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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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A SIMPLE MISUNDERSTANDING
Korach son of Yitzhar (a grandson of Kehot and great-grandson of Levi) began a rebellion with They confronted Moses. Numbers 16:1-2
And then there was the time, in the town of Tarnopol, that there lived a wealthy Jew by the name of Reb Yitzchok. He and his wife Sheindel had only one son who suffered from mental illness.
They had consulted with all the best doctors without any success. The boy was prone to wild ramblings, and would scream out for no reason. They lived in a community of misnagdim - those opposed to the new chassidic groups, and to their leader, the Baal Shem Tov. It was therefore with great trepidation that the boy's mother approached her husband to take their son to the Baal Shem Tov for help. She felt that is was their last resort.
Reb Yitzchok immediately rejected her suggestion, despite his wife's pleadings and tears: "Please Yitzchok, I can no longer bear to look at my precious son in his present state. Please disregard your feelings for the Baal Shem Tov's chassidic followers and their customs, and beg him to heal our son."
At first Yitzchok couldn't see himself begging the Baal Shem Tov for anything. The community had branded the Baal Shem Tov as fraud and a charlatan. But after hearing his wife's tearful cries, he realized there was no alternative, and he agreed to see the Baal Shem Tov.
As his son was too unstable to travel, Reb Yitzchok decided to approach the community leaders with whom he had some influence, and ask them to invite the Baal Shem Tov to Tarnopol. At first, the town leaders were vehemently opposed to Reb Yitzchak's request. To invite the leader of the chassidim would rouse the ire of their Rabbi and the community in general. They all agreed it was a waste of time. But the town leaders had a great deal of sympathy for Reb Yitzchok and his wife because of their ill son. Also, being a successful businessman, Reb Yitzchok was a pillar of the community and held great influence with all its leaders. Finally, after much discussion, the community leaders agreed to pen an invitation to the Baal Shem Tov to come to Tarnopol for a Shabbos.
Reb Yitzchok traveled to Mezibush for an audience with the Baal Shem Tov and to extend the invitation. Reb Yitzchok tearfully told the Baal Shem Tov of his son's illness, and begged the Rebbe to come to Tarnapol.
The Baal Shem Tov sat in deep thought for a few minutes, then raised his head, smiled and nodded his head in agreement. He called Alexei, his driver, to prepare his carriage.
When the Baal Shem Tov arrived in the town of Tarnopol, Reb Yitzchok promptly brought him to his home to meet his son.
The Baal Shem Tov smiled as he slowly stroked the boy's cheek. He then said to Reb Yitzchok and his wife the following: "Your son is not ill. It is simply a misunderstanding. Allow me to talk to your son for a few minutes, and then allow me to do so again privately for about an hour each day for the next few days, and I am sure your son will recover."
Reb Yitzchok and his wife were dumbfounded! How could the Baal Shem Tov say their son's illness is simply a misunderstanding after the best doctors couldn't help them?
Nevertheless, they were encouraged by the Rebbe's words, and agreed to allow the Baal Shem Tov to talk to their son each day, as he requested, on condition that the boy's caretaker stay with them in case their son reacted violently, as he was known to do.
The Baal Shem Tov then sat down and spoke to the boy. The boy sat quietly as he looked into the Baal Shem's holy eyes and listened to his whispered words. The Baal Shem Tov asked the lad some questions and the boy responded calmly. For the next few days, the boy was brought by his caretaker to meet with the Baal Shem Tov. It seemed that the Baal Shem Tov had a most calming effect upon him. After a few days, it seemed as if the boy was cured! He seemed to behave normally whenever he sat with the Baal Shem Tov. Reb Yitzchok and his wife Sheindel were elated.
For Shabbos, Reb Yitzchok asked his guest, "What type of meat shall we prepare for you this Shabbos?" The Baal Shem Tov asked for a lamb and that the shochet (slaughterer) be brought to him. The Baal Shem Tov watched as the shochet correctly slaughtered the lamb, but just as the shochet was about to cut it open, the Baal Shem Tov stopped him. "I will inspect the lamb." He inserted his hand into the lamb's body and felt for any lesions on the lung that would render the animal as being unfit. When he removed his hand, he pronounced the lamb Kosher. Then, the Baal Shem Tov left for the mikveh.
Meanwhile, the shochet proceeded with the preparation of the lamb. He was called away briefly, but when he returned and withdrew the lung from the animal he found to his dismay a round puncture, rendering the meat unkosher.
He waited for the Baal Shem Tov to return, and then told him the story of how he had briefly left and returned to find a hole in the lung. The Baal Shem Tov didn't seem disturbed and told the slaughterer to continue with the preparations since he considered the lamb kosher. "I want it to be cooked for my Shabbos meal," be announced.
The shochet was stunned, and immediately rushed to tell the townspeople about the treif (unkosher) lamb that the Baal Shem Tov planned to eat on Shabbos! The town elders, who were all opponents of the Baal Shem Tov, planned to confront him front of the entire congregation over the matter.
The next morning, after the Shabbos prayers, the Rav of Tarnopol accompanied by a group of townspeople went to Reb Yitzchok's house to confront the Baal Shem Tov with his guilt. The Baal Shem Tov had not returned, so the Rav took a seat at the head of the table to await his arrival.
Meanwhile, the young man's caretaker brought him for his daily session with the Baal Shem Tov. The non-Jewish caretaker did not realize that the man seated at the head of the table was not the Baal Shem Tov. So he brought the young man into the room and left assuming that the boy would act properly as he always did in the presence of the Baal Shem Tov.
The lad began to give a rambling account of his activities. He circled the group at the table in a mad shuffle and began to relate how after the Baal Shem Tov had gone to the mikveh, the shochet had returned and made a round hole in the lung.
The townspeople were astonished at these words. It seemed the young man was telling the truth. There was no reason for him to fabricate such a story and he was lucid enough to understand what had transpired. They now realized their error in judging the Baal Shem Tov. One by one they rose and quietly left. They were now convinced of the Baal Shem Tov's honesty.
As the town Rav left Reb Yitzchok's home, he encountered the Baal Shem Tov returning from the Sabbath prayers. The town Rav was so embarrassed; he couldn't speak, and began to mumble some words of apology. The Baal Shem Tov smiled and lifted his hand in an expression of assurance. "Don't worry", he said, "its simply a misunderstanding".
And so it was.
Adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from Emunas Tzadikim 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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And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face. (Numbers 16:4)
All the [evil traits] that Balaam had, Moses was suspected of having as well. For as long as the ascension of the Shechinah is not complete, as it will be in the Messianic Era, when the impure shells will be annulled and G-d will swallow up death forever (Isaiah 25:8), all the elevations can only occur in the mind of an upright individual. And an upright individual can only reach and ascend to his root by means of his opposite. That is, when [evil] comes to his mind, and he becomes motivated to [serve] G-d.1
Pri Ha'Aretz, Matos
1Every human being contains the entire world, whose myriad creatures are reflected in the endless thoughts that pass through his mind each day. Good thoughts parallel good creatures and evil thoughts are related to harmful ones. By subduing the evil in one's own thoughts, the evil in the world is also overcome. The non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer Balaam was the very opposite of Moses, and embodied every possible evil trait; yet he too existed within Moses' thoughts, and through his presence there, Moses was inspired to overcome his own evil and attain the level of a Tzaddik. This is the process of uplifting the sparks of holiness from among the impure shells that will continue until the coming of the Messiah.
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HEART OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
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7-c5 When you cannot pray, concentrate and draw fear upon yourself.
When you cannot pray, don't assume that you won't be able to for the rest of the day. Rather, push yourself, and draw more fear upon yourself. Be like a king who disguises himself and goes out to war. The intelligent people will recognize the king by his mannerisms, while those who are not as smart can still discern his majesty through other signs for the king is found wherever there is great joy.
Likewise, when you cannot pray with concentration, realize that the guards surround the King. The King is really there, only you cannot approach due to all the protection surrounding Him. You must push yourself to feel fear, so that you can approach and pray to Him. Then you will be able to pray with great concentration.
Tzava'as HaRivash 72
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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56. The Baal Shem Tov taught:
When a person carries with him pearls and gems, he may be attacked by robbers. Not so, however, when he carries straw. Likewise, in every generation, wicked people and a "mixed multitude" rise up against the Congregation of Israel because they have whatever exists in the realm of holiness.
The Baal Shem Tov saw this trouble in the last generation and cried out over it. For because of these "thorns," and their strange and distorted ways, he was unable to fix the souls of the Children Israel by means of Torah study and Divine service.
Indeed, every Tzaddik and Chassid has an opposing force, which draws to itself all the rejected souls. At times, the wicked are able to overcome the Tzaddik. Notzer Chesed, chap. 2:4F
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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Kst 95
"When rain is withheld, one should seek out the most pious person in the generation, so that he prays. If he prays and is answered and becomes haughty, he arouses G-d's anger upon the world, as the verse says, 'He attains anger for haughtiness.'"1
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
If the pious person sinned by becoming haughty, what has the world done that it should suffer?
The answer is, that the ideal situation should be that, "He who ordained that oil should burn can also ordain that vinegar should burn," just as indeed happened for the saintly Rabbi Chanina son of Dosa.2 If all people lived by the standards of piety, no one would see it as extraordinary if one person was able to burn vinegar like oil simply by praying for it to burn, for everyone would be able to do this. However, since most people follow their frivolous ways, and only one pious person in a generation is able to do this, it seems extraordinary when that person's prayer is answered. Therefore, if a haughty thought arises in that person's mind, this is because of the people of the generation and the world. Therefore, anger is aroused upon the world.
1Job 36:33; Tractate Taanith 8a.
2Tractate Taanith 25a. The only reason why oil burns is because G-d so decreed in the laws of nature, but there is no inherent reason why He cannot ordain vinegar to burn. Therefore, pious people who live with the reality that all of Nature is G-d's constant miracles are able to evoke changes in the laws of Nature, because to them, it is all the same.
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