Pouring Rain from a Cloudless Sky

The synagogue of the Baal Shem Tov in Medzhibuzh, Ukraine.

In honor of the Baal Shem Tov’s Yahrtzeit, which occurs on the first day of Shavuos, we present a fascinating story of the legendary founder of the Chasidic movement, written by renowned author Rabbi Sholom Dovber Avtzon:

On one occasion, the Alter Rebbe asked of those who were at a gathering, if anyone knows a truly amazing story of the Baal Shem Tov. [A miracle, that only he and no other tzaddik, had the ability to accomplish].

One of the elder chassidim replied I know of one such wondrous miracle.

The Baal Shem Tov would often toivel in the mikva, either before or after saying tikkun chatzos. Often this meant to go to the river and toivel in it. During the frigid winter, that also meant first breaking through the ice on top of the river, and making a large enough opening in it and then toiveling in the frigid water.

One such winter night, the Baal Shem Tov remained in the water much longer than usual and the gabbai noticed that the torch he had was about to flicker out. The fire of the torch, not only illuminated their way, but it also served as a source of warmth for the Baal Shem Tov, when he came out of the freezing water.

Nervously, he cried out to the Baal Shem Tov that the torch was going to extinguish itself any moment.

The Baal Shem Tov told him to take a large icicle and light it. The gabbai did so and it burned exactly as a regular torch.

That is indeed a remarkable story replied the Alter Rebbe, but that does not show the unique greatness of the Baal Shem Tov. The Gemorah tells us that something extremely similar occurred with the great Tanna Reb Chanina ben Dosa.

One erev Shabbos Reb Chaninah’s daughter sadly informed him that they don’t have any oil to use to light the candles in honor of the Shabbos.

Reb Chanina inquired, “And what liquid do we have in the house?”

She answered; “We have a measurement of vinegar.”

Reb Chanina instructed her to fill the container with the vinegar. He then said “The One who said that oil [has the ability] to burn, can say to this vinegar that when it is lit, it would burn and give off light. And indeed that is what happened.

True Reb Channina was of the greatest taanaim and to be compared to Reb Chanina is indeed an extraordinary accomplishment. However, that doesn’t show the unique greatness of the Baal Shem Tov.

Does anyone else have a truly remarkable story?

Another chossid said, I will say a story.

There was a wealthy Jew, whose only daughter was becoming of marriageable age. While there were many promising young talmidei chachomim in his own town, he desired to have an exceptional talmid chocham as a son in law. After much effort, he indeed found one such young man. The couple were married, settled down and were extremely happy. The young man learned in the beis hamidrash and grew in his learning and Torah knowledge. Everything was going as desired.

Some years passed, and the wealthy father-in-law began noticing small changes in his son-in-laws conduct and observance of mitzvos. At first, he tried to dismiss them as insignificant changes, and perhaps his learned son-in-law has reasons to conduct himself in this new manner. After all he knows much more than I do, so who am I to question him!

But as the weeks and months passed, he began noticing that he was taking off much more time from his learning and was seen in the company of others who were known to be completely non-observant. This was a situation that he was no longer able to ignore and pretend all is well.

So one day, he sat down with his son-in-law and asked him, what caused this drastic change. Is he perhaps unhappy about something or is something or someone bothering him?

The son-in-law replied, I am extremely happy and fortunate. Your daughter is an excellent and kind hearted person. She is the perfect wife, and you are very gracious to us. A man couldn’t ask for more.

But you want to know if everything is perfect, what caused these changes? I will tell you. In my learning, I began having some questions about Hashem’s ability to do certain things that our sages stated had happened. I noticed that some of the great commentators also wrote that these things are exaggerations. So I no longer knew what is real and what is being said as a way of a moshol (a parable or metaphor).

Whoever I asked either replied that those are dangerous questions, that one is not allowed to ask or gave me such weak answers and explanations, that they themselves admitted weren’t complete answers, they weren’t satisfactory. So now I have my doubts about many things, such as does Hashem really care about such minute details, for example, when you wash netilas yodaim does it have to go until the wrist and a drop off makes it invalid or it isn’t so important. And therefore I decided not to do it all.

The father-in-law was torn with grief. This is the son-in-law that he had hand-picked for his wonderful daughter, who is so proper in her observance of every mitzvah. Is everything lost chas v’sholom. No! It can’t be, he said! I must find a way to correct this.

Turning to his son-in-law he said, my dear son-in-law, you are much more learned than I, and if the great talmidei chachomim of the town couldn’t answer your questions satisfactorily, I for sure don’t have the ability. However, I am asking you one thing, please come with me to a great sage and allow him to answer and clarify everything.

Wanting to please his father-in-law, especially as he always has the ability to say the answer this sage gave, was not a real convincing or even good answer, he agreed.

The father-in-law didn’t waste any time, but immediately set out with his son-in-law to see the Baal Shem Tov. They arrived in Mezibuzh on a bright sunny day and the father-in-law poured out his troubled heart to the Baal Shem Tov and pleaded with him that he does whatever is in his ability to bring the son-in-law back to the ways of Hashem.

The Baal Shem Tov asked them to join him on a small journey. With the father-in-law sitting on his right and the son-in-law sitting on his left, they left Mezibuzh. Once they were out of the city and on the road in midst of an open field, the Baal Shem Tov turned to the son-in-law and said, “Young man can it rain now?”

Looking up to the clear blue sky, the young man replied, “No, it can’t as there isn’t a cloud in sight.”

The Baal Shem Tov said, “And I say it can rain!”

Looking up once again, the young man looked in all directions to make sure that he saw correctly and indeed there wasn’t a cloud in sight, not even a little fluffy white cloud. So he smugly retorted and said, “That is an impossibility! No way in the world can it rain here at this very moment.”

The Baal Shem Tov smiled and said, “And I say it will rain momentarily!”

A few seconds later the windows of heaven opened and a deluge of rain came pouring down. The young man was bewildered at this happening. Not only is it pouring from a cloudless sky, but the Baal Shem Tov’s wagon remained completely dry. This is truly miraculous and beyond human comprehension.

Being an extremely intelligent person, he realized why the Baal Shem Tov showed him this and didn’t try to answer his questions verbally. Far be it that the tzaddik was merely showing off to him his powers. It was much more than that; he had clearly demonstrated, that stories of our sages which are beyond human comprehension, doesn’t mean that they never occurred or are not real. There are many happenings that human intellect says one way, but in actuality they happened the opposite way – the way he thought was impossible.

Once this question was answered, he realized that all of his other questions and doubts were based on this premise. And therefore if this was resolved they all have nothing to stand on.

Full of remorse he turned to the Baal Shem Tov and beseeched of him, to guide him back to the way of Hashem.

Hearing this, the Alter Rebbe said, that story indeed shows greatness of the Baal Shem Tov.

Compiler’s note: the Mashpia from whom I heard this story continued, possibly the explanation of the greatness of this story is based on another story that the gemorah related about Reb Chanina ben Dosa. Of whom the gemorah says that Hashem calls him “Chanina My son”.

Once Reb Chanina was travelling and it was raining. Reb Chanina davenned to Hashem and said, “All the people who are in their homes are indeed happy and grateful; as this rain is needed for their crops to grow. However, I am suffering from it. I am becoming wet and uncomfortable in my travels. Hashem heard his prayers and the rain stopped immediately.

When Reb Chanina arrived home, he once again davenned. But this time he said, Chanina is comfortable, but everyone else is in pain, they need the rain. Once again his prayers were heard and accepted and it began to rain.

But what do we see, as great as Reb Chanina was, he was able to either stop the rain or cause it to rain. The Baal Shem Tov was able to do both things simultaneously. Such was his greatness.

I will conclude with the following; on the first year after his histalkus, the talmidim gathered and many of them related a miraculous story of the Baal Shem Tov that they personally were privy to. That night the Baal Shem Tov came to one of his talmidim and said, “My greatness is not my ability to do miracles, it is my yiras shamayim even on the smallest detail of a halachah.

May each one of us, strive to emulate this each on their own level.

The Baal Shem Tov Brings Back A Lost Soul

The town of Harki belonged to a branch of the Polish aristocratic Radziville family.
The owner spent most of his time in France and was rarely seen on his vast estates.
One of the young noblemen of the family, Benedict by name, had a very close friend in France named Pierre Louis, a young man from an assimilated Jewish family. He was, in fact, so alienated from his Jewish roots that he had no remaining Jewish ties at all.
When Benedict married, he settled on the estates of his wife's family in Russia.
His good friend, Pierre Louis, also married into a wealthy family, and settled nearby. The two lived a life of luxury and pleasure and were constantly in each other's company.
After many years had passed, Pierre Louis was widowed.
Now, with no anchor in life, he immersed himself totally in a life of debauchery in the company of the Russian and Polish aristocrats who were his companions.
Once, when the chasid Rabbi Nissan went to visit the Baal Shem Tov (the "Besht"), the Besht explained to him at great length the meaning of the verse, "Those who go down to the sea in ships and do work in raging waters": The phrase "those who go down to the sea" refers to the souls that come down and enter the bodies, comparable to the seas which cover everything, as the body covers the Divine soul within it.
"But there are two kinds of descent: in one, souls descend into the sea of life -- i.e. when one finds oneself within a circle of Torah. In the other, the souls descend into the midst of a raging sea without any ship in which to take refuge.
"Those Jews who descend into the physical body, but live in an atmosphere devoid of the light of Torah, flounder as if in a raging sea.
"Therefore," concluded the Besht, "it is the duty of other Jewish souls who `do their work in raging waters,' to save them, as they would a drowning man."
The Besht made it clear to Rabbi Nissan that he was referring precisely to the "Christianized" friend of Benedict, Pierre Louis, who was, in actuality, a Jew named Pesach Tzvi.
"This winter, Benedict will go hunting with his friend Pierre Louis and they will both visit Harki. At that time, I want you to read this letter that I am giving you, and then carry out all the instructions in it."
Rabbi Nissan was to inform Pierre Louis that he was a Jew, named Pesach Tzvi, and that he must return to his people.
Even if Pierre Louis didn't want to listen, Reb Nissan must go and repeat exactly what the Besht had said. The Besht assured him that he would be successful.
When Rabbi Nissan returned to Harki the town was buzzing with anticipation of the aristocracy's hunting season who habitually visited the area.
Benedict and Pierre Louis were staying, as they always did, at the home of the local priest. But this time, as Benedict entered the house, he tripped over the threshold and fell. The pistol he was carrying in his pocket discharged, and a bullet lodged in his stomach.
Pandemonium reigned as a doctor tried in vain to staunch the flow of blood. Riders were dispatched to neighboring towns to bring other doctors, but the patient's condition deteriorated steadily.
As news of the accident spread throughout the town, the Jews were distressed to hear that Benedict, who had always been friendly toward them, was in grave danger.
Rabbi Nissan now opened the letter of the Besht, and to his astonishment, it contained a prescription for treating Benedict's wound.
In addition, the letter said that if anyone inquired how Rabbi Nissan came to know this cure, he should say that he learned it from Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov.
On the second day after the accident Rabbi Nissan arrived at the house, saying he had a cure for Benedict.
The desperate doctor allowed the Jew to be admitted.
The Rabbi spread an ointment on the wound and also put some medicine down the wounded man's throat. To the amazement and relief of all, the cure took effect within an hour.
Only then did Rabbi Nissan approach Pierre Louis and ask to speak to him in private.
He related all the words of the Baal Shem Tov, telling him that he was a Jew, and must return to his people, but Pierre Louis was too shocked to respond.
It was in the month of Nisan that Pierre Louis arrived in Harki and came to Rabbi Nisan.
He had no rest since the day they had spoken, and now he finally resolved to return to his people.
Over the next year he studied and made great progress.
Benedict was quite sympathetic to his friend's return to Judaism, and as a gift he gave him an estate outside Harki.
As an additional display of good will, Benedict presented to the local Jews the land on which their houses were built.
In this manner the existence of the Baal Shem Tov and his circle of mystics became known in Harki.

The Power Of Thought

It was Rosh Hashana in the shul of the Baal Shem Tov. In the middle of the prayers, a snuffbox accidentally dropped from the pocket of one of the Chasidim. He bent down to pick it up, and unthinking, he took a pinch of snuff and inhaled it. The man who was sitting next to him saw the little episode and an accusatory thought passed through his mind: "How could he have done such a mundane thing here in the Baal Shem Tov's shul and on this, such a holy day!?"

Through his holy intuition, the Baal Shem Tov perceived this thought, and he understood the repercussions this thought would have Above for the man who had taken the snuff. Throughout the remainder of Rosh Hashana the Baal Shem Tov tried his best to annul the effects of the thought, but to no avail. The man stood accused before the Heavenly Court all through the holy month of Tishrei.

Finally, during the evening prayers of the last day of Sukkot - Hoshana Raba - the Baal Shem Tov managed to strike a deal for the accused. If the accuser would himself, find some merit in the snuff-taker, the snuff-taker would be forgiven. The only catch was this was not to be disclosed to either man.

When the Baal Shem Tov entered the shul that night he noticed that the Chasid who had had the critical thought was preparing to pray, but he seemed unable to concentrate his thoughts and he paced back and forth. He was thinking, "I wonder why tobacco, which is something people like to smoke and inhale, was introduced to the world. I suppose it is because there is some benefit to be had from it." As soon as that rationale entered his mind, he felt a rush of guilt and sadness at having judged his friend's actions so critically on Rosh Hashana.

On Hoshana Rabba it was customary for the Baal Shem Tov to make himself available to answer the questions of his Chasidim, which they would prepare in advance. That night, the accusing Chasid came to him with the question, "Is there any benefit to be had from tobacco and snuff?"

The Baal Shem Tov responded with his own question: "What are your thoughts on the matter?" The Chasid proceeded to tell the Rebbe his thoughts of the previous night, that there must be some benefit in these substances.

"I have a feeling there is more than you are telling me," replied the Baal Shem Tov. "Tell me what else you are thinking."

At the Baal Shem Tov's prompting the Chasid related the entire incident of the snuff which had occurred on Rosh Hashana. "When I saw my friend take so much enjoyment from the pinch of snuff on such a holy day, I immediately condemned him, thinking he must be a very coarse individual. But then, last night, I started thinking there was probably some redeeming quality about snuff, and I began to regret my negative thoughts."

The Baal Shem Tov was then free to tell him what reaction his judgmental thoughts had caused in the Heavens. "Your thoughts aroused quite a stir Above, and a serious charge was lodged against your companion. Fortunately, your change of heart has reversed that ruling, but you must resolve to guard your thoughts carefully in the future."

A Novel Audit - A Rosh Hashanah Story

With the approach of Rosh Hashanah as we close the past year and welcome the new, what better time for auditing our experiences in the past year so that we can better them in the year to come. Each one of us does so in our own personal way. Yet, there is something we can all learn from Moshe the innkeeper who employed a unique method of accounting.

The Baal Shem Tov's students once asked how to prepare for the High Holidays. He sent them to observe the simple innkeeper, Moshe. The students took a room in his inn, and waited to discover the answer to their question. At midnight before Rosh Hashanah they heard Moshe rustling about in the front room. They peeked out and saw Moshe taking down two large notebooks from the shelf. He sat down on a small stool, lit a candle, and began reading from one notebook.

The notebook was a diary of all the misdeeds and transgressions the innkeeper had committed in the course of the year-the date, time and circumstance of each scrupulously noted. His "sins" were quite benign -- a word of gossip one day, oversleeping the time for prayer on another, neglecting to give his daily coin to charity on a third -- but by the time Moshe had read through the first few pages, his face was bathed in tears. For more than an hour Moshe read and wept, until the last page had been turned.

He then opened up the second notebook. This, too, was a diary -- of all the troubles and misfortunes that had befallen him in the course of the year. On this day Moshe was beaten by a gang of peasants, on that day his child fell ill; once, in the dead of winter, the family had frozen for several nights for lack of firewood; another time their cow had died, and there was no milk until enough pennies had been saved to buy another.

When he had finished reading the second notebook, the tavernkeeper lifted his eyes heavenward and said: "So you see, dear Father in Heaven, I have sinned against You. Last year I repented and promised to fulfill Your commandments, but I repeatedly succumbed to my evil inclination. But last year I also prayed and begged You for a year of health and prosperity, and I trusted in You that it would indeed be this way.

"Dear Father, today is the eve of Rosh Hashanah, when everyone forgives and is forgiven. Let us put the past behind us. I didn't always do what was asked of me and You didn't always do what was asked of You. I forgive you and you forgive me, and we'll call it even."

Copied from MLC

The Cry Of The SHofar - 2 Rosh Hashana Parables

A parable from Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov:

A King had an only son, the apple of his eye. The King wanted his son to master different fields of knowledge and to experience various cultures, so he sent him to a far-off country, supplied with a generous quantity of silver and gold. Far away from home, the son squandered all the money until he was left completely destitute. In his distress he resolved to return to his father's house and after much difficulty, he managed to arrive at the gate of the courtyard to his father's palace.

In the passage of time, he had actually forgotten the language of his native country, and he was unable to identify himself to the guards. In utter despair he began to cry out in a loud voice, and the King, who recognized the voice of his son, went out to him and brought him into the house, kissing him and hugging him.

The meaning of the parable: The King is G-d. The prince is the Jewish people, who are called "Children of G-d" (Deuteronomy 14:1). The King sends a soul down to this world in order to fulfill the Torah and mitzvot. However, the soul becomes very distant and forgets everything to which it was accustomed to above, and in the long exile it forgets even its own "language." So it utters a simple cry to its Father in Heaven. This is the blowing of the shofar, a cry from deep within, expressing regret for the past and determination for the future. This cry elicits G-d’s mercies, and He demonstrates His abiding affection for His child and forgives him.

A parable from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev:

A king was once traveling in the forest and lost his way, until he met a man who recognized that he was the king and escorted his master out of the forest and back to his palace. The king later rewarded him with many presents, and elevated him to a powerful minister's post.

After a while, however, the man committed an act which was considered rebellious against the king, and he was sentenced to death. Before he was taken out to be executed, the king granted him one last request.

The man said: “I request to wear the clothes I wore when I escorted His Majesty when he was lost in the forest, and that His Majesty should also wear the clothes he wore then.”

The king complied, and when they were both dressed in the garments they wore at the time of their meeting, he said, “By your life, you have saved yourself,” and called off the execution.

The meaning of the parable is that when G-d gave the Torah to Israel, he offered it first to all the nations of the world. They all refused, except the people of Israel, who willingly accepted the yoke of Heaven and fulfilled the commandments of the Creator.

But now we have transgressed and rebelled, like the man in the parable, and with the arrival of the Day of Judgment we are fearful indeed. So we blow the shofar to recall the shofar blowing that accompanied our original acceptance of the Torah and coronation of G-d. This merit stands by us, and G-d forgives us all our sins and inscribes us immediately for a year of goodness and life.

Copied from Chabad.org

Matchmaker In The World Of Clowns

On one of the Skuler Rebbe's visits to Reb Boruch of Medzibuzh, he told Reb Boruch the following story:

"Once I was sitting together with the Baal Shem Tov when two strangers entered the room. The more distinguished-looking of the two men approached the Baal Shem Tov and spoke: 'We have come to ask the advice of the tzadik,' he said. Then he continued with his story: 'I am the rabbi of a small town in this district and I have come to ask the Baal Shem Tov if I should make a match between my daughter and this man's son.'

"The Baal Shem Tov looked closely for a full minute at the speaker and then shifted his penetrating glance to the other man. Then he replied without hesitation, 'Why not?'

"The rabbi looked surprised at the response and began speaking rapidly and nervously, explaining his situation. 'You see, Rebbe, this man is a simple person, not at all learned - in fact, he had been water carrier when fortune smiled on him and he became a wealthy man. Then, he got it into his head that he wanted to make a match between his son and my daughter. Of course, he realized I would never entertain such a proposition so he approached my children's teacher with an offer: He would pay the teacher fifty rubles in advance if he would come to me every day and ask me to arrange the marriage between my daughter and the water carrier's son.'

"The Baal Shem Tov turned to the rich man and asked, 'Is all this true?'

" 'Yes, Rabbi,' he replied. 'I knew that he wouldn't go for the idea right away, but I figured if he were asked every day for a few weeks, he would begin to think about it more seriously, and it might go through.'

" 'Yes,' chimed in the rabbi, 'I can't get rid of this pest. Every day the teacher comes to me with the same story about the rich man's son, until I really can't stand it any more. Nothing will dissuade him, and so I finally agreed to come to you and accept whatever verdict that you give. If you say I should arrange the match, it's as good as done; if you say to forget it, he has agreed to leave me alone.'

" 'All right, then,' replied the Baal Shem Tov, 'tell me, is this man a G-d-fearing person? Is the family known to be engaged in good deeds and charity? Are they honest, good people?'

"The rabbi could only answer in the affirmative to all the Baal Shem Tov's questions, for the rich man and his family were known to be fine, upstanding people and no one had ever had a bad word to say against them. 'If that's the case,' said the Baal Shem Tov, 'let's arrange the marriage now. There's no reason to delay.' They sealed the agreement, l'chaims were poured, and happy mazal-tovs were exchanged all around. The two men shook hands and seemed to be satisfied with the arrangement.

"When the men departed, the Besht turned to me, and said," 'That man would make a good matchmaker in the world of clowns.' He chuckled to himself and seemed to be amused at something I couldn't understand.

"I had no idea what he meant by that odd remark, but I intended to find out, so I left and followed the two men to the local inn where I knew they were staying. When I found the rabbi I related the Baal Shem Tov's statement to him in hopes of receiving some explanation which would illuminate the mysterious remark of the Besht.

"The rabbi listened incredulously and then with great excitement, cried out, 'Now I understand where I was in my dream! Let me explain. You see, not long ago I dreamed that I was traveling around in my district to receive payment from my congregants as I usually did, in the form of all sorts of farm produce. I arrived in one village and entered the study hall where I overheard a discussion which was taking place between the men seated around a long table. They were having a heated argument about some scholarly topic which, to me, seemed an easy question to resolve. I ventured to explain it in a simple fashion when suddenly I heard a loud voice from the back of the shul saying, "How dare this man offer an opinion in such matters? Why he's nothing but an ignoramus!"'

" 'In the next part of my dream, I was in a different village where the same scene repeated itself. Then, I went to another village where it happened yet again. In each town I entered a study hall, overheard a learned dispute, and ventured my opinion, only to be derided and shamed.

"In the last part of my dream, which was similar to all the others, an elderly rabbi approached me and said, "This ignoramus still doesn't want to marry his daughter to the son of the rich man?" I woke up completely upset and confused.

" 'Now that you have told me the words of the Baal Shem Tov, I understand the meaning of these dreams. In the world of dreams I had been made sport of so that my pride would be broken and I would agree to the match between my daughter and the rich man's son. Now I understand that the marriage has been ordained in Heaven.' "

How R' Yakov Yosef Became a Chosid Of The Baal Shem Tov

There are numerous stories describing why the great Rabbi Yaakov Yosef from Polanya renounced his initial opposition to Chasidism and became an ardent follower of the Baal Shem Tov. The following story is considered by some to be the most accurate account:

Early one morning, the Baal Shem Tov arrived at the marketplace in the town of Sharigrade, where Rabbi Yaakov Yosef served as the Rabbi, and began talking to the passersby. Soon his heartfelt words and inspiring stories attracted a sizeable crowd. Many of his listeners had been on their way to the synagogue for the morning services and stopped to hear him instead.

One can imagine Rabbi Yaakov Yosef's displeasure upon arriving at the synagogue only to find it empty, except for the shammas (attendant).

"Where are all the people?" he demanded to know.

"Honored Rabbi," replied the shammas. "A distinguished-looking Jew is telling stories in the marketplace and many people have congregated around him."

"Well, please go tell them to come to the synagogue immediately so we may proceed with services as usual," the Rabbi ordered.

The shammas went to summon the people, but instead found himself among those captivated by the newcomer's tales.

"I'll go there and call them myself," decided Rabbi Yaakov Yosef when the shammas failed to return.

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef neared the crowd just as the Baal Shem Tov had begun a new story and found himself listening with interest:

"There was once a simple porter who always began his day at dawn, participating in the early minyan for Tehilim (Psalms) and Shacharit (the morning service). After praying, he would toil for many long hours, finishing shortly before sunset. Despite his exhaustion, the porter would always rush to the synagogue for the Mincha (afternoon) services. He was careful never to miss the minyan and would stay on through Ma'ariv (the evening service) to join a study group for the simple laborers, appropriate to their limited knowledge and understanding of Torah.

"The porter lived next door to a self-employed, learned scholar who led a much more comfortable life. The scholar did not have to rush to services, since his occupation afforded him both leisure and peace of mind. His prayers were always preceded and followed by an hour or so of concentrated study.

"One evening, the two neighbors met on their way home. The simple porter heaved a deep sigh in envy of the scholar whose prayers and learning far surpassed his own.

"Hearing the sigh, the scholar smiled to himself, thinking, 'How dare he aspire to my level of service!'

"Years later both neighbors passed away. Upon his arrival at the Hevenly Court, the scholar's prayers and Torah study were placed on one side of the scales, and they weighed heavily in justification of his devout service. Then, an unpleasant smile was placed on the other side and the balance of the scales was tipped against him.

"In contrast, the porter's limited amount of study and prayers weighed lightly until his heartfelt sigh was added to them. Then, the scales tipped easily in his favor."

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef began to consider his own service and realized that it too was tinged with self-concern. Perhaps, he thought to himself, this story-teller could show him a new path of service.

From From My Father's Shabbos Table by Rabbi Yehudah Chitrik

A Change Of Fortune In Merit Of Charity

Many of the Baal Shem Tov's (the Besht's) ways might have seemed strange to an outsider. Reb Zev Wolf Kitzes, the Besht's constant companion, however, had enough confidence in his Rebbe never to doubt his actions. He knew that in the end -- even if it took years -- all would be for the best.

Reb Zev Wolf once accompanied the Besht on a visit to a certain simple Jew. The impoverished villager welcomed the Besht into his home.

"I must have a donation of eighteen rubles," the Besht requested. The poor man did not have this large sum. But, considering that it was the Besht making the request, he took his cow and some of his furniture and sold them, and gave the Besht the money. Reb Zev Wolf looked on silently while the Besht took the money and then departed.

Several days later, the villager's rent was due on his inn. He could not produce the sum and, as a result, was evicted by the landlord. The villager, seeing no future for himself in this small village, decided to try his luck elsewhere. He finally found himself a tiny hut in a different village with a different landlord. By selling some of his remaining possessions, the villager managed to buy a cow. The cow provided him with his sole source of income: he sold her milk and eked out a meager living.

Some time later, the landlord's cow became sick and her milk was unusable. One of the landlord's servants who knew of the new tenant quickly went to him to buy milk for the landlord.

When the landlord was served the milk, he commented, "This milk is of a superior quality. Tell the owner that I will pay handsomely for the privilege of being his only customer."

This incident turned the tide of fortune for the villager. Each day he delivered milk to the manor and each day the landlord commented on the quality of the milk and milk products derived from it. He grew fond of the Jew and began to consult with him about his business, slowly turning over to him many responsibilities. The landlord trusted him implicitly and appreciated the Jew's honesty, reliability, and faithful service.

The landlord's relationship and bond with the villager became so deep that, being childless, he transferred ownership of that village and the nearby city to the Jew. Feeling that everything was now in good hands, the landlord took leave and went abroad, after having given the Jew legal title to that area.

A few years later, Reb Zev Wolf came to the village of the new landlord collecting money on behalf of Jewish prisoners and captives. Reb Zev Wolf had already collected all but three hundred rubles of the sum which the Besht had designated.

Upon meeting with the village rabbi, Reb Zev Wolf questioned him as to why he was so festively attired.

"I am going, together with a group of the town dignitaries, to greet the landlord of this city who will be paying us a visit today. Why don't you come along with us? He is a Jew and will most probably be willing to contribute to your cause."

Reb Zev Wolf accompanied the rabbi and his companions. The landlord greeted the delegation warmly, paying special attention to Reb Zev Wolf. After a little while, the landlord took Reb Zev Wolf aside.

"You don't remember me, do you?" he began. Reb Zev Wolf could not place the wealthy man. The landlord went on to retell the story of his change of fortune. Then, he took out three hundred rubles and gave it to Reb Zev Wolf.

It was only upon returning to the Besht that Reb Zev Wolf understood the entire story. "The last three hundred rubles were donated by the village Jew whom you once asked for a donation of eighteen rubles. Today he is wealthy.

"Now let me tell you why I extracted that large sum from him when his circumstances were so difficult," began the Besht. "A change of fortune was awaiting him in the future but not in that place. It was necessary to bring him to the end of his rope so that he would be forced to leave and settle elsewhere. That is exactly what happened. The rest you already know."

Why The Baal Shem Tov Was Different

The Baal Shem Tov was so great that even many who were otherwise opponents of Chasidut stood in awe of him. One of these antagonists was Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Margolios, the Rabbi of Dubnow.

Once, Reb Yaakov of Kaiden told the following story: "I was a teacher in the village of Yanov, which is near Kovno. At that time Reb Chaim Mordechai Margolios was the rabbi there, and he owned several forests on the outskirts of the city. He used to come to inspect the woods, and on one of those trips he came to Kovno. Many wealthy and learned men came to greet him, and they exchanged words of Torah. I was privileged to be present and I listened to their learned discourse. At one point the conversation got around to the topic of Chasidut. There were some who spoke very disrespectfully of several of the great Chasidic Rebbes. One man even spoke out against the Baal Shem Tov himself.

"At that, Rabbi Margolios spoke out crying, 'My dear friends! Please do not speak in this way! I refuse to allow any negative comments about the Baal Shem Tov. Don't misunderstand me, I am as opposed to Chasidut as you are, but the Baal Shem Tov is different; he is completely beyond reproach. Why, he is considered as great as the Talmudic Sages, as great as the famed Kabbalist, the Ari Zal himself!'

"The people were shocked to hear these words spoken by their rabbi, and they begged him for further explanation. 'What was the Baal Shem Tov really like?' they asked. 'If he was truly so great, why was there such controversy about him? And why did he act so strangely, so different from the other great rabbis and scholars of his time?'

" 'You are asking very good questions. It is true that his behavior was at times very strange and his Torah interpretations were definitely unusual. However, you may not challenge his interpretations, even when they seem to deviate from the traditional understanding of the verses. He was a unique individual and he was given the power from Above to do as he pleased with his interpretations. I will explain this to you with a story:

" 'Once there was a great king who loved his only son very much. Out of his great love, he entrusted his son with the keys to his vaults where he stored all of his most valuable possessions. One day, the officers of the royal guard appeared before the king with a complaint: "Your Majesty, you have given all of your royal treasures to your son, the prince. We are sure that Your Majesty has done the best possible thing, by bestowing this honor and responsibility upon His Highness, the Prince, but we want to tell you, Sire, that with our small intellect, we cannot understand what the Prince is doing with the treasure. His arrangements are so completely different from anything Your Majesty has ever done before, it seems very strange to us."

" 'The king nodded his head in understanding, saying, "I have given my dear son all of my treasures to do with as he sees fit, and I am fully confident that he will not betray my trust. In his deep wisdom, he has a plan for all of his actions, and that plan is good and just."

"This," Reb Yaakov concluded, "was how Rabbi Margolios described the greatness of the Baal Shem Tov, whom G-d entrusted with His greatest treasures of the Torah."

***

The Rabbi of Kadinov used to say that the main goal of the Baal Shem Tov was to learn the Divine service that would exist in the Era of Moshiach. From the time of the Baal Shem Tov onward, the spark of Moshiach began to burn in the souls of the leaders of the generations.

This is how we can understand the verse in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 96), "The last two thousand years of the world will be the era of Moshiach." The word thousands in Hebrew is "alafim," which can also be connected to the title "aluf chochma," which translates, "teacher of wisdom." The Baal Shem Tov taught himself the special wisdom which will characterize the Era of Moshiach - Chasidut - which consists of the two basic doctrines of humility and joy.

***

One day a childless woman came to the Baal Shem Tov weeping and beseeching him for a blessing. He promised her a son; however, since she was truly unable to bear a child, and his promise disturbed the natural course of events, he was punished. The verdict was that he would lose his portion in the World to Come.

When the Baal Shem Tov heard this sentence pronounced upon him, he rejoiced, for he would now be able to serve his Creator without possibility of reward. His decision to now continue his Divine service for entirely pure motives elevated his soul to the most sublime heights. Then, he was told by his teacher, the prophet Achiya Hashiloni that this had all been a test given to him in order to achieve spiritual perfection.

The Birth Of The Alter Rebbe

Baruch and his wife, Rivka, were followers of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chasidic movement. When they had been married for a year and were still not blessed with a child, they went to see the Baal Shem Tov during the month of Elul to ask for his blessing.

At his birthday celebration on the 18th of Elul, the Baal Shem Tov blessed Baruch and Rivka, saying that within the year they would have a son. The young couple remained with the Baal Shem Tov in Miedzibosz for the High Holidays. Before departing for home they were privileged to have an audience with the Baal Shem Tov once again. When the Baal Shem Tov repeated his blessing, Rivka fervently promised that she would consecrate her son to the dissemination of Torah and the Chasidic way of life as taught by the Baal Shem Tov.

Rivka was quite a learned women and decided to intensify her Torah studies. She asked Devora Leah, her learned sister-in-law for guidance as to prayer and study during her anticipated pregnancy.

Six months later, Baruch went to Miedzibosz again to inform the Baal Shem Tov that his wife was pregnant. The Baal Shem Tov wished him "mazel tov" and gave him certain instructions to convey to his wife. Baruch left for home in a blissful frame of mind.

On the 18th day of Elul that year, the Baal Shem Tov displayed an extraordinary elation. He personally led the prayers, which he chanted joyously. It was clear that the Baal Shem Tov was observing the day in an even more festive manner than was customary for his birthday. During the repast which followed the prayers, the Baal Shem Tov told his disciples:

"Today, a new soul descended to earth, a soul which will illuminate the world with the revealed and esoteric teachings of the Torah, and will successfully disseminate the Chasidic way with selfless dedication, preparing the way for the arrival of Moshiach."

On the 25th day of Elul the Baal Shem Tov arranged a feast. Three days later, on Shabbat, he again gave a discourse and was in an extremely elated frame of mind. All of this represented a mystery to his disciples.

What the Baal Shem Tov's disciples witnessed in those days was nothing less than their Rebbe celebrating the birth of Baruch and Rivka's first child, Shneur Zalman, his circumcision, and the critical third day after the circumcision. Moreover, the various discourses which the Baal Shem Tov delivered on those occasions were connected with the newborn's destiny.

For Yom Kippur that year, Baruch came to the Baal Shem Tov. He had been cautioned not to tell anybody about the birth of his son. Again, before leaving for home, he received from the Baal Shem Tov a set of instructions concerning the child, and the careful watch which was to be kept over him at all times.

The following year Baruch came, as usual, to the Baal Shem Tov for the High Holidays. The Baal Shem Tov inquired about the little boy in great detail, and repeated his admonition to take special care of the child.

After Sukot, when Baruch was ready to leave for home, the Baal Shem Tov again counseled him to shelter the boy, and not to boast about his cleverness nor even to repeat ingenious comments Shneur Zalman might make.

Another year passed. Once again Baruch made his annual pilgrimage to Miedzibosz. Baruch reported to the Baal Shem Tov that, upon returning home from Miedzibosz after Sukot the previous year, his had wife told him that there was a noticeable change in Shneur Zalman. His speech and vocabulary, which were already extraordinary, had considerably improved. They had discovered that the young child had an amazing memory, and whatever he heard once, he never forgot. The Baal Shem Tov gave Baruch further instructions concerning the child. Baruch requested permission to bring Shneur Zalman to the Baal Shem Tov on his third birthday for the traditional first haircut and the Baal Shem Tov agreed. He told Baruch that Shneur Zalman should be brought by his mother and his aunt Devora Leah, on the 18th of Elul, after the morning prayers.

Arriving home, Baruch found that his son had made further strides during his absence from home. Little Shneur Zalman could now recite many Psalms by heart, and his memory and mental grasp were astonishing.

As prearranged, Rivka and Devora Leah brought Shneur Zalman on his third birthday, to the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov cut off a few locks of hair, leaving peyot (side locks) according to custom, and he blessed him.

All the way home, little Shneur Zalman kept asking his mother who the elderly Jew was who had cut his hair. "That was Zaide," was her reply. Little did he then know that some day he would come to regard the Baal Shem Tov as his "grandfather" in a very real sense, namely, as the Rebbe of his Rebbe, the Maggid of Miezricz. However, the Baal Shem Tov, for reasons best known to himself, kept himself out of direct contact with Shneur Zalman. He did not permit Baruch to take his son with him on subsequent visits to Miedzibosz and he enjoined Shneur Zalman's teacher from telling him anything about the Baal Shem Tov until he was 15 years old. "Shneur Zalman is not destined to be my disciple," the Baal Shem Tov said. "He belongs to my successor."

Adapted from Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Kehot Publication Society

Once, when the Baal Shem Tov was delivering a Torah discourse to a gathering of his disciples there was a knock on the door. The disciples were annoyed to see a peasant standing at the threshold with a wheelbarrow full of various sorts of tools.

"Do any of you gentlemen need anything fixed?" he inquired, oblivious to their stares. "Perhaps your chairs need a bit of tightening or your tables need a sanding or maybe the chimney needs bricking?"

"No, there is nothing which needs to be done," one of the Besht's followers answered curtly, wanting nothing more than to return to his learning.

"No, nothing requires fixing," chimed in the others, all growing more and more impatient by the second. "You can go on your way, there is nothing to be done here."

But the peasant was a tenacious fellow, and he refused to take "no" for an answer. "It's impossible that everything is perfect! Surely there is something that needs doing."

The Baal Shem Tov interrupted his speech and addressed his students. "Many times I have told you that nothing happens in the world simply by chance. From every word and every incident you can learn something to strengthen and improve your service to the One Above. The words of this peasant should speak to the heart of each and every one of us! How deep and meaningful they are, for how can we say that everything is perfect with each of us? If we only look into our hearts and souls we all will find something which cries out to be 'fixed,' some defect in us which is waiting for us to make the necessary repair."

The Bar Mitzvah on a farm

It was a chilly, windy day when the Baal Shem Tov stepped into his carriage, and as was his custom, allowed the horses to run as they would, invariably bringing their master to some small village or hamlet where the Tzadik would bring his fiery enthusiasm for G-d to his fellow Jews.

In what seemed like no time, the horses stopped in a tiny hamlet, buried in the midst of a dense forest and surrounded by tilled fields. The Jews of this place were a hard-working lot, ignorant of Torah, able to steal just a few minutes a day to devote to their prayers, most of which they didn't understand. The Baal Shem Tov was filled with love and compassion for these Jews, and so he made these journeys to bring them a spiritual light to their eyes and turn their thoughts to G-d.

There was only one villager who was a cut above, and he was a wealthy landowner, who, it turned out, was celebrating his son's Bar Mitzva just that very day. When the father of the boy heard that the famous Tzadik had arrived, he quickly harnessed his wagon and came to escort him to the grand celebration.

The Baal Shem Tov was seated at the head of the table and welcomed with great honor. But his attention riveted to the wrinkled faces and worn hands of the Jewish peasants who had also come to join the party. The Baal Shem Tov began to speak and the wondrous tales and parables of the Medrash he told held his audience spellbound. Then he began singing in his melodious voice, the lovely Carpathian tunes sung by the local shepherd boys as they pastured their flocks on the mountainsides. The change which could be detected in the sad and exhausted faces of the laborers, the tears which trickled down their wrinkled cheeks, were touching to behold.

The wealthy landowner perceived the scene very differently. Why was the guest of honor devoting himself entirely to these unlettered peasants and paying no attention to me, he thought. He decided he would avenge himself on the Baal Shem Tov, and with this in mind announced, "My dear friends, I want you to know that the highlight of this celebration will be a speech which my son, the Bar Mitzva boy, will deliver in the presence of our most esteemed guest, the rabbi of a nearby town, who will be here with his party. Only before such a prominent rav is it fitting to deliver his discourse."

The Baal Shem Tov was not oblivious to the insult, but he did not acknowledge it. Rather, he engaged the Bar Mitzva boy in conversation about various spiritual matters.

As he spoke, his spiritual gaze wandered afield to a faraway place beyond the green fields and forests of the village.

Suddenly the Baal Shem Tov broke out into a burst of joyous laughter which seemed to engulf his entire being and spread to every man and woman in the room. Soon, not only the Baal Shem Tov was laughing, but the whole room was filled with joy and laughter -- the people, the objects and even farm animals outside joined in his unbounded joy.

In the midst of all this laughter, the sound of carriage wheels grinding to a halt could be heard from the courtyard. It was the wealthy master of the feast who had just arrived with the rabbi of the nearby town, the much awaited guest of honor.

As they approached, they were astonished to hear peals of laughter which emitted from the hall. "What has happened here?" the wealthy landowner asked.

When silence was restored, the Baal Shem Tov began his explanation:

"Far away from here, in a lonely hamlet, there lives a widow and her only son. Today, he too is becoming a Bar Mitzva, and although he knows nothing about Torah and has never lived among Jews, he has a pair of tefilin left to him by his father.

"He put on the tefilin and his mother explained to him the tradition of going to the synagogue to be called up to the Torah. But, alas the poor lad had no way to fulfill this custom. He walked out to the barn and gathered all his beloved animals, which he cared for so devotedly and he formed them into a 'minyan.' Then he announced in a loud voice, 'Today I am a Bar Mitzva!' The animals responded to his words with a cacophony of 'moos,' 'neighs,' and 'clucks.' When the heavenly hosts beheld this strange but touching Bar Mitzva celebration, they laughed so heartily that their laughter echoed through the universe until it reached the Holy Throne of G-d where it provoked great Divine Joy.

"And so, concluded the Baal Shem Tov, it is now a propitious time to hear the discourse of the Bar Mitzva boy, for now, the Gates of Heaven are open."

Nothing Is Free

A man once came to the Baal Shem Tov and poured out his heart: "Rebbe!" he cried, "I don't understand what is happening to me. A while ago, I decided to dedicate myself to the service of the Almighty, and I immediately found myself invigorated with spiritual life: when I prayed, my soul soared in ecstasy; when I studied Torah, the gates of wisdom opened before me; when I did a mitzva, I was suffused with a wonderful joy. But soon after, I lost it all. My prayers are dry. When I try to study, I stare for hours at the page without comprehending a word. My deeds have become mechanical and devoid of meaning. Rebbe, what happened?"

"Let me tell you a story," said the Baal Shem Tov. "A man once entered a shop in which all types of delicacies were displayed. He noticed that people were partaking of the food free of charge, with the consent and encouragement of the shopkeeper. So, he decided that he, too, should take advantage of the shopkeeper's generosity. After sampling each dish on the counter, he served himself a generous helping of a particularly appealing food.

"'Wait a minute, my friend,' objected the shopkeeper. 'That'll be 50 kopecks.'

"'But I don't understand,' said the surprised customer. 'Why are you suddenly demanding payment? Up until now, you allowed me to eat for free!"

"'Only because it is in my interest that people sample my wares," replied the shopkeeper, "so that they may learn how desirable they are. But after you have already tasted them and have appreciated their worth, it's time to start paying for your pleasure."'

"Nothing worthwhile in life is free of charge," concluded the Baal Shem Tov, "particularly in matters of the spirit. The sublime pleasures of divine service can be acquired only with the currency of perseverance and toil. Nevertheless, the Almighty offers a free 'taste' of His intimacy to all who seek Him with a true heart. But once one has sampled these heavenly wares, it's time to get to work."

Reprinted from The Week in Review, published by V.H.H.

Horses don't see Eliyahu!

A man once complained to the Baal Shem Tov: "I saw written in a holy book that if a person refrains from speaking of trivial matters for forty days, and abstain from all material pleasures for that same period, he will merit that the prophet Elijah will reveal himself to him and teach him the secrets of creation.

"Well, I did exactly that. For forty days I ate only hard bread and water, deprived myself of sleep and in other ways afflicted myself. Above all, I guarded my tongue and spoke of no worldly matters. Yet, the prophet Elijah did not appear!" "Come with me," said the Baal Shem Tov.

They went out into the courtyard, where the Baal Shem Tov led the way to his stables. "You see that fellow over there?" he said to his visitor. "For the last forty days, he hasn't spoken of trivial matters. In addition, he leads an extremely ascetic existence. He hardly sleeps and subsists only on hay and water. He even walks around with nails in his shoes. Nevertheless, he has yet to receive a visit from Elijah. Because, unfortunately, he's still a horse!"

Mind Your Own Business

One day, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov summoned one of his Chasidim and asked him: "Do you want to learn how to be a pious man?" "Yes, Rebbe," said the Chasid.

"In the city of Odessa, in a narrow lane in the harbor district, there lives a certain longshoreman. Go stay with him -- from him you will learn the meaning of piety."

The Chasid traveled to Odessa and located the man the Baal Shem Tov had described. The man accepted the Chasid's offer of a modest sum in return for a few weeks' lodging, and the Chasid settled in to observe the conduct of his pious host.

But if the visitor expected long hours of prayer each morning, followed by study by candlelight through the night, he was disappointed. His host proved a simple, unlettered Jew, who arose early each morning, prayed simply and quickly, and went off to work at the docks. In the evening, he would return, recite the evening prayers, eat his simple meal, and go to sleep. Thus, the Chasid spent the better part of the week growing no wiser and considerably more bored with each passing day.

The dock worker's garret consisted of a single dim room, sparsely furnished, its only window, a small pane set high in the wall. One day, while his host was away at work, the restless and curious Chasid climbed up onto a table to look out the window. To his dismay, he found himself looking out into a backyard where all sorts of criminal activities seemed to be going on at all hours of the day and night.

When his host returned that evening, the Chasid asked him: "Tell me, how can a Jew live in proximity to such neighbors? Couldn't you find a place to live that is not back to back with such an establishment?"

Now it was the longshoreman's turn to be dismayed. "I've lived here for twenty years," he said, "and not once did it occur to me to look into strangers' yards to see what they were doing. You, on the other hand, are hardly here a few days, and you're already climbing on tables and spying on every sinner in the neighborhood."

The Baals Shem Tov As Shadchan

Reb David, a Chasid of the Baal Shem Tov, had a daughter of marriageable age. However, having no money, he had not pursued a match for her. When the Baal Shem Tov heard about the situation, he instructed two of his Chasidim to travel to the cities of Kasnitin and Novy Kasnitin where they would find two young men. They were to select one as a groom.

When they arrived at the home of the first young man, they were very favorably impressed. He was an affable young man and very well-versed in Torah. To round off his admirable qualities, he was the son of a wealthy family. What could be better?

"This young man would be a wonderful match for Reb David's daughter," they remarked to one another. "Let's finalize the match now!"

It would have been done on the spot, but one Chasid noted, "Our Rebbe clearly told us to check out both young men, and that is what we must do." The following day, after spending more time conversing with the young man and observing his behavior, they were even more certain that he was the right choice. However, just as they were about to depart, they mistakenly entered one of the rooms of the spacious mansion. To their horror, they saw the young scholar holding a cross.

The Chasidim thanked G-d for having shown them the hidden side of their chosen groom. "How could we have doubted the words of our Rebbe when he told us to meet both prospective grooms!" they concurred.

In the city of Novy Kasnitin they found the second candidate, and he was a fine young man. They concluded the engagement agreement, and the boy's parents sent a costly gift for the intended bride. Of course, custom dictated that a gift of similar value be sent to the groom as well.

Reb David and his daughter were pleased with the reports of the young groom, but as the weeks passed, Reb David could not manage to amass enough money to buy a respectable gift for the future groom.

Soon a letter arrived from the groom's father questioning the silence of the bride's family. No gift, not even a mazal tov, and the wedding date was fast approaching. Poor Reb David was at a complete loss. There seemed to be no way for him to raise the money.

With no solution in sight, he made the trip to Mezibuz to consult the Baal Shem Tov. When the Baal Shem Tov heard his tale of woe he responded, "Just go home and don't worry. It will all turn out very well."

Reb David returned home, and tried to be optimistic, even when a second letter arrived. But when a third letter came from his future in-law announcing his imminent arrival together with the entire wedding party, Reb David fell apart. What could he do, but to travel once again to the Baal Shem Tov?

As Reb David was about to enter the town, he and his travelling companions saw a heavily loaded wagon ahead of them. "There is your salvation!" joked one of the travellers, pointing to the wagon. Little did he suspect the truth of the words he had uttered in jest, for the occupant of the wagon had entered the Besht's room just a moment before Reb David.

Addressing Reb David, the Besht said: "Here is an interesting story: Once in Danzig there was a wealthy merchant named Reuven, who dealt in lumber. As did many other lumber dealers, he shipped his merchandise by sea. Once there was a terrible storm and the merchandise of all of the other merchants was destroyed. Only Reuven's was saved. Now lumber was scarce and Reuven realized a huge profit.

"His troubles, however, had just begun. For his workers became exceedingly jealous of his new-found wealth and went so far as to plot his death. They killed his driver and were about to murder him as well. He begged and pleaded for his life, but they were not swayed. They agreed only to allow him to pray for a few moments. It was during those seconds that Reuven vowed to give half of his fortune to the poor if G-d granted him his life.

"At that moment a nobleman and his retainers approached at a gallop. The would-be murderers fled and a shaken Reuven was rescued.

"Soon, he began to regret his vow. How could he give away such a fortune of money all at once? Instead he would give a little each year until he had paid his pledge. G-d, however, was not satisfied with this plan, and decided that Reuven's fortune would be dispensed of otherwise. Soon his wife took ill, and although great sums were meted out to many doctors, a cure was not found.

" 'Reuven,' said his wife, 'the doctors cannot cure me. Please go to the Baal Shem Tov, and see if he can help.' And here is Reuven, in this room!"

The man had realized that he was the subject of the Baal Shem Tov's story, and he stood in amazement at the accuracy of the details.

"How much money did you spend on doctors?" the Baal Shem Tov inquired. "Was it not more than the sum you had promised to the poor? Now, redeem your pledge and your wife will soon recover."

At that, Reuven poured all his money on the table. It contained the entire sum Reb David had promised as a dowry and more. True to the words of the Baal Shem Tov, the wedding was celebrated joyfully, and the young couple lived happy and content.

The Power of Tehilim

The power of prayer is not completely understood by us, but in the words of one of the Rebbes of Lubavitch, "If you knew how the words of Psalms ascend to the highest Heavens you would never stop reciting them."

Through his holy vision, the Baal Shem Tov saw that a decree was made Above against a certain Jewish settlement. Summoning two of his companions, Reb Mordechai and Reb Kehos, the Besht set about to annul this terrible catastrophe.

Ascending to the upper realms, the Besht learned that this decree was firm and could not be rescinded. As his soul descended to earth, he passed by the "palaces" of many saintly individuals. These palaces represented the accumulated good deeds which awaited their soul when their earthly lives had ended. One palace in particular attracted his attention, for it sparkled so brilliantly. He approached it to see to whom it belonged, and discovered that it was the palace of a certain simple villager.

What, he wondered, had this man done to merit such a reward in the next world? It was the custom of this uneducated, but pious Jew to recite the entire book of Psalms five times every day as he went about his work.

When the Besht returned to earth, he traveled to the village of that man and asked, "If you knew that your reward in the World to Come could save an entire community of Jews, would you be willing to give it up?"

The unassuming fellow replied, "If I have a portion in the next world, I would certainly give it away to save my fellow Jews."

With that utterance, the decree was abolished, and for his total self- sacrifice, the simple villager won the admiration of all the Heavenly host.

The Baal Shem Tov's Trip To Heaven

The wife of the Baal Shem Tov was awakened with a start when she heard her husband cry out in the middle of a Shabbat nap. She ran to his side and shook him, asking, "What is the matter?" "Thank G-d you woke me up, because if you hadn't I might never have woken up again. Please call my students right now, so that I may relate to them the wondrous things which I just saw when my soul ascended to the Heavenly Academy."

When they arrived and stood around his bed, the Besht proceeded to tell this tale:

"Every Shabbat when I pray the Musaf prayer my soul rises to the upper realms, and there I can hear how Torah is being studied there. When I return to my body, I am able to transmit many of these teachings to you, my students, when we eat the third Shabbat meal.

"I have a certain friend, Reb Nachman Kassover, a great Tzadik, who passed on, and I miss terribly. I have tried many times to find him in the world of souls, but I never succeeded.

Today, when my soul ascended Above, I found myself in a part of the Heavens which I had never seen before. There I saw palatial structures which shone with precious diamonds and rubies. There were towers of sapphire and houses of study which shone like the sun. When I entered them, they were occupied with dazzling souls that sparkled like angels, and each of them was busy in his own realm of Torah study.

"I asked one angelic soul, 'To whom does all this belong?' And he replied, 'All of this is the glory of Reb Nachman Kassover.' I asked to see him, and before me was a soul that sparked fire and whose brilliance outshone anything I had ever seen. 'My dearest brother,' he said, 'these are the souls of those people I brought to the study of Torah and the ways of righteousness while I was on earth.' And he continued, asking me if I would like to remain there with him.

"'If you remain here with me, you will never have to experience the pangs of death, and you will enjoy the bliss of the Divine Presence. The decision is yours to make.'

"I thought for a moment, torn as to which decision to make. Finally I replied, 'I would like to stay, but I want to be buried in the Land of Israel.'

"'You are destined to be buried outside of the Holy Land,' he replied, 'for reasons I cannot reveal. But if you decide to remain here, many things will be revealed to you.'

"I stood there confused and unable to decide. If I remained, I would be deserting my wife, my son and daughter, and all of my students and disciples. How could I leave so quickly without even a last will and testament? No, I decided, I must return. Before I die I must prepare for my departure, not just abandon my loved ones.

"My good friend didn't want to take no for an answer. He continued to beg and plead with me to remain there with him. Finally, I couldn't stand it one more second, and I uttered a loud cry. This is the cry which woke you up. If you hadn't run to me and awakened me when you did, I would have lost my will to return and my soul would have remained Above."

The Teacher Who Taught Self Sacrifice

Once ruler of a village decreed that the Jews of his village be expelled. The Jews came to the Baal Shem Tov and begged him to pray on their behalf so that the decree would be rescinded, and they would not be forced to leave their homes and belongings, to wander in exile. The Baal Shem Tov advised them to find a certain old man by the name of Yaakov ben Baruch. He would present their situation in Petersburg, and the decree would be abolished.

The Jews did as they were told and found Yaakov ben Baruch. He was exceedingly old and reluctant to travel. But when he understood that the fate of all the Jews of the village was dependent on him, he disregarded his old age and the bother it would cause him, and traveled to Petersburg.

As soon as he arrived in Petersburg, he wrote a letter to the great minister in charge of all the villages, in which he complained about the ruler and asked that the decree of expulsion be revoked. He signed the letter, Yaakov ben Baruch.

In the normal course of events, under the prevailing conditions of the times, the chances were great that his letter would be thrown into the pile of papers before anyone would even look at the petition of some unfortunate Jew who dared to complain about the ruler of the village. But, in an unusual turn of events, when the minister received the letter, he invited the old man to personally meet with him!

With his heart trembling in fear, Yaakov went to meet the minister. He wondered and was quite apprehensive about how the minister would treat him. He knew that one word from the minister would be enough to send him to the gallows, Heaven forbid, without any trial at all, and with no one to protest.

When he entered the office, the minister gazed upon Yaakov for some time, without saying a word. Yaakov was wondering what was happening, when suddenly some brawny men entered and took him away. They locked him up in the dungeon.

Utterly frightened and unaware of what his "crime" could be, Yaakov sat in his cell and said viduy (confession of one's sins) and prepared nervously for what awaited him. Suddenly the door opened and a priest stood in the doorway. In one hand he held a cross and in the other, a spoon. He said, "You have a choice to either bow to the cross, or die when I pour the boiling lead in this spoon down your throat!"

"I am a Jew, and I will die a Jew," Yaakov said resolutely. He closed his eyes, said Shema with complete faith, and prepared to die al kiddush Hashem [to sanctify the name of G-d]. He opened his mouth and anticipated a quick journey to the next world.

The priest immediately emptied the contents of the spoon into his mouth, but to Yaakov's shock, he discovered that it wasn't boiling lead at all, but honey! Thoroughly confused, Yaakov was brought back to the minister's office. He was received graciously, and asked to sit down. The minister asked his pardon for scaring him nearly to death and explained his actions thus:

"When I was growing up, I lived in the home of a wealthy squire. From time to time, this squire would get drunk and then he would strike anybody who crossed his path. I ran away from the squire's house to the home of a Jew. A teacher sat there teaching his students. When the teacher saw me, he pitied me and treated me well. He gave me food and drink, and allowed me to warm up and rest. He took care of all my needs. I heard him explain to the children the greatness of giving up one's life for G-d, to be martyred for one's belief in G-d. He said there was no one greater or more fortunate than the one who merits this fate.

"I was always grateful to that teacher," continued the minister, "and I waited for the opportunity when I could repay him, though I never thought I'd meet him again. The name Yaakov ben Baruch was signed on the letter. It reminded me of that incident, which I recall as though it had just happened. That is why I invited you here.

"When I saw you today, I recognized you as that teacher from many years ago. I decided the time had come to repay you. Since I heard from you then how precious the mitzva of self-sacrifice is, I wanted to give you the merit of that mitzva. I could think of no other way of doing it than the way I did. Now I ask for forgiveness, for I only did it for your benefit. And I will certainly fulfill your request and make sure that the decree of expulsion is rescinded immediately."

The morning prayers had just ended. The Baal Shem Tov, who was an esteemed visitor in the town, was about to wash his hands before partaking of a meal, when a distraught woman approached him. She had waited throughout the whole service and could contain herself no longer.

"Rebbe! My husband has been missing for a very long time. I have done everything I can think of to try to find him, but I have no idea where he went. What will happen to me? Please, Rebbe, help me find him," the woman wept.

The Baal Shem Tov stood there, his washing cup poised to pour water on his hands in preparation for the blessing on bread, but instead of continuing, he stopped and responded to the woman.

"You will find your husband in the city of M."

Infused with new hope, the woman departed. But the rabbi of the city, who had heard a great deal about the Baal Shem Tov, had been watching the exchange. Now he had what seemed to him to be a serious question of Jewish law.

"I beg your pardon," began the rabbi, "I was watching your exchange with the woman, and it seems to me that you were saying words of prophecy to her. If that was true, I think you were required to have washed your hands before speaking."

The Baal Shem Tov responded to the rabbi with a question: "If you saw chickens suddenly fluttering about your table set with expensive glassware, what would your reaction be? I think you would automatically reach out to chase them away."

The rabbi acquiesced, but he clearly was not following the Baal Shem Tov's logic.

"I did what came naturally to me," the Baal Shem Tov continued. "I saw standing before me a woman who was in utter despair almost to the breaking point. I knew where her husband was. Do you imagine that I should have continued washing my hands while she stood suffering before my eyes?"