The Baal Shem Tov’s Legends

By: Rabbi Tzvi Meir Cohn

The legends of Israel Baal Shem Tov, as well as the other Tzadikim (spiritual masters), were passed down for the last three hundred years, orally and more recently in writings from Chassid to Chassid. It's very important to remember that Chassid embody a fundamental belief that stories about their own Rebbe are definitely true, and those of other Rebbes are probably true. The closest analogy of how the stories were passed down to us in 1998, about 300 years from the Baal hem Tov's death in 1760, is the game called Telephone. A message is passed from person to person. When the last person tells the others the message, it has usually changed so dramatically from the message as it began, we get a good laugh. So just because Baal Shem Tov stories are the result of several hundred years of Eastern European Telephone, does that mean that the stories are not true? Well there is an old saying. "If you believe all of the Baal Shem Stories you're a fool, and if you don't believe any of them you are an epicoris (a disbeliever who was once a knowledgeable believer). No help in our quest for the Truth.

Let's look at a Maiseh (story) for the answer. Once, while the Baal Shem Tov was experiencing an aliyah (elevation) of the Neshamah (Soul) in the heavenly worlds, he encountered the Satan (the Angel in charge of our experiencing difficult situations). The Satan was strutting around studying a Sefer (book) and gesturing so that the Baal Shem knew the sefer contained the Baal Shem Tov's own transmission of the Torah. Upon return to his earthly body, the Baal Shem called together all of his close Chassidim (disciples) and inquired as to who among them wrote a sefer of the Baal Shem Tov's Torah. One of the Chassidim sheepishly came forward holding a small sefer (book) in which he had carefully recorded Torah teachings which he personally heard from the lips of the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov immediately sat down and read the entire Sefer. After he finished, he handed the Sefer back to the student and said "There is not a single statement that I said within this sefer."

Oil painting by Sarah Feldman

Comment:

Of course it’s impossible that a Chassid in the inner circle (generally brilliant scholars of exreme piety and with high spiritual awareness) could have made more than a slight mistake in recording the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov.

Rather, the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov were actually projections of spiritual vibrations that were enclothed, so to speak, in the garment of a Torah teaching or Story. Thus, the actual words or expressions, as spoken by the Baal Shem Tov, were not the point of what he spoke, but rather just a convenient mechanism to direct spiritual vibrations of different frequencies, depending on the circumstances, to the listener.

Today, the stories and teachings of the Baal Shem Tov serve the same function as over 250 years ago. That is, to direct spiritual vibrations onto our soul to heal any weak aspect of our soul body and enable us to intensify our service to G-d, i.e. to serve G-d while remaining in the spiritual flow that originates in G-d by living life b'simchah (with a joyful attitude).

Since the specific spiritual vibrations associated with each story still exists, my goal in presenting the stories is to connect the reader or listener to the original spiritual vibration still associated with that story and thereby affect some healing. Presently, few Beings are openly teaching and/or applying these healing spiritual vibrations. I have humbly attempted to present with a full heart a few stories with the intent to spiritually uplift my Brothers and Sisters of the Jewish Nation to heal them of any sickness, either of a spiritual or physical nature, and help them move quickly and effortlessly onto the path of a Jewish life with a Joyous attitude. And while on the path, I bless us to serve as beacons of G-ds light to help guide our soul brothers and sisters on their journey along the path to greet our Holy King Moshiach, May he come quickly in our days.

I bless everyone I've encountered along my path and pray for each of my Soul Brothers and Sisters that they enjoy a spiritual expansion and physical renewal of such an astounding degree that the only explanation can be that we truly are directly connected to the vibrational flow surging from G-d through the Universe. And I bless us that this realization be accompanied by our private, indisputable experience that the degree of spiritual expansion and physical renewal is proportional to the degree of joyous attitude we have during the living of our life.

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(Rabbi Tzvi Meir Cohn of Cleveland, Ohio is the executive director of the Baal Shem Tov Foundation. He can be contacted at cohn@baalshemtov.com)

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The Baal Shem Tov’s Legends, reprinted with the kind authorization of Rabbi Lazer Brody בס"ד of Breslev Israel.

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