Behar-Bechukotai: The Professor
“Reb Yid, please don’t worry. We are not afraid. May we spend the holy Shabbat with you? I promise that nothing will happen to you or us over the holy Shabbat.”
Parshat Behar Bechukotai
“When your brother becomes impoverished, and cannot support himself in the community, you must come to his aid” (Vayikra 12:3).
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The Baal Shem Tov once sent a group of his closest Chassidim on a mission to a distant town. On their arrival, they went to pay their respects to the Rabbi of the town, who was also a Chassid of the Baal Shem Tov. As they sat with the Rabbi, he began to expound on a topic close to the heart of The Baal Shem Tov, the value of a Jewish soul.
The words of the Rabbi seemed familiar to the Chassidim but they could not recall when they had heard them before. Before returning to Medzibusch, the Chassidim again visited the Rabbi. The Rabbi asked why they seemed somewhat puzzled by his teaching on the topic of the soul the previous week. “Your teaching is somewhat familiar to us, but we cannot place where or when we heard it before,” they replied.
The Rabbi smiled. “The truth is you did hear it before.” He then related the following story.
One Thursday evening, The Baal Shem Tov invited several of his closest Chassidim to accompany him on a journey. As was often the case, once they were on the road, he instructed Alexei, his driver, to drop the reins and allow the horses go where they wished. Alexei did so, and after several nips from his bottle of vodka, was soon fast asleep. As the horses traveled through the night, The Baal Shem Tov fell into a deep state of meditation.
At dawn they stopped to pray Shacharit (the morning prayers). They then continued on their journey to an unknown destination. As the holy Shabbat approached, they arrived at a town where there were almost no Jewish inhabitants. The horses came to a stop in front of an old, run down shack. An elderly Jewish man ran out and began to wave his hands in excitement: “Quick, leave! – Leave immediately! Don't you know where you are? This village is only here because of a famous school. Only the students, their teachers, and the people that work at the school are allowed to live here. It is forbidden for a Jew to even enter the town! Please leave quickly before someone attacks you, as they’ve done to others before you. Your very lives may be in danger if you stay a minute longer!”
The Baal Shem Tov calmly said: “Reb Yid, please don’t worry. We are not afraid. May we spend the holy Shabbat with you? I promise that nothing will happen to you or us over the holy Shabbat.”
The old man suddenly became calm. He realized there was something special about this rabbi, and he consented and invited them into his modest home. The Baal Shem Tov, together with his Chassidim and their host made exactly a Minyan. The Baal Shem Tov davened Minchah with such enthusiasm and feeling that the Chassidim knew that it was to be a very special Shabbat.
Suddenly, a mob of screaming boys – students of the town’s school broke through the front door. The host was petrified. He ran to the corner of the room, crouched down and covered his eye so not to see the brawl that was about to happen. But all was quiet! The hooligan boys, who moments ago were screaming and shaking their fists, were frozen in place, unable to move. All that could be heard was the sweet words of the Baal Shem Tov’s prayers. As The Baal Shem Tov concluded praying the Amidah, the mob of lads turned, and quietly tiptoed out of the house. The host could not believe it, and let out a sigh of relief.
But a few moments later, there was a knock on the door, and in strode one of the well known professors of the town’s school. The host began to panic again, as this professor was known as a notorious anti-Semite. As with the mob of students, the professor’s attention was captured by the prayers of The Baal Shem Tov. When The Baal Shem Tov had completed his prayers, the professor approached the elderly Jew and asked him when the guest would be praying again. The old man replied that the Rabbi would probably pray the evening prayers after nightfall. The professor asked if he could stay, and sat quietly waiting.
As darkness fell, The Baal Shem Tov led the evening prayers. Afterwards, all sang Shalom Aleichem, recited Kiddush, and began their meal. Throughout the meal, The Baal Shem Tov spoke words of Torah. He explained the holiness of a Jewish soul and how a soul descends to this world to inhabit a Jew’s body to fulfill its Divine mission. “Often,” he explained, “this mission consists of doing only one simple material or spiritual favor for a fellow Jew. Just for this one favor has this soul descended from the Heavenly realms to this lowly world.”
Throughout the meal, the professor listened spellbound to the words of The Baal Shem Tov.
The following morning the professor returned again, and sat in the corner throughout the Shacharit service. He remained for Kiddush and the meal. Again, The Baal Shem Tov expounded on the uniqueness of the Jewish people, and related miraculous stories from the Talmud and ancient times. The professor was mesmerized, and after the meal quietly slipped out of the house. Once again at Minchah and the subsequent Seuda Shlishit, the professor returned, remaining until after Maariv and Havdalah. Throughout this time he did not utter a single word, but gazed intently at the Baal Shem Tov. After Havdalah the professor departed, and the Baal Shem Tov instructed Alexei to harness the horses.
As before, the horses led themselves back to Medzibusch. During the return journey, The Baal Shem Tov was in a cheerful mood. When the Chassidim asked The Baal Shem Tov the reason for the trip, he replied: “One day you will know the reason.” “And now,” concluded the Rabbi to the Baal Shem Tov's Chassidim , “just imagine my face without this long beard.”
The Chassidim gasped in disbelief. “Yes, I am that professor who spent that magical Shabbat with The Baal Shem Tov.” The Rabbi went on to explain how as a youth, he had distanced himself from his faith. Yet the miraculous powers of The Baal Shem Tov had awakened his soul. “Throughout that Shabbat, I felt my soul churning inside me. After Havdalah I resolved to return to my people. I studied at a yeshivah and later was appointed as Rabbi of this town.”
It was then that Chassidim understood the reason for their saintly Rebbe’s journey to that town so many years earlier – to bring a Jewish soul back to fulfill its G-d given mission.
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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