#510 (s5767-49 / 15 Elul 5767)

A Prosperous Visitor

"I wished to see the holy Baal Shem Tov and receive his blessing, though I am not in need of anything, thank
G-d," said the visitor.

A Prosperous Visitor


The holy Baal Shem Tov was sitting in his room, when a light knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. His attendant announced a visitor.

The visitor was a prosperous looking middle-aged Jewish man. "I have heard of the fame of the saintly Rabbi. I wished to see the Rabbi's holy face and receive his blessing, though I am not in need of anything, thank G-d," said the visitor.

The Besht studied the man's face. Then he said, "It is written, 'G-d directs the steps of man.' This means that no Jew goes anywhere without being directed by Divine Providence. Though you may not know it, you have not come here of your own free will."

The gentleman looked puzzled, but waited for the Baal Shem Tov to continue. To his great surprise the Besht began to tell a story:

"Once, there lived two boys who were best of friends. They went to yeshiva together from the time they were small children. The years flew by, and soon the boys were married businessmen. Each one went to live in a different town.

"At first, both did very well and became quite wealthy. Later, however, one of them had one bad business deal after another, until he lost his entire fortune.

"The poor man remembered his more fortunate friend and decided to seek his help. Arriving at his friend's house he was warmly welcomed. They chatted, remembering old times. Eventually the host asked his visitor the reason for the surprise visit. The visitor poured out his heart, saying that he came to seek help.

"The host told him that he had nothing to worry about. He called his bookkeeper and ordered him to draw up a balance of his affairs. To the amazement of the clerk and the visitor, he ordered half of his fortune transferred to his impoverished friend. 'My friend,' he said, 'we always shared everything we had. I am now going to share everything I have with you again!'

"The poor man returned home rich again. He set up his business and shortly doubled his fortune. But what happened to his friend? His fortune took a turn for the worse. Soon, he was very poor.

"It was now his turn to seek the aid of his friend, whom he had helped in his hour of need. He made his way to his friend's house. He was made to wait quite a while, and finally, out came the servant with word that his master did not remember the name of the visitor, and in any case was too busy to see anyone.

"The poor man could hardly believe his ears. 'Confidentially,' the servant added, 'ever since my master regained his riches, he has become a hard man with no sympathy for anyone!'

"There was nothing for the poor man to do but return home. He could not get over the humiliation and disappointment he had suffered and he soon died.

"On the very same day, the rich man in the other town had an accident and died too. The two souls ascended to heaven and appeared for judgment. The soul of the poor man who had treated his friend so generously was told of his great reward and the Gates of Paradise were thrown open for him. But the other soul was condemned to suffer atonement, until the soul became pure and clean again.

"The first soul said sadly, 'How can I enjoy the happiness of Paradise knowing that my friend is not with me, and is being punished on my account?' The soul was given permission to pronounce judgment in this case. Without hesitation, the soul said that both of them should again be sent into bodies, to live their lives anew, so that the other soul could make amends where it had failed. Selflessly, this soul accepted a life of poverty again, in order to help the other soul.

"Some time afterwards," continued the Baal Shem Tov, "two baby boys were born in two different towns, one rich and one poor. When the poor boy grew up, he went from door to door begging alms. One day he arrived in the town where the rich man lived, and knocked at his door. The rich man opened the door, and upon seeing a beggar, exclaimed, 'You are a stranger in this town if you do not know that I do not give alms to any beggar, not even local ones!'

"The beggar had not eaten for three days. He collapsed and died.

"Now what do you think of this rich man?" the saintly Baal Shem Tov concluded, his keen eyes piercing through the visitor.
The Baal Shem Tov's visitor grew pale and frightened. His eyes filled with tears, but he could not utter a word, for he remembered the beggar who had knocked at his door a few days before he made his way to the Baal Shem Tov. The pale and haggard face of the dead beggar which had made no impression on him then, now began to torment him, and he wept bitterly.

"Is there any hope for me? Is there anything I can do to save my soul?" the visitor pleaded.
The Baal Shem Tov replied, "Yes, there is something you can do. You must try to find the survivors of the poor man and ask their forgiveness. You must provide them with all their needs for the rest of their lives and distribute the rest of your fortune to the poor and needy. Then, pray to G-d with all your heart, for He is near to all who call unto Him in truth."
~~~~~~~~~

 

[Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition on www.lchaimweekly.org (#726), with permission.]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov ["master of the good Name"], a unique and seminal figure in Jewish history, revealed the Chassidic movement and his own identity as an exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 1734. He passed away on the festival of Shavuot in 1760. He wrote no books, although many claim to contain his teachings. One available in English is the excellent annotated translation of Tzava'at Harivash, published by Kehos. An ongoing online translation of Sefer Baal Shem Tov can be found on www.baalshemtov.com.


Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.

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