Freud and the Baal Shem Tov

There was a person in yechidus by the Rebbe, and the Rebbe was speaking with him about Freud. [Freud was a scientist, a doctor and a groundbreaking thinker (known as the father of psychoanalysis). He stood out, in particular, for his very critical and negative analysis of all of a human beings actions and behaviours].

During the yechidus, the Rebbe remarked to him: “Freud dug deep into a person’s character, and uncovered all of the negative forces therein that determine his behaviour, the unflattering reality that resides there within.

But the Baal Shem Tov dug even deeper, and revealed the otzros, - the treasures!

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!”

Agunah

The group of Chassidim were travelling, and they stopped off at an inn (as Chassidim were wont to do, to provide for so many chassidishe maasiyos). They noted that the proprietress appeared to be a woman in a very advanced age. She, in turn, noticed them, and called them to her. “I see that you are Chassidim”, she said to them, “let me tell you my story”:

‘When I was a young woman’ she began, ‘my husband disappeared without a trace, leaving me alone with our baby. Someone directed me to the holy Baal Shem Tov, and I went to him, brokenhearted and grasping my baby in my arms, and begged for his brocho and advice.

‘The Baal Shem Tov looked at me with great compassion, and said to me as follows: “My daughter, I have searched, and I don’t see your husband, neither in this world, nor in the world to come, and I am afraid, therefore, that you are destined to a hard life of loneliness”.

“However”, he continued, “if you promise me that you will remain faithful to the Torah and continue to live as a good Jewish daughter, then I promise you a long life, much wealth, and you will see many descendents from this child in your arms”.

“Boruch Hashem”, the woman concluded, “the Tzaddik’s brochos were realized in their entirety. I have reached a ripe old age, I have attained great wealth, and that (man/woman?) is the child that I had with me at the time, and from whom I have seen by now many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren”.

Difficult Wife

The Baal Shem Tov wanted to perform the mitzvah of serving talmidei chachomim, and he requested of “heaven” that he be informed who are considered the talmidei chachomim of the generation, so that he might fulfill this mitzvah by serving them. The response was that he should choose either R’ Ephraim Ashkenazi, the Pnei Yehoshua, or the author of the Tevuos Shor.

The Baal Shem Tov travelled to Brod, to the abovementioned R’ Ephraim Ashkenazi. This R’ Ephraim suffered from an affliction that made him always feel extremely cold, and means would be sought to attempt to alleviate this. For example, he would be frequently carried to the bath house, where he would seat himself in the hottest part of the shvitz, in order to get some warmth to penetrate his body. [While he was there, no one else was permitted to enter the shvitz, the only exception was R’ Sar Sholom of Belz, who was then a child, and was permitted to be present]. When he returned home from the shvitz, he would drink a very hot drink, to help his body retain the warmth.

When the Besht entered the home of R’ Ephraim, he discovered him covered with many blankets and sheets, in a feeble attempt to keep warm. When the Besht saw this (and in his desire to serve this talmid chochom), he immediately went into the courtyard and collected wood, and got a roaring fire burning on the fireplace. The room warmed up to such a degree, that the gaon R’ Ephraim was able to remove the sheets and blankets, and was even comfortable enough to remove his jacket.

Presently, the rebbetzin of R’ Ephraim came in, and when she noted the extreme heat in the room, she immediately began to scold and berate her husband mercilessly (she was either very intolerant of heat, or, more probably, was very intolerant of her husband being comfortable). When the Besht saw this, he was very upset. Here, he had come for the sole purpose of serving this gaon, and instead he had caused him additional anguish!

When R’ Ephraim noted the pain of the Baal Shem Tov, he comforted him, saying: “Don’t feel bad, sometimes a great benefit can be derived through having a difficult wife, as is illustrated in the following incident that I personally experienced:

[And the gaon went on to relate to the Baal Shem Tov]: “Once I was in heaven, and I witnessed a soul from this world being brought before the heavenly tribunal. The beis din shel maaloh began to examine his deeds, and found much fault, and they began to judge him; ‘why did you commit all of these aveiros?’ ‘why were you lax in your performance of all of these mitzvos?’

The accused, however, continued to maintain his innocence throughout the trial, presenting the same “defense” for each and every charge: ‘it was not my fault, it was all because of my difficult wife!’ ‘This aveiroh was because of my difficult wife!’ ‘These mitzvos, my wife prevented me from fulfilling’,

One malach, a prosecuting angel, stood at the side, and became enraged at this defense, and began to shout at the poor soul: ‘What kind of an excuse is this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Because of a wife you commit sins?! Because of your wife you abstain from mitzvos? This is a totally unacceptable defense, and you are fully responsible for all of your actions!’ [The angel apparently forgot that this defense actually has a very strong precedent, it was originally put forward by Odom Horishon himself!]

“I (R’ Ephraim continued his narrative) was rather upset by the position adopted by the malach, and I challenged him, saying: ‘You have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you have any clue what it means to have a wife, and especially a difficult one? How do you have the nerve to discount this poor soul’s defense when you are completely ignorant about the subject matter?! Your claim is utterly ridiculous!’

The heavenly court concurred with my position, and, with regards to the prosecuting angel, they decreed that he be “demoted”; - he was sent down on a trip to experience what it means to live as a human being on earth. The angel was “born” as a person, who, at the age of 13 was married off to a horrible wife. She harassed him and pestered him and persecuted him until she made him ill. Eventually, the young couple came to me (related R’ Ephraim), as the Rov, to arrange their divorce.

‘Nu’, I said to him, ‘I hope you’ve learned your lesson, and you will never again prosecute against the Jewish people!’

Two more years passed, and the unhappy angel/husband passed away”. This was the remarkable story that R’ Ephraim related to the holy Baal Shem Tov in order to comfort him!

Alef beis

It is told, that the Baal Shem Tov was once travelling, and found himself in a dangerous situation. To make matters worse, the Baal Shem Tov suddenly found himself devoid of his “moichin”, he had forgotten all of his kabbalistic secrets, and his special powers were suddenly gone. The Baal Shem Tov felt no different than a simple Jew; how would he resolve his difficulty?

The Baal Shem Tov picked his brain his brain to try to draw up some Torah thought, at least, that could be the catalyst to restoring his elusive powers, but it was in vain, his mind was a blank.

But, presently, the Baal Shem Tov asked the person accompanying him “Don’t you remember the letters of the aleph beis?” When he replied that he did, the Baal Shem Tov said that that would suffice, and they began reciting the letters of the aleph beis one by one. When they concluded, the Baal Shem Tov found that hismoichin had returned, and the danger was averted.

Something of such “katnus” such as the letters of the aleph beis served to draw back the great illumination of the holy vision of the BeSHT.