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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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A GLASS OF WINE
He drank of the wine and became drunk. (Noach
9:21)
And then there was the time that the Baal Shem Tov
was talking with a group of his followers at the home
of a wealthy supporter in the State of Walachia.
The conversation turned to an extraordinary type of
grape wine that could only be found in their locality.
This special grape wine was so strong that it was
usually served by mixing a very small amount into a
glass of water. And they all agreed that even then, it
was still almost too strong to drink.
The Baal Shem Tov asked if he could try the wine,
preferably unmixed with anything else. Of course the
host obliged his Rebbe and filled a small glass with
only the wine and served it to him.
Everyone watched nervously as he slowly drank the
whole glass at one time. When he finished, the Baal
Shem Tov said in a surprised voice, "That wine is so
delicious, why do you serve it in such a small glass?"
The host answered: "Because Rebbe, it is so strong
that it is actually dangerous to drink a large amount."
"I am not afraid of strong wine," the Baal Shem Tov
replied. "In fact, I would like another glass of that
wine? And this time, please put it into a large glass."
So the host filled a large glass with the special wine
and handed it with trepidation to the Baal Shem Tov.
Without hesitation, the Rebbe quickly drank the whole
glass.
All of the guests stared at him in fright as the Baal
Shem Tov's face turned beet red, and his hair stood
straight up from his head as though it were on fire.
The guests were so afraid they could not move or
even speak.
But before anything more happened, the Baal Shem
Tov passed his hands across his face and at once he
returned to normal.
The Baal Shem Tov broke the silence and said: "Our
holy Sages, their memory should be for a blessing,
have taught: "Wine is strong but fear removes its
effect." When we really see the greatness of the Holy
One Blessed be He, we are struck by fear and
trembling, and that completely undoes the effects of
even the strongest wine."
And so it was
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in Shivchei
HaBesht and translated in Tales of the Baal Shem
Tov by Mintz and Ben Amos.
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SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
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"These are the chronicles of Noah. Noah was a
righteous man, faultless in his generation; Noah
walked with G-d." (Bereishis 6:9)
But of Abraham it is written: "G-d, before
whom I walked" (ibid. 24:40). Noah needed
G-d's help and support, but Abraham
strengthened himself and walked in his own
righteousness.1
One of the Baal Shem Tov's disciples once asked
him, "Why is it that there are times when a person
clings to G-d, and knows in his soul that he is
close to Him, that he suddenly loses his devekus and
becomes distant from the Creator?"
The Baal Shem Tov answered with a parable. When a
father wants to teach his infant son to walk, what does
he do? He stands his son between his outstretched
arms so that the boy does not fall, and the child walks
between his father's arms. When he comes close to
his father, his father backs up slightly so that the child
can approach him again. This way, the child learns to
walk. If his father didn't keep moving back, the child
would only walk that short distance from where his
father had first put him to where his father now
stands. However, because the father moves back, the
child walks further.
This is how G-d relates to His creatures.
When a person is aflame with spiritual attachment,
G-d must distance Himself from him, for if
not, his devekus would be neither strong nor
consistent. However, because G-d keeps
moving away, the person must continually renew and
strengthen his devekus. This is what King David
alluded to when he said: "He will lead us eternally,"
(Psalms 48:15), as Rashi explains: "Like a man
leads his small son slowly."
Turei Zahav, Rosh Hashanah
For this reason, G-d is called "the hidden
G-d." For a Tzaddik never feels that he has
reached perfection in serving G-d, and always
feels far from Him. This is designed so that he comes
even closer. It is the meaning of "He will lead us
eternally." G-d is called "He" when He is
hidden.2 This is in order that "He lead
us eternally (al'mus,) - like a child (al'miah,)
3 so that we keep coming closer.
Kedushas Levi, Shemos
1Rashi, loc. cit.
2See below.
3In Aramaic. In Hebrew, as well, the
word elem means a "youth."
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer
Shore
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HEART OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
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5.c1 When we acknowledge His greatness and
dominion, His trait of Malchus is complete.
WE recite "For the sake of the unification of the Holy
One and His Shechinah" in order to unite Tiferest and
Malchus. In this way, the Holy One becomes proud
of Malchus for this level corresponds to speech and
enlivens the entire world, as it is written, "With the
word of G-d, the heavens were made"
and "You give
life to them all." G-d's words constantly
enliven the
universe. When a person performs a commandment,
the Holy One takes delight in Malchus - in His
speech - which is within the worlds. This is the
concept of the union, the unification of the Holy One
and his Shechinah - G-d should take great joy
in
His Kingship that is within the world, and He should
reveal His Kingship so that everyone will recognize
that He is the Ruler of the world. This is a great
delight for the Holy One.
The revelation of His Kingship is from our side. In
other words, His Creation of mankind is the
prerequisite. Then, when we acknowledge His
greatness and dominion, Malchus is complete,
for "there is no King without a people." On account of
the people, His Kingship is revealed. This gives
G-d
great pleasure.
Likkutim Yikarim p. 4a
Translation
and
Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light of the Baal Shem Tov
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24. The author of Kitzos HaChoshen,1
once asked
the holy Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of
Zidichov:2 "What is the
difference between one day and another? From the
day the Baal Shem Tov became known, the number of
Chasidim who follow him has multiplied. As we know,
the Baal Shem Tov based himself upon the roots and
foundations of the teachings of the Arizal. Yet, we
don't find that any large groups attached themselves
to the Arizal. What did the Baal Shem Tov innovate in
the roots of Chassidus that attracts such a large
following, with groups in every city?"
Reb Tzvi answered him with the following parable.
Once, the citizens of a certain country had to appoint a
king. They heard that in a very distant land, there was
remarkable man: a man of towering stature and
wisdom, beautiful to look upon, with flowing hair, pure
as wool. He was complete with every good virtue, and
there was no other as fit as he for the kingship.
However, because he was so far away, it was
impossible for them to get a detailed picture of each
of his merits, though they did have an overall image of
his wondrous virtues. Many of the townspeople could
simply not grasp or comprehend the essence of this
man.
Then, someone who had traveled to that distant land
and had seen that man with his own eyes, came to
them and was able to describe him in every detail.
His words entered the hearts of a number of the
people, who could understand him. However, the
majority of the people still could not understand
everything based upon the traveler's testimony alone.
Finally, one wise man traveled to the distant land and
actually brought the man back and set him before
them, so that all who desired could see him.
Multitudes flocked to him and saw his wondrous
virtues for themselves. Now that they had seen what
he was and they understood that he was fit to be king,
they devoted themselves to him in love and set the
crown of monarchy on his head.
The parable can be understood as follows:
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his companions were
the first to reveal a little of "G-d's secrets to those who
fear Him"3 in the Holy Zohar and
especially in the two
Idras.4 However, they carefully hid the
meaning of
their words in the Zohar. And so it remained, until
the "World of Repair" was revealed in the generation
of the Arizal.
The Arizal came to make known and explain that
which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his companions
had concealed. However, all the holy words of the
Arizal deal with supernal lights and supernal worlds,
and cannot be grasped by every person. All his words
are in the highest heavens, and relate to spiritual
matters. The multitude of people cannot be
enlightened by them.
Finally, the holy Baal Shem Tov, revealed Divinity even
in this lowly world, in each and every detail, and
especially, in human beings. He showed how
everything, even every limb and gesture, is a garment
for the Divine power hidden within it.
And he revealed the great power of Tzaddikim, who
liken the form to its Creator.5 For there
is no
movement or word that does not contain awesome
and wondrous unifications. Every person is created
upon this earth in order to achieve greatness and
wonders, and to act in this world while remaining
connected to the supernal worlds. Divrei
Tzaddikim
1Aryeh Leib Hacohane Heller
1745-
1813
2d. 1831
3Psalms 25:14
4Idra Rabbah and Idra Zutra; two parts
of the
Zohar.
5In other words, who see within the
forms of
creations, and especially the human form, a reflection
of supernal realities, as the verse says, "From my
flesh, I will behold G-d." (Job 19:26)
Translation
and
Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
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KESER SHEM TOV
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov
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Kst 44
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
The letters of Torah study and prayer are the vehicles
for dveikut/Oneness with G-d. One must
concentrate one's thoughts and one's deepest being
on the deepest spirituality that lies within the
letters.1 This is the deeper meaning of
the verse, "May He kiss me with the kisses of His
mouth," which refers to the dveikuth/union of
souls,2 as alluded to in the verse, "If you
lie down between the lips."3
Thus, when one extends the pronunciation of a word,
this is a sign that one has become one with it, since
he does not want to leave that word.4
1Song of Songs 1:2.
2Zohar II 124b. This refers to both the
uniting of two human souls in this manner, and to the
uniting of man's soul with G-d. The intense
experience of union on the human level is a metaphor
for the union of the human soul with G-d.
3Psalm 68:14. This verse is interpreted
this way in the Tikkunei Zohar, quoted by Rabbi
Moshe Cordevero, in his Pardes Rimonim 8:13.
4Rebbe Nachman of Breslov expounds
on this idea and says that while one must continue
from one word of prayer to the next, each word begs
the one who expresses it to remain with it in dveikut.
The solution, says Rebbe Nachman, is to make the
entire prayer into "one," which means that the dveikut
state achieved with each word be maintained
throughout the prayers, so that even when has
reached the last word, one is still with the first
(Likkutei Moharan I 65:2). This state of
consciousness can only be achieved when one has
indeed reached a certain level of "Oneness," whereas
one's mind and entire being are "at one" with
G-d, and the individual letters and words are
experienced as different manifestations of the One.
Translation and commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua Starrett.
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