Weekly Story: The Birthday of the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon 

As noted last week, I am posting some basic points about the importance of commemorating the auspicious day of Chai Elul.

Being that the Baal Shem Tov was born in the year 5458 (1698) which is 327 years ago, his new kapital Tehillim is chapter 28. While the Alter Rebbe was born 47 years later, or 280 years ago, his new Kapital is chapter 131.

As in my biography series, my goal is to farbreng and discuss basics, so now that I am doing a written farbrengen on these auspicious days in the Lubavitch calendar, I am focusing on fundamental aspects that every chossid desires that their children are aware of.

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and most welcomed. 

This weeks story is l’zechus Schneur Zalman Eliezer ben Cheyena for a complete and speedy recovery

Chai Elul is the birthday of the two big Luminaries, the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe. While both of their neshomos were sent into this world with the mission of spreading the teachings of Chassidus, nevertheless, each one was given his own unique mission. 

The Baal Shem Tov was sent into this world to reveal the general concept and teachings of Chassidus to the masses. While the Alter Rebbe neshoma descended to this world in order to publicize Chassidus Chabad to the masses. 

Being that the Alter Rebbe needed a Neshoma Chadasha (a new soul) to accomplish his mission, while the Baal Shem Tov’s soul was a reincarnation of the neshoma of a hidden tzaddik of Tzfas, that demonstrates that there is a tremendous difference between these two missions. Generally speaking, Chassidus gives two opposite reasons of why Hashem chose that time period to reveal Chassidus. 

At that time, the Jewish people were very downcast and in despair. Fifty years before the Baal Shem Tov was born, the Jews throughout Poland and Ukraine suffered the horrific destruction that was caused by Khmelnytsky and the Cossacks who joined him in rampaging thousands of Jewish communities, leaving death, suffering, homelessness and poverty in their wake. 

That occurred when the Jews were still reeling from the aftermath and fallout of the Shabtai Tzvi escapade.

Shabtai Tzvi claimed he was the Moshiach, and proclaimed that pork was now kosher, and it was now permissible to marry a woman whom the Torah states was forbidden to marry. While most Rabbonim stated that he was a fraud and imposter, many simple people got caught up in the frenzy and were thankful that the bitter exile is finally ending. As a result the Rabbonim of many communities were forced out because of their opposition to him and his teachings.

But then disaster struck. The Sultan of Turkey arrested him and in order to save himself he renounced his Judaism and converted to Islam.

This created tremendous chaos and havoc in the Jewish community. 

Thousands of people realized that they were led astray and severely sinned. Those who didn’t fall for his ruse wanted to make sure that their children don’t marry into a family that did go astray, even if they truly repented. Additionally, being that the vast majority of his former followers, were the simple Jews, so now many Torah Scholars and Rabbonim reminded those simple Jews to remember where their place in the community is. 

This caused a tremendous chasm in the Jewish community. The simple Jew was suffering from the poverty that all Jews were dealing with, and they felt looked down and ostracized by their own brothers. 

Many of them read with mistakes, and after being reminded many times that they are meaningless, too many of them began feeling that whatever mitzva they do or will do, has no worth.

Understandably this is a recipe for disaster.  

Seeing what the consequences of such a hurt feeling could be, Hashem sent the Baal Shem Tov to teach everyone, the Scholar and those that were ignorant certain basics of the Chassidic philosophy. One of those important tenets is, that Hashem loves the pure and sincere expression of a simple Jew. This uplifted their downtrodden spirits, and they once again began feeling happy and proud to be a Jew. 

Chassidus explains this concept in greater detail by noting that the Baal Shem Tov’s name was Yisroel. 

If a person faints, those around him try to awaken him from his faint, by making a commotion or to gently touch them. 

If those attempts do not succeed in awakening the person, you may decide to pour some water on their face or other means. 

One of the other ways to arouse the person from this faint, is to whisper in that person’s ear their name. 

At this time also, the Jewish people were weak and their connection to Hashem was fragile and being tested. Therefore, Hashem sent Reb Yisroel to awaken them from their deep slumber faint. 

The second reason is, there is a custom in many Jewish communities that before Shabbos one participates of the food that was prepared for Shabbos. 

Being that Moshiach is definitely coming before the Hebrew calendar year of 6,000 and the era of Moshiach is called Shabbos, so before Moshiach comes, we have to taste the Torah (“food”) that Moshiach is going to teach us. Being that Moshiach is going to teach us the inner dimension – the p’niminyus of the Torah, Hashem decided to give us a taste of that, and that is Chassidus as it too is the inner dimension of the Torah. 

So we were given Toras HaChassidus, as a way for us to prepare for the coming of Moshiach.

But one may ask, I understand that each one has his own mission, as I believe that that also applies to each individual Jew. Each one of us was created for a purpose, so obviously a tzaddik is given a greater mission to accomplish. But why were they both born in Elul and on the same day of Elul, the 18^th, which in Hebrew is called Chai?

This brings us to another basic teaching of Chassidus, and that is that everything is B’hashgacha Protis (Hashem’s Individual providence).

As is noted in these weeks A Taste of Chassidus, the month of Elul is the month that every Jew puts in effort to draw closer to Hashem. Chai means life and vitality. So Chai Elul means, this day gives life and vitality in our service of Elul of becoming closer to Hashem. And that is accomplished through Toras Hachassidus.

The question then becomes, how does Toras HaChassidus accomplish that?

We began this column by noting that Chai Elul is the birthday of the two Luminaries. We stressed luminaries, and not great talmidei chachomim or even tzaddikim, as a luminary gives off light. 

When a person gains an insight in something, that thing or better said that concept becomes clear to them. Clarity is an outcome of light shining. This is one of the reasons why the teachings of Chassidus are called Ohr Hachassidus – The Light of Chassidus.

The Baal Shem Tov loved light and always wanted his shul/beis hamidrash should have many candles shining brightly. He explained that the word אור (light) has the same numerical value of the word רז (secret). He explained that light enables one to understand the secrets behind that item they are looking at, or the concept they are pondering on.  Human nature is, when we understand the importance of something we do it as soon as possible, with enthusiasm and with all our energy and power.

So both of them were born on Chai Elul, as their teachings via Toras HaChassidus brought light and clarity to what Elul is all about. It is not merely corrected our actions, speech and even thoughts, in order that Hashem blesses us and every Jew with a wonderful healthy, happy and prosperous new year, but it is mainly that we should come closer to Hashem until we are one with Him.

This is spelled out in the Alter Rebbe’s explanation of the month of Elul, that it is the time when the King [Hashem] is in the field, giving every Jew the opportunity and ability to come close to Him. [But that is not the focus here. If you send me an email, I will forward a 20 page booklet to you.]

A Taste of Chassidus         Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Lee 5729 

As is well known the first letter of these four words spells out the word Elul. In Shulchan Aruch it is noted that these four words teach us that we are supposed to intensify our davening (prayers) during the month of Elul. It continues and states, since we find other pesukim that also have four words which spell out the word Elul, they too are a guidance on how we are to conduct ourselves throughout this month, as preparation for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. 

 לאביונים ומתנות לרעהו אישׁ  Ish L’ruhehhu Umatanos Luhevyoninm – [And] a person [should send portions] to his friend and presents to the poor, teach us that we should add in our kind and charitable deeds, as well as the possuk of לך ושמתי לידו  אנה  Ee’ nuh L’yuhdoe V’samti Luch – it happened [that he killed someone unintentionally] and I prepared for you [cities of refuge], is  teaching us that we should add in our learning. 

The way many people learn this is that our sages derived hints from these pesukim. However, in this maamar the Rebbe explains it somewhat differently. 

The Alter Rebbe explains in the beginning of Shaar HaYichud VeHuEmunah in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, that the name of an item gives that thing its life and vitality. Therefore, the Rebbe continues that since the name of this month is Elul, the word Elul is the guiding force of the entire month. Subsequently, the words that spell out Elul, are part and parcel of that guiding force, and their message is the essential dynamic of this month of how we are to conduct ourselves during this month. In other words it spells out that this is the essence of Elul and not just an interesting additional point. 

Being that the Torah spells out the word Elul in different combinations of four words, that is telling us we are to focus on all of these aspects in order to prepare ourselves for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. [And as is known that Torah, Tefillah and Tzedokah are the three pillars on which the world stands.]

[Author’s note: I did not see the following thought, but I believe it is the truth.

Being that Shulchan Aruch mentions all three of these combinations, and they all spell out Elul, that should mean that they are equally important. So therefore one may ask, why do we focus primarily on the possuk Ani L’dodi V’Dodi Lee – I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me? 

Even without these pesukim it is understood that the final month of the year, which is also the preparatory month of the upcoming year, is a time that one is supposed to come closer to Hashem. 

Being that the meaning of this possuk is That each Jew is coming close to Hashem, it is obvious to all that it has a connection to Elul, and the service that we are to accomplish in this month. Therefore, the main focus is on it, and it teaches us the fact that Hashem (the King) is in the field, as well as it is a month of compassion.]

This is especially so when we look at the continuation of the possuk which states, who shepherds us among the rose bushes. Chassidus teaches us that a rose has thirteen pedals, which represents the thirteen attributes of Hashem’s compassion, a reference to the importance of tefilla, as well as the Hebrew word for roses is Shoshanim, which shares the same root for the word of learning Torah. So in essence this possuk alludes to all three. 

While a person is supposed to focus on all these three aspects of Torah, Tefilla and Tzedokah, nevertheless, the approach to it can be one of two ways. As Dovid Hamelech says (in Tehillim) Turn Away from Bad and do good. Simply translated, it means a person should not transgress a negative mitzvah and should fulfill the positive Mitzvos. The problem with that understanding is, one who is a tzaddik and no longer has a yetzer hora, has no opportunity to fulfill the guidance of turn away from bad as there’s no bad in his life!

Chassidus notes that the Baal Shem Tov explains, turn away from bad means, when you are doing something permissible you should realize that there is good and bad in everything. So Dovid Hamelech is telling us look for and become involved in the good in it and not the bad. 

Simply speaking, that means when a person, for example, is eating a Shabbos or Yom Tov meal, they are fulfilling a mitzvah. But the question is are they eating the meal to fulfill the Mitzvah of honoring the Shabbos or Yom Tov or are they eating the meal because it is enjoyable for them. This is what Shulchan Aruch tells us, that if a person does not invite guests over for the Yom Tov meal so he’s not honoring the Yom Tov, rather he is satisfying his palate.      

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.