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ORIGINS OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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OBST 19
In the last installment, the misnagdim's violent opposition to bringing Reb Yoel to Posen to excorcise the demons from the cellar caused Reb Boruch and his followers to have second thoughts about bringing their Rebbe. But then something happened that aroused the entire city.
Reb Shlomo Moshe, the head of the opposition, suddenly admitted in public that Reb Yoel was the one who had banished the demons the previous time and could do it once again. It happened thus:
Reb Shlomo Moshe was a fur trader. He kept his furs in the Goldshmidt cellar where the demons now congregated. He used to sell his furs to a merchant who came to town from time to time to buy the pelts. This time, when the merchant came, Reb Shlomo Moshe sent his son Menashe, together with the dealer, to the cellar to show him the goods. When they reached the door, it suddenly burst open and there appeared before them a gnome with bird's feet. His head was the size of a barrel; he had eagle's wings, a rabbit tall, and his face was coal black. This creature opened its mouth and stuck out a blood-red tongue revealing teeth as strong as a horse's. It let out a mighty roar.
A deadly fear seized the stranger who lost his wits and almost fainted, his face contorted queerly. Menashe, Reb Shlomo Moshe's son, went berserk, and they both ran emitting frightful cries. When they reached home they both fainted on the floor. They were revived only through much effort by employing all kinds of methods.
The merchant had lost his power of speech altogether. Menashe spoke like a madman. He was so wild that they had to bind him with ropes for he hit anyone who came near him.
Now when it was whispered that the time had come to bring the Baal Shem himself to the city to rid it of demons, Reb Shlomo Moshe was silent and didn't object nor did the others say a word.
To be continued. . . . . .
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Sefer Hazichronos by Reb Yosef Yitzchok of Lubavitch, Zal
as translated in Tales of the Baal Shem Tov by Y.Y. Klapholtz.
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A TALE OF TWO COWS
Many of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov's ways might have seemed strange to an outsider. But Reb Zev Wolf Kitzes, the Baal Shem Tov's follower and constant companion, had enough confidence in his Rebbe never to doubt his actions. He knew that in the end -- even if it took years -- all would be understood.
Reb Zev Wolf once accompanied the Baal Shem Tov on a visit to a certain village Jew who was an inn keeper. The impoverished villager welcomed the Chassidic master into his home.
"I must have a donation of eighteen rubles for a very important cause," the Baal Shem Tov requested.
The poor man did not have this large sum. But, considering that it was the Baal Shem Tov making the request, the villager took some of his furniture and his cow, sold them, and gave the Baal Shem Tov the money. Reb Zev Wolf looked on silently while his master took the money and then departed.
Several days later, the villager's rent was due on his inn. He could not produce the sum and the landlord evicted him. The villager, seeing no future for himself in this small village, decided to try his luck elsewhere. He finally found himself a tiny hut in a different village with a different landlord. By selling some more of his possessions, the villager managed to buy a cow. The cow provided him with his sole source of income; he sold her milk and eked out a meager living.
Some time later the local landowner's cow became sick and her milk was unusable. One of the squire's servants who knew of the new tenant quickly went to this villager and bought milk for the squire.
When the squire tasted the milk, he commented, "This milk is of a superior quality. Tell the owner of this cow that I will pay handsomely for the privilege of being his only customer."
This incident turned the tide of fortune for the villager. Each day he delivered milk to the manor and each day the squire commented on the quality of the milk and milk products derived from it. He grew fond of the Jew and began to consult him about his business, slowly turning over to him many responsibilities. The squire trusted him implicitly and appreciated the Jew's honesty, reliability, and faithful service.
The squire's relationship and bond with the villager became so deep that, being childless, he transferred ownership of his entire estate, which included that village and the nearby town and its surrounding lands, to the Jew. Feeling that now everything was in good hands, the squire took leave and went abroad after having given the Jew legal title to that area.
A few years later, Reb Zev Wolf came to the village of the new landowner collecting money on behalf of Jewish prisoners and captives. Reb Zev Wolf had already collected all but 300 rubles of the sum which the Baal Shem Tov had designated.
Upon meeting with the village rabbi, Reb Zev Wolf questioned him as to why he was so festively attired. "I am going, together with a group of the town dignitaries, to greet the landlord of this city who will be paying us a visit today," said the rabbi. "Why don't you come along with us? He is a Jew and will most probably be willing to contribute to your cause."
Reb Zev Wolf accompanied the rabbi and his companions. The landlord greeted the delegation warmly, paying special attention to Reb Zev Wolf. After a little while, the landlord took Reb Zev Wolf aside. "You don't remember me, do you?" he asked. Reb Zev Wolf could not place the wealthy man's face. The landlord took out 300 rubles and gave it to Reb Zev Wolf.
It was only upon returning to the Baal Shem Tov that Reb Zev Wolf understood the entire story. "The last 300 rubles were donated by the village Jew whom we once asked for a donation of 18 rubles. Today he is a wealthy man."
"Let me now tell you why I extracted that large sum from him when his circumstances were so difficult," explained the Baal Shem Tov. "A change of fortune was awaiting him in the future but not in that place. It was necessary to bring him to the end of his rope so that he would be forced to leave and settle elsewhere. That is exactly what happened. The rest you already know."
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles of the Ascent Center in Safed, Israel
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SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Teachings Of The Baal Shem Tov On Prayer
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And they believed in G-d, and in Moses His servant. (Exodus 14:31)
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.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Ki Tavo
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light Of The Baal Shem Tov
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16. The Maggid of Mezritch,1 successor to the Baal Shem Tov, was once asked for a favor by his disciple and successor, Reb Shneur Zalman,2 later known as the Alter Rebbe.
"Ask what you will," the Maggid said.
"I wish to know the essence of the Baal Shem Tov," replied Reb Schneur Zalman.
"You have asked a difficult question," the Maggid answered. "Had he lived during the era of the Tannaim, he would have been remarkable; had he lived in the period of the Prophets he would have been an innovation, while in the times of our Forefathers he would also have been significant."
This anecdote was related by the Tzemach Tzedek.3 He went on to add that his grandfather, Rabbi Schneur Zalman, had continued, "If I had not heard this directly from my Rebbe (the Mezritcher Maggid), who knew the Baal Shem Tov from personal observation and experience, I would not have believed that the Baal Shem Tov had been born of a woman."
Sipurei Baal Shem Tov
1 Rebbe Reb Dov Ber (1710-1772), the successor to the Baal Shem Tov
2 Founder of the Chabad Chassidic dynasty (1745-1812)
3 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1789-1866), the grandson of the Alter Rebbe and the third Rebbe of Chabad
From DIVINE LIGHT by Tzvi Meir Cohn
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HEART OF PRAYER
Anthology Of The Teachhings Of The Baal Shem Tov
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9-b5 You should recite Keriyat Shema1 twice a day without having distracting thoughts.
You should, at the very least, recite Shema twice a day without having distracting thoughts. The effect of this is great beyond measure. One who recites Shema distances destructive forces from themself in both the physical and spiritual worlds. And though it is impossible to pray without having any foreign thoughts, you should train yourself to avoid them at the beginning of prayer.
Tzava'as HaRivash 17-19
1Reading Shema
From
HEART OF PRAYER by Tzvi Meir
Cohn
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KESER SHEM TOV
An anthology of Teachings on the Torah by the Baal Shem Tov
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Kst 45
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
All letters of the aleph-bet are included in each individual letter. This is because the source of all letters is the Aleph, which is close to the Oneness of the Infinite One.1 Afterwards, the rest of the letters expanded from the Aleph. For instance, the Bet is really two Alephs, and so on, until one reaches the Tav, which is equivalent to four hundred Alephs. Thus, the letter Tav, the last letter, is the furthest from the Creator.2
However, the tzaddik is able to gather all the letters and return them to the Aleph, and then harsh judgment is sweetened at its source.3
1 The gematria (numerical value) of the Aleph is one. Although the Oneness of G-d is beyond "counting," that is, G-d is not the "First" of a set, but the Absolute, Indivisible and All-Encompassing One beyond any relationship to any other entity, the letter Aleph represents the "closest" one can get to G-d's Oneness. The metaphor provided here for this is that just like the Aleph - the numerical value of one - is included and "hidden" within all other numbers, since all other numbers are really only composites of the number one, so in everything that exists is "hidden" the Divine Oneness, for everything that exists is made up of different "composites" of that Oneness. Thus, by the same token, says the Baal Shem Tov here, all letters are included in all others, since essentially, underlying all letters is the One. In modern terms, this phenomenon is called holography.
2The more complex and "multiple" one is, the further one is from the Undifferentiated One. The way out of duality is to experience the underlying Oneness, which is what the tzaddik teaches us to do, as the Baal Shem Tov concludes.
3All harsh judgment is seen as only a result of duality and division. When one is able to see through the apparent duality of this world, as expressed by the duality of the numbers, which themselves represent the duality of the world, and to perceive everything as unique expressions of G-d's Oneness and Design, all judgment automatically disappears.
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