The Baal Shem Tov: Difference between revisions

Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz said that the soul of the Baal Shem Tov descended to the world to awaken Jewish souls from their unconsciousness.

The [[The Rebbe]] explains that just as one calls an unconscious person by their private name to awaken them, since a person's name comes from the essence of their soul, when awakening the essence, the person also awakens. Similarly, before the revelation of the Baal Shem Tov, the Jewish people were in a state of 'unconsciousness' and Hashem sent down the soul of the Besht (whose name is Israel) to the world to awaken the essence of the soul in the people, thus awakening them from their unconsciousness.

His parents, Rabbi Eliezer and Rebbetzin Sarah were childless and lived in a settlement where they had abundant livelihood and were great practitioners of hachnosas orchim (hospitality).

In Rosh Hashanah of 5507, the Baal Shem Tov performed a soul ascension to the upper worlds, which he described at length in a letter known as the Igeret HaGeulah. During this ascension, Melech HaMoshiach told him that his coming depends on spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus. The Baal Shem Tov himself wrote the description of the ascension and the words of Melech HaMoshiach in a letter he sent to his brother-in-law R' Gershon of Kitov, saying:<blockquote>"On Rosh Hashanah 5507, I performed the soul ascension as you know, and I saw wonderful things in a vision that I had not seen since I gained understanding... I ascended level after level until I entered the chamber of Moshiach, where Moshiach learns Torah with all the Tanaim and tzaddikim, and also with the seven shepherds. There I saw tremendous joy... I asked Moshiach: When will the master come? And he answered me: By this you shall know - when your teachings become famous and are revealed to the world, and your wellsprings spread outward, what I have taught you and what you have achieved, and they too will be able to perform unifications and ascensions like you, then all the kelipos will be eliminated and it will be a time of favor and salvation. I was amazed at this and had great anguish about the length of time, when this would be possible."

==== Hashgacha Pratis ====

Stories of the Baal Shem Tov were partially printed in Shivchei HaBaal Shem Tov and dozens of other seforim, and many more are accepted from authoritative sources among the students of the Baal Shem Tov and their students. The mofsim that are accepted from the Baal Shem Tov, for which there exist precise testimonies, are beyond imagination, to the point where Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk writes in a letter "The Baal Shem Tov was unique - before him there was none like him and after him who will rise from the dust?"

The Baal Shem Tov testified about himself that the tremendous mofsim he performed were not through the use of holy names, but through simple emunah in the unity of the Creator and the nothingness of creation without the Creator's power. For example, the Baal Shem Tov crossed a river near the city of Mezhibuzh by spreading his handkerchief on the river and crossing, testifying that he crossed only with simple emunah.

* The gravesite of the Baal Shem Tov on Google Maps: images, location.

* The ancient synagogue of the Besht on Google Maps: images, location

* The spring of the Baal Shem Tov on Google Maps: images, location