Before his death, the Baal Shem Tov called all his disciples to him and told each of them how to conduct himself and how to earn his living after his passing. He further told some of them what would happen to them in the course of time. One of the disciples, named Rabbi Jacob, was also the Besht's personal attendant. The Baal Shem Tov called him to him and said, "You shall travel to all the places where they know of me, and tell stories about what you saw when you were with me-- and that will be your livelihood." Unhappy at this unexpected and unusual commission, Rabbi Jacob mildly protested, saying, "What will come from this? How will I be able to support myself, wandering around telling stories?" "Don't worry," said the Besht, "because you will actually become rich from this, God-willing."

When the Holy Ark of God (the Baal Shem Tov) was buried, and ascended to heaven, leaving the living bereft, the disciples obeyed all the instructions he had given them. Rabbi Jacob travelled widely as a storyteller, telling stories about his holy master, and he earned an abundant living.

Two and a half years after the Besht's death, Rabbi Jacob heard that there was a wealthy man in Italy who paid a gold coin for each story that he was told about the Baal Shem Tov. He was overjoyed at this news, because if he went to Italy and told the hundreds of stories he knew, he would earn enough money not to have to travel for a year or more. So he purchased a horse and coach, hired a servant to drive, and made preparations for the long journey. It took him seven months to reach his destination, because he spent time in each city he passed through, telling stories to earn money for his travel expenses.

When he finally arrived in the city where the wealthy man lived, he asked the townspeople about him, and they told him that he was fabulously wealthy and his estate like the court of a king. But he was also extremely pious, and studied Torah and prayed the whole day, leaving his business affairs in the hands of trusted administrators. On the Sabbath, at each of the three meals, he asked to be told tales of the Baal Shem Tov, and after the Sabbath he paid a gold coin for each one. Rabbi Jacob inquired about the man's origins-- where he was from, where he was born-- and whether he had always lived there. They told him that he had arrived ten years earlier and bought the estate from the lord of the city, who was a minister in Rome. He settled down, and provided a livelihood for many Jews who now worked on the estate. He then had a synagogue built there, and the townspeople pray there morning and evening. On the Sabbath, most of them go to eat at his table.

Rabbi Jacob went to the mansion where the man resided and asked his servants to tell him that the personal attendant of the Baal Shem Tov has arrived, and he is ready to tell him many stories about the Besht, that he knows about firsthand, not through hearsay. So one of the servants went and told this to his master, who had him return the message that he should wait until the Sabbath, and then he can tell us the stories. Otherwise, the magnate ordered that a nice room be made available for Rabbi Jacob to stay in. So they provided him with a private, second story room, and that was where Rabbi Jacob stayed until the Sabbath.

When the townspeople heard that the visitor was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, and his personal attendant, they all gathered to hear his stories, because since the arrival of the magnate they had become accustomed to hearing tales of the Besht every Sabbath. When they were sitting at the Sabbath table, after having sung some traditional zemirot (Sabbath table hymns), the magnate asked Rabbi Jacob to tell them a story about the Besht.

But Rabbi Jacob suddenly and completely forgot everything he knew, and could not recall even a single story! Desperately struggling to jar his memory, he tried every storyteller's device he knew: he tried to visualize the Baal Shem Tov's face, or the city of Medzibuz, or various close disciples of the Besht-- anything that might help him remember. But nothing worked! He could not remember even one story, for, incredibly, he had forgotten everything that had ever happened to him. It was as if he had amnesia. Under the piercing gaze of all those at the table, he sat there struggling mightily to concentrate on anything that might lead him to remember a story of the Besht; he racked his brain to produce any detail connected with the Besht, but could not recall a thing; it was as if he had been born that very day. Understandably, Rabbi Jacob became confused as a result of all this. He was also terribly embarrassed, but his embarrassment did not help him. All the members of the magnate's household and the townspeople were indignant, suspecting him of having made the whole thing up. They were saying to each other, "This fellow came here pretending to be an intimate of the Besht, but it's clear he's a fraud and a cheat. He probably never saw the Besht in his life!" The magnate himself, however, was calm and said to him, "We'll wait until tomorrow; perhaps you'll be able to remember something then."

Rabbi Jacob was crying that whole night, and trying to picture the faces of the Besht's disciples or anything else that might shake loose his memory. Nothing worked; he had completely forgotten even how to begin telling a story of the Baal Shem Tov. It was as if he had never met the Besht.

At the Sabbath morning meal, after synagogue, the magnate again asked him if perhaps he was able to remember a story. Rabbi Jacob did not know what to answer, but he said to him, "Believe me, that this is no simple matter; nothing like this has ever happened to me before." The magnate was still patient and said, "We'll wait until Seudah Shlishit (the third meal), perhaps you'll remember then." But he did not remember anything at the third meal either, and he became despondent about it. By this time, moreover, all the people in the household were outraged and wanted to humiliate and disgrace him for mocking the magnate with his brazen lies about being the Besht's attendant and so on. All the townspeople were also furious and making nasty remarks about him in his hearing.

The righteous tzaddik, Rabbi Jacob, accepted all this humiliation with love and, in fact, was astonished by the whole episode. Although dejected and depressed, he tried his best to find some religious explanation that would make sense of these confusing events, and convince himself that it had to be this way: perhaps the Baal Shem Tov was angry at him, that instead of travelling to places where the Besht was known, he had gone off to a foreign country where they were not worthy of hearing such stories. He had many other thoughts like this, as he tried to find a satisfactory interpretation of what was happening to him. But the truth was that none of these pious explanations satisfied him; and that astonished him even more.

Overcome with grief, he prayed to God the whole Sabbath day. On Motzaei Shabbat (the conclusion of the Sabbath) the magnate sent for him again; perhaps he would have some little reminiscence of some sort to tell him. But he didn't. It also pained the tzaddik that people were constantly coming over to him and asking, their voices dripping with sarcasm, "Have you remembered something?" Rabbi Jacob went to his room and cried. After getting hold of himself he went out again. He thought, "Perhaps Heaven does not desire that I become rich, or that stories of the Baal Shem Tov be told here. But one thing I am certain of, is that this is no accident, God-forbid." So he decided to return home.

But the magnate sent to him again, asking that he wait until Tuesday and then, if he still did not remember anything, he could travel home. Rabbi Jacob stayed until Tuesday, but remembered nothing, so he went to his host to bid him goodbye. After being given a generous donation, he went and sat in the coach to begin his journey home. But as they began driving away, he suddenly remembered an incredible story about the Baal Shem Tov! He immediately told the driver to turn around and go back; then he jumped out of the coach, rushed into the magnate's house, and sent one of the servants to tell him that he had remembered an amazing story. The magnate sent for him to come in, brought him into his own room, and said, "Please tell me the story." Rabbi Jacob began to tell the tale:

"Once, on a Sabbath before the Christian holiday of Easter, the Baal Shem Tov was very preoccupied, and paced back and forth in his house. Immediately after the third Sabbath meal he ordered the horses harnessed and took three disciples with him-- myself included-- and we sat in the coach and travelled all night. None of us knew our destination or where he was taking us. At daybreak we arrived at a very large city, and the horses came to a stop in front of a large house whose doors and windows were all closed and shuttered.* The Baal Shem Tov ordered me to knock on the door. An elderly Jewish woman came out and yelled at us, "What are you doing here at this time! They'll slaughter you all! This is the day the Christians stab any Jew who dares to walk out the door of his house, because today is their holiday. They also cast lots, to select some Jew, to take vengeance on for their Messiah, if they find no Jew in the streets. Woe to the man who is chosen! They drag him from his house and beat him viciously, until he collapses, broken and bloodied. Yesterday, they cast lots and the rabbi was selected, because the Christians know that the Jews are careful not to be on the streets today. Now, when one of the Christians sees that Polish Jews have come here, they'll lead you all like sheep to the slaughter, and it will bring a disaster on us too. So flee the city quickly, while you can!" That is what the old woman yelled at us, weeping and sighing, her hands on her head.

"But the Baal Shem Tov paid no attention at all to her warning; he immediately went into the house and up to the large second floor, and ordered that his things be brought in. Meanwhile, the old woman's husband and all the occupants of the house huddled in fear against the walls, and looked on, no one saying a word, because they were terrified. The old woman came into the house wailing and yelling, and argued with the Baal Shem Tov. He did not answer her, but just pulled back the curtain from one of the windows, and stood there looking out. The old woman continued to yell: "Why are you removing the curtain?!" But he ignored her. The Besht peered out the window and saw that on the street, opposite the house, there was a large raised platform, with many steps leading up to it. A large crowd had gathered in front of it, waiting impatiently for the bishop to come and deliver his Easter sermon, because that would be the signal for the beginning of the pogrom. After a short while, the sound of church bells rang out announcing the bishop's arrival.

"The Baal Shem Tov was standing by the window watching, when suddenly he called me, "Jacob, go and tell the bishop to come to me quickly." When the people in the house heard him say this they all gasped, and trembled in fright. Then they all began to yell at once, "Are you insane? You're sending a Jew to certain death; they'll tear him limb from limb!" They cursed him bitterly, but he paid no attention to them, and shouted, "Jacob, go quickly! Don't be afraid!" I knew who was sending me, and I trusted that my rebbe knew what he was doing, so I went without fear into the street and up to the platform, and no one said a word to me!

"I said to the bishop, in Yiddish, 'The Baal Shem Tov is here and he wants you to come to him immediately.' 'I know about his arrival," the bishop answered, "Tell him that I'll come right after the sermon.' I went back to the house to deliver the message. The people in the house, meanwhile, had seen through the slits in the shuttered windows, that I had gone up to the platform and spoken with the bishop; they were stunned and could hardly believe their eyes. They hastened to apologize to the rabbi, but he paid no attention, neither to what they had said before, nor to what they said now. When I told him the bishop's answer, he shouted, "Go back and tell him to come immediately, and not be a fool!" I went back to the platform, where the bishop had begun his sermon. I pulled at his robe and told him what the Besht had said. He then said to the people, 'Please wait for a short while and I'll return to you.' Then he followed me back to the Besht.

"As soon as we entered, the two of them went into another room and closed the door behind them. After two hours the Baal Shem Tov came out, ordered that the horses be harnessed, and we left there immediately. What happened with the bishop-- I don't know. To this day I don't even know the name of the city where we were, and the Baal Shem Tov never told me. I haven't thought about this incident for a long time, but I remembered it just now, and how I was involved; it's ten years since it happened."

When Rabbi Jacob concluded his story, the magnate lifted his hands to heaven and praised God. Then he said to Rabbi Jacob, "I know that what you say is true, because as soon as I saw you I recognized you. But I kept quiet. Now I'll tell you the rest of the story-- because I was the bishop. Although I was born a Jew, one way or another, I fell to the lowest depths, and converted. My soul was submerged in a sea of impurity, but the compassionate Baal Shem Tov rescued me. I have holy ancestors and they begged him to save me. The Besht had come to me in my dreams every night and told me to turn back from the path on which I had strayed. That night, when you set out, I promised him that I would flee the city before Easter, because in my yearly holiday sermon I always reviled God's People, and incited the Christians, who did not need much prodding, to kill a Jew.

"However, when I woke up that morning, the force of Impurity became very strong, and I was torn; I was of two minds. The Baal Shem Tov had already arrived, but I didn't know what I wanted to do. Then I saw the enormous crowd that was gathering, and how when I took one step out of my house all the church bells began to chime, announcing my imminent arrival. My evil inclination would not allow me to abandon all this honor, and I went to deliver my sermon. When you came and called me, I wanted to give the sermon before my good inclination became too strong for me. But when you called me the second time, I was transformed and became another man; then I went with you. When I was with him in the room, the Baal Shem Tov gave me a tikkun (penance) and I became a complete baal tshuvah (penitent). I distributed half of my money to the poor, because I was very wealthy. I also gave one fourth to the king, so he would allow me to travel to another country, on some pretext that I fabricated.

"Then the Baal Shem Tov told me what I must do every year to repent for my sins, and said to me, 'The sign by which you will know that your sins have been forgiven and your transgressions atoned for, is if a man comes and tells you your story.' So as soon as I saw you I repented as much as I was capable of. When I saw that you had forgotten all the stories, I understood that it was because of me, that I had not yet fully repented. Then I did what I did, and prayed from the bottom of my heart, and my prayer succeeded, with the help of God, because you remembered the story. Now I know that-- praise God-- my sin is forgiven, and I have repented for everything-- praise God. You no longer have to wear yourself out traveling about to tell stories, because I will give you gifts that will provide for you all the days of your life. May the merit of the Baal Shem Tov stand for both of us, that we succeed in serving our Creator, with all our hearts and souls, all the days of our life. Amen."

*When the Besht travelled with magic speed, the wagon-driver put down the reins and let the horses go where they would, by Divine guidance. The place where they stopped was the destination.