|
TALES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
|
|
A PINCH OF STUFF
"And G-d spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to
the
children of Israel and have them bring Me an offering.
Take My offering from everyone whose heart inspires
him to give." (Terumah 25:1-2)
"Whose heart inspires him," - this is an expression of
voluntary contribution. Rashi
And then there was the time that a poor man named
Reb Shmuel came with a group of beggars to collect
charity at the shule of the Baal Shem Tov. The
shammos (caretaker) of the shule gave each beggar
a few coins but the poor man declined.
"No, thank you," said Reb Shmuel, "I want to speak to
the Baal Shem Tov."
"Let me ask the Rebbe," said the shammos. The
shammos returned and offered the poor man a larger
sum of money.
Reb Shmuel responded, "No, thank you, I only want to
meet with the Baal Shem Tov."
After the shammos related what happened, Reb
Shmuel was invited in to meet with the Baal Shem
Tov.
"So," said the Baal Shem Tov, closely studying the
poor man, "you are not satisfied with my donation?"
"Rebbe," responded Reb Shmuel, "I don't want a
donation. I'm not a beggar, just a poor man that is
down on his luck. I used to be a very rich man and
was known as a baal tzedeka (philanthropist) that
often helped people get started again if they had a
business setback. Every Shabbos and Yom Tov my
table was surrounded by poor people and wanderers.
I had a large, successful business. Then one day,
everything changed. I lost all my wealth and finally had
to resort to living as a wandering beggar. Rebbe, why
did I lose my wealth and position so suddenly?"
The Baal Shem Tov thought for a while and said, "My
dear friend, it's just a pinch of snuff." (In those days,
sharing a pinch of snuff was common and
considered to be of little financial consequence, like a
mint today.)
"What do you mean, Rebbe?" said the poor man. "It's
not just a pinch of snuff. It's my whole livelihood that's
gone. Can't you see, I'm walking around in rags and I
have holes in my boots."
"You don't understand," answered the Baal Shem
Tov, "I mean your loss of wealth was caused by a
pinch of snuff. Do you remember one Shabbos when
you were sitting at your table surrounded by many
guests and you took a pinch of snuff from your special
jeweled, silver snuff box and then suddenly closed the
snuff box?"
The poor man started to remember that fateful day as
a clear vision of the incident flooded his memory. "Oh
my G-d," said the poor man to the Baal Shem
Tov, "there was a poor wanderer sitting next to me.
When he reached over to take a pinch of snuff from
my special jeweled, silver snuff box, I closed it and
said, 'What's wrong, isn't that other snuff box I put on
the table for my guests good enough for you to use?'
That poor wanderer turned red with embarrassment
and didn't say another word."
"That's exactly what I'm speaking of," said the Baal
Shem Tov. "That man had also been a rich man that
was down on his fortune. He had been planning to
ask you for a loan to get back on his feet. But, he was
so embarrassed by what you did that he just left
without speaking to you. And just at that moment,"
continued the Baal Shem Tov, "it was decreed in
Heaven that you would change places with him. Your
fortune would go to him and you would have to beg
from door to door as he had."
"Oh Rebbe, now I remember so clearly, moaned the
poor man. From that day, all my business ventures
failed and I lost everything until I reached the state that
I'm in, having to wander and beg. Oh, what I wouldn't
do to take back that thoughtless act. Rebbe, is there
anything I can do to change my situation?"
The Baal Shem Tov closed his eyes and thought. After
a long pause he said, "Well, if you were to approach
that beggar turned rich man and ask him for a pinch
of snuff and he would refuse you, then your fortunes
would again be reversed."
The poor man immediately left and started to wander
looking for that man with whom he had changed
places. After many months, he came to a town that
was buzzing with preparations being made for a big
wedding. He learned that the bride was the daughter
of a very rich man. A huge banquet was planned for
the wedding and everyone in the town was invited.
The poor man went to shule to catch a glimpse of the
rich man. At first he didn't recognize him because of
his fancy clothes and new stature. But, finally the poor
man realized, "Oh my G-d, that's him!"
The poor man began to plot a plan as to when to
confront the rich man and ask him for a pinch of snuff.
He decided to wait until just the right time, the night of
the wedding.
At last, the night of the wedding arrived. It was a huge
celebration as only such a rich man could afford. After
the wedding ceremony, everyone was in the banquet
hall eating and drinking and dancing. And right in the
middle of the party, the rich man was dancing
surrounded by his friends and well wishers. Just at
that moment, the poor man broke through the crowd
and approached the rich man.
"Excuse me," he said to the exuberant rich
man, "could I please bother you for a pinch of snuff?"
The rich man, immediately broke away from the other
dancer's and took out his jeweled, silver snuff box and
offered the poor man a pinch of snuff. The poor man
fell down in a swoon. Everyone started to run over to
see what happened. The rich man told them, "Move
back, give him air!" Then he said to the poor man with
great concern in his voice, "What's wrong? Do want a
drink? What can I do for you?"
The poor man started to cry. "Why did you give me the
snuff? If you had just refused, I'd be rich again,"
continued the poor man. Then he told the rich man
the whole story of how they changed places.
"Oh yes, I remember that day. And it is true, from that
day on, everything I touched turned to gold. I became
richer and richer. It almost seemed to be heaven sent.
In some way you are my benefactor and I'm not going
to let you suffer any more. Your wandering days are
over. I have a great idea. Why don't you join me in the
business? There's much more than I can handle by
myself. You can move your family to this town and we
can work together."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in SHIVCHEI
HABESHT and translated in IN PRAISE OF THE BAAL
SHEM TOV by Y.Y. Klapholtz.
|
|
SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on the Torah
|
|
"And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: Speak
to the
children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of
every man whose heart prompts him, you shall take
My offering." (Terumah 25:1-2)
A person should seek ways to transform his
mundane desires1 all that "his heart
prompts
him" into good qualities. From his habitual, bad
traits, he should learn how to serve the Creator with
the same passion and desire, even more intensely.
Tiferes Shlomo, Toldos
I heard from my Master [the Baal Shem Tov], in the
name of Rabbi Sa'adiah Gaon, that it is appropriate to
desire all kinds of material things, and through this, to
come to a desire for Torah and serving G-d.
Ben Poras Yosef, Vayechi, p. 85b
I heard a parable from my Master. A king had a son
whom he wanted to teach the various subjects that
were required for a prince to know. He hired several
scholars, but the boy failed to grasp even a single
area of knowledge. The king finally gave up on him,
and only one sage remained. One day, the king's son
saw a beautiful, young woman,2 and
desired her. The
sage complained about this to the king, but the king
replied that since the boy shows some desire, even a
physical one, it is possible for him to learn all the
fields of knowledge. The king ordered that the young
woman be brought to the palace, and told her that
should she must not listen to the prince's
solicitations, unless he agrees to master one branch
of knowledge. Afterwards, she should demand that he
learn yet another branch. This continued until he
mastered all the areas of study. But when he finally
became a wise man, he rejected the young woman
and married a princess, as was fitting for
him.3
The meaning of the parable is obvious.
Ben Poras Yosef, Vayechi, p. 88a
1Literally, "external desires" (tava'ot
chitzonim). See
below, where the Baal Shem Tov explains that within
every mundane desire the love of G-d can be
found.
2According to another version of this
parable, the girl
was a harlot.
3The other version concludes, "for what
connection
should a prince have with a harlot."
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer
Shore
|
|
HEART OF PRAYER
The Baal Shem Tov's Teachings on Prayer
|
|
6-11 A person is only considered to be a servant of
G-d out of fear and love.
Some people are depressed when they pray because
they have an excess of melancholy.1 Yet
they
imagine that they are praying with great fear of
G-d. Others think that are praying out of great
love for G-d, though it really due to red bile.
However, when [a person prays] out of love of
G-d, and suddenly feels ashamed when they
long to glorify G-d and overcome their own
evil inclination for His sake, then it is good.
For a person is not considered
to be a servant of G-d unless it is out of fear
and love. But this fear must come upon them
suddenly, and not through their own efforts, which is
the case of uplifting of the Feminine waters. True
fear, however, falls upon a person [suddenly], so that
they forget where they are, their mind becomes
purified, and their tears flow by themselves. If it is
unlike this, though they may think that they love the
Creator, their feelings are nothing. For this is the gate
to G-d. Fear is the gate to love, and if they are
not in the gate of fear, how can they be in love? A
person like this isn't even a servant, and certainly not
on a level for fear to descend upon them. They aren't
doing the type of worship appropriate for a Jewish
person at all. They merely serve G-d by rote.
They think that they are serving Him in joy, but it is a
corrupted form of happiness. Let them return to
G-d
with their whole heart and soul.
Likutey Yikarim, p. 3
1Marah shechora, literally, black bile.
This is based
upon a medical theory that the body exudes various
types of bile that effect the emotions. The point is that
one may feel that they are praying with deveikut,
spiritual attachment, whereas their emotions are
merely a product of their physiology.
Translation
and
Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
|
|
DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light of the Baal Shem Tov
|
|
41. I heard from my master, the Baal Shem Tov,
that "belief" means the mystical attachment of the
soul to the Holy One, blessed be
He.1
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Be very careful what you say in the morning
before
praying. Our Sages were strict even regarding the use
of permissible words, such as greeting someone
before prayer,2 because such an action
can cause a
blemish. It is known that the world was created with
thought, speech, and action.
The first level of creation is thought. Speech is an
result of thought, and action a result of speech. When
a person rises each morning, he is also a new
creation, as the verse says, They are new every
morning.3 If a person's first words are
mundane,
and all the more so, if they are
forbidden4, everything
said later in the day will be influenced by these first
words even their prayers and Torah studies.
This is similar to the teaching of the
Zohar5 and of
the Arizal on the obligation of siblings to honor the
firstborn brother.6 The father's spirit
resides more in
the oldest son than the other sons who obtain their
father's spirit from the oldest son. Due to this spirit
residing more in the oldest son, they are obligated to
honor him as they are obligated to honor their father.
The firstborn takes the main portion, whereas all the
other siblings are as offshoots from him. Similarly,
one must be very careful to sanctify and purify the first
words and thoughts of the day, and attach them to
holiness. Then, all subsequent words will follow their
character. And when one starts to pray, amidst the joy
of having fulfilled the mitzvah of sanctifying speech
and thought, the spoken words of his prayer will
surely be answered.7
1Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Ki Tavo
2Berachos 14a
3Lamentations 3:23
4Forbidden words are profanity,
gossip, or slander,
among others.
5Zohar 3:83a.
6The Arizal writes that just as children
are obligated
to respect their parents, so must they respect their
firstborn sibling. For the firstborn represents the initial
creative act of the parents, from which all subsequent
births draw their vitality. Thus, Jacob said about
Reuben, Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,
and
the beginning of my strength . . . . (Genesis
49:3).
7Sipurei Baal Shem Tov.
Translation
and
Commentary by Rabbi Dr.
Eliezer Shore
From DIVINE LIGHT by Tzvi Meir
HaCohane (Howard M.
Cohn. Patent Attorney)
|
|
KESER SHEM TOV
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov
|
|
Kst -77
Warm yourself before the fire of the sages, but be
careful not to burn yourself from their coals, for their
bite is like the bite of a fox and their sting is like the
sting of a scorpion, and all their words are like
burning coals.1
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Before beginning study, the sages used to make light
conversation,2 in order to open their
minds from a constricted state of katnuth/immature
consciousness and bring themselves to an expanded
state of gadlut/mature consciousness.
For there are constricted and expanded states in the
dimensions of world, time, and soul. When the world
is in a state of expanded consciousness, one can
come close to G-d very easily, whereas when
the world is in a state of constricted consciousness,
then one has to struggle tremendously in order to
come close to G-d. However, the greatest
spiritual benefits are reaped when one has to force
oneself to serve G-d.
Thus, even when one is unable to immerse oneself in
strictly spiritual practices, one should nevertheless
bind G-ds Word in his heart,3
even while busy with mundane chores. When the
sages spoke in praise of Torah study together with
mundane endeavors, they were speaking specifically
about this.4
Hence, when a student comes to learn before his
master when the master is in a state of constricted
consciousness, he might observe the master
involved in mundane chores and learn only that from
him, not realizing that his behavior is then only like a
coal, without any inner fire.5 For this
reason, the Mishnah warns, Be careful not to burn
yourself from their coals.
This is also alluded to in conclusion of the
Mishnah, Their sting like the sting of a scorpion. In
Hebrew, a scorpion is an AKRaV Ayin KaRaV
meaning, the sage is involved in bringing the seventy
[ayin] dimensions of the mundane world6 closer
[karav] to their Source, but this student does not
realize this, and assumes that the masters mind is
only on the mundane.
1Tractate Avoth 2:10.
2 Tractate Sabbath 30b.
3Psalms 119:11.
4Tractate Avoth 2:2. The nuance of
meaning in the Mishnah is that Torah study and
mundane endeavors should be pursued
simultaneously, which can only be done in the way
presented here, where one retains consciousness of
G-ds Word while busy with mundane
chores.
5The metaphor of a coal is used
because the fire inside the coal is not evident.
Similarly, the spiritual ember inside the heart of the
master is not visible on the outside.
6The letter ayin, numerically seventy,
represents the spectrum of the ten Sephirot in each of
the seven lower Sephirot, which in general are
connected with the mundane world, as opposed to
the upper three, which are generally connected with
the world of thought and above.
Translation and commentary by Rabbi
Yehoshua Starrett.
|
|
