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| Volume 6 Number 63 | Simchat Torah | 19 October 2011 - 21 Tishrei 5772 |
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BAAL SHEM TOV
DEUTERONOMY
Mystical Stories on the Weekly Torah Portion
Volume V
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 Simchat Torah. There is the continuing selection for the Origins of the Baal Shem Tov, a Baal Shem Tov story and other teachings relating to Simchat Torah 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 an easy fast and holy Yom Kippur.
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. 58 |
In the last installment, the unnamed genius explained to Reb Boruch Wiesner that he had wandered for three years on a self-imposed exile and two years in intensive study. During this time, he discovered the nistorim who presented themselves as simple people and always befriended only the simple folk.
After a while he met other wanderers, among them many great men and mekubolim who had. taken upon themselves suffering and exile. Others were simple, unlearned men. He heard many stories told about the nistorim but he had never met one, or maybe they had not revealed themselves. He told how he used to stay in the Botei Medrosh of the gravediggers which were usually on the outskirts of the cities and near the cemetery. These made excellent lodgings, for they were empty, rarely having enough people for a minyan. There he could study to his heart's content without being disturbed.
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 CANOPY OF FIRE
It was Simchas Torah at the synagogue of the Baal Shem Tov. After the evening, Yom Tov prayers, the Chassidim left the synagogue to eat the special Yom Tov dinner and then returned to join their Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, in the festivities. They gathered in the study hall of the synagogue and danced and whirled and twirled around in a circle for many hours while they passed the Sefer Torahs from one to another, sang the traditional Simchas Torah songs, and drank lots of wine.
By early morning, the faithful were feeling very b'simchah and some even a little shicher. They begged the shammos to bring up more wine from the Baal Shem Tov's wine cellar.
When Chana, the Baal Shem Tov's wife, heard the commotion from the study hall and the Chassidim pleading with the Shammos caretaker to bring up more wine from the wine cellar, she became worried that there wouldn't be enough wine left for making the blessing over Kiddush and Havdalah (brief ceremony to separate the weekdays from the Sabbath or Holy days).
So, she quickly went into the private study of her husband, the Baal Shem Tov, and requested of him, "YIsrael, go into the study hall and tell your Chassidim to stop drinking and dancing because we won't have enough wine for making Kiddush and Havdalah.
The Baal Shem Tov chuckled and said, "Chana, I agree. Would you please tell them to stop and go home?"
She immediately went into the study hall to give the Chassidim the message from the Rebbe. But when she entered the hall, she saw them still dancing in a circle with flames of fire burning above their heads in the shape of a circular canopy. She immediately collected the empty wine containers scattered around the hall, went down to the wine cellar to refill them, and brought them back to the dancing Chassidim.
A while later, the Baal Shem Tov inquired, "So Chana, did you tell them to go home?"
Chana answered, "Next time, Yisrael, it might be better if you tell them yourself."
And so it was.
Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story entitled The Dance of the Chassidim from In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov. |
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DIVINE LIGHT
The Mystical Light Of The Baal Shem Tov |
56. THE Baal Shem Tov taught:
When a person carries with him pearls and gems, he may be attacked by robbers. Not so, however, when he carries straw. Likewise, in every generation, wicked people and a "mixed multitude" rise up against the Congregation of Israel because they have whatever exists in the realm of holiness.
The Baal Shem Tov saw this trouble in the last generation and cried out over it. For because of these "thorns," and their strange and distorted ways, he was unable to fix the souls of the Children Israel by means of Torah study and Divine service.
Indeed, every Tzaddik and Chassid has an opposing force, which draws to itself all the rejected souls. At times, the wicked are able to overcome the Tzaddik. Notzer Chesed, chap. 2:4F |
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HEART OF PRAYER
Anthology of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov on Prayer |
13-6 Words of Torah spoken with fear of G*d makes its mark.
EACH word of Torah or wisdom spoken with fear of G*d makes its mark. The everyday speech of some Torah scholars also makes its mark, and thus, they do great things for G*d.
Degel Machane Ephraim, Chayeh Sarah |
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KESER SHEM TOV
An anthology of Teachings on the Torah by the Baal Shem Tov |
KST-108
"When all these things happen to you - the blessing and the curse - then you will take it to heart...and return to G*d."[1]
The Baal Shem Tov taught:[2]
We can understand why one would repent in response to suffering, but why does the verse mention also blessing?
This can be explained with a parable:
There was once a peasant who rebelled against the king, striking and stoning the king's statue. Upon hearing, the king immediately appointed him to a position in his government, and continued to elevate him higher and higher, until the peasant became the viceroy. But the more the king treated him nicely and elevated him to a higher position, and the more he witnessed the dignity of the king and the royal palace, the more this peasant was pained when he remembered how he had rebelled against this great and benevolent king, and that rather than punishing him justly, the king is treating him graciously.
But the king acted this way intentionally, for had the king simply put the peasant to death, the peasant would have suffered momentary pain and no more. This way, though, the peasant lives in constant pain for the rest of his life, and his pain increases each time the king elevates him, by causing the peasant to beat himself over how he ever dared to rebel against such dignity.
This parable is alluded to in the verse, "G*d is a G*d of vengeance. G*d of vengeance reveal Yourself!"[3] G*d exacts vengeance by way of His mercy,[4] unlike the norm for a human king. This is accomplished when G*d reveals His greatness to someone, who is then pained by realizing how he has rebelled against such a great King. What greater pain can there be?
This, then, is the meaning of returning to G*d in response to "the blessing and the curse." When a person sins and rebels against G*d - the Great and Awesome King, the Master and Controller, the Root and Source of all worlds - that person deserves to be punished severely. But instead, G*d grants him blessing. There can be no greater curse or suffering than this, from his knowing that he rebelled against G*d, Who only graciously blesses him with good. This person will certainly weep bitterly in pain for the rest of his life for his having rebelled against G*d.[5]
And this pain, which is greater than any punishment could exact, is itself the atonement.
[2]Toldoth Yaakov Yoseph, Bo #11.
[4]This is alluded to by the fact that the Divine Name of mercy is used in this verse.
[5] Reality, though, seems to contradict this, because the most fortunate and materially blessed people in the world are rarely the most righteous, and in fact, sometimes quite to the contrary. This is because these people do not acknowledge that their blessing comes from G*d, and they have no inkling of G*d's greatness. Indeed, the Toldoth (ibid.) concludes that this teaching only applies to an understanding person, but when the spiritual fool sees that he can act against G*d's Will without forfeiting his bounty, he thinks that either his bounty does not come from G*d, or that there is no difference to G*d between the saint and the sinner. |
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BAAL SHEM TOV FOUNDATION
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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