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ORIGINS OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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OBST 27
In the last weeks selection, the boy directed his grandfather to meet Reb Yoel who showed him the path of repentance until he eventually became a Baal Teshuva and a complete tzadik.
The great tzadik Reb Adam Baal Shem, once saw with his holy vision that a certain Jew was destined to die in a certain city through no fault of his own. This fact greatly troubled him and he passionately wished to save this poor unknown Jew from the clutches of his oppressors. He traveled to the city where the evil deed was to take place.
The day after he arrived, he went out to see the city. He saw that the streets and markets were teeming with merchants from all over the country. Reb Adam asked some people he met, "What's going on here?" They told him that during the year the city was quiet except for these two weeks when there was a fair and people came from all over the country to buy and sell merchandise.
Reb Adam entered a restaurant and found some merchants sitting and eating. Among them was one merchant gorging himself, eating all sorts of delicacies and drinking expensive wines like a wealthy merchant.
Reb Adam sat down beside the man, looked into his face and said to him.
"Listen carefully. In another four hours you will die."
The man thought he was mad and didn't even bother to answer him. He ate, drank, arose, and walked out with the merchants who accompanied him to the main market.
When he had told them what the strange man had said to him they answered, "Don't pay any attention to that madman's words. Why it's plain to see that the man is a fool and completely witless."
To be continued. . . . . .
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Moroim Gdolim as translated in Tales of the Baal Shem Tov by Y.Y. Klapholtz.
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To know the true meaning of Purim joy, one had to go to Medzibush and spend Purim in the company of the saintly Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov. Many were the lucky ones who did. So great was the crowd that there was not much left of the Purim feast in the way of food or drink to go around. But there was much to drink of the endless fountain of Torah which flowed from the lips of the Baal Shem Tov. It was an experience which forever remained engraved on their minds and hearts.
One of the happiest of all was young Rabbi Meir Margolis. He was a faithful follower of the Baal Shem Tov, and on this occasion he had brought with him his five year-old boy, Shaul. Shaul was a bright little boy, with a sharp little mind and a very sweet voice. The Baal Shem Tov placed Shaul next to him and asked him to sing.
Shaul knew a very nice song. It was Shoshanat Yaakov, the prayer said after reading the Megillah on Purim. It was about "the Lily of Jacob (the Jewish people) which rejoiced and was glad, when all saw Mordechai in purple clad, because G-d has been Israel's salvation and hope in every generation . . ."
His singing was even sweeter than the sweet honey cake that the Baal Shem Tov gave him. And no one had to tell little Shaul what blessing to make over it.
When Purim was over and everyone prepared to go home, the Baal Shem Tov said to Rabbi Meir, "I know you have to return to Lemberg to take care of your community, but leave young Shaul with me for a few days. After Shabbos, please G-d, I will personally bring him home."
Rabbi Meir Margolis was very happy that the saintly Baal Shem Tov took such a great liking to his little boy, and he knew that there must be a good reason for his great teacher to want little Shaul to stay with him over Shabbat. If only little Shaul would be willing to stay!
When Shaul was asked if he wanted to stay with the rebbe, he eagerly agreed. "Yes, Father, I will stay, and I promise that I will not cry."
Shaul's father left, and little Shaul stayed. And the great Baal Shem Tov spent much time with little Shaul and taught him Chumash (Bible), as he had long ago taught the little children when he had been an assistant schoolteacher, before he became known as the famous Baal Shem Tov.
The Baal Shem Tov, at that time, did not want people to know much about him, so he could mix with simple folk and spread his teachings in secret. He loved children, loved to carry them to school, teach them to read in the siddur (prayerbook) and learn Torah with them. For he knew that G-d listened to the holy words coming out the pure lips of the little children, and he gathered them like precious jewels . . .
Spending time with little Shaul was to the Baal Shem Tov like the good old times which he missed so much, for now he had big children to teach, many of them great rabbis themselves.
On the morning after Shabbos, the Baal Shem Tov called for his sleigh and set out on the way to Lemberg. He sat little Shaul next to him, and took two other young men from among his favorite students to accompany them.
There was still snow on the road, and the sleigh glided swiftly along.
After covering quite some distance, they passed an inn from which came the sound of drunken voices. The local peasants were apparently having a rousing good time.
Suddenly, the Rebbe gave an order to turn around and stop at the inn. His students were surprised. What could they possibly do in the company of drunken peasants? Surely they would be passing other, more suitable inns on the way! But of course they said nothing. The Rebbe's wish was to them a command, and so they all got out of the carriage and followed the rebbe into the inn.
Holding little Shaul by the hand, the Baal Shem Tov stood for a few moments among the noisy peasants. Then he clapped his hands to get their attention. "SILENCE!" he called out in their language, which the Baal Shem Tov knew well.
Immediately there was silence, and all turned their eyes to the unexpected visitors whom they had not noticed before.
"Do you want to hear real singing?" the Baal Shem Tov called out, and not waiting for their answer, he added: "Listen to this boy and you will know what real singing is!"
Then he turned to little Shaul and said to him, "Shaul, sing Shoshanat Yaakov." Little Shaul felt that there was something special about all this, and he sang with much feeling. He sang as he had never sung before. The peasants listened with rapt attention, and tears streamed down their faces. When Shaul finished they remained as if spellbound for a moment, and then all of them suddenly burst out, "Bravo! Bravo! Wonderful!"
The Baal Shem Tov raised his hand, and all became quiet again. He turned his face to three young peasant children, who were about Shaul's age, and beckoned them to come forward.
"What is your name?" he asked one of them.
"Ivan!" replied the boy, a little frightened.
"And yours?" he asked the second boy.
"Mine is Stepan," replied the boy.
"And yours?"
"Anton!" replied the third boy.
"Now, boys," said the Baal Shem Tov, "meet little Shaul, who sang for you. Do you like him?"
"Oh, yes!" they replied eagerly.
"Well, then," said the Baal Shem Tov. "Remember, just as you feel friendly to little Shaul now, you should always be friendly to him. Remember that!"
"Yes, rabbi, we will," the boys promised.
The Baal Shem Tov and his party then said goodbye, and departed as suddenly as they had appeared.
The peasants in the inn were left speechless at the sudden appearance and disappearance of the holy man and his followers. But the Baal Shem Tov's students were also greatly puzzled by their rabbi's strange conduct. Surely there must have been an important reason for this, but what that reason was, they could not imagine.
Many years passed. Shaul was now grown to manhood. Shaul Margolis was a respected and honored name, for he was a Talmud scholar and a successful merchant.
It was the Fast of Esther and Shaul was hurrying home from a business trip. He wanted to be on time to hear the Megillah at the onset of Purim that evening, and he drove his horses as fast as they would go. He was also anxious to get out of the dark forest through which he was passing. Suddenly he had to halt. Three murderous-looking bandits jumped out of the thick woods, armed with knives and hatchets.
While two bandits seized him and tied him to a tree, the third grabbed the bag in which Shaul was carrying a large sum of money. "We are going to kill you," the bandits said.
Shaul pleaded with the bandits to give him a few minutes to say his last prayer to the Almighty. "Pray all you want," they said. "Your G-d cannot help you now."
Shaul said vidui (the last prayer before returning one's soul to , while the bandits were counting the money and dividing it among themselves. Shaul's eyes were closed and filled with tears. A vision of his wife and children rose before him. They would be waiting for his return, to celebrate Purim with him, yet he would not be there. He always used to read the Megillah for them at home, in case they missed a single word of it in the synagogue, and then he would sing for them Shoshanat Yaakov, as he had once sung it for the holy Baal Shem Tov. The mere thought of this joyous Purim prayer made Shaul feel better. Yes, if he had to die, he wanted to die with Shoshanat Yaakov on his lips.
The Lily of Jacob rejoiced and was glad
When all saw Mordechai in purple clad
You, O G-d, have been Israel's salvation
And their hope in every generation . . .
Shaul sang with all his heart and soul, the way he had sung in the inn for the drunken peasants when he was a little boy. When he finished, he expected a death blow at any moment, but all was quiet. He opened his eyes. There were the three bandits standing before him, openmouthed in wonder, as the peasants had stood then in the inn. He looked again, and suddenly it occurred to him that he knew who they were.
"Aren't you Ivan?" Shaul cried out to the first man. "And you, surely you are Stepan! And you, your name is Anton, isn't it?"
As he spoke, he could see that the bandits had also recognized him. Gone was the fierce look on their faces, and in its place there was sheer wonder and, yes, friendliness.
The next moment the three bandits fell on their knees before Shaul. "Please forgive us," they begged.
Then they hastily set him free and returned his money to him. "Go, in the name of G-d. There will be no more robbery for us from now on. You have made us different men."
Filled with gratitude to the Almighty for saving him from certain death, Shaul sped home. Now he knew why the holy Baal Shem Tov had stopped at that inn and made him sing for the drunken peasants and introduced him to the three peasant boys.
You can well imagine what a happy Purim that was for Shaul and his family, and how prayerfully they all sang Shoshanat Yaakov after the Megillah.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story written by HaRav HaChosid Dr. Nissan Mindel
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SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Teachings Of The Baal Shem Tov On Prayer
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"And with this, the maiden came before the king. . . ." (Esther 2:13)
This refers to the pillar [that ascends] from the lower Garden of Eden to the Higher Garden of Eden, which is created by the mitzvos, which are 620 pillars of light.1
Tzror HaChayim p. 38b
". . . . and these days of Purim should not pass away from among the Jews, nor the memory of them perish from their seed."(ibid. 9:28)
They will never pass away, for in each and every generation, they are recalled and re-experienced, as my grandfather (the Baal Shem Tov) said.
Degel Machane Ephraim, derash l'Purim
"One who reads the Megilah backward, has not fulfilled his obligation." (Mishnayos Megilah 2:1)
That is, one who thinks that the miracles happened then (i.e. back in time), and not now, has not fulfilled his obligation.
Divrei Shalom, p. 33c
1Rabbinic tradition counts 613 mitzvos in the Torah. There are an additional seven mitzvos of Rabbinic origin that make the number 620.
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light Of The Baal Shem Tov
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25. Sometime later, the Baal Shem Tov's cantor died. One Friday afternoon, within the Shloshim,1 his bass accompanist returned to his home after immersing in the mikvah.
"Hurry!" he said to his wife. "Call the burial society and prepare! In Heaven, they are honoring my cantor to greet the Sabbath but he refuses to do so without me." Then the bass accompanist lay down on his bed and left this world.
From the Manuscripts of Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac of Komarno
1First thirty days of mourning
From DIVINE LIGHT by Tzvi Meir Cohn
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HEART OF PRAYER
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov on Prayer
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9-d4 Break your foreign thoughts during prayer to attach yourself to G-d.
You should break your foreign thoughts during prayer or Torah study and attach yourself to G-d. This repairs the holy spark that is located in that thought.
This is like a person counting money whose son has been taken captive. The son comes to him and demands, "Look, you have the money. Ransom me from captivity."
Likkutei Yikarim p. 15c
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 66
"I searched for my soul's beloved, but I did not find him."1
G-d, the King of kings, conceals Himself within many different "garments," and behind many different walls. These include the thoughts that distract from Torah study and prayer, as the Zohar says, that the Light is surrounded by the darkness, as in the above parable of the King.2
However, for knowledgeable people who know that there is no place absent of G-d's presence, such "concealments" are not concealments for them. This is alluded to in the verse, "Our leaders - our Aluph - are bearable,"3 alluding that when we are aware that G-d - the Aluph/Leader of the world - is in all places and all situations, then all suffering is bearable4.
1 Song of Songs 3:2.
2 On the other hand, it is only because we live in the darkness, only because G-d conceals Himself, that we even search for the Light and seek to find G-d. This idea is included in the kabbalistic teaching that G-d's constricting the Light - the tzimtzum - was the greatest act of love on G-d's part, for without it, man would never have been able to find G-d.
3Psalms 144:14.
4Rebbe Nachman of Breslov is quoted as saying, "When we lose our health, Who is taking it, if not G-d? When we lose a child, Who takes him, if not G-d?" (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, Breslov Research Institute, p. 335-336).
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