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Story #1484 (5786-35) 2 Sivan 5786 (May 18, 2026) "A Rare Power of the Ba'al Shem Tov" "The old man replied, "Indeed, I knew the holy Ba'al Shem Tov well. But this grandson of his [Rebbe Baruch of Mezhibuz], I never heard of."" Why This Week? The festival of Shavuot - Receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai - is also the yahrzeit of the Baal Shem Tov. Story in PDF format for more convenient printing
A Rare Power of the Ba'al Shem Tov
The Ba'al Shem Tov's grandson, Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibuz, although known for the manner of authority and royalty with which he conducted his leadership, nevertheless considered himself totally insignificant in comparison to the greatness of his grandfather. One of the disciples of Rabbi Baruch was a young dedicated Torah scholar and a God-fearing Jew, who had come to Rabbi Baruch to learn Torah and Divine service according to the chasidic ways of his holy grandfather, the Ba'al Shem Tov. He would cling to the dust of his Rebbe's feet and travel with him on all his journeys. Once, when traveling back to Mezhibuz with his holy rebbe, a thought arose in his mind: How much greater and more wondrous could the marvels and awesomeness of his grandfather the Ba'al Shem Tov have been, that the whole world praises and extols him? He found it difficult to believe that there could be a man who surpasses his holy rebbe. As they arrived near the city, the young chasid needed to relieve himself. He descended from the wagon and entered the nearby forest temporarily, yet Rabbi Baruch ordered the wagon to continue traveling. When his follower came out of the forest and didn't find the wagon, he walked to the city on foot. Meanwhile, it began to rain and all his clothes were soaked. When the young man arrived at the city, he entered the first house that he saw had a mezuzah, in order to rest a bit and warm up. Once inside, he saw an old man sitting and learning Talmud so diligently that he did not notice the young chasid's entrance, and the latter did not dare approach him. Eventually, the old man paused his learning and saw the unannounced visitor. "Where are you from?" he asked. "I'm from Mezhibuz and I was traveling with Rebbe Baruch." "Who is this Rabbi Baruch? I don't know him and have never heard of him." "He is the grandson of the holy Ba'al Shem Tov." The old man responded, "Indeed, I knew the holy Ba'al Shem Tov well. But his grandson I never heard about. "Now, allow me to tell you how great was the power of the Ba'al Shem Tov. * * * * * "When the Ba'al Shem Tov came to live in Mezhibuz and everyone rushed to him, I wasn't eager to do so also because I didn't think it justified interrupting my Torah learning. Even when I heard people greatly praising his wonders, I didn't want to postpone my studies to go to him. "Once, on a Saturday night, the heat was very intense, and after a long learning session, I no longer could bear the heat. I rose and went outside to breathe fresh air. As I walked, lost in my thoughts, my feet brought me near the Ba'al Shem Tov's house. I said to myself, 'Let me go and see this man whose fame is so widespread among the people.' "I entered
and saw the Ba'al Shem Tov sitting on his chair, surrounded by a group of women
telling him their troubles, and he was answering each one. I said to myself:
'At this time, when a person should be engaged in the midnight prayers and rectifications
and Torah study, he's busy with women's talk and vanities?!' "I wanted to see who this man was so I maneuvered carefully to see his face without disturbing his concentration. To my great shock, it was the Ba'al Shem Tov! How was this possible? "I hurried back to the room where I first saw the Ba'al Shem Tov, and found him sitting and engaging with the women as before! I still couldn't believe my eyes. "I ran full speed back and forth from the Ba'al Shem Tov to the study hall and from the study hall to the Ba'al Shem Tov. Again, I found him in the room still sitting and dealing with the women, and at virtually the same moment standing in the study hall saying the midnight prayers with tears! "Even though it was difficult for me to process my perceptions, I was greatly amazed at this sight. I realized that it is not for naught that they refer to the Ba'al Shem Tov as a miraculous holy person. * * * * * "Soon after this episode," the elderly man continued, "a bad incident happened to me. One day, while in the midst of saying the Shema Yisrael prayer, an impure image appeared before my eyes. And this continued to occur every time I said the Shma. What great distress this caused me! "I took upon myself fasts and abstinences, but they didn't help at all. Against my will, I realized that I needed to go again to the Ba'al Shem Tov, this time to seek his advice and help. I told him everything that had happened to me. His response was: 'If so, take upon yourself one complete fast from Sabbath to Sabbath.' "I went home and did as he said. On Saturday night, I didn't eat anything. On the morning of the first day, when I woke up, the desire for food overwhelmed me greatly. I felt very weak. I thought that there was no way I could keep the fast because the hunger grew stronger from moment to moment. I decided in my mind that I was ready to die. But as soon as I agreed to this in my heart, immediately the hunger left me and I felt satiated as if I had eaten a good meal. "And so it was every day. In the morning I was very hungry to the point of death. And when I held back and overcame my hunger, the hunger left me after I agreed to die of hunger. "On Friday night I ate the Sabbath meal, and immediately the impure image left me at last, and since then my thoughts have been pure and clean, thank G-d. "I understood that all this was the work of the Ba'al Shem Tov and that indeed he was truly a holy individual, head and shoulders above everyone else. I became very attached to him." When the old man finished speaking, the young man understood that his own holy rebbe had arranged this encounter, so that he would hear from the old man about the greatness of the holiness and wonders of the Ba'al Shem Tov. Rebbe Baruch wanted him to realize that all the wonders he had seen with him did not reach the deeds of the holy Ba'al Shem Tov. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why This Week? The festival of Shavuot - Receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai - is also the yahrzeit of the Ba'al Shem Tov.
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Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.