There are many myths and legends about the Baal Shem Tov. Even the most fantastic ones, they say, are true. But there's one, very popular, myth that's not true: the Modern Jewish Legend of the Baal Shem Tov...
26 Comments Posted
Those sweet old ladies, the kind who believe in humanitarianism, are also mystical. Even if they forgot to say, "Baruch HaShem".
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I have learned from and read Tzvi's teaching for years, this is one of the best.
One small point - it was Procrustes, not Prometheus, who had the iron bed to which all passers-by were made to fit...
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AGAIN, your elegant writings succinctly convery SOOO much and in a powerful, relevant manner.
QUESTION: With so much emphasis on the simple, ignorant Jew, what does chassiduth teach the more KNOWLEDGEABLE Jews? Is it not desireable that the simple Jew rise above his ignorance and attempt to master halakha in order to know how to behave? How does chassiduth relate to this?
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The point of Chassidus Chabad--as taught by R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi and his successors--is to teach the intellect how to pray like a simple Jew. Like the statement quoted by the Kabalist, R. Moshe Cordovero, "I pray with the simple mind of small child."
But for the intellectual to learn that, he must learn a lot--and very deeply.
As for halacha, this must also be learned in the way of a simple Jew--even by the intellectual.
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Hmm, don’t order my black hat yet!! I did note some interesting analogies though “. What Albert Einstein was to physics ……was the Baal Shem Tov to the human soul.” and “Kabbalah is as central to Judaism as the sun is to the solar system” I’m glad to see that the author appreciates Einsteinian Physics and agrees with the concepts of relativity and space-time which as a fundamental concept understands that the planets revolve around the sun!!! As far as his argument to prove the fundamental nature of kabbalah in Judaism by examples of mystical revelation during meditation, it doesn’t entirely convince me.
The concept of hallucination during meditation is not uncommon among many religions. However, I would be more convinced by it’s true mystical nature if a Hindu or Christian came across a character from Jewish history who he had never previously heard of rather than seeing images of their own “holy people” when meditating.
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Actually what Einstein teaches us very cleary is not that the planets revolve around the sun, but that whether they do or not is based on our perspective...relativity.
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Dear Dude
After trying to read your convoluted story I have decided to go to any other website since I do not have time to read such elongated rubbish.
This story should have been told in 3 or 4 paragraphs.
I am glad that you have time to waffle on.
FYI - This is what really irks me
The last time I saw "Adin Steinsaltz" he was a Rabbi and as such deserves at least to have this title appended to his name.
FINALLY
How pathetic that you "Felt Sick" at what the 2 old ladies said. How arrogant you are to judge their thoughts and publically denegrate them. As the Rebbe says in his memoirs, "Torah on the lips but not in the heart."
You remind me of the rabbi who laughed at the simple Jew who came from Spain to צְפַת, and got his wife to bake loaves of bread for HaShem every day and then called the Jew a moron and told him that the shammes was eating the bread. There is a story you should read habibi.
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Rabbi thank you once again for making the connection between mysticism and Judaism clear. As for the comment posted on the 15th of October, the writer mentions another rabbi that deserves the title, but calls you by "dude". It's hard to understand mysticism from a pragmatic perspective, but thank you for giving us some tools to embrace it.
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The simple Jew is not aware of the concepts that Chabad is about. So
how does the simple Jew fit into Chabad?
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unfortunately this is just another myth--the myth of the Besht as some kind of dogmatic Lurianic literalist pilpulist--not true. This may be where Chabad ran aground, chasing its own dialectic mystical tail until it vanished into the self-concealed/revealed blah blah blah mystical ourobouos but the tales of the besht reveal one hundred percent what he was up to--practice not "scholarship"--the noncomplex but tortuously difficult path of love of G-d and joy rather than the arid complexity but easy-to-do (nu, who needs to live, just go to a library and study study study--turn those pages) mastery of texts and yichudiim--when he said he could bring the messiah if he only had ten or so minutes to communicate his teaching b al peh--he wasn't fooling.
Get back to where you are anyways.
Keep it simple.
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Paul Freedman,
Your view of the B'esht sounds highly Romantic, but do you have any SOURCE that he was NOT a "dogmatic Lurianic literalist pilpulist???" You seem, also, to think that there is something WRONG w/such a designation, too. BTW, when you LITERALIST, are you referring to the notion some hold that the En Sof is within the tzimtzum & not merely the Or En Sof? OR do you mean it in the sense of he closely followed Lurianic doctrine. How many times a DAY do people of the "love your fellow Jew" persuasion violate halakha because they never invested their time in "turning those pages" because they THOUGHT that they knew the rules of engagement in love? Do you have a SOURCE for your claim that the B'esht could have brought mashiach after 10+ minutes of oral teachings???
Where do you have a source for your "just keep it simple" approach???
You so remind me of a scene I witnessed at a recent wedding just outside of Jerusalem.
You so remind me of a scene I witnessed at a recent wedding just outside of Jerusalem. One of those "lovers of fellow Jews" approaches a fellow wedding guest who was an AMERICAN Jewess of colour. In his unlettered wisdom he said in a booming voice, very audible to many people in the wedding hall, "you have the most Jewish face here in the room tonight!!!" His voice was warm & genuine, but she was very hurt that out of all of the possible greetings, he focused on the one that would make her different than everyone else...an OUTSIDER.
Of course, if he'd flipped some pages then MAYBE that would have made up for what he lacked in common sense, but instead he sounded like Lenny Bruce's satire "How to Relax Your Coloured Friends at a Party." Despite "love upsetting the balance," love has a protocol & violating that protocol turns an intend love into an unintended hurt.
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Shivrei Ha Besht has proven highly accurate--he was not a pedant; his letter concerning Moshiach is widely publiished if not 5 or ten minutes he says 1 or 2 sentences, refer also to his encounter with the Maggid in which he directly communicated with the spiirits of the departed--yes, methods were elucidated in pragmatic principles that came from prfound meditation on the tora of kabbalah--I was not referring to doctrinal emphases on locating the essence of the En sof, that is where it extends -- my understanding is that traditional Lurianic teachiings would not locate the ontological reshimot of the Olam Ein Sof A"K solely within the Or Makiif--my understandings is that the reshimot remain axially after the fall of the primordial kings as the foundation of the worlds and the parzufiim--but the internalization of the essence is more important than priviledging the analytical unfolding in all details--everyone should study--"American Jewess of color etc" --what? ain li musag
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otoh Adoni Anonymous -- I can see where you are giong with the distnction between the participation of Eini Sof versus Or Ain Sof within the tzimtzum given the Besht's supposed panentheism--however the question might be better put, as refers to lo k'pshuto, not where is E"S byachus to tzimtzum but where is tzimtzum in its relationship backwards--but this is cloudy, even for Lurianic kaballah, as although we can posit an axial geometric limit of E'S as standing by and in and of Itself--the teachers I have encountered always present the development of E"S through O"E"S as a continuum, in which each stage has its prior basis in its dialectical twin--twins are conjoined and not opposites--they long to be face-to-face; in this sense, tzimtzum itself is not *primarily* a catastrophic failure of the o"n and is itself a promise that the Kings of Edom are restored & etc. may this occur speedily in our times & etc. -- but it will occur through our own action in this world right NOW
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Thank you for this story/history. What always appeals to me in such stories is what the simple people bring to the plate in terms of their piety. Because they are illiterate, it is enough for them to say the Hebrew alphabet during prayer. G-d is doubly impressed by their effort and shuffles the letters perfectly.
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A wonderful article, full of truth, we must all strive.
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Isn't it considered normal behavior to give the name and/or reference the book/article of someone you discuss?
Would "a brilliant tzaddik who would never let a word of untruth pass his lips" tell a Nazi where Jews were hiding? Probably not, prehaps he might even tell a white lie or two if he thought the truth might confuse the simple people.
Why don't we read anything here on the changes to Lurianic Kabbalah made in response to Sabbatai Zevi? Ignoring him is like teaching the history of America without mentioning the civil war.
R. Karo was an interesting guy, when Molcho died at the stake in 1532, Karo was filled with a longing to be "consumed on the altar as a holy burnt offering."
There is a famoius letter the Besht wrote to his brother, where he ascended to the 6th heaven and talked with the Messiah. It is only with great difficulty that I can acheive the 3rd, but as they say "practice practice practice".
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The "entourage" of the Besht and the social milieu all check out with archival deeds from the feudal estate encompassing the Jewish community.
It could also be that the Besht and the chevrei (holy society) were not above having a laugh at the expense of the hoity toity if it served a purpose.
As to what came after, half of everything we come across today from the high and mighty, the world leaders, the great men of respect seems to be a fairy tale.
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What does the word Baal mean?
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Baal can be translated as master or owner. "Master of a Good Name."
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Baal means master. It is a good word. And the Baal Shem Tov was Master of the Good Name. He was recognized for this by his gentile neighbors and inscribed in the book of records and deeds they kept of the community.
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When people worshipped the Baals, what were the Baals? Was it another name for Bulls? Is/Was there a meaning to the word Baal that would describe to the culture and meaning of attached to Baal worship? What was Baal and what was Baal worship?
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June, this has nothing to do with Baal worship. The grammatical roots of "Master" in Hebrew are B and A and L. The Bible uses these letters to designate the false good who is a False Ruler who pretends to be a god but isn't. BAL. But there is nothing wrong or pagan about the word itself which can mean master or husband.
In the same way the word B A L as baal is not about bulls. The pun does not work across English into Hebrew... It is not even about gods since there is not an actual god being worshipped. Baal is only a pretend god, like a prank. Not a true master, the god is only pulling your leg.
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Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for explaining Bal worship. I suppose, given your explanation, there is a lot of it going on, even today.
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June, imo it is very difficult to have a natural and easy going confidence and faith in the True God, not just in our heads and our hearts but in our day to day actions.
That is why self-confidence without pride and a striving for open-handed joy and faith was a central principle of the Besh"t (really, no "bull"). "Simple" unconflicted worship not idol and idle worship. Easy to say and think but hard to put into action. Easier to think lofty thoughts but be filled with conflict and feelings of abandonment. Then we are like bulls being led around by our nose rings by the Adversary.
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Rabbi Freeman, I'm impressed. I really am. It was a wonderful illuminating story about many things. Reading your comments about political correctness, how it has harmed Judaism, and the two Modern Jewish Legends were great.
You have written other pieces that I have read here at Chabad.org that gave me the impression you actually were politically correct in some ways. Rabbi, you are a man with much depth and many dimensions.
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I like very much the last words: When the truth of his wellsprings... because it is said that they were said when the Besht asked Moshiach "When the Master [Moshiach] will come?"
Moshiach responded: when your wellsprings [the teachings of chassidism]... etc.
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