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TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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THE BURNING TREE
"As he looked, [Moses] realized that the bush was on
fire, but was not being consumed." (Shemot
3:2)
And then there was the time, on a freezing winter day,
that the Baal Shem Tov was traveling in his carriage
with Reb Boruch of Kaminka, Reb Tzvi the Sofer and
his driver Alexei. They planned to reach an inn before
night fall in time to daven Mincha (the afternoon
prayer) and spend the night.
While the cold weather did not bother the Baal Shem
Tov, the others were freezing. Reb Boruch asked
Alexei in a whisper, "How much longer until we get
there?"
"It's still many miles and it'll take a few more hours,"
answered Alexei.
"I don't know if I can make it," said Reb Boruch. "My
hands and feet are already almost frost bitten."
"I'm also freezing," answered Alexei. "But," he
continued, "We surely can't stop until the Rabbi tells
us to."
The Baal Shem Tov overheard the conversation and
ordered Alexei, "Stop the carriage right over there by
that large oak tree."
As soon as the carriage stopped, the Baal Shem Tov
jumped off, walked over to the oak tree and touched it
with his finger. Suddenly the tree burst into flames.
The cold travelers quickly warmed themselves around
the burning tree. When they were sufficiently revived,
they continued their journey.
As they left, Reb
Boruch looked back to see what would happen to the
tree that saved them from the bitter cold.
The
Baal Shem Tov spoke to him sharply, "Reb Boruch,
don't look back."
Immediately, Reb Boruch stopped looking. But he
never forgot the image of the burning tree.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Shivchei
HaBesht and 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 He said, I am the G-d of your father.
(Exodus 3:6)
This is what is written: "A fool (pesi) believes in
everything" (Proverbs 14:15). What is the
meaning
of "a fool"? A child. Because in Arabia, they call a child
a pasia.
Midrash Rabbah, Shemos 3
The Baal Shem Tov told his students: "Despite the
profound levels of understanding that I attained in the
[supernal] roots of the Torah and the mitzvos, and
despite all the spiritual ecstasy that I experienced, I
put everything aside to serve G-d in simple
faith. I am
a fool and believe - Ich bin a naar un gleib!
1 And even
though it is written: "A fool believes in everything," it is
also written: "G-d protects the fools"
(Psalms 116:6).
Yesod Ha'Avodah, letter 24
1The Baal Shem Tov is making a word-
play on the
statement of the Midrash, above. The Hebrew word for
child, na'ar, is similar to the Yiddish word for fool.
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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6a5. Sometimes, you can pray extremely quickly
because of the love of G-d that burns in your
heart. Then, the words leave your mouth by
themselves.
Tzava'as HaRivash
36
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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35. "Whoever fulfills a mitzvah1
is rewarded, and his life is
lengthened"2
Regarding this statement, the Baal Shem Tov taught:
We can deduce this from the fact that
G-d Himself conveyed only a single
commandment directly - "I am G-d, your
L-rd" - the first of the Ten
Commandments,3 which was to teach
us that even properly fulfilling one single
commandment is sufficient.
Furthermore, as I4 heard from my
teacher the Baal Shem Tov, we can also prove this by
logical deduction. The earlier sages said that it is
possible to grasp the secret of G-d's Unified
Oneness by holding on to any "part" of that Oneness,
because that is the same as holding on to the entirety
of the Oneness. Hence, since the Torah and the
Mitzvos5 emanate from G-d's
essence, from His True Oneness, when one fulfills
one Mitzvah with the proper intentions and devotions,
one is grasping a "part" of the Oneness.
Keser Shem Tov II 02
1Divine Commandment
2Tractate Kiddushin 39b
3Tractate Makkoth 24a, where it says
that the second commandment forbidding idolatry
was also conveyed directly by G-d. The Baal
Shem Tov, however, is only referring here to positive
commandments, and not to negative prohibitions.
4Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Pollonoye
5Divine Commandments
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 68
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
"What is the difference between the disciples of our
forefather Abraham and the disciples of
Bilaam?"1
The question here is obvious. The answer is that
even the disciples of Abraham possess the trait of a
proud spirit, and the opposite is also true, that the
disciples of Bilaam possess the trait of a humble
spirit. The only difference is that Bilaam's disciples
use their traits in material matters, and Abraham's
disciples use their traits in spiritual issues. That is,
the disciples of Abraham elevate their hearts in
G-d's service with their proud spirit and
aspire to perform great deeds, while the disciples of
Bilaam perceive themselves as unworthy with their
humble spirit and absolve themselves from fulfilling
G-d's will.2
1Tractate Avoth 5:19. A different
explanation of this Mishnah is presented in KST 63.
2The notion that we do not deserve to
serve G-d is a spiritual obstacle for anyone
who lives with awareness of G-d's greatness
and man's comparative insignificance. The only way
this notion can be overcome is by realizing that even
the most awesome spiritual beings are insignificant
before G-d, as is the awesomeness of the
cosmos. Nevertheless, beyond all human
comprehension and above all human rationale, the
Infinite G-d chose the infinitesimal mortal
man on this speck of dust - Planet Earth- to serve Him
and perfect His creation. Experiencing this
awareness is indeed simultaneously the epitome of
humility and paradoxically the peak of pride, and is the
point at which the human "I," ani, dissolves into the
Divine "I," Ani (see KST 55).
Translation and commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua Starrett.
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