There was once a pious Yid who lived in Tazfas who would every night, with great sincerity, say Tikkun Chatzos and learn through the night. He was a simple person, not such a learned man.
One night, he heard a knock at the door. When he opened it, he saw a holy-looking man who introduced himself as Eliyahu HaNavi. He told him that since he had been doing these holy practices for so many years, it was decided in the Heavenly court that Eliyahu should come down and teach him the secrets of Torah.
He got very excited about this great chavrusah, but then Eliyahu told him that there was a special mitzvah he had done on the day of his bar mitzvah, and that that mitzvah played a great role in why he merited for Eliyahu to be revealed to him. But in Shamayim it was not revealed what that mitzvah was! Eliyahu and the heavenly angels wanted to know what that special mitzvah was that he had done. If he would reveal the mitzvah, Eliyahu would start teaching him many secrets of Torah.
Upon hearing this, the Yid said that he would have to decline the offer. His father had taught him to always be humble and never share his own good deeds with others, and even at the cost of a chavrusa with Eliyahu Hanavi, he refused to share the special mitzvah he had done when he was younger!
Eliyahu Hanavi left, but in Shamayim, there was great nachas from the Yid’s decision, and it was decided to send Eliyahu again, this time with no conditions. The Yid went on to learn with Eliyahu HaNavi every night, becoming an amazing talmid chochom and mekubal. Still, he remained simple and hidden, not letting anyone know of the levels he had achieved.
After his passing, they wanted to reward him for all his deeds, especially for keeping them hidden, and it was decided that he would come down again as a special neshamah who would change Yidden forever, bringing them closer to Hashem. This neshamah came down as the Baal Shem Tov.
The Baal Shem Tov’s parents, Reb Eliezer and Sarah, were an elderly, G-d-fearing couple who were not blessed with children. One day, Reb Eliezer told his wife, “Look, we are getting older and have no one to give over the money we’ve accumulated. Why don’t we use it for hachnasas orchim, and use the money to host guests during the week and on Shabbos? And that’s exactly what they did, turning their humble home into an open house for any Yid in need.
One fine Shabbos, in the middle of the seudah, the door opened, and a Yid nobody there knew walked in. The town was small, and it was clear to everyone that this Yid had just arrived from his travels, which means he had to have been mechallel Shabbos r”l. Everyone was staring at him, unsure how to even greet him, but without hesitating, Reb Eliezer ran over to him and asked, “Reb Yid, have you made Kiddush yet?” The Yid said “No,” and Reb Eliezer brought him a good bottle of wine, and he made Kiddush.
After Shabbos, that Yid told Reb Eliezer that he was Eliyahu HaNavi, and he had been sent to test him to see if even while doing so much chesed he would remain humble and respect every Yid. Since he passed the test, it was decided to bless him with a ben zachor who would light up the entire world.
Eliyahu HaNavi also told him that he and his wife would not live very long after the baby would be born, and he should make sure to tell him at the age of two and a half the following words: “Hashem is the G-d of Heaven and earth, you shall fear only Him, and not anything that was created.”
And so it was, the heiligeh Baal Shem Tov was born.
In his younger years, the Baal Shem Tov hid his high levels of kedusha and acted like a simple Yid. He lived in the city of Brod, where he became known as someone who helped people settle disputes and live in peace.
There was a great gaon in Brod at the time, Reb Efraim Kitover. He once had a disagreement with someone, but didn’t want to go to the local beis din, afraid they would rule in his favor since he was a well-respected talmid chachom. So he went to the Baal Shem Tov without revealing who he was, and shared his dispute.
The Baal Shem Tov made a fair compromise, and then called Reb Efraim in and said, “I know who you are. You should know that your daughter is my bashert. The time hasn’t come yet, but you will soon pass away. Before that, tell your daughter that she should not marry anyone until she sees the Shem Havaya (name of Hashem) on his forehead.”
Soon after, Reb Efraim passed away, and his son, the great Reb Gershon of Kitov, took charge of marrying off his sister. He brought many excellent proposals, great talmidei chachomim, but each time she declined.
One day, a poor man came to Reb Efraim and said, “I am your sister’s bashert.” Reb Gershon tried to push him away, but seeing he wouldn’t leave, he finally let him meet her, sure she would say no. To his surprise, she said yes — and this was the Baal Shem Tov.
The Baal Shem Tov had a special love for simple Yidden, who weren’t talmidei chachomim but had simple emunah. He would often show them great love and affection.
On Shabbos, he would honor them in many ways. One Shabbos, he went even more out of his way than usual to show his affection for the pashuta Yidden, and some of his close talmidim felt he was ‘overdoing it.’
By shalosh seudos, the Baal Shem Tov would sit with his closest talmidim and reveal great secrets of the Torah, while the ‘pashuta Yidden’ usually stayed in shul to say Tehillim.
That week, he spoke about the greatness of a baal teshuvah and even the most simple Yid. The talmidim understood he was giving them mussar for the fact that they thought he was giving these pashuta Yidden too much affection.
Then he started to sing the most beautiful niggun, a niggun which transcended the physical world and brought the talmidim into an otherworldly atmosphere. He told his talmidim to hold onto each other, and they felt themselves entering a very lofty spiritual level. They started to feel that they were transported somewhere else, and then, in the background, they started to hear the beautiful sounds of Yidden in shul, singing Tehillim with incredible deveikus.
They heard the “pashuta Yidden” crying out, “Oy Totte, I miss You, ad ana tishkacheinu netzach, I am so thirsty for You, Tatte, ke’ayel taarog al afikei mayim…and on and on it went.
The talmidim were totally swept up into this place of deveikus of the Yidden in shul. Eventually, the Baal Shem Tov brought them back to the room, having shown them what a “pashuta Yid” is. He told them, “If you were so enthralled by hearing this, imagine the nachas Hashem has from His “pashuta Yidden!”
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 82 – Shavuos.