#502 (s5767-41 / 18 Tamuz 5767) Chirps
of a Bird Prophet The building echoed to the
revelry of a wedding party, but the Baal Shem Tov and his companions spent
the night quietly in their room. Chirps
of a Bird Prophet Evening fell while the Baal Shem
Tov was on a journey with a few of his disciples, so they stopped to spend
the night in a village inn. The little building soon echoed to the revelry of
a wedding party, but the Baal Shem Tov and his companions spent the night quietly
in their room. In the morning, when the families of the bride and groom
were standing outside, ready to make the journey home, the Baal Shem Tov was also
there, for he too was preparing to leave. While they were waiting for their wagons
a little bird chirped away on a tree, right in front of the bride and groom. "Do
you know what the bird is saying?" the Baal Shem Tov asked his chasidim.
"It is the verse: 'For these shall the Land be divided.'" [see Num.
26:53] They did not understand his meaning, of course, but neither did they
ask him to explain himself. Decades later, after this couple had lived a
good life together and had raised children and grandchildren, the husband decided
that come what may, he was going to spend his old age in Eretz Yisrael.
Since his wife refused to leave her children, and they could find no way out of
their dilemma, they brought their case before a rabbinical court. The beit
din ruled that the wife would receive a bill of divorce: she was not allowed
to prevent him from going, nor could he force her to join him. After their monetary
matters had been settled according to the court's ruling, the husband departed
for Eretz Yisrael, and the wife remained with her children. Word
of this incident spread for and wide, until it reached the disciples who had accompanied
the Baal Shem Tov to that village inn. "So this is what the rebbe meant,"
they said in wonderment. "'Between these shall the Land divide!'" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Selected
and adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition in A Treasury of Chassidic
Tales (Artscroll), as translated by our esteemed colleague Uri Kaploun from
Sipurei Chasidim by Rabbi S. Y. Zevin.] Biographic Note: Rabbi
Yisrael ben Eliezer (18 Elul 1698-6 Sivan 1760), 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 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 Kehot.
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. back to Top
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