OBST 13

In the last installment, the Baal Shem Tov continued telling the story of how Reb Eliyohu Baal Shem of Worms, Germany broke the hold of the misnagdim in Pinsk and then returned to Prague.

Reb Eliyohu resided in Worms for thirty years, where he led a yeshiva of brilliant and renowned scholars. In the year 1623 he left to settle in Prague, and took his yeshiva along with him.

Reb Yom Tov Lipman Heller, also known as the "Tosfos Yom Tov", was one of his students. He came to study from him in Worms at the age of forty and stayed for three years. Then he moved to Prague with his rebbe and studied the works of Kabbala.

The Tosfos Yom Tov, who later was appointed as the rabbi of the city and the surrounding area, became an exponent of Kabbala. In the year 1628, he was forced to leave the city of Prague because of false defamation, and he went to Cracow, Poland. There. he introduced the study of Kabbala.

d Around that time, Reb Mordechai Yaffe, the Baal Halevushim, also a mystic, was the Rosh Yeshiva in Grodna. In his yeshiva, both revealed Torah and mystic Torah were studied. Later, he moved his yeshiva to Posen. There, one of his students, Reb Yisroel Yossef, a sharp, brilliant and pious scholar, refused to learn Kabbala. Reb Yisroel was disturbed that he had no living children. As soon as they were born, they would die. He often wept before his rebbe, Reb Mordechai Yaffe, and beseeched him to pray on his behalf. The rebbe comforted him and blessed him that he should have living offspring.at that time.

In the winter of 1611, Reb Mordechai Yaffe became sick and felt that his days were numbered. He called his closest students to him and blessed them each according to his needs. When Reb Yisroel Yossef came to him he told him, "You are about to become a father. Take it upon yourself, therefore, to learn the Torah of Kabbala. Make a vow that when your son reaches the age of twenty you will send him to a great rebbe to learn Kabbala."

Reb Mordechai Yaffe passed away on the third of Adar II in 1611 at the age of eighty-two. His students dispersed, each to his own place. Reb Yisroel Yossef went to live in Zameshtesh and studied Kabbala as his rebbe had requestred. After several months, his wife gave birth to a son whom they named Yoel.

Yoel grew up and studied Torah. He married, and at the age of twenty his father decided that the time had come to introduce him to the study of Kabbala. He himself did not feel competent to teach his son, for his rebbe, Reb Mordechai Yaffe, had told him to send his son to an exceptional teacher. Reb Yisroel was grieved that he could find no suitable teacher and took upon himself fasts and suffering. Once, as a result of a fast, he felt weak and fell asleep. He dreamt that his rebbe appeared to him, telling him not to grieve but to send his son to Prague to study under the tutorship of Reb Eliyohu Baal Shem. When he awoke he told his son of his dream and of the vow he had made.

Reb Yoel had just now returned from a five year stay at Reb Yoel Sirkish's yeshiva in Brisk where he had been outstanding in his studies. His Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Yoel, was a disciple of Reb Shlomo Leibish who was a good friend of Reb Eliyohu Baal Shem. Reb Yoel, the son of Reb Yisroel Yossef, had been aware that Kabbala was secretly being learned in the Yeshiva but he had been young and unmarried at the time and so had not interested himself in such studies. But now that his father revealed his vow and his dream, he was ready and eager to begin the study of Kabbala under Reb Eliyohu in Prague.

Reb Eliyohu was already well on in his years, but he disregarded his age and sat as before at his Beit Midrash and studied day and night. He secluded himself in a separate room within the Beit Medrash while the yeshiva was run by his students. But despite his seclusion, he accepted Reb Yoel gladly and taught him privately, in addition to the regular studies that Reb Yoel learned in the yeshiva.

Reb Yoel studied in Prague tor five years, throughout which time he continued his study of Kabbala under Reb Eliyohu. No one knew how Reb Yoel in particular had found favor with Reb Eliyohu to be so privileged. Many said it was due to his capabilities, his diligence and his piety.

Reb Eliyohu decided to give over all the secrets of healing to Reb Yoel. Once Reb Yoel completed his study of healing, Reb Eliyohu instructed him to return to Zameshtesh. On his way, Reb Yoel stopped to visit his former rebbe, Reb Yoel Sirkish. They were now able to converse together in the secrets of Torah.

When Reb Yoel returned to his home in Zameshtesh, he became famous as a Baal Shem - a performer of wonders. During the pogroms of 1648-1649, he helped save several communities from annihilation. His methods were varied. In one city that lay on the banks of the Deniestre River, the Jews were forced to flee for their lives from the murderous horde that pursued them. They reached a ship that was anchored at the shore and managed to board it. But their pursuers caught up with them and held on to the ship. At that moment, Reb Yoel appeared and quickly wrote something on a piece of paper and fastened it to the side of the ship. It started to move and was immediately carried away by a storm of waves. The murderers jumped into rowboats to pursue the Jews but the ship was carried away with such speed that they soon gave up the chase and returned empty handed. Thus the Jews were miraculously saved by G-d through the help of the Baal Shem of Zameshtesh.

Reb Yoel gained fame in the world of Jewry not only because of the wonders he performed but also because of his day to day actions, aside from the Torah that he taught. He founded a yeshiva in which both regular studies and Kabbala were taught. He continued in the path of his rebbe, Reb Yoel Sirkish, in which he concentrated upon logical and intensive interpretation of subjects. And as his teacher had done, he too chose only select students to learn Kabbala.

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.

SERVING G-D WITH JOY IN SONG AND DANCE

It's well known that the Baal Shem Tov was a gifted singer with an expressive voice. He considered singing a service to G-d, for music touches the soul and produces an outpouring of the soul. He often led his disciples in song, especially at the Shabbos table. Sometimes he asked them to close their eyes and put their hands on each other's shoulders as they sang, so that they were all connected in a sacred circle.

He was known to say, "When you put your hand on your brother's shoulder, you physically express your resolve to fulfill the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself."

The Baal Shem Tov also danced before G-d as a Divine service. And he revived the circle dance among the Jewish people because in a circle all are equal; there is no first and no last.

Once, the Baal Shem Tov sang and danced with his disciples for hours on Shabbos evening after the meal. When he sat down to rest for a while, his disciples surrounded him and he said, "By means of music you can attain joy and d'vekut with the Infinite One, blessed be He. The holy Zohar says that there are heavenly palaces whose gates are only opened by song. But you have to sing before G-d and let the Shechinah sing through you. When you dance, dance before G-d. I tell you, the dances of a Jew are prayers and the purpose of dancing is to lift up the holy sparks. In a sacred dance, the lower rung of spirituality is raised up to the higher. The Rabbis say: 'In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a circle dance for the tzaddikim in the Garden of Eden. He will sit in their midst and each will point with his finger to G-d in the center, as the verse says: "It will be said on that day: 'This is our G-d, this is the One for whom we waited, that He would save us. This is the L

rd for whom we waited, and we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation!'"' I tell you, if we dance with real faith, we can taste now in our circle dancing that great day in the future. May it come soon in our time. Amen!"

One of his disciple said, "Master, some of your opponents criticize us for what they say is our excessive joy and our dancing."

The Baal Shem Tov replied, "I'll answer them with a parable. Once, a talented fiddler stood in the street playing in an ecstasy of passion. Many people gathered to listen and were so enchanted by his music that they began to dance, lost to the world. A deaf man happened to pass by and, since he couldn't hear the ravishing music, was utterly astonished by the bizarre scene before his eyes. Not knowing why the people were dancing, he was certain that they were actually madmen! The truth is that if he heard the music and experienced the tremendous joy and ecstasy, he would have danced with them! My disciples," said the Baal Shem Tov, "hear and see the song that emanates from each and every thing that G-d, blessed be He, has created. If so, how can they keep from dancing?"

Gazing at his loyal disciples surrounding him, all fastened on his every word, he continued, "I tell you, a Jew should always be joyful. He mustn't allow any opening for the evil inclination of sadness. Pious people consider sadness a sin according to the Torah; and joy - the joy that comes from seeing that everything is good - they consider a commandment of the Torah. The Torah says about the Holy One, blessed be He: 'There is joy in His place.' How can you not be happy, if you know that you're in G

d's world and that He's always near? You're like a king's son - and there is always joy in your father's palace. If you understand this and truly believe it, how can you experience any suffering? I tell you, the deepest truth is that there is no bad or evil, no sorrow or sadness, and no death. There is only joy. But not everyone can hear or understand this teaching. Just remember that the Torah says: 'Serve G-d with joy.' Just as the 'serve G-d' must always be, so too must the 'with joy' always be. You must always be joyful!"

And so it was.

Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Patent Attoney) from a story in The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov by Maggid Yitzchak Buxbaum

"And Judah drew near to him (his brother Joseph) and said, 'Oh my L-rd.'" (Genesis 44:18)

The Talmud says, "A person should always praise G-d first, and then pray [for his own needs].¹ Yet, in another place, the Talmud states the opposite view.² The answer to this seeming contradiction is that there are two separate opinions. The Ramban³ writes that the essence of a craftsman can be found in the craft that he creates.⁴ [Likewise], the Creation is compared to a snail, whose garment is part of itself.⁵ In all suffering, there exists a spark of holiness from G-d, although it is hidden within many garments. This is the meaning of the verse: "The seven maids chosen to be given to her, from the king's house."⁶ (Esther 2:9) When a person realizes that G-d is with him even there, the garments become transparent and disappear, and the suffering is abated.

This is what it means to offer praise first. G-d's praise is that His Glory fills the entire universe. "In all their afflictions, He is afflicted,"⁷ (Isaiah 63:9) - then, there is no affliction - and one can pray. When one knows how to praise G-d in this way, the suffering will disappear by itself.⁸ The other opinion says to pray first.⁹ In this case, a person's has faith that G-d is also there [in the affliction], so that he can offer his praise [afterward].¹⁰

With this, we can understand the verse: "And Judah drew near to him."¹¹ He praised the Holy One.¹² First, he said, "Oh my L-rd" - because all affliction derives from this Name.¹³ Then when he drew near to Him and praised and exalted Him, the affliction was annulled.¹⁴
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Vayechi

¹Berachos 31a
²"Rabbi Eliezer said, a person should first ask for his needs, and then pray." - Avoda Zara 7b
³Nachmanidies (1194-1270)
⁴Meaning, whenever a person creates something, something of his soul enters into and remains in their handicraft. Great kabbalists, such as the Arizal and the Baal Shem Tov could look at an object, and immediately know everything about the one who made it. Here, the Baal Shem Tov applies the principle to creation itself. Since it is G-d's handiwork, there must be a remnant of the Creator within it.
⁵Midrash Rabbosai, Bereishis 21:5. Just as the garments of a snail are part of itself, so the creation is not something separate from or outside of the Divine. It is part of Him, and His Presence is continually present within it.
⁶The "seven maids" represent the sparks of holiness that have fallen among the "shells" of impurity. The word maid, na'arah, is related to the word "to shake out," mino'ar, because the holiness found in these sparks has been "shaken out" of them, until almost nothing remains. However, these sparks yearn to return to their root. Thus, the verse from the Book of Esther continues: "When it came the turn for each maid to come into the king." (Esther 2:12); that is, each spark of holiness has a pre-determined time that it will leave the shells of impurity, and come before the King. (See Baal Shem Tov on the Torah, Miketz, on Genesis 41:1).
⁷The Hebrew word lo in this verse is written different than it is read. It is written lamed vav, which mean "him," in this case, G-d. However, tradition tells us to read the word lo as though it were written with lamed aleph, which means "no," in this case, "there is not." The Baal Shem Tov combines both readings. When a person realizes that G-d is present in all of his afflictions, then the afflictions themselves cease to exist.
⁸R. Yaakov Yosef adds here: "I heard from my Master (the Baal Shem Tov) that this is the meaning of 'You will establish their heart, Your ears will hear [their prayers]." (Psalms 10:17)
⁹I.e., a person who prays for his needs, without first praising G-d; that is, coming to the realization that G-d is present even in the affliction.
¹⁰In other words, even though a person does not perceive the spark of holiness in the suffering, if he believes that G-d is with him even there, he will eventually come to this realization.
¹¹The Baal Shem Tov reads Judah's words as not being addressed to Joseph, but to G-d himself. See Pri Tzaddik, Vayigash 1, by Rabbi Tzaddok HaKohen of Lublin, who explains that tzaddikim often address their words to the Divine Presence, even when they are speaking to other human beings.
¹²The name Judah - Yehuda - is from the Hebrew word "hodu" - to praise. As Leah said, when he was born: "Now I will praise G-d; therefore, she called his name Judah" (Genesis 29:35). And Jacob said: "Judah, your brothers will praise you." (ibid. 49:8)
¹³The Hebrew reads: "Bi Adoni." The Baal Shem Tov sees this as alluding to G-d's name Ado-nai, which represents the forces of concealment and strict judgment.
¹⁴I.e., Joseph revealed himself. Then, the very source of the their problem - the evil Viceroy of Egypt - turned out to be their beloved brother, whose intentions were only for their good.

11. A great Tzaddik who knows how to perform unifications and combinations of Divine Names can rectify what is wrong with a person just by looking at them. Through these unifications, the Tzaddik immediately causes the person to have thoughts of repentance. The Baal Shem Tov said that he could fix a person instantly by merely looking at them. But if the person stubbornly refused to repent, the Baal Shem Tov would completely remove the holy spark that needed repair from within them.
Toldos Aharon, Vayera

From DIVINE LIGHT by Tzvi Meir Cohn

9-a9 The impure shells ride on the words of your prayer.

IF you have foreign thoughts when you pray, G-d forbid, the kelipot ride on your words as thought rides upon speech. This is the meaning of the verse, "to the horses of the chariot of Pharaoh, I have compared you, my beloved."¹ Speech is called "horses." When Pharaoh - the foreign thought - rides upon it, then "I have compared you (dimisicha),² my beloved" - it would be better to be silent. However, "a word that comes from the heart, enters the heart."
Tzava'as HaRivash 71

¹Song of Songs 1:9
²The etymological root of dimisicha is domeh, which is related to the word dumiah meaning "silence." Thus, at a time when foreign thoughts ride on one's words of prayer, it would be better to be silent.

From HEART OF PRAYER by Tzvi Meir Cohn

Kst 37

The Baal Shem Tov taught:

The purpose of light-hearted conversation before Torah study is because human consciousness vacillates between a constricted state of mind, called "katnuth [immature] ha'mochin," and an expanded state of mind, called "gadluth [mature] ha'mochin." These different states of mind are alluded to in the verse, "The chayoth/angels run to and fro."¹ In order to rise from a constricted state of "immaturity" to an expanded state of "maturity," one can make use of light-hearted jesting, thus opening his mind to learning and coming closer to G-d.²

Hence, the Talmud³ tells of two saintly men who would jest with people in order to alleviate their suffering, after which there was coming together of hearts, and they were able to elevate them.⁴

This is also alluded to in the verse, "[Abraham] took his two youths with him, and his son, Isaac," for by using jest⁵ with holy intentions, one is able to elevate the years⁶ of one's youth⁷ with him as well.

¹ Ezekiel 1:14. This means that the angels are in constant fluctuation between proximity to, and distance from G-d, and this is mirrored in the fluctuation of human consciousness, as said here. The need for this fluctuation is so that the created being be able to maintain its sense of existence as seemingly separate from G-d, for if it were to come to the absolute realization and experience that it in reality, it is non-existent outside of G-d, it would indeed lose this seemingly "independent" existence and be swallowed by the Divine Existence. This spiritual phenomenon is mirrored in the waning and waxing in the physical world, as is evident from the moon's cycles, the waves of the ocean, and all the inherent cycles that we find at all levels in the natural world.
² Rebbe Nachman speaks profusely about how joy opens the mind and frees it of the bonds and constrictions of the normal states of consciousness, proclaiming, "It is a great mitzvah to always be happy!" (LM I 89; 222; 282; II 10; 24). Indeed, modern research has verified that a happy state of mind has very positive effects on the brain and hence on the entire body. But the point made here is to use this positive and expansive state of body/mind to come closer to G-d. On a deeper level, this very state of being is itself a proximity to G-d, as is for that matter any type of pleasure, since it is G-d's intention to provide us with pleasure, and all pleasures are in fact a constriction of Himself, so to speak, the Source of all pleasures.
³ Tractate Ta'anith 22a.
⁴ Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, Behar #13. See also above #8, and below #58
⁵ As known, Isaac's name comes from the root of laughing, and indeed, his mother Sarah gave him this name with that intention -
⁶ "Whoever hears [that I gave birth at such an advanced age] will laugh" (Genesis 12:6).
⁶ The Hebrew word for two can also mean years.
⁷ "Youth" here refers to one's immature consciousness.

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