Mishpatim: Reincarnation
Suddenly, in a dream-like vision, Rabbi Dov Ber saw a handsome prince and a female friend come to a river for a picnic and a swim. The only other person there was a border guard...
Parshat Mishpatim
This weeks Torah portion, Mishpatim, (Shemot 21:1 to 24:18), begins: "And these are the laws…"
Just as the preceding words (the Ten Commandments) were received from Sinai, these following laws were also received from Sinai (Rashi).
"These are the laws" means "these" are the orders (the foundations) of Gilgulim (reincarnation)… (Zohar Parshas Mishpatim).
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Once, the saintly Rabbi Dov Ber (successor to the Baal Shem Tov and later known as the Mezritcher Maggid), asked his teacher and Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov HaKodesh (Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer 1698-1760), "Rebbe, would you teach me the sod (spiritual foundations) of reincarnation?"
The Baal Shem Tov took him to his study room and told him to close his eyes.
Suddenly, in a dream-like vision, Rabbi Dov Ber saw a handsome prince and a female friend come to a river for a picnic and a swim. The only other person there was a border guard on duty as the river separated two countries. After a pleasant afternoon of swimming, the Prince and his friend changed into their regular clothes and left. But, unbeknown to the Prince, his wallet fell out of his pocket while he was changing from his bathing suit.
Later that day, a man on horseback came riding by and noticed the wallet on the ground. When he picked it up and saw it held a large sum of money, he decided not to mention it to the border guard that was still there.
When the Prince returned to his palace and realized that his wallet was missing, he tried to recall when the last time he remembered having it in his possession.
"That's it," he thought, "it was by the river. The only other person there, besides my friend, was the border guard. I'll take care of him!" So he took a few of his father's soldiers and arrested the border guard. Of course, the border guard denied seeing, much less taking the wallet.
But the Prince was a bit arrogant and didn't believe him. "Punish that thief," he ordered.
The border guard received thirty lashes.
When the dream-vision was over and Rabbi Dov Ber opened his eyes, he exclaimed, "That just wasn't fair at all! Why,” he asked the Baal Shem Tov, "did the Prince loose his money? Also, why did the border guard get lashes when he didn't do anything? It's just not right!"
"You asked me to teach you the sod (spiritual foundations) of reincarnation. Now close eyes again," answered the Baal Shem Tov.
Then, as before, Rabbi Dov Ber saw a dream-like vision. This time, he saw one man approach a second man and say in an angry tone, "It's been a long time and I want you to pay me back the money I lent you."
The second man answered, "Listen, I already told you, I never borrowed any money from you."
The first man replied, "You're such a liar. How can you look me in the eyes and say 'I never borrowed any money from you?' You leave me with no option, I'm taking you to court before a judge, you miserable creature."
Then in the dream-vision, Rabbi Dov Ber saw the second man go to the judge and give him a sack of money as a bribe. The second man said to the judge, "Now you understand that no matter what proof that man brings, I didn't borrow any money from him."
The judge opened up the sack of money and while he counted out the gold coins that spilled out, he answered, "You don't have to worry about anything."
Later, during the trial, the first man, the Plaintiff, brought written proof that the second man, the Defendant, had borrowed the money. But the judge wasn't convinced and ruled, "I find for the Defendant (the second man) and hold that the Plaintiff (the first man) didn't lend him any money.
When the dream-vision was over and Rabbi Dov Ber opened his eyes, he exclaimed, "That just wasn't fair at all. Why," he asked the Baal Shem Tov, "how could the second man get away with not paying his debt? It's just not right!"
"My dear Reb Dov Ber," said the Baal Shem Tov, "this is the sod of reincarnation. The first man that lent the money and didn't get it back in the second dream vision was the man on horseback in the first dream-like vision and so it really wasn't his money anyway.
The second man that borrowed the money and refused to pay it back in the second dream-like vision was the Prince in the first dream-vision and so it really was his money. And the crooked judge in the second dream-like vision was the border guard in the first dream-like vision and so he really did deserve the thirty lashes."
And so it was.
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Tzvi Meir Cohn attended Yeshiva Hadar Hatorah in Crown Heights, Brooklyn after completing his university studies in Engineering and Law. While studying at the Yeshiva, he discovered a deep connection to the stories and teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. His many books about the Baal Shem Tov can be found in the Breslev Store. He can be contacted at howard@cohnpatents.com.
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