I’ll tell you a maaseh. When the Baal Shem Tov first revealed himself, the very mention of his name evoked strong and varied reactions. Some were inspired and enthralled, eager to join his circle and taste the spiritual fire they heard about. Others were deeply skeptical, dismissive, even antagonistic. But there were also those who stood in the middle, not yet followers, yet not outright doubters, open to being persuaded one way or the other.
One such Jew decided there was only one way to reach a conclusion: to see the Baal Shem Tov for himself. He lived in Lithuania and resolved to make the long journey to Mezhibuzh, where the Baal Shem Tov lived.
Arriving before Shabbos, he needed a place to stay, and found lodging in the home of Reb Yechiel, a devoted disciple of the Baal Shem Tov.
Friday night, he followed Reb Yechiel to the Beis Medrash. As soon as the tefillah began, his gaze fixed on the Baal Shem Tov. The moment the Rebbe opened his mouth to daven, the guest was captivated. The davening was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was fiery, passionate, and alive with an otherworldly light. In that instant, the man’s skepticism dissolved. He thought to himself, “This is it. I’m all in.”
But then something happened that left him unsettled. After davening, the Baal Shem Tov turned to greet everyone in the shul, smiling and wishing everyone a warm “Good Shabbos.” The room glowed with happiness, until suddenly his face grew stern. He turned sharply to one of the gabbaim and rebuked him harshly: “Go check on the horses in the stable! How could you neglect them? Make sure they are all right!”
The gabbai, clearly taken aback, ran out to comply. A few minutes later, he returned: “Rebbe, the horses are fine.” The Baal Shem Tov’s smile returned, and he resumed greeting people. But moments later, his face clouded again. “Go check the horses! This is your job, how can you neglect it!” The gabbai rushed out once more, came back with the same report, and the scene repeated itself several more times.
The guest was bewildered. How could the same man who davened like a malach, an angel, be so agitated over horses, and berate his gabbai like that, and on Shabbos, no less? He left the Beis Medrash unsure what to think.
At the Friday night meal, he shared his confusion with Reb Yechiel. “Maybe this is normal for you who live here,” the guest said, “but I can’t make sense of it. I saw holiness beyond anything I imagined in his tefillah, and then I saw him yelling over horses?”
Reb Yechiel smiled. “We’re used to unusual things with the Rebbe. I can’t always explain them, but I can tell you this much – if he did it, there’s a reason.”
Shabbos passed. After Havdalah, the guest was granted a private audience with the Baal Shem Tov. Without being told what was troubling him, the Rebbe began to speak. “I know why you are puzzled. Let me explain.
“There was a Jew traveling here for Shabbos. He left Thursday, but along the way, his wagon broke down. Stranded on the side of the road, he was set upon by a band of robbers. I was able to sense that this Jew’s life was in danger by these bandits. I could not be there physically to save him, but I could still act.
“I knew the robbers were on horseback. So I placed dread and urgency into my gabbai by rebuking him over our own horses. That spiritual energy, the fear and agitations that the gabbai felt because of my rebuke about checking on the horses, was then channeled to them through their horses. The more I scolded my gabbai, the more nervous and unsettled the robbers became. It was as if they sensed danger. Fear gripped them, and they began to imagine that someone was pursuing them—perhaps soldiers or police—and they abandoned their plan. They fled, leaving the traveler alive, though without his wagon or horse.”
The Baal Shem Tov smiled. “In about an hour, you will see this man arrive here. You can hear the rest from him yourself.”
Sure enough, about an hour later, a weary, dust-covered man entered the town. His story matched the Rebbe’s words exactly. “I was traveling here for Shabbos,” he told those gathered, “when my wagon broke down. Robbers came upon me. They were ready to attack, but suddenly, for no reason I could see, they grew nervous. They began looking around, whispering, and then bolted, leaving me alive. They took my horse and wagon, but I survived. I had no choice but to walk the rest of the way, which is why I’ve only arrived now, after Shabbos.”
The visitor from Lithuania was stunned. Everything the Baal Shem Tov said had happened exactly
as described. His earlier doubts
were gone.
The Baal Shem Tov turned sharply to one of the gabbaim and rebuked him harshly: “Go check on the horses in the stable! How could you neglect them?”
Take It To Go!
From this story, we glimpse something extraordinary: the Baal Shem Tov’s ability to reach and affect people far away through his deep spiritual connection to another Jew standing before him. By instilling fear in the gabbai in Mezhibuzh, he caused fear to enter the hearts of robbers miles away.
There is an amazing lesson we can learn from this story. Chazal teach us to say “bishvili nivra ha’olam—for my sake the world was created.” This means that, to a certain extent, a Jew has to feel that the entire world is contained within him. The entire world is a reflection of me, and my personal avodas Hashem is the most important thing for the entire world. The collective entity of all of Klal Yisroel is reflected within me, and affected by my actions!
The Baal Shem Tov was experiencing this and acting on it. He found within his gabbai the ability to affect a Jew in need who was in trouble on the road outside of town.
When we interact with our fellow Jew, we should always remember this! We are not just talking to or dealing with a single individual, but rather we are standing before all of Klal Yisroel, who are contained within that Jew! If we were able to envision the collective Jewish nation standing before us, certainly that would impact the way we interact with that person in a tremendous way.
Hashem should bless us, that just as Hashem always gives good things to the Jewish people as a whole, he should give each individual tremendous blessing, because of the entirety of Klal Yisroel that is contained within each and every one of us.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 50.