The Story of the Baal Shem Tov
There is a story about a man who was traveling to see the Baal Shem Tov during the High Holidays. He was a very poor man and had just enough money to make the journey. Immediately after Rosh Ha Shanah he gets on his rickety cart with his trusty mare and rides toward the Rebbe's home. It is about a ten day journey, just enough time to reach there before Yom Kippur, the holiest fast day of the year. His wagon gets caught in a ditch and breaks down on the outskirts of a small village. The village woodworker is preparing to close for the fast day. Distraught, the man leaves the wheel, planning on picking it up after Yontiff (the Holy-day.)
The traveler makes camp near his wagon and horse in the meadow. As the sun sets he realizes the holiday is beginning. The only Hebrew the man knew were the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. And so, for hours he stands before G-d in the open meadow, and recites the letters over and over. He prayed until tears ran down his face. In the morning he again recites the letters all day, until the sun sets. Early the next morning the man picks of the wheel from the wheel wright and continues on the journey. He hopes to reach the Baal Shem Tov in time for Sukkot, the harvest festival. On the way a beggar man stops him and asks him to buy an etrog- a citrus fruit- which is used on the holiday of Sukkot. Before he even hears the price he tells the beggar that he only has two Kopek left, (the equivalent of 50 cents. To his great surprise and delight the beggar agrees to this shockingly low sum of money.
Upon entering the village he sees a crowd of disciples at the center square, and realizes that everyone has already gathered for the harvest celebration. Out of breath and barely able to hear he stands at the outer edge of the gathering. The Baal Shem Tov asks the crowd to part as he begins to search the air, breathing deeply the scents around him. He stops in front of our wanderer. Now shaking, the man is looking down at his very dirty clothing and is embarrassed. With a loud voice, in front of the entire throng of people, the Baal Shem Tov asks, "Where did you get that etrog?" And, so the traveler tells about meeting the beggar on the road. Once more he is asked another question, "So, where were you during the fast day, and what were you doing?" One more time, our humble servant answers and tells him the rest of his story. Confused, the Baal Shem Tov thinks that perhaps he did not understand something he heard. It is then explainsed to all present, that the Etrog that he is now holding is so very holy, not just because it came from the Land of Israel, but because it came directly from the Garden of Eden. Talking out loud he wonders how it came to be that this man, who only knows the Aleph Bet should come to have possession of an Etrog from the Garden of Eden. In a barely audible voice the man explains. "You see, I am not a learned man, but I do know how to speak to G-d, so I prayed over and over again with the only thing I knew, the letters of the Aleph Bet. I figured that if I gave G-d the letters, he could form the prayers." And so the Baal Shem Tov understood that the power of prayer and intention are among the merits that G-d rewards.
Look at the Judaica section and the "Aleph Bet" Quilt to experience what the wanderer felt.
The traveler makes camp near his wagon and horse in the meadow. As the sun sets he realizes the holiday is beginning. The only Hebrew the man knew were the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. And so, for hours he stands before G-d in the open meadow, and recites the letters over and over. He prayed until tears ran down his face. In the morning he again recites the letters all day, until the sun sets. Early the next morning the man picks of the wheel from the wheel wright and continues on the journey. He hopes to reach the Baal Shem Tov in time for Sukkot, the harvest festival. On the way a beggar man stops him and asks him to buy an etrog- a citrus fruit- which is used on the holiday of Sukkot. Before he even hears the price he tells the beggar that he only has two Kopek left, (the equivalent of 50 cents. To his great surprise and delight the beggar agrees to this shockingly low sum of money.
Upon entering the village he sees a crowd of disciples at the center square, and realizes that everyone has already gathered for the harvest celebration. Out of breath and barely able to hear he stands at the outer edge of the gathering. The Baal Shem Tov asks the crowd to part as he begins to search the air, breathing deeply the scents around him. He stops in front of our wanderer. Now shaking, the man is looking down at his very dirty clothing and is embarrassed. With a loud voice, in front of the entire throng of people, the Baal Shem Tov asks, "Where did you get that etrog?" And, so the traveler tells about meeting the beggar on the road. Once more he is asked another question, "So, where were you during the fast day, and what were you doing?" One more time, our humble servant answers and tells him the rest of his story. Confused, the Baal Shem Tov thinks that perhaps he did not understand something he heard. It is then explainsed to all present, that the Etrog that he is now holding is so very holy, not just because it came from the Land of Israel, but because it came directly from the Garden of Eden. Talking out loud he wonders how it came to be that this man, who only knows the Aleph Bet should come to have possession of an Etrog from the Garden of Eden. In a barely audible voice the man explains. "You see, I am not a learned man, but I do know how to speak to G-d, so I prayed over and over again with the only thing I knew, the letters of the Aleph Bet. I figured that if I gave G-d the letters, he could form the prayers." And so the Baal Shem Tov understood that the power of prayer and intention are among the merits that G-d rewards.
Look at the Judaica section and the "Aleph Bet" Quilt to experience what the wanderer felt.
