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Volume 6 Number 30
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21 July 2011 - 19 Tammuz 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 Pinchas. There is the continuing selection for the Origins of the Baal Shem Tov, a Baal Shem Tov story and other teachings relating to Pinchas and other topics.
PLEASE help spread the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov by forwarding this edition of the Baal Shem Tov Times to a friend or relative, and making a copy for your home and synagogue.
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. 46 |
In the last installment, Reb Boruch Weisner, a tzadik nistor, became a disciple of Reb Yoel, the Baal Shem of Zameshtesh, disciple of Reb Eliyohu of Worms. Reb Boruch went to live near Slotzk, where he opened a Beis Medrosh and a guest house. Then he opened a Yeshiva with very high standards. He provided all of the selected students lodging, food and clothing.
Reb Boruch's faithful assistant was Reb Menashe Yisroel, one Of the ten young men who studied in Reb Boruch's Beis Medrosh and was supported by him. He had been^iprought from Smila, Reb Boruch's former city of residence, together with his family. Reb Menashe was a learned scholar, the chief disciple of Reb Yoel Baal Shem. Because of this, Reb Boruch was able to rely on Reb Menashe and to let him take over when necessary. Reb Menashe had three sons who had studied many years in Reb Yoel's yeshiva, all of them G-d fearing and accomplished scholars in both the revealed Torah and in Kabbala.
Reb Boruch let these young" men administer the yeshiva while he gave the lectures. Twenty-six young boys studied in his yeshiva. After the very first year, the good results were already evident. The boys behaved exactly as he wished them to and he was very satisfied. He accepted twenty new students for the second year, and did this for the next six years, thus accumulating new students each year.
Even while dedicating himself completely to his yeshiva, he did not neglect mundane affairs. He continued to deal in real estate, buying and renting properties, always with the sole purpose of drawing many Jews to him and providing them with, occupations. He placed many Jews in settlements and let them work the land as sharecroppers. He let other Jews fish in his ponds for a fee, while he rented to still others, taverns and inns and breweries, thus providing many people
with their livelihoods. Many of them eventually became wealthy from their occupations.
Everyone knew of Reb Boruch's yeshiva. Through his influence, many of his tenants took his bochurim for sons-in-law, and the yeshiva's influence expanded further.
To be continued.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn from Eretz Chaim as translated in Stories of the Baal Shem Tov by Y.Y. klapholtz |
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THE BAAL SHEM TOV'S ANGER
"Moshe became angry.." (Numbers 31:14)
And then there was the time the Lithuanians (called Litvaks), sent a man to observe the Baal Shem Tov and see if the stories about him were indeed true. The Litvak was received as an honored guest, since no one knew the real reason for his visit. He stayed as a guest in the house of Rabbi Yechiel of Kovel and ate his meals with the Baal Shem Tov.
Shabbos arrived and the Litvak felt a spiritual uplift from being in the presence of the Baal Shem Tov during the Maariv (evening) prayers. "My G-d," he thought, "everything they say about him is true!"
Then, while still in this elated mood, he accompanied the Baal Shem Tov home for the Shabbos evening meal.
As soon as the Baal Shem Tov entered his house, he became very angry at his servant and ordered him to the barn to save a horse that was being strangled to death.
The servant quickly responded, "Rabbi, I'm going right now!"
Suddenly, the Baal Shem Tov yelled out in a fit of anger. "Didn't you hear me? I said go now!" Then, the Baal Shem Tov actually raised his hand as if to strike the servant. The servant went running from the house to the barn and arrived just in time to save the horse.
The Litvak was shocked to see the Baal Shem Tov display so much anger. "After such a meaningful davening (prayer)," he wondered, "how can he come home and get so angry over a horse, especially on Shabbos?"
The next morning, during the Shabbos prayers, again the Litvak was spiritually uplifted by the Baal Shem Tov's prayers. But this time, the display of fierce anger by the Baal Shem Tov clouded his mind. "I really can't ever remember seeing anyone being so angry as to raise his hand to strike someone, even a servant. And especially on Shabbos."
Before the Litvak left for home, he couldn't stop himself from telling Rabbi Yechiel what happened. "Rabbi Yechiel, I must tell you, on Shabbos night when the Baal Shem Tov came home, he was so angry that he.." and he told him what had occurred. When he completed the story, he said, "The community in Lithuania will be very surprised about this behavior." As soon as he left, Rabbi Yechiel passed his comments onto the Baal Shem Tov.
The Baal Shem Tov responded with great annoyance in his voice. "Who are they to come here and judge me?"
"Let me tell you what happened," he said. "A Jewish merchant was traveling by wagon right before Shabbos. He was rushing in the hope of finding a village or inn for Shabbos. But before he could reach one, night fell and Shabbos arrived. He was forced to turn off the road and spend Shabbos in a field. Later that night, a band of thieves came upon the merchant and began to beat him. The thieves planned on killing him, taking his money and the wagon filled with his merchandise. This Jewish merchant was so coarse that I could only make contact with him through an animal. So I arranged for the horse to get caught up in a halter. Then, I frightened my servant, and the more I frightened him, the more the thieves were frightened. Finally, when I screamed at him and raised my hand to strike him, the thieves fled. This Jewish merchant will soon come here to see me and you will hear from him the same events."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in SHIVCHEI HABESHT and translated in In Praise of the BAAL SHEM TOV by Ben-Mos and Mintz.
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And Moses spoke to the tribal heads of the Israelites, saying: This is the thing that G-d has commanded. If a man makes a vow to G-d, or makes an oath to obligate himself, he must not break his word. He must do all that he expressed verbally. (Numbers 30:2-3)
This is what is written: "-Better not to make a vow, than to make a vow and not complete it" (Ecclesiastes 5:4). The Holy One says, Be careful making vows, and do not break them, for all who breaks vows will eventually transgress oath.1 And one who transgresses oaths is considered to have denied G-d. There is no forgiveness for him, as it says: "You shall not take the name of the L-rd your God in vain; for G-d will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:6). And it is written: "If you will return to me, O Israel . . . and will swear, 'As the L-rd lives'. . . ." (Jeremiah 4:1-3). The Holy One said to Israel, "Do not think that it is permissible for you to swear, even in truth. You are not permitted to swear by My Name . . . ." 2
Our Sages enjoined us to say before each mitzvah: "For the sake of the union of the Holy One and His Shechinah. . . ." This is alluded to in the verse: "This is the thing that G-d has commanded." The matter is as follows.
King Solomon said: "Better not to make a vow." But what type of individual is he addressing? If it is a person who does not plan on fulfilling his vow, obviously he is forbidden to make it, for he transgresses a negative commandment and a positive one, as the Talmud says.3 And if it is a person who wants to fulfill his vow, why is it better for him not to make it. The Sages said: "How do we know that a person can vow to fulfill a mitzvah? From the verse: 'I have sworn and I have fulfilled it, to observe Your righteous ordinances" (Psalms 119:106). King David also said: "My vows to G-d I will fulfill" (ibid. 116:14). And would David transgress this, G-d forbid?
Rather, with every mitzvah that a person performs, he fixes all the aspects of nefesh, ruach, and neshama, up until the highest point - the tip of the yud,4 which is hidden and concealed. If the commandment requires action, making that the lowest level of the commandment, a person must still fix speech and thought. If it involves speech, then that is the lowest aspect of the mitzvah, and he still must fix voice and thought.5
Now, when a person thinks about performing a mitzvah, he still has no fear of the accusation of the "shells,"6 for they have no attachment to thought. However, when he verbalizes [his intention] to do a mitzvah, then there are Accusing Forces to hinder the mitzvah, for the "shells" draw sustenance from the place of speech.7
Therefore, when a person wants to perform a mitzvah and must speak about doing it, making him concerned about the Accusers, our Sages enjoined him to say: "For the sake of the union of the Holy One and His Shechinah, in fear and in love, in love and in fear, to unite the Name Y-H and V-H by means of He who is hidden and concealed in the name of all Israel," Then, he has created the Unification of the mitzvah on [the level of] speech, voice and thought, up until above, to He who is hidden and concealed.8 Then he will not be afraid of the Accusers or obstacles to the mitzvah, nor from any selfish motivations [on his part], since he has uplifted all the vitality of the mitzvah, and lacks only the mitzvah's performance, which is the last level. Consequently, the Accusers will lack all ability to stop him.
This is what the verse says: "When shall make a vow to the L-rd your G-d, you shall not be late in fulfilling it . . . " (Deuteronomy 23:22). This verse guarantees that when a person makes a Unification before performing a mitzvah - that is "to the L-rd your G-d"9 - he can be absolutely sure that he will not delay in fulfilling it - that is, to also fulfill it in actuality - since he did the Unification completely. This is why the verse says: "This is the thing . . . . ." alluding to the Unification. For "this" is Yesod and "the thing" (hadavar) is Malchus. "That G-d has commanded" - that is, that G-d commands each person to do before performing a mitzvah, to say the Unification completely. So that, "If a man makes a vow to G-d," to do a mitzvah, he shouldn't just say that he will do it, he should make the complete unification.
This is what the Midrash said: "Better not to make a vow, than to make a vow and not complete it" - that is, not to complete the Unification, but merely to state that one will do the mitzvah. Because then concern exists about the Accuser, and it would be better not to have vowed, not to say anything, only to think about doing the mitzvah, so that there is no worry about the Accusers. However, if a person can complete the Unification perfectly, it is certainly better. He will not have any fear of Accusers, and in fact, will receive help and support to complete the mitzvah.
This is what David said: "My vows to G-d I will fulfill." Meaning, the vow will be with a complete Unification. For when the Unification is incomplete, it is called "breaking the vow," which will lead him to transgress an oath, which is the impediment to the mitzvah, which is a rectification of the seven attributes called "oaths." Therefore, one must be careful to complete the Unification.
Devorim Nechmadim, Ginzei Yosef
1Taking an oath involves swearing on G-d's Name. Thus, transgressing it is a more serious offense than breaking a vow.
2Yalkut Shimoni, Matos #284.
3Nedarim 3b.
4Although the Baal Shem Tov explicitly names the three lowest levels of the soul - nefesh, ruach, and neshama - he alludes here to still higher levels - the chaya and yechida. These five levels are alluded to in the four letters of the Tetragrammaton. The nefesh corresponds to the final hey, the ruach to the vav, the neshama to the first hey, the chaya to the yud, and the yechida to the small point at the top left of the yud - é
5The Baal Shem Tov divides each mitzvah into three components. When the mitzvah is performed with speech, such as prayer or Torah study, then that is the lowest level. The two higher levels would then be voice (kol - undifferentiated sound) and thought.
6Kelipot - forces of impurity and evil that oppose the performance of a mitzvah, by claiming that a person is not worthy to do it.
7See Likutey Moharan I:38,2, on the verse: "Sin couches at the door" (Genesis 4:7), alluding to the "door" of the mouth.
8Apparently, by reciting this prayer, one unifies even a physical mitzvah on three upper levels. The actual performance of the mitzvah that follows is almost secondary, and can proceed with obstruction.
9The conjunction of the Divine Names "L-rd your G-d" - Y-H-V-H Elo-hecha - corresponds to the union of G-d and the Shechinah, described above.
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light Of The Baal Shem Tov |
43. The Baal Shem Tov was once asked by his students, "Why is it that although we study Torah, pray and perform mitzvos and good deeds, our prayers remain Above, while your prayers and words are heard in Heaven, for we see that your supplications bear fruit."
The Baal Shem Tov answered them with the following parable.
There was a king's son who became lost, and found himself in a field of grazing flocks of sheep. He was very hungry, thirsty, and tired. A shepherd found him and invited him to his home. But the poor shepherd didn't anything to graciously host a person of royalty. So he took the cleanest and best piece of cloth from his knapsack and spread it on the table. Then he lay the prince down on the ground on a clean, white blanket. The poor shepherd had nothing else with which to honor the prince, neither bread to put on the tablecloth, nor a pillow to put on the blanket. But what he could do, he did with great honor and courtesy.
Later, when the prince returned to his father's palace home, he summoned the shepherd before him, and exalted him before all the noblemen in his Court. The noblemen then asked the prince, "Why do you exalt this shepherd so much? We always do your will in whatever you ask us."
The prince answered, "All the honor and prestige that I bestow upon the shepherd is only because he gave me a clean white blanket on the earth."
This is what the Baal Shem Tov said. Understand these words, for they are very profound. Shoshana l'Dovid, Tehilim 2 |
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HEART OF PRAYER
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov on Prayer |
11-7 The wicked are an adornment of the Shechinah because they cause the tzaddik to pray from the narrowness and bring about a union.
A bride is bedecked in various garments to make her desirable for marital union. At the time of union, however, "they remove their garments in physical intimacy."[1] It is written, "from my flesh, I shall behold G-d"[2] - that is, one can discern the workings of the Supernal from the various aspects of human life. Prayer is the Shechinah - the Supernal Bride - and the tzaddik is the bridesmaid. When he prays from the depths of his heart, he unites the Bride with the G-d of Israel. This is the Supernal Union. Therefore, before the union, he must bedeck the bride with many adornments. However, he needs to know which garments are the proper ones, for the tzaddik is like the fruit and the wicked are like the chaff. As mentioned before, the wicked serve as a limitation for the tzaddik in order that they cry out from a state of constriction. Thus, the wicked are an adornment of the Shechinah, because they cause the tzaddik to pray and bring about the union between the Bride and her Beloved. Then, when the union is made, the garments are removed and "all the workers of iniquity will be dispersed."[3]
Toldos Yaakov Yosef p. 149a
[1] Tikunei Zohar 66
[2] Job 19:26.
[3] Psalms 92:10 |
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KESER SHEM TOV
An anthology of Teachings on the Torah by the Baal Shem Tov |
Kst 86
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
It is known that the Hebrew letter aleph represents wisdom and thought, as the verse alludes.[1] With this we can understand the first verse in the Torah, "Breishith bara Elokim," which the Targum renders, "G-d created with 'reishith,' with wisdom," which is the letter Aleph. Hence, G-d created the world with the letter aleph.
For all of the twenty-two letters of the aleph-beit are "garments" for one another. For example, the aleph is hidden within the beit, because beit is numerically two - two alephs, each of which is numerically one. Similarly, the gimel is three alephs.
Thus, the initial stage of creation was with the letter aleph, which represents wisdom, meaning that everything was created with wisdom, as the verse indeed says, "You created everything with wisdom."[2] Hence, the spirit of G-d was enclothed within the aleph, with which G-d created the light - the ohr [which begins with the letter aleph], which is the Light of the World of Atziluth [which begins with an aleph]. After that, the spirit of G-d in the letter aleph became enclothed within the letter beit, with which G-d created the World of Beriah.[3]
[3] Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, Breishith #1 |
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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
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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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