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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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THE BANISHED RABBI
"You shall designate cities which shall serve you as cities of refuge to which a murderer, who killed a person accidentally, can flee." Masei 35:11
G-d commanded Moses to form six cities (cities of refuge) where an inadvertent killer could escape. The purpose, of course, was to create a haven to avert more unnecessary death if the family of the victim would avenge their lost one. Upon reaching a city of refuge, the inadvertent killer would be judged by a Beit Din (court of Jewish law). In the event that he is found to have killed accidentally, he was permitted to remain within the city. However, should he be found guilty of premeditated murdered, capital punishment awaited him.
This procedure gives insight into Torah policy. A man is judged based on his motivation, as opposed to his actions. In other words, if a person does a mitzvah (Biblical commandment) accidentally, he does not receive credit for this mitzvah.
There were very specific guidelines surrounding these cities of refuge, such as the condition of the roads leading to the cities. The roads had to be extremely wide and free of potential obstacles. G-d did not want to risk the possibility of the killer missing the opportunity to flee. Amazingly, the accused person is obligated to continue learning Torah, and his Rebbe is commanded to follow the man into the city of refuge. If his Rebbe is the dean of a yeshiva (school of Torah study), then the entire yeshiva moves along with the Rebbe into the city.
The accused man must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the Kohen Gadol (high priest that serves in the Temple). There are several explanations for this policy. One is that following the death of the Kohen Gadol, the resentment of the deceased's family will surely subdue. They will accept that everyone dies, even one of the greatest men of the generation. Another possibility is that since the Kohen Gadol brings G-dliness to the Jewish people, and thereby lengthens their lives, it would be inappropriate to have a killer anywhere near this man (the Kohen Gadol lived in Jerusalem and the killer was restricted to the city of refuge). A third possibility is that this death serves as a penance for the Jewish people and the sin of murder is thus dismissed. However, the Torah is clear that should the man leave the city of refuge, a family member of the one he inadvertently killed is permitted to take his life.
Freely adapted from Me'am Lo'ez.
And then there was the time that the Mezritcher Maggid, one of the most celebrated preachers of his time and an ardent follower of the Baal Shem Tov, was a visitor in the city of Shargorod for Shabbat. He approached the rabbi (Rabbi Yaakov Yosef HaKohane) of that city and made a request.
"Rabbi, I would like to stay at your house for Shabbat and make a private Minyan (quorum of ten men for prayer) for the Shabbat prayers"
The rabbi gave the Maggid permission to stay, but did not participate in the minyan. At one of the Shabbat meals at the rabbi's table, the Maggid gave a discourse that completely described Rabbi Yaakov Yosef. The rabbi was flabbergasted, since the Maggid gave details that he only could have known supernaturally.
The rabbi immediately approached the leaders of the community and excitedly told them of the Maggid and invited them to join him and the Maggid at "Shalus Seudah" the third Shabbat meal. However, the leaders were not Hasidic and in fact were vehemently opposed to the Hasidic philosophy. In particular, the community leaders did not wish to have a relationship with the Maggid. The rabbi was affronted and defended the Maggid to such a degree that he was banished from Shargorod on a Friday right before the Sabbath. The Rabbi had to leave in haste in order not to be physically harmed by the community leaders and their followers.
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef took refuge in a nearby village where the inhabitants were more supportive to the Baal Shem Tov and his teachings.
The following Shabbat, the Baal Shem Tov journeyed to the village where the rabbi had taken refuge to console him. The Magid was also in attendance. In an effort to comfort the expelled rabbi, the Maggid described a prophecy.
"Rabbi, do not be too upset. I had a vision that several of your adversaries will be killed, and the entire city of Shargorod will be set ablaze."
This prediction greatly upset the Baal Shem Tov, and he reprimanded the Maggid. Rabbi Yaakov Yoseph did not lose heart and eventually moved to Raskow, where he became the town rabbi. He became one of the closest followers of the Baal Shem Tov and lived a pious life full of Torah and mitzvot.
Sometime later, the Maggid's prediction did happen as he had said.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in PRAISE OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Dan Ben-Amos and Jerome R. Mintz
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SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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And Moses spoke to the tribal heads of the Israelites, saying: This is the thing that G-d has commanded. If a man makes a vow to G-d, or makes an oath to obligate himself, he must not break his word. He must do all that he expressed verbally. (Numbers 30:2-3)
This is what is written: "-Better not to make a vow, than to make a vow and not complete it" (Ecclesiastes 5:4). The Holy One says, Be careful making vows, and do not break them, for all who breaks vows will eventually transgress oath.1 And one who transgresses oaths is considered to have denied G-d. There is no forgiveness for him, as it says: "You shall not take the name of the L-rd your G-d in vain; for G-d will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:6). And it is written: "If you will return to me, O Israel . . . and will swear, 'As the L-rd lives' . . . " (Jeremiah 4:1-3). The Holy One said to Israel, "Do not think that it is permissible for you to swear, even in truth. You are not permitted to swear by My Name . . . ." 2
Our Sages enjoined us to say before each mitzvah: "For the sake of the union of the Holy One and His Shechinah. . . ." This is alluded to in the verse: "This is the thing that G-d has commanded." The matter is as follows.
King Solomon said: "Better not to make a vow." But what type of individual is he addressing? If it is a person who does not plan on fulfilling his vow, obviously he is forbidden to make it, for he transgresses a negative commandment and a positive one, as the Talmud says.3 And if it is a person who wants to fulfill his vow, why is it better for him not to make it. The Sages said: "How do we know that a person can vow to fulfill a mitzvah? From the verse: 'I have sworn and I have fulfilled it, to observe Your righteous ordinances" (Psalms 119:106). King David also said: "My vows to G-d I will fulfill" (ibid. 116:14). And would David transgress this, G-d forbid?
Rather, with every mitzvah that a person performs, he fixes all the aspects of nefesh, ruach, and neshama, up until the highest point - the tip of the yud,4 which is hidden and concealed. If the commandment requires action, making that the lowest level of the commandment, a person must still fix speech and thought. If it involves speech, then that is the lowest aspect of the mitzvah, and he still must fix voice and thought.5
Now, when a person thinks about performing a mitzvah, he still has no fear of the accusation of the "shells,"6 for they have no attachment to thought. However, when he verbalizes [his intention] to do a mitzvah, then there are Accusing Forces to hinder the mitzvah, for the "shells" draw sustenance from the place of speech.7
Therefore, when a person wants to perform a mitzvah and must speak about doing it, making him concerned about the Accusers, our Sages enjoined him to say: "For the sake of the union of the Holy One and His Shechinah, in fear and in love, in love and in fear, to unite the Name Y-H and V-H by means of He who is hidden and concealed in the name of all Israel," Then, he has created the Unification of the mitzvah on [the level of] speech, voice and thought, up until above, to He who is hidden and concealed.1 Then he will not be afraid of the Accusers or obstacles to the mitzvah, nor from any selfish motivations [on his part], since he has uplifted all the vitality of the mitzvah, and lacks only the mitzvah's performance, which is the last level. Consequently, the Accusers will lack all ability to stop him.
This is what the verse says: "When shall make a vow to the L-rd your G-d, you shall not be late in fulfilling it . . . " (Deuteronomy 23:22). This verse guarantees that when a person makes a Unification before performing a mitzvah - that is "to the L-rd your G-d"9 - he can be absolutely sure that he will not delay in fulfilling it - that is, to also fulfill it in actuality - since he did the Unification completely. This is why the verse says: "This is the thing . . . " alluding to the Unification. For "this" is Yesod and "the thing" (hadavar) is Malchus. "That G-d has commanded" - that is, that G-d commands each person to do before performing a mitzvah, to say the Unification completely. So that, "If a man makes a vow to G-d," to do a mitzvah, he shouldn't just say that he will do it, he should make the complete unification.
This is what the Midrash said: "Better not to make a vow, than to make a vow and not complete it" - that is, not to complete the Unification, but merely to state that one will do the mitzvah. Because then concern exists about the Accuser, and it would be better not to have vowed, not to say anything, only to think about doing the mitzvah, so that there is no worry about the Accusers. However, if a person can complete the Unification perfectly, it is certainly better. He will not have any fear of Accusers, and in fact, will receive help and support to complete the mitzvah.
This is what David said: "My vows to G-d I will fulfill." Meaning, the vow will be with a complete Unification. For when the Unification is incomplete, it is called "breaking the vow," which will lead him to transgress an oath, which is the impediment to the mitzvah, which is a rectification of the seven attributes called "oaths." Therefore, one must be careful to complete the Unification.
Devorim Nechmadim, Ginzei Yosef
1Taking an oath involves swearing on G-d's Name. Thus, transgressing it is a more serious offense than breaking a vow.
2Yalkut Shimoni, Matos #284.
3Nedarim 3b.
4Although the Baal Shem Tov explicitly names the three lowest levels of the soul - nefesh, ruach, and neshama - he alludes here to still higher levels - the chaya and yechida. These five levels are alluded to in the four letters of the Tetragrammaton. The nefesh corresponds to the final hey, the ruach to the vav, the neshama to the first hey, the chaya to the yud, and the yechida to the small point at the top left of the yud.
5The Baal Shem Tov divides each mitzvah into three components. When the mitzvah is performed with speech, such as prayer or Torah study, then that is the lowest level. The two higher levels would then be voice (kol - undifferentiated sound) and thought.
6Kelipot - forces of impurity and evil that oppose the performance of a mitzvah, by claiming that a person is not worthy to do it.
7See Likutey Moharan I:38,2, on the verse: "Sin couches at the door" (Genesis 4:7), alluding to the "door" of the mouth.
8Apparently, by reciting this prayer, one unifies even a physical mitzvah on three upper levels. The actual performance of the mitzvah that follows is almost secondary, and can proceed with obstruction.
9The conjunction of the Divine Names "L-rd your G-d" - Y-H-V-H Elo-hecha - corresponds to the union of G-d and the Shechinah, described above.
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HEART OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
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"the evil inclination is only aroused while eating and drinking," and thus they became arrogant.
Tzava'as HaRivash, p. 16b 131
7.c9 Addressing G-d.
You are He, our G-d. At first, one addresses G-d directly ("You"), and then indirectly, in a concealed way ("He"). Because if you think that you are attached to G-d and stand before Him, then you are really distant. But, if you realize that you are far, then you are close. Thus, the one who thinks "You," is really on the level of "He," but when one thinks "He," then He is "our G-d" (i.e. distant).
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Kedoshim, p. 109d
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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60. The holy rabbi Reb Yaakov Yisroel of Cherkas told of a trip taken by his grandfather, Reb Nochum of Chernobel and a number of his close followers to his rebbe, the Maggid of Mezritch.
When they arrived in Mezeritch, they met the Maggid and his son, Reb Avraham the Malach. After expressing their greetings to the Maggid and the Malach, Reb Nochum and several of the disciples went on to the local inn.
Two of the followers stayed longer with the Maggid and his son. When they arrived at the inn, they described the great awe they experienced. They swore that the Maggid and his son were so great that none would reach their level of holiness until Moshiach comes.
Reb Nochum told them, "It is written, 'And the sun rose, and the sun set.' One generation goes, another comes, but one such as the Baal Shem Tov will not come again until Moshiach arrives. When Moshiach does come, though, there will be a Baal Shem Tov!"
He repeated these words three times to convey the message that the Baal Shem Tov will be Moshiach.
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 107
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
The reason why giving the body pleasure on the Sabbath is a mitzvah is because the spirit is then able to rejoice even more in being with G-d.
This can be understood with the parable of a captive prince who received a letter from his father.
Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, Bo, #8.
The entire parable is found in the Toldoth in Kedoshim #1: A king's only son was taken captive. After many years, during which much effort and hope was put into redeeming him and returning him to his father, the prince received a letter from his father the king, urging him not to become discouraged and not to forget the ways of royalty, despite living all these years among human wolves, for his father was still doing his utmost to bring him home by whatever means, whether by attacking or peacefully. The son was immediately extremely happy, but since this was a secret message, he could not rejoice openly. What did he do? He went to the local pub and drank with others, but while they were reveling in their liquor, he was rejoicing in his father's letter (see also other sources in the Sefer Baal Shem Tov, Beresheit n. #69).
The prince is the human soul, which is in "captivity" in the earthly body. Every week, the king sends the prince a letter of encouragement - the Sabbath. The body, though, is not interested in rejoicing in this spiritual message, and even scorns it, and must be "seduced" into rejoicing by providing it with in its own pleasures, so that the soul can then rise unfettered, in its ecstasy.
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