Wellsprings
of Redemption

Fundamental teachings of the Baal Shem Tov 
that form the foundation of Toras Chassidus

The light of the Baal Shem Tov zy”a is a taste of redemption, a shine of the concealed light that will be fully revealed in the future. Hashem gifted us the ability to taste this light even before its arrival, giving us the ability to draw the future redemption into the present state of exile. Opening pockets of air from Gan Eden itself, the light of the Baal Shem Tov gives us access to the calming light of redemption. While it is impossible to convey the significance of his teachings in such few words, we can rely upon his own teaching to validate our attempt: “One who touches a part of the essence, touches the entirety of the essence.” When we access even the slightest taste of the Baal Shem Tov, we are already touching the whole picture. May the merit of the light of the seven days of creation help us taste the light that is to come.

Avodah B’Gashmiyus: Finding Hashem in the Daily Grind 

Before the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, the work of pnimius was reserved for the mind of the mystic in the privacy of their own inner world, but now it was revealed within the heart and body of the ordinary Yid in their encounter with the outer world. Fundamentally rooted in Kabbalah, the Baal Shem Tov refocused the emphasis of pnimius towards the daily life of a simple Yid. Living in a physical world that does not yet operate in accordance with the true reality of Hashem’s infinite presence, our job is to uncover the light from within the concealment of the body and the feelings. For example, instead of eating and drinking simply offering strength to our avodah, the physical processes became the place of avodah itself. 

By attaching ourselves to the light of Hashem that rests hidden within the thickness of this world itself, we transform the mundane into the site of revelation, finding Hashem in everything we do. Staying in the mind alone was no longer an option; the light needed to be revealed down below in the outside of this world. This new expression of pnimius enabled two separate, yet interconnected points: 1) Yidden who found themselves engaged with this world in all of its physicality could now feel deeply connected to Hashem in everything they did, and 2) Each Yid became a messenger of Hashem to reveal the sparks of light hidden within the darkness: the greatest spiritual work available.

Hafatzas HaMaayanos: Spreading the Light Outwards

Until the Baal Shem Tov, pnimius was hidden away in concealed places. Those who knew, knew, and those who didn’t, didn’t. The reasons for upholding secrecy were many, but in the end, none of them prevented him from carrying out his mission: to spread the light of pnimius far and wide. It was no longer an option to conceal; the only way forward was to reveal it all in the hopes that it would wake the sleeping body of the Jewish nation from its deep slumber. Facing a world filled with all sorts of darkness, seeing the Yidden buckling under the pressure of so much difficulty and pain, the Baal Shem Tov decided to reveal the greatest medicine of all, the light of the neshamah that can only be experienced through the wellsprings of pnimius haTorah. Encountering the soul of Moshiach during a spiritual ascent, the Baal Shem Tov asked him when he would be arriving, for the darkness had grown so strong. Moshiach responded: “When your wellsprings spread out to the outside…and when they can perform unifications like you.” In the face of Jewish struggle, the Baal Shem Tov broke through the barriers of concealment, revealing the light for all to see.

M’Besari Echazeh: Finding Hashem Within Ourselves 

Before the Baal Shem Tov, the world of pnimius was primarily focused on the upper realms, the supernal worlds of unity and purity. By thinking about the worlds and their interconnecting systems, the mystic was able to focus their mind upwards for the purpose of experiencing a vision of existence as it should be. The Baal Shem Tov shifted the focus of pnimius from the transcendence of the upper realms and drew it down to the immanence of lower realms, into the lived experience of each Yid wherever they may find themselves. 

Instead of raising the lower worlds up, he focused on drawing the upper worlds down into the territory of human experience, into the day-to-day feelings of being a soul contained within a body. By finding Hashem within our human condition, we gained the possibility of experiencing existence as it is. No longer looking only upwards, the Yidden discovered the secret of also looking inwards. For just as the worlds exist above, so too do they exist below, within each and every one of us. 

The upper sefiros were transformed into inner states of consciousness and mood, and the inner world of each Yid became the place of Hashem’s revelation. Each person is unique, and no two bodies or souls are the same. In shifting the focus of spiritual work to the inner territory of the self, each person is revealed to be the entire world, armed with a singularly unique spiritual mission.

Olamos, Neshamos, and Elokus: Elevating Everything Back to Unity 

Revealing Hashem’s presence in the lower world demands a careful way of looking. If we start to look at visible reality and identify it with Hashem, we run into a dangerous mistake of equating the physical world with G-d, something that transgresses the delicate boundaries of our faith on many levels. The Baal Shem Tov taught us how to look deeper, to search out the invisible light that rests hidden within the physical vessel of reality.

Identifying the twenty-two letters of the Alef-Beis as the building blocks of all things, the Baal Shem Tov gave us the tools to look deep into the shape of this world and to connect to the innermost point of Hashem’s presence with faith and deveykus. Everything is composed of letters, and each letter represents the essence of that thing. Each letter holds inside of it the three-stage system that enables us to reveal Hashem in the lowest places. 

First there are Olamos — the external shape and appearance of the letter. Then there are Neshamos — the middle territory where the letter means something specifically for the individual soul perceiving it. Finally there is Elokus — the light and vitality of Hashem’s infinite presence that gives life to all things. 

As the human vessels that hold the light of the neshamah within us, it is our job to be the bridge that connects the external level of Olamos — the way things look on the outside — and elevate them back to the inner level of Elokus — the infinite light that saturates all things at all times. It is only through our minds — which hold our neshamah — that the lower worlds can be connected back to their root in the upper worlds. It turns out that our role 
in this world is as significant as anything can possibly be.