Baal Shem Tov stories

 It is said in the name of the Satmar Rov that he scoffed at people who believed all of the stories of the Baal Shem Tov (saying that if one doesn’t believe that they could have taken place, then he is an apikores, but if he believes that all of them actually took place, then he is a fool). He is reputed to have said: ‘It is not possible that all of the stories actually took place, because just think how many of the stories are alleged to have occurred on a motzoei Shabbos, and there were not enough Motzoei Shabbosim in the Besht’s lifetime to accommodate all of the stories’.

In contrast, the following is an excerpt of a sicha of the Rebbe:

“When there is a story that reaches us, it is a clear indication that that story contains an important lesson for us in our avodas Hashem. There is an irrefutable proof for this. As many stories as have been publicized about the Baal Shem Tov, when we consider that we are dealing with the Baal Sh”T, who’s entire life was with a BaSH”T hanhogo, and every moment was miraculous, we realize that the actual number of miraculous stories that took place with the Baal Shem Tov (that have to account for every moment of his life), has to be much much greater than the number of stories that have reached us. Why, then, we must ask, have only these - relatively few – stories reached from amongst the countless that undoubtedly took place? Obviously, because these have an important lesson for us!”