Some sayings of the Baal Shem Tov
By zevi770 · November 24, 2016
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When one wishes to draw closer (to God) one begins very slowly – not imagining themselves to be some kind of holy person – and one advances, slowly but surely.
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“This I place on my heart and therefore I have hope”
The Baal Shem Tov explains, what is this, “This”? – “This” refers to the Shechinah (the Divine personal presence.)
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From the teachings that the Alter Rebbe brought coming the first time from Mezritch, were two explanations on the same verse, “Remember (recall) God what has occurred to us, please look and see our shame.”
The Baal Shem Tov said, these two teachings on the same verse in two different occasions and crowds.
Though his introduction was the same:
His introduction was how Holy Every Jew is, male and female.
He spoke how great God’s love is to every Jew, this love extends not only to their soul but also to their body, and this is all Jews bar-none, from the greatest Torah scholar, to the most ignorant Jew.
The Torah scholar God doesn’t love more than the ignorant and the ignorant he doesn’t love less than the scholar.
The reason for this is the basis of God’s loves is to the person and in that all are equal.
Now from a level of titles one can be said to know more or less, but on a human level all are equal.
All Jews stem from the Divine name “Mah” of Atzilus (their souls).
As it states in the teaching of Pasach Elyihayu, the name Mah is the pathway of Atzilus.
This introduction once was said when the Baal Shem Tov was amongst great Torah scholars who loved dearly their novel Torah insights (in other words, they were most proud of their intellectual novel insights) so he said, “Remember God what has occurred to us” – see what happened to the “Mah “(lit. what) of our soul – “Look and see our shame” – make us see our own shame (namely how they had fallen into ego.)
At a second occasion in a townlet of simple Jews who would have true self-sacrifice out of love to save fellow Jews (from false imprisonment and the such) the Baal Shem Tov said to his holy disciples, “Remember (see) God what happened to the Mah of their soul” – look and see how they sacrifice themselves out of love.
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In the Purim story the Jews are referred to as Yehudim (in the Torah as Binei Yisroel) Yehudim represent when a Jew is having sacrifice (for they could have assimilated but chose rather to die as Jews.)
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The reason there was such a terrible decree on the Jews in the Purim story is because they had a spiritual illness: “Let us be like everyone else” (which as the Rebbe says, because they took themselves out of the Divine obit by desiring to be under the orbit of the locals, hence their “star” likewise) however through having sacrifice for the Torah (which was their response to the decree of God-forbid annihilation) they were saved (for this put themselves back under the Divine orbit.)
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There was once a year filled with tragedies – so the Baal Shem Tov told his holy disciples “it will pass” but then he said, we find by the gentiles of Ninveh, God gave them forty days to repent – by the Jews in the time of Mordechai and Esther a year – however a wise person does so immediately.
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The two Tefflins, for the hand and the head represent respectively those who mainly serve God with their hand – “good deeds” and those with their head, study of Torah; and the symbolism that we place the hand before the head, is that it’s more precious.
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Since the destruction of the Holy Temple (which was the source of Godliness, Divine revelation and inspiration) the only place God is found is in the Shechinah – the Divine presence which creates transformation (in other words, not in any fixed religion.)
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Torah is lessons in life. Prayer is to stop from life for a moment and request.
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When one studies an emotionless Torah, Prayer elevates and from the passion of prayer, one studies passionately.
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Every soul has a particular Divine radiance, reflected in a fondness for a particular Mitzvah.