"G-d spoke to Moses and Aaron saying.........This is what you must do for them (tribe of the Kehosites) that they shall live and not die...."  Bamidbar 4:19

This possuk teaches that the Hebrew tribes together called the Israelites had to ensure that they give freely to support the Levites, who were commanded by G-d that they could not share in the land or earn their livelihood as craftsman.  The Levites, whose main job was to serve in the Mishkan and to educate others, were on the level of paupers and were primarily supported by the tithes given by the Israelites.  Therefore the meaning of our verse can be explained to mean, "Do not rob the pauper."

Every Jewish person has a Neshama, a soul that is actually part of G-d.  Therefore, since we cannot know the true merit and stature of any soul, we are urged by our holy Sages to show respect to every person and to perform acts of kindness, such as conversing with and helping this person.                     MeAm Loez  Bamidbar 4:17-20      

THE TESUVAH OF Reb Yossele

The father of Reb Yossele Chatiner was a devout follower of the Holy Baal Shem Tov.  After a long, childless marriage Reb Yossele's mother finally prevailed on her husband to speak to the Baal Shem Tov about their plight and to beg for his blessing that they have a child.  And so, the next time Reb Yossele's father went on his yearly visit to his Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, he had a Yichdus (private meeting) with the Rebbe.  There, remembering his wife's reminding him to ask for the blessing and feeling that this might be his only chance, he begged, "Please, Rebbe, give us a blessing to have a son." 

The Baal Shem Tov stared into a holy book for what seemed an eternity.  And then he raised his eyes and said in a serious tone, "I will give you a blessing to have a son.  But, I must warn you that your son will become rebellious (ben sorer u'moreh)." 

Reb Yossele's father' immediately answered, "I can live with that Rebbe, if I know my son will ultimately return to the path of a Torah life?" 

The Baal Shem Tov thought for a minute and then slowly responded, "Yes, eventually he will return." 

Without another thought, the father answered, "Yes Rebbe, please give us a blessing for a son."  

And so within the year, little Yossele was born to overjoyed parents.  For awhile, everything with Yossele seemed normal.  But after his Bar Mitzvah, Yossele started to become rebellious, and eventually declared himself an apostate (renounced his Jewish faith).  With time, Yossele fell so low that he completely lost all appearances of even being Jewishness. 

After many fights with his parents, Yossele left his parent's home and went to live and work with a cobbler, who was also a Jewish apostate. 

Yossele's father was extremely distressed over this situation with his son.  He went to the Baal Shem Tov and said, "Rebbe, if I had known that my son would turn out this way, I would not have begged you for a blessing to have a son.  It would have been better had he never been born!"

The Baal Shem Tov reminded him, "After all, I did tell you that the boy would turn rebellious."

"That's true," retorted Reb Yossele's father, "but I didn't know then how devastated I would feel about it.  Everyday I feel sick and angry when I think about how my son is acting." 

The Baal Shem Tov felt compassion for the anguished father and said, "I will give you an amulet (hand written charm to bring good fortune)."  So the Baal Shem Tov wrote out an amulet on a piece of parchment and gave it to the father.  "Now, if you can arrange for your son to touch this amulet, he will do Teshuva (return to the Jewish path of serving G-d)."       

The father took the amulet home and patiently waited until his son Yossele was away.  Then, he snuck into the cobbler's house and hid the amulet among a pile of his son's things, where he would certainly touch it.

          Later, Yossele returned and eventually reached into the pile of his things where the amulet was hidden.  When Yossele touched the amulet, he was suddenly overcome with tremendous shock and fear. "What have I done!?" he cried.  He immediately regretted all of his many sins.  Reb Yossele decided to travel to the Baal Shem Tov and beg for help in returning to the Jewish path followed by his father and forefathers. 

The Baal Shem Tov greeted him warmly, "Reb Yossele, I hope all is well with you and your family.  It's been many years since you last came to visit with your holy father.  So what can I do for you?" 

"Please Rebbe, said Reb Yossele with tears and in a sobbing voice, "I've fallen from the Jewish path.  Help me return."

The Baal Shem Tov happily began to teach Reb Yossele the path of Teshuva. 

In time, Reb Yossele became a great Tzaddik (Holy man).  He traveled around the Ukrainian countryside, urging his fellow Jews to return to a Jewish life. 

Wherever Reb Yossele went, he would tell his own story.  He would always end the story with, "Look, my dear brothers and sisters, just how far Teshuva reaches.  I was already at the forty-ninth gate of tumah (spiritual impurity) as our forefathers were in Egypt when G-d personally came and took them out.  Now, through doing Teshuva and following the path of the Baal Shem Tov, I've reached such a high level that I can read people's thoughts.  But you, my brothers and sisters, who have sinned little, if you just do a heartfelt Teshuva, can you imagine what spiritual levels you can reach?"

And so it was.

Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Kovetz Eliyahu, by R. Chaim Eliyahu Sternberg.

And G●d spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, in the Tabernacle of Meeting.                       Numbers 1:1

Until the Tabernacle was erected, He spoke with him at the [burning] bush..., and afterward "And G●d spoke to Moses and Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying" (Exodus 12:1), and He spoke with him in Midian... And He spoke to him at Sinai... But once the Tabernacle was erected, He said, "Modesty is the best," as it says: "walk modestly with your G●d"[1]

others?  When he acts modestly.  For the main thing is that one's Torah study and service of G●d be done in truth and faith.  One's words and heart should be together, be he among others or alone.[3]  Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Ki Setze, p. 198a

10-4  Uplifting the sparks and the lowest to the highest level.

"HOW does one dance before the bride? Beit Shammai said 'The bride, as she is.' Beit Hillel said, 'A pleasant and gracious bride.'" The Baal Shem Tov explained their disagreement as follows.1 Beit Shammai said to praise the bride "as she is" by generally knowing that G-d's glory is hidden everywhere. Beit Hillel said to praise the grace and beauty of the bride, for they knew the specific sparks of holiness that had fallen among the shells and how the foreign thoughts come to mind during prayer in order to be repaired. Then, one can separate and remove the shell and raise and adorn the holy spark from among it, making it into a lovely and graceful bride.

Toldos Yaakov Yosef p. 8d

1The Baal Shem Tov interprets this teaching as applying to prayer, which is a manifestation of the Shechinah, the spiritual "bride" of the Holy One. Beit Shammai sees prayer as being mixed - good and evil, holy words and distracting thoughts. Thus, he can only praise it "as it is." Beit Hillel knows how to extract the fallen sparks of holiness even within the foreign thought, thereby uplifting that thought and making prayer a beautiful bride for G-d.