recognized the Creator. He too will undergo Mesirus Nefesh (great self sacrifice) to reveal a new teaching of the holy Torah that will touch the souls of all Jews.
At that time there, was a great Torah scholar named Rabbi Yissochar Dov of Kalbink. The Baal Shem Tov arranged for him to be young Schneur Zalman's teacher, but asked Reb Yissochar Dov not to tell Schneur Zalman that the Baal Shem Tov had sent him.
Under the watchful eye of the Baal Shem Tov, the young Schneur Zalman flourished in his studies. He later became one of the 'Chevraya Kadisha' - The Holy Brotherhood of disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, who would spread the teachings of Chassidus through Eastern Europe, and who would later become known as 'The Alter Rebbe-the first Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in Sefer HaToldos.
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THE EPISTLE
A Letter From The Baal Shem Tov
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THE EPISTLE
Presented here is the famous letter the Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov ["Yisrael, Master of the Good Name (of G-d)," 1698 -1760]1, the founder of the Chassidic movement wrote to his brother-in-law in the Holy Land, Rabbi Gershon of Kitov. In it, he describes his encounter with the Mashiach (the Messiah), in which the latter gave him instructions as how to hasten his coming. He gave it to his follower R. Yaakov Yosef of Polonoye to deliver to Rabbi Gershon of Kitov, but because of circumstances which came from the blessed L-rd, [R. Yaakov Yosef] did not journey to the Land of Israel, and it remained in his hands so as to benefit our people, the Children of Israel.
THE LETTER
To the honor of my beloved brother-in-law, my friend who is as dear to me as my [own] soul and heart, who is the distinguished rabbinic scholar, the saint (Hasid) famous in [the study of] Torah and in piety, the honor of our master, Rabbi Abraham Gershon, may his lamp shine, and peace be unto all that is unto him and unto his modest wife Bluma and all their children, may they all receive the blessing of life, Amen selah!
I received your holy letter, which you sent along with the emissary who went from Jerusalem, at the fair in Loka in 1750 [5510]. It is written with extreme brevity, and in it is said that you had already written at length to each and every one through the man who traveled to Egypt. However, those letters which were written at iength did not reach me, and it caused me great anguish that I did not see your holy handwriting which you wrote in detail. Certainly this is because of the havoc of the countries, because of our many sins, the plague having spread in all the countries. For the plague came close to our areas, in the holy community of Mohilov, and the countries of Walachia and Turkey.
Also, [in your letter] it is said that those new interpretations and secrets which I wrote to you, through the scribe, the rabbi and preacher of the holy community of Polonnoye, did not reach you. This too caused me great anguish for certainly you would have derived great satisfaction [from them]. However, I have now forgotten a number of them. But I will write to you, in great brevity, some details of what I remember.
For on Rosh HaShanah of the [Hebrew] year, 5507, I performed the oath of the ascent of the soul, as you know. I saw wondrous things in a vision, [what I had not seen heretofore, from the day that I reached maturity]. It is impossible to state, even to speak mouth to mouth (Num. 12:8), of what I saw and learned when I ascended there.
When I returned to the lower Garden of Eden, I saw the souls of many living and dead, both those known to me and those unknown to me, without limit and number, running and returning (Ezek. 1:14) to ascend from world to world throughout the "column" which is known to those initiated into the Kabbalah, in great and extensive by, such that the mouth is too weary to tell of it and the physical ear heavy that it cannot hear (Isa. 59:1). Also [there were present] many wicked people who had repented, and their sins were forgiven, so it was a time of great acceptability, such that in my eyes too it was exceedingly amazing that so many were accepted [by G-d] in their repentance-and you, too, know them. There was amongst them, too, very great joy, and they too rose up in the above-mentioned ascents. And they all as one beseeched me and implored me until I was embarrassed, saying, "To the exalted excellency of the honor of thy Torah! The L-rd hath graced thee with a special understanding to perceive and know these matters." Because of the great joy which I beheld amongst them, I decided to ascend with them.
And I saw in a vision that the Samael had arisen to accuse, in the midst of this great and unprecedented joy. He executed his deeds-decrees of forced conversion against a number of souls, that they be killed [and die] unnatural deaths. I was seized with terror, and I actually offered my life to save them. I beseeched my master and teacher to go with me, for it is exceedingly dangerous to go [on such a mission] and ascend to the upper worlds; for since I arrived at my station I had not risen in such ascents. I went up, level after level, until I entered the palace of the Messiah, where the Messiah studies Torah with all the Tannaim and the righteous people, and also with the seven shepherds.2 I beheld very great joy there, but I do not know of mirth, what doth it accomplish? (Eccles. 2:2).
I thought this joy was, heaven forbid, because of my departure from this world. But they notified me afterward that I had not yet departed, but that they derived pleasure up above when I performed contemplative unifications (yihudim) below by means of their holy Torah. But the nature of this happiness I do not know to this day.
I asked the Messiah, "When are you coming, sir?" He answered me, "By this shalt thou know it (Exod. 7:17): when your teaching has become renowned and revealed throughout the world, and when thy springs [have been] dispersed abroad (Prov. 5:16), [imparting to others] what I have taught you and you apprehended, [so that] they too will be able to perform contemplative unifications and ascents [of the soul] as you do. Then will all the shells (kelipot) perish and it will be a time of acceptability and salvation." I was bewildered at this [response]. I had great anguish because of the length of time [he implied it would take until he came, and I wondered] when it would be possible for this to occur.
However while I was there I learned three remedies (segulot) and three Holy Names, which are easy to learn and to explain [to others]. So I was assuaged, and I thought that perhaps, in this manner, my associates (anshei gili) might also be able to attain my level and category, that is, they will be able to practice ascents of the soul, and learn and apprehend supernal mysteries as I do. But all my life I have not been granted permission, and I am under oath [not to do so].
But this I can tell you, and may the L-rd be thy help: before the L-rd is thy way (Judg. 18:6), and do not depart [from it], especially in the Holy Land. [With] every single utterance, and all that comes out of your mouth, during the time of your prayer and your study intend to unify a Name. For in every single letter there are worlds and souls and divinity. And [these] ascend and bind up with each other and unite with each other. Afterwards, the letters bind up and unite with each other and a word is formed, and they unite in a true unity with divinity. Include your soul with them in every single step of the above. [Then] all the worlds unite as one and rise up, you mediate on the joy of bride and joy and pleasure without limit, as you meditate on the joy of bride and groom, in smallness and corporeality, and certainly in a high level such as this. Certainly the L-rd will "be thy help," and wherever you turn you will prosper and succeed. Give to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser! (Prov. 9:9). Also, pray for me with this intention [in mind], that I be privileged to cleave unto the inheritance of the Lord (1 Sam. 26:19) whilst yet alive; and also [pray for] the remnant [of Israel] that is outside the Land of Israel.
And I also prayed there: "Wherefore hath the L-rd done thus; what meaneth the heat of this great anger? (Deut. 29:23), that so many Jewish souls were given over to Samael to be killed -- and of them a number who were baptized and then killed!" They gave me permission to ask Samael himself. And [so] I asked Samael: "Wherefore hast thou seen concerning this matter, and what is your thinking about this, that they should become apostates and then be killed?" He answered me, "My intention is for the sake of heaven," [for if they remained alive after their apostasy, then when other decrees and libels occurred, they would not sanctify the Name of Heaven but all would convert in order to save their lives. Therefore his action was such that those who converted were killed afterward. Thus, no Jew would convert, but would sanctify the Name of Heaven.]
And so it happened afterward, because of our many sins, that in the holy communjty of Zaslav there was a blood libel against several souls; two of them converted and were later killed, and the rest sanctified the Name of Heaven with great sanctity and died unnatural deaths. Then there were blood libels in the holy communities of Sibatuvka and Dunawitz, and there no one converted after they had seen what happened in Zaslav. Rather, all of them laid down their lives for the sanctification of the Name. They sanctified the Name of Heaven and withstood the trial. In the merit of this [martyrdom] may our Messiah come and avenge us: may he make expiation for his land and for his people.
And on Rosh Hashanah of 1749 [5510], I performed an ascent of the soul, as you know, and I saw a great accusation [against Israel], until Samael was almost given permission to destroy entire countries and communities, and I offered up my life and prayed, "Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, and let us not fall into the hand of man." And they granted me permission that instead of [the anti-Semitic persecutions], there shall be great weaknesses, something the likes of which had not occurred in all the lands of Poland and other countries close to us. And that is what happened, that the weakness spread exceedingly, such that it cannot be related, and the plague too spreadJ in other countries. I indulged in intense discussion with my group (havurah) [and we decided] to recite the Ketoret early in the morning in order to nullify the judgments mentioned above. Then they revealed me in a vision of the night, "But did not you yourself choose [the plague, by saying,] 'Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord,'" as mentioned above. "Why then do you wish to nullify the decree of plague]? Surely an accuser [does not become a defender]! From then on I did not recite Ketoret, and I did not pray about this. But on Hoshanah Rabbah, I went to the synagogue with all the world [i.e., the entire community], [and I tried to intercede on behalf of Israel] by means of several oaths, because of [my] great fear [for the safety of the people], and I recited Ketoret once so that we were successful with the help of the L-rd.
I wanted to elaborate and speak at length, but because of my tears when I recall your departure from me, I am not able to speak. But I do beseech you to review all my words of admonition which I told you several times. Let them always be in your thoughts, to meditate on them and ponder them scrupulously. Surely you will find in every word all kinds of sweetness, for what I told you is no vain thing (Deut. 32:47). For the Lord knows that I do not despair of journeying to the Land of Israel, if that be the will of the Lord, to be with you together; but the time is not ripe for it. Also, do note be aggrieved that I have not sent you money, for it is because of the treachery of fate (zeman) that befell me, because of the plague and the famine and the many young children of our family who are dependent upon me to support them and provide for them, in addition to other poor Jews. Our money is all spent . . . there is naught left but our bodies! (Gen. 47:18). But the L-rd willing, when then the L-rd shall enlarge, etc., then certainly, etc.
Also, my grandson, the worthy young man, the honorable Ephraim, is a great prodigy in the essence of study. Surely if the time is opportune for it, how fitting would it be [for you] to come here by yourself so that we may see each other face to face and to be happy in our happiness, as you promised me.
I also very much beseech you concerning the renowned rabbi, the saint (hasid), our master Yosef Katz, a servant of the Lord, that you draw him close with both hands [i.e., befriend him] and [offer him] all kinds of benefit, for his deeds are acceptable before the blessed L-rd, and "all his deeds are for the sake of heaven." [I also request of you] to write on his behalf to the wealthy people to provide adequate support and arrange for proper maintenance for him (lit. a seat with a back against which to lean), for certainly he will be [a source of] satisfaction to you if he will be in your company.
Such are the words of your brother-in-law who looks forward to seeing you face to face and prays for length of days for you and your wife and your children, and seeks your welfare all day and also nights for length of good days, Amen, selah.
Yisrael Besht of the holy community of Medzibush
1Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov ["Israel, Master of the Good Name (of G-d)," 1698-1760]. A unique and seminal figure in Jewish history, revealed the Chassidic movement and his own identity as an exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 1734. He passed away on the festival of Shavuot in 1760. He wrote no books, although many claim to contain his teachings. (Also referred to as "the BeShT", from an acronym of Baal Shem Tov.) The Mashiach sets five conditions for his coming; each of these is a step in a cumulative process:
2Seven Shepherds: As listed in Talmud Sukka 52b: Adam, Seth, Methuselah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses and David. In the Zohar (3:103b): Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David.
Signs of Moshiach
1. "Your teachings will become public and revealed in the world": As is known, for most mystics and spiritual- focused people becoming a public figure is a very painful experience. Nonetheless, it is a challenge that must be faced if one's insights and teachings are to affect the world.
2. "Your wellsprings will burst forth to the farthest extremes" (Proverbs 5:16): His whole self, his "wellspring," must be revealed. If Mashiach is to come, everyone must be able to experience something of what it is like to be the Baal Shem Tov.
3. "That which I have taught you and what you have comprehended [yourself]": Expressible ideas and even those ideas that are inherently inexpressible must be revealed.
4. "They also shall be able to perform unifications and elevations as you": The Baal Shem Tov's power of unification must become public domain. In its simplest sense, this means that everyone must subscribe to the Baal Shem Tov's doctrine of the equality-of-soul of all Jewish people, the basis of his infinite love of all Jews (see Tanya ch. 32).
5. "All the kelipot will cease to exist and there shall be a time of good will and salvation": Evil can be eradicated and the transcendent light of G-d can shine. The eradication of evil on this level can be understood as seeing it as ultimately good. This, however, cannot be successfully accomplished without first attaining the previous four levels.
From DIVINE LIGHT by Tzvi Meir
Cohn
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