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ORIGINS OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV
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OBST 12
In the last installment, the Baal Shem Tov continued telling the story of
Reb Eliyohu Baal Shem of Worms Germany continuing his study of Kabbala and the healing of the sick even after severe criticism from thre Tzaddik Reb Pinchas Zelig of Shpeier.
In those days, the three yeshivos of the city Pinsk exerted the most influence upon the Jewish community. Reb Eliyohu felt that in order to win over the Jews of Lithuania to his derech - his philosophy - he must "capture" the yeshivos of Pinsk. This was no easy task, for the yeshivos were under the influence and direction of great men who were rather set in their way of thinking and difficult to convince otherwise. Eliyohu decided that he had no choice but to go to Pinsk himself.
This decision was crucial, he felt, in laying the groundwork for the Chassidic movement which was soon to come. Reb Eliyohu was seventy years old at the time, but once the decision was made, no physical considerations could stop him.
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He arrived in Pinsk disguised as a poor wayfarer. He revealed his real identity to no one, and instead went to stay at the "Hachnosas Orchim" house set aside for transient beggars.
Even though he might succeed in hiding his identity, he could not hide the glow of his countenance. Anyone that just looked at him knew that he surely was a Torah scholar and an important person.
It was the custom in those times for tzadikim to go into voluntary exile. It was commonly known that that even though these holy men refused to reveal their names, they often conceded they were Torah scholars.
The news spread quickly throughout Pinsk that a great Torah scholar had arrived. As soon as the news reached Rav Naftoli Katz, the rabbi of the city, he sent two young men to query the visitor (Reb Eliyohu Baal Shem) and see if in fact he was a Torah scholar. It was the custom to provide more respectable lodgings to the Torah scholars that passed through on their travels, and the young men were to judge if the new arrival merited this honor. When they began speaking to Reb Eliyohu Baal Shem they were imediately convinced that this man was unique in his generation. They rushed to tell their rabbi, Rav Naftoli Katzwho. The latter prepared a suitable welcome for the guest.
The Rov, together with other local Torah scholars, met and conversed with Reb Eliyohu, and all were greatly impressed with his vast knowledge. They invited him to give a lecture in one of the three yeshivos. Reb Eliyohu asked the Rosh Yeshiva to speak first so he could see what style was used in lecturing. When his turn came to speak, he amazed both young and old with his erudition.
Reb Eliyohu established his residence by one of the honored people in Pinsk. The house swarmed continually with guests who came to hear him speak.
No one dared to ask his name and no one knew who he was except for the rabbi, Reb Naftoli Katz. Three weeks had already passed since he had come and he had by already acquired a circle of talmidim who followed him everywhere. This circle grew daily.
Reb Eliyohu now rented an apartment and began saying his shiurim - lectures - there. It didn't take long for people to discover that his way of study emphasized Kabbala. Slowly but surely, his talmidim became fervent followers of Kabbala. Now it became clear to the Roshei Yeshiva of the three yeshivos that they had lost their students to Kabbala and this disturbed them.
There existed in Pinsk, certain people who had fought against the derech of Kabbala their entire lives. They had been certain that it would never gain any recognition in Pinsk, and now this had crept in under their very noses. As much as they wanted to do something, they didn't know what, or how. The greater the opposition grew against Reb Eliyohu, the greater grew the number of his students. Many talmidim had by now left the famous yeshivos of the city to join the widening circle of Reb Eliyohu's talmidim.
By now Reb Eliyohu was no longer alone for he had gained a strong following in Pinsk. Whoever wished to dispute him had to contend with his talmidim as well. Thus began a heated controversy. But Reb Eliyohu's circle stood strong and firm in its beliefs.
Two years passed and Reb Eliyohu led his own yeshiva in Pinsk. Heedless of all opposition, he succeeded in maintaining discipline and decorum all the while. As his fame grew and grew, his circle of admirers and followers also expanded.
Reb Eliyohu chose fifty young men from among his students whom he trained intensively, instilling within them the strength and the desire to spread the outlook of Kabbala. These young men succeeded in influencing hundreds of Jews who subsequently became followers of the way of Kabbala.
To be continued. . . . . .
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story in Sefer Hazichronos by Reb Yossef Yitzchok of Lubavitch, Zal
as translated in Tales of the Baal Shem Tov by Y.Y. Klapholtz.
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THE PARUSH AND THE ANIMAL SKINNER
And then there was the time that the Baal Shem Tov traveled with a group of his disciples to a distant village where there lived a certain parush (ascetic) who was constantly engaged in Torah study, prayer, and other divine service, to the exclusion of everything else. The parush was totally indifferent to worldly affairs. Whenever he uttered any words of Torah, he added, "So I received it from Elijah the Prophet."
He was also an exceptional teacher who possessed a remarkable ability to clarify a complex Torah topic for anyone to whom he spoke, even the simplest person. Who could be more exalted?
In the same village, there dwelt a simple, uneducated laborer, who skinned carcasses for a living. This profession was by far the smelliest and dirtiest occupation there was. Who could be more lowly?
And yet, this man was sincerely pious and constantly recited psalms, ceasing only when he was working and his hands were unclean (it being forbidden to utter holy words amidst uncleanness).
The Baal Shem Tov took his disciples to visit the one-room home of this simple Jew. It was so small that really it was just a hut. When the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples entered the hut, he told them to close their eyes and to place his hand on his friend's shoulder, forming a circle. Then, the Baal Shem began to sing a niggun. The disciples were transported into another world by the haunting melody, and a Heavenly vision appeared before their eyes: The little hut was filled with the divine light of a huge crowd of angels. The disciples gasped in amazement that such a large group of angels could fit into such a tiny room!
Then, the Baal Shem Tov took them to the home of the parush, and again asked them to shut their eyes and place a hand on a comrade's shoulder. Once again, he began to sing a niggun, but this time his disciples saw a hellish vision of countless snakes and scorpions.
After they had left, the Baal Shem Tov explained to them what they had seen. "It is true that it's written in the holy books that anyone-- even a servant or a maid-- who performs forty consecutive day-time fasts and totally separates himself from worldly affairs will attain a revelation of Elijah thre Prophet. However, the sad truth is that someone can have a revelation of Elijah the Prophet without having a revelation of his own soul. The snakes and scorpions you saw in the ascetic's home were the demonic forces created by his arrogance. They were sparks from the primordial Snake. Having heavenly visions, even of Elijah the Prophet, is a lower spiritual level than having a revelation of your own soul. A revelation of your own soul means that you are totally authentic and live from your deepest self, your divine soul. What could be more contrary to that state of being, and more false, than pride?"
Later, when the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples returned to the home of the skinner and he served them a meal. The Baal Shem Tov instructed his disciples to listen carefully when their host made a blessing over the food, because his words, uttered with simple faith, split the firmaments and ascended straight to Heaven.
After some time had passed, the simple man died, the Baal Shem Tov returned to that village with ten disciples to honor him by taking part in his burial.
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Patent Attoney) from a story recorded by Maggid Yitzchak Buxbaum in The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov
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SEFER BAAL SHEM TOV
The Teachings Of The Baal Shem Tov On Prayer
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" . . . . . and Joseph brought [the brothers'] evil report to their father." (Vayeshev 37:2)
That is, whatever the world does without an awareness of G-d is an aspect of evil, for "the soul without knowledge [of G-d] is not good." But, Joseph would bring their evil report to their father. That is, he would bind them to their root.2
Degel Machane Ephraim, Vayeshev
1Proverbs 19:2.
2The Tzaddik, represented by Joseph, would uplift to his Father in Heaven all the deeds performed in the world without a consciousness of G-d.
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light Of The Baal Shem Tov
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9. THE Baal Shem Tov was incapable of speaking with ordinary people because of his devekus1 until his Heavenly mentor, Achiyah HaShaloni,2 taught him to recite certain psalms which enabled him to speak plainly without losing his concentration.3
1An intense attachment to Heaven.
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-a7 When a soul ascends, it is tested in each world to see if it is worthy to enter.
A human being is composed of numerous forces, each one necessary for another Supernal world. When their soul ascends, it is tested in each world to see if it is worthy to enter. If not, it is pushed out. Sometimes, the forces do this by sending extraneous thoughts. However, if the person is smart, through that very thought, he can cling to G-d even more. The thought is composed of letters, which are the "limbs" of the Divine Presence. These letters fell among the "shells" due to the primordial "Breaking of the Vessels," causing them to become arranged in evil patterns. This is like serving delicacies that are all intermingled. Although each one alone is good, when combined, they are distasteful. So too, these letters have become bad.
But when a person understands the true nature of the thought - for instance, desirous thoughts have fallen from the realm of desire,1 fearful thoughts from the realm of fear,2 prideful thoughts from Tiferes - and directs them to G-d, the person returns them to their source. The same is true of the other attributes, for each thought reflects a different Supernal attribute from which it fell. When a person attaches an extraneous thought to its respective attribute, the shell falls away and it forms a good letter combination as it is said, "They open the cords and the sacks fall."3
G-d has great delight in this like a king's son who has fallen into captivity. When he is returned back to the king, his father the king is much happier than if his son had been with him the whole time.
Kesser Shem Tov, part 2 p. 3a
1 Related to Chesed
2 Related to Gevurah
3 Talmud Shabbat 153a
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 34
"A person should always be accustomed to say, 'Everything that G-d does is for the best',1"A person should always be accustomed to say, 'Everything that G-d does is for the best',"2 as did Rabbi Akiba, whereas Nachum Ish Gamzu would always say, "This too is for the good."
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Nachum said, "This too is for the good," because he was able to actually transform the strict judgments at their source by finding some purposeful kindness in those specific judgments, and then everything was immediately transformed to an act of Divine kindness. The average person, though, who is unable to find the Divine kindness hidden in the source of judgment, should nevertheless always be accustomed to say in general, "Everything that G-d does is for the best," even though he does not understand how this is true.
As did Rabbi Akiba, whereas Nachum Ish Gamzu would always say, "This too is for the good."
1Tractate Berakhoth 60b.
2Tractate Taanith 21a.
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