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Volume 6 Number 45
| Korach | 23 June
2011 - 21 Sivan 5771 |
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BAAL SHEM TOV
EXODUS
Mystical Stories on the Weekly Torah Portion
Volume 2
Two Baal Shem Tov stories for each week's Torah portion by Tzvi Meir Cohn, Founder and Executive Director of the Baal Shem Tov Foundation.
Order your copy.
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This week's edition of the Baal Shem Tov Times relates to Shlach. There is the continuing selection for the Origins of the Baal Shem Tov, a Baal Shem Tov story and other teachings relating to Naso and other topics.
PLEASE help spread the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov by Blessings that you should have a restful and joyful Shabbos.
Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M. Cohn, Patent & Trademark Attorney)
Founder and Executive Director
Baal Shem Tov Foundation |
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ORIGINS OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV No. 41 |
In the last installment, the King converted to be a Jew, became a Torah scholar and raised a family for seven years.
One day, as he was taking a walk near the river bank, he saw his three sons from afar, playing by the river's edge. As he drew near he suddenly saw his oldest son fall into the water. The second son immediately jumped in to save him but was drowned himself. When the third son rushed to save his other brothers their mother came running. She saw the whole fearful sight but was too late to save them. As she ran she tumbled over a stone and likewise fell in into the river and within a few moments had drowned also. The king, who had seen the whole scene take place before his very eyes while he had been powerless to save them, stood paralyzed and helpless. He recovered after a few minutes and shouted with all his might...
The king then looked around him and found himself in his palace garden, with a long beard and sideburns. All his ministers and officers stood about him, concerned over the king's loud shouts. He opened his eyes wide and his forehead wrinkled up in anger and distress.
"Why didn't you help save my unfortunate sons and wife," he shouted in a fierce voice. "Woe! Woe I"
The officers were at a loss to understand his strange cries. They asked in wonder, "But your wife and children are inside the palace. Why does His Majesty shout so ?"
"You are only joking with me. Is this how you expect to comfort me upon my great tragedy ?" muttered the king. "Are you blind that you didn't see the tragic drowning that just took place ?"
The ministers stood dumbfounded and didn't dare to arouse his anger again. The king began telling them the happenings of the last seven years since the time he had circumcised himself in the beautiful city of the Jews - while they listened all agog.
"But just two hours ago His Majesty left the palace with that Jew to walk in the garden. What has happened to His Majesty that he has lost all sense of time, and imagines that two hours were seven years ?" The officers were all stupified and couldn't understand the mystery.
To be continued Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn from Stories of the Baal Shem Tov by Y.Y. klapholtz |
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"The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them.... Numbers 16:32
Swallowed By The Earth
Once it happened that a Polish Jew was hospitalized in a non-Jewish hospital. The other patients and even the hospital attendants did everything they could do to make fun and aggravate him. One day, an old man came to visit a family member who was a patient. While he was there, he befriended the Jewish man. When he saw how the Jewish man was being teased and harassed, he spoke out. "My friends, you should leave this Jew alone and I'll tell you why."
Many Jews live in the village next to the one where I live. One of them, who years later became famous was known as the Baal Shem Tov. At the time of the story I'm about to tell, he was known as Yisroelik, the teacher's helper. Every Friday he came to the Jewish bathhouse (Mikveh) in our village.
One Friday, a gang of local boys decided to beat him up because he was a Jew. Since they knew he came every week, they hid and waited for him. As he walked into the village, they jumped out and started to yell, "Get him, get him." Then they attacked him and beat him with clubs. They suddenly stopped. They saw, to their horror, that their ringleader was being swallowed up into the earth. He sunk down into the earth up to his waist. The other boys tried their best to pull their friend out but it was as if he were rooted into the ground.
Meanwhile, Yisroelick left and continued on his way to the bathhouse. The boy swallowed by the earth started to scream as the others ran for shovels to dig their friend out. They returned and started digging as fast as they could. But as quick as they loosened the dirt, their ringleader sunk deeper and deeper into the earth. The boys panicked and ran to get their parents. By this time, the whole village could hear the boy screaming and they all came running. When they heard the story of how the boys had attacked the young visitor, they concluded there was nothing to do until he returned.
A little later, Yisroelick came into view. The villagers ran up and begged him to release the boy from the earth.
Yisroelick just shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's his own fault. Why does he start up with Jews? Okay, if he promises to never hurt another Jew and instead, to do his best to help them for the rest of his life, I will free him."
The boy immediately agreed and was able to get up, brush off the dirt and walk away.
But before he could leave, Yisroelick said , "You still deserve some punishment for what you did. You'll never grow beyond your present height. This will serve as a constant reminder to never mistreat a Jew again."
The old man continued, "I heard the story directly from the boy himself, when he was already old. And he never grew beyond the height he reached as a boy. And ever since I heard this story, I've been careful to never cause any problem for Jews and I advise you to do the same."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in Stories of the Baal Shem Tov
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SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Teachings Of The Baal Shem Tov On Prayer |
And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face. (Numbers 16:4)
All the [evil traits] that Balaam had, Moses was suspected of having as well. For as long as the ascension of the Shechinah is not complete, as it will be in the Messianic Era, when the impure shells will be annulled and G-d will swallow up death forever (Isaiah 25:8), all the elevations can only occur in the mind of an upright individual. And an upright individual can only reach and ascend to his root by means of his opposite. That is, when [evil] comes to his mind, and he becomes motivated to [serve] G-d .1
Pri Ha'Aretz, Matos
1Every human being contains the entire world, whose myriad creatures are reflected in the endless thoughts that pass through his mind each day. Good thoughts parallel good creatures and evil thoughts are related to harmful ones. By subduing the evil in one's own thoughts, the evil in the world is also overcome. The non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer Balaam was the very opposite of Moses, and embodied every possible evil trait; yet he too existed within Moses' thoughts, and through his presence there, Moses was inspired to overcome his own evil and attain the level of a Tzaddik. This is the process of uplifting the sparks of holiness from among the impure shells that will continue until the coming of the Messiah. |
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light Of The Baal Shem Tov |
39. ON the verse, "Then G-d said to Moses: 'Look, I am going to rain down for you bread from Heaven. Every day, the people will go out and gather enough for each day,"[1]1 Shemos 16:4 the Baal Shem Tov taught:
A poor person has the privilege of speaking to the Holy One every day. A rich person, however, receives all his sustenance from G-d at once, and doesn't need to ask Him for his daily needs - unless he is very righteous, and realizes that everything he owns is worthless without G-d giving it life-force.
A poor person with nothing to eat must beseech G-d each day. Thus, he merits speaking to Him every day. Furthermore, G-d must also remember the poor person daily, to arrange his livelihood. However, G-d does not need to remember a rich person each day, for He already gave him everything at one time. Rav Yebi, Tehilim
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HEART OF PRAYER
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov on Prayer |
11-3 A person can know if his prayers have been answered if they feel happy after praying.
A person can know if his prayers have been answered if he feels happy after he prays. The opposite is true if he feels depressed. Based on this, we can explain the statement, "One day [Rabbi Buna] joined Redemption to Prayer and did not stop smiling the entire day."[1] But surely he joined Redemption to Prayer every day?![2] However, he never knew if his prayers were effective Above. However, on the day that he joined Redemption to Prayer and did not stop smiling, he realized that he had caused Supernal Unification. Thus he was overjoyed.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef p. 181b
[2] The simple meaning of this is that he recited the blessing "Redeemer of Israel" adjacent to the Amidah. However, since the contiguity of these prayers is a normal part of the morning liturgy, the Talmudic commentators have sought alternative ways to understand this statement.
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KESER SHEM TOV
An anthology of Teachings on the Torah by the Baal Shem Tov |
11-3 A person can know if his prayers have been answered if they feel happy after praying.
A person can know if his prayers have been answered if he feels happy after he prays. The opposite is true if he feels depressed. Based on this, we can explain the statement, "One day [Rabbi Buna] joined Redemption to Prayer and did not stop smiling the entire day."[1] But surely he joined Redemption to Prayer every day?![2] However, he never knew if his prayers were effective Above. However, on the day that he joined Redemption to Prayer and did not stop smiling, he realized that he had caused Supernal Unification. Thus he was overjoyed.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef p. 181b
[2] The simple meaning of this is that he recited the blessing "Redeemer of Israel" adjacent to the Amidah. However, since the contiguity of these prayers is a normal part of the morning liturgy, the Talmudic commentators have sought alternative ways to understand this statement. |
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The Baal Shem Tov Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, uses emails, teleclasses and other material to spread and publicize the Torah of the Baal Shem Tov throughout the world. Please visit us at www.baalshemtov.com to learn more about the Baal Shem Tov and the work of the Foundation.
The goal of the Foundation is to hasten the imminent coming of the Moshiach (Messiah) by acting on the answer of the Moshiach to the Baal Shem Tov's question: 'When are you coming Master?' (The Moshiach answered) "When your teachings have become well-known and revealed throughout the world, and when your well springs have spread outwards, imparting to others what I have taught you, so that they too will be able to perform contemplative unifications and ascents of the soul..." [quoted from a letter from the Baal Shem Tov to his brother-in-law Rabbi Gershon Kitover.]
One of the major projects of the Baal Shem Tov Foundation is the World Wide Mezuzah Campaign whose goal is to insure that every Jewish person in the world has a kosher Mezuzah attached to the doorpost of their home. Please visit www.mezuzah.net for more information.
Tzvi Meir is always available for questions and to support your work in this area.
Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney)
Suite 300, Pepper Pike Place
30195 Chagrin Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44124
800-613-0955
bst_times@baalshemtov.com
www.baalshemtov.com
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| | Yisrael Ben Moreinu Rabbeinu HaRav Rav Eliezer KoesB (presently in) Mezibush | | Signature of the Baal Shem Tov |
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