Korach: A Simple Misunderstanding
“Your son is not ill. It is simply a misunderstanding. Allow me to talk to your son for a few minutes, and then allow me to do so again privately for about an hour...
Parshat Korach
“Korach, son of Yitz’har (a grandson of Kehoth and great-grandson of Levi) began a rebellion with … They confronted Moshe (Moses)” (Bamidbar 16:1-2).
Moshe was also a great-grandson of Levi. Korach was jealous of Moshe. The Medrash explains that Korach was the richest man of all time and was encouraged by his wife who said that Moshe was ridiculing and humiliating him and the other Levites with the “supposed” laws that Moshe said were commanded by God to lower the status of the tribe of Levi. For example, Moshe appointed his brother Aharon (Aaron) as the High Priest over the Jewish People, the main offerings were given to the Kohanim (the descendants of Aharon), the Levites had to shave themselves from head to toe, and Aharon and Moshe had to lift and wave each male member of the Levite tribe.
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In the town of Tarnopol lived a wealthy Jew by the name of Reb Yitzchok. He and his wife, Sheindel, had only one son who suffered from mental illness. They had consulted with all the best doctors without any success. The boy was prone to wild ramblings, and would scream out for no reason.
They lived in a community of mitnagdim – those opposed to the new chassidic groups, and to their leader, the Baal Shem Tov. It was therefore with great trepidation that the boy’s mother approached her husband to take their son to the Baal Shem Tov for help. She felt that is was their last resort.
Reb Yitzchok immediately rejected her suggestion, despite his wife’s pleadings and tears: “Please Yitzchok, I can no longer bear to look at my precious son in his present state. Please disregard your feelings for the Baal Shem Tov’s chassidic followers and their customs, and beg him to heal our son.”
At first Yitzchok couldn’t see himself begging the Baal Shem Tov for anything. The community had branded the Baal Shem Tov as a fraud and a charlatan. But after hearing his wife’s tearful cries, he realized there was no alternative, and he agreed to see the Baal Shem Tov.
As his son was too unstable to travel, Reb Yitzchok decided to approach the community leaders with whom he had some influence, and ask them to invite the Baal Shem Tov to Tarnopol. At first, the town leaders were vehemently opposed to Reb Yitzchak’s request. To invite the leader of the chassidim would rouse the ire of their rabbi and the community in general. They all agreed it was a waste of time.
But the town leaders had a great deal of sympathy for Reb Yitzchok and his wife because of their ill son. Also, being a successful businessman, Reb Yitzchok was a pillar of the community and held great influence with all its leaders. Finally, after much discussion, the community leaders agreed to pen an invitation to the Baal Shem Tov to come to Tarnopol for a Shabbat.
Reb Yitzchok traveled to Medzibuzh for an audience with the Baal Shem Tov and to extend the invitation. Reb Yitzchok tearfully told the Baal Shem Tov of his son’s illness, and begged the Rebbe to come to Tarnapol.
The Baal Shem Tov sat in deep thought for a few minutes, then raised his head, smiled and nodded his head. He called Alexei, his driver, to prepare his carriage.
When the Baal Shem Tov arrived, Reb Yitzchak promptly brought the Baal Shem Tov to his home to meet his son.
The Baal Shem Tov smiled as he slowly stroked the boy’s cheek. He then said to Reb Yitzchok and his wife the following: “Your son is not ill. It is simply a misunderstanding. Allow me to talk to your son for a few minutes, and then allow me to do so again privately for about an hour each day for the next few days, and I am sure your son will recover.”
Reb Yitzchok and his wife were dumbfounded! How could the Baal Shem Tov say their son’s illness is simply a “misunderstanding” after the best doctors couldn’t help him? Nevertheless, they were encouraged by the Rebbe’s words, and agreed to allow the Baal Shem Tov to talk to their son each day, as he requested, on condition that the boy’s caretaker stay with them in case their son reacted violently, as he was known to do.
The Baal Shem Tov then sat down and spoke to the lad. The boy sat quietly as he looked into the Baal Shem Tov’s holy eyes and listened to his whispered words. The Baal Shem Tov asked the lad some questions and the boy responded calmly.
For the next few days, the boy was brought by his caretaker to meet with the Baal Shem Tov. It seemed that the Baal Shem Tov had a most calming affect upon him. After a few days, it seemed as if the boy was cured! He seemed to behave normally whenever he sat with the Baal Shem Tov.
Reb Yitzchok and Sheindel were elated. Reb Yitzchok asked the Baal Shem Tov, what shall we prepare for you this Shabbat?” The Baal Shem Tov asked for a lamb and that the shochet (slaughterer) be brought to him. The Baal Shem Tov watched as the shochet correctly slaughtered the lamb, but just as the shochet was about to cut it open, the Baal Shem Tov stopped him.
“I will inspect the lamb.” He inserted his hand into the lamb’s body and felt for any lesions on the lung that would render the animal as being unfit. When he removed his hand, he pronounced the lamb kosher.
The Baal Shem Tov then left for the mikveh. Meanwhile, the shochet proceeded with the preparation of the lamb. He was called away briefly but when he returned and withdrew the lung from the animal he found to his dismay a round puncture. He waited for the Baal Shem Tov to return, and then told him the story of how he had briefly left and returned to find a hole in the lung.
The Baal Shem Tov didn’t seem disturbed and told the slaughterer to continue with the preparations since he considered the lamb kosher. “I want it to be cooked for my Shabbat meal,” be announced. The shochet was stunned, and immediately rushed to tell the townspeople about the treif (unkosher) lamb that the Baal Shem Tov planned to eat on Shabbat!
The town elders, who were all opponents of the Baal Shem Tov, planned to confront him in front of the entire congregation over the matter.
The next morning, after the Shabbat prayers, the Rav of Tarnopol accompanied by a group of townspeople went to Reb Yitzchok’s house to confront the Baal Shem Tov with his guilt. The Baal Shem Tov had not returned, so the Rav took a seat at the head of the table to await his arrival.
Meanwhile, the young man’s caretaker brought him for his daily session with the Baal Shem Tov. The non-Jewish caretaker did not realize that the man seated at the head of the table was not the Baal Shem Tov. So he brought the young man into the room and left assuming that the boy would act properly as he always did in the presence of the Baal Shem Tov.
The lad began to give a rambling account of his activities. He circled the group at the table in a mad shuffle and began to relate how after the Baal Shem Tov had gone to the mikveh, the shochet had returned and made a round hole in the lung. The townspeople were astonished at these words. It seemed the young man was telling the truth. There was no reason for him to fabricate such a story and he was lucid enough to understand what had transpired.
They now realized their error in judging the Baal Shem Tov. One by one they rose and quietly left. They were now convinced of the Baal Shem Tov’s honesty. As the town Rav left Reb Yitzchok’s home, he encountered the Baal Shem Tov returning from the Shabbat prayers. The town Rav was so embarrassed; he couldn’t speak, and began to mumble some words of apology. The Baal Shem Tov smiled and lifted his hand in an expression of assurance. “Don’t worry”, he said, “it’s simply a misunderstanding”.
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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