לְשִׁשִּׁי עוֹלֶה הַבַּעַל קוֹרֵא, וּמֵעַצְמוֹ.

The Torah reader himself recites the blessings over Shishi, the sixth aliyah of Parshas Ki Savo, without being called upon to do so.1

יוֹם הוּלֶּדֶת אֶת הַבַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב בִּשְׁנַת תנ"ח. יוֹם שֶׁנִּתְגַּלָּה אֵלָיו מוֹרוֹ וְרַבּוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ — תפ"ד. יוֹם שֶׁנִּתְגַּלָּה הַבַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב — תצ"ד. יוֹם הוּלֶּדֶת אֶת רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן — תק"ה.

תּוֹכֶן תּוֹרַת הַבַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב בְּשַׁבָּת פָּרָשַׁת תָבוֹא חַ"י אֱלוּל תּרנ"ב אַחַר קַבָּלַת שַׁבָּת: וְהָיָה כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ גו'. אֶרֶץ לְשׁוֹן מְרוּצֶה וּלְשׁוֹן רָצוֹן כִּדְאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ. אַז דוּ וועֶסט צוּקוּמעֶן צוּם רָצוֹן וואָס אִיז אַ מַתָּנָה מִלְמַעְלָה אוּן בִּירוּשָׁה בְּכָל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, אִיז דִי עֲבוֹדָה דאַרף זַיין וְיָשַׁבְתָּ, אַראָפּטראָגעֶן אִין הִתְיַשְּׁבוּת, וְלָקַחְתָּ גו' וְשַׂמְתָּ בַטֶּנֶא, מַמְשִׁיךְ זַיין אוֹרוֹת בַּכֵּלִים, וְהָלַכְתָּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ, אַ אִיד דאַרף ווִיסעֶן אַז עֶר גֵייט פוּן אֵיין אָרט אִין דעֶם אַנדעֶרעֶן, אִיז נִיט עֶר גֵייט אַלֵיין נאָר מְ'פִירט אִיהְם מִלְמַעְלָה, אוּן דִי כַּוָּנָה אִיז לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם, אוֹיף מְפַרְסֵם זַיין אֱלֹקוּת אִין דעֶם אָרט וואוּ עֶר אִיז.

אַחַר תְּפִלַּת עַרְבִית חָזַר עוֹד הַפַּעַם תּוֹרָה הַקּוֹדֶמֶת וְהוֹסִיף: וְהָיָה כִּי תָבוֹא גו' בִּכְדֵי דוּ זאָלסט צוּקוּמעֶן צוּם רָצוֹן כו', אִיז דאָס דוּרךְ דעֶם אַז וְהָלַכְתָּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם גו' לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם, זאָלסְט זִיךְ מוֹסֵר נֶפֶשׁ זַיין אוֹיף מְפַרְסֵם זַיין דאָרטעֶן אֱלֹקוּת, מִיט וואָס אִיז מעֶן מְפַרְסֵם אֱלֹקוּת, מִיט אַ בְּרָכָה אוּן אַ פָּסוּק תְּהִלִּים.

[Today is] the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov in 5458 (1698),2 the date on which his holy master (Achiyah HaShiloni3 ) was revealed to him in 5484 (1724), and the date on which the Baal Shem Tov was revealed [as a Rebbe] in 5494 (1734).4

[Today is also] the birthday of the Alter Rebbe in 5505 (1745).

A digest of the teaching delivered by the Baal Shem Tov after the Kabbalas Shabbos service on the eve of Shabbos Parshas [Ki] Savo, on Chai Elul, 5652 (1892):5

And it shall come to pass when you come to the land…:6 As indicated by the Midrash,7 the word eretz (“land”) shares a root with the words merutzah (“running”8 ) and ratzon (“will”).9 [The verse can thus be interpreted as follows:] When you attain a will [to do G‑d’s bidding], such a will being both a Heavenly gift and an inheritance present in every Jew,

you shall settle…: your task is then to anchor [this spiritual aspiration] in a settled manner.10

And you shall take . . . and place it in a basket…: You will thereby draw down lights into vessels.11

And you shall go to the place that the L‑rd your G‑d chooses…: A Jew must realize that whenever he goes from one place to another,12 this is not his own doing; he is being led from Above, with the intent —

to make His Name dwell there…: to make G‑dliness known in that place.

After the Evening Service, [the Baal Shem Tov] repeated the above teaching and added the following interpretation:

And it shall come to pass, when you come to the land…: In order to attain a will [to do G‑d’s bidding], you must —

go to the place… to make His Name dwell there…: You must devote your life utterly13 to make G‑dliness known there. How does one make G‑dliness known? By reciting a blessing and a verse of Tehillim.14

To Fill In the Background

The Baal Shem Tov’s teachings describe phases in our ongoing relationship with G‑d. The first phase follows the Divine initiative: G‑d grants man a desire to serve Him and inspires him to seek a connection. Man responds by internalizing that desire and making it part of his personality. G‑d then leads him forth, assigning him a mission in the world at large. Man responds by identifying with that mission to the point of self-sacrifice, thereby expressing his realization that the sole purpose of his existence is to make G‑d’s Presence known.