(s5763-28 / 15 Adar II)
STALE JOKES
With
all the miracle stories circulating, even the non-Jews were curious about the
Baal Shem Tov.
The Mezritcher Maggid,
successor to the Baal Shem Tov, once called in a few of his chasidim and said,
"Let's go to console the widow of the Mikveh Yid of Lemberg." Of course
the chasidim were thrilled to take a ride with the Maggid, but they wondered why
he was taking such interest in a mere "Mikveh Yid" (in those days, usually
a simple Jew whose main job was to clean the mikveh's baths and rooms,
and to keep it warm in the winter).
Their Rebbe, who was aware of what
they were thinking, said, "I know you are all wondering why I would interrupt
your Torah studies for a simple Jew, so let me tell you a story from the time
of our master, the Baal Shem Tov."
Once there was a Jewish tailor
who lived in a small town. He did excellent work, and even the local non-Jewish
noblemen sought him to provide their clothes. In addition, he kept his customers
in constant amusement through his sharp sense of humor and dramatic flair.
Once, a local nobleman who was being fitted for a new suit in his shop was
especially appreciative of the tailor's comic talents. Between whoops of laughter,
he said, "Moshke, I'm throwing a party tonight and I'd just love if you would
come by and entertain my guests. I'll pay you for your time, of course."
The tailor reluctantly agreed. He figured he could use the extra cash.
Later, when he sheepishly told the news to his wife, Chanah, she was not at all happy about this turn of events. "Moshe, this isn't something we Jews do." But Moshe was very excited and finally she agreed, "But, only tonight."
Although Moshe was very nervous being in the castle, his jokes went over extremely well. Afterwards, with everyone in a jovial mood due to his performance, they gathered around him and heartily congratulated him. Suddenly a glass of wine was placed in his hand while "his new friends" all raised their glasses in a toast to Moshke. Moshe realized this was probably non-kosher wine, but he thought, "I don't want to embarrass my new friends," so he drank non-kosher wine for the first time.
Then the waiter handed him a sandwich filled with steaming, roasted meat. "The Count sends this to you and congratulates you on the success of your performance tonight," said the waiter. Moshe glanced over at the smiling Count and then to the table covered with an abundant buffet. "This can't possibly be kosher," he mused. But then he thought, "But my new friends are so nice to me; I don't want to throw my Jewishness in their face." So he took a bite.
Shortly thereafter Moshe was able to leave.
He resumed his life at home and at his store, and put the incident out of his
mind. But then, a few weeks later, another one of his nobleman customers invited
him to perform at a party he was giving. This time the tailor immediately agreed.
When he told his wife of his intention to perform again, she became quite
upset and pleaded with him not to go. "Moshe! No! Please! You promised never
again. It's against our ways." But Moshe wasn't listening. He was too busy
thinking about his new friends and how much the audience liked him and his humor.
This time Moshe was more relaxed, and so was able to be even funnier. Both
his old and new acquaintances were rolling in the aisles. And again Moshe ate
and drank. He knew he shouldn't, but "what's the big deal once or twice."
In a short time he became a sought-after guest at all of the aristocratic
parties. Not only did he eat and drink the non-kosher food and wine, he started
staying later and later. After a while, he also started noticing all the beautiful
women there. Then he took to calling himself "Michel."
His arguments with Chanah about his new lifestyle became increasingly bitter. Soon, he only came home for fresh clothes. Finally, one night, as she clung to him begging him not to go, he beat her.
Time passed. Then, after one of his performances, a patron told him, "Michel, I want to tell you something, as a friend. We all feel, ahem, that your jokes are getting a bit stale. Maybe you can acquire some new material."
Michel became dejected. Nothing funny was coming to him. He began to worry about his future.
A few days later, the town
was buzzing. The holy Baal Shem Tov was coming for Shabbos! A special dinner Friday
night was arranged to which the entire community was invited.
Michel
had an idea. He'd develop a show imitating the Baal Shem Tov! With all of the
stories of his miracle circulating, even the non-Jews were curious about the famous
rabbi.
So that Shabbos night, instead of partying with his new friends as
had become his custom, Michel went to shul to study the Baal Shem Tov.
He wanted to learn to mimic him: how he swayed when he prayed, how he jumped when
he danced and how he moved his hands as he spoke.
To his surprise, nothing
struck Michel as funny. Instead, he found himself both confused and mysteriously
moved in the presence of the Baal Shem Tov. He decided that the dinner with the
chasidim would be a much better source of amusement.
Later that night, the
room where the Baal Shem Tov was having dinner was filled with Jews from near
and far, but to Michel's dismay, they wouldn't let him in. They all knew he was
no longer living according to Torah, and moreover, he was a wife beater. "Get
out of here, you renegade," they yelled at him.
Only after Michel
threatened to get his noblemen friends to intercede did they let him in. But Michel
refused to be satisfied with just being present. He pushed himself in until he
was sitting directly opposite the Baal Shem Tov. The joyful way the Baal Shem
Tov made Kiddush and washed his hands to bless the challah loaves
was impressive, but didn't provide him any inspiration in creating humor.
As the evening progressed, the Baal Shem Tov began to speak words of Torah. Michel found himself being impressed. Then the Baal Shem Tov said, "While we are in the womb, an angel comes with a candle and teaches each of us all of the Torah that will be ours for a lifetime. But then we forget it all when we are born. Lucky is the man who finds a Rebbe that teaches him word by word what he learned before birth."
Moshe felt his heart break as the words penetrated through the shell that had coarsened around his heart from the change in his behavior. Suddenly he realized, "Oh my God! My life as a comedian is empty and a curse." He began to recognize that the humor of making fun of someone or laughing at some pain or mistake is thin and uninspired in comparison to the holy joy exuded by a genuine spiritual master.
After the dinner, Moshe rushed up to the Baal Shem Tov and exclaimed, "Rebbe, I beg you! Guide me to repent and do tshuvah."
The Baal Shem gazed at him intensely, and then instructed him to spend all the weekdays in a shul and to fast there the entire week between Shabbos and Shabbos.
"But how will I know if my repentance is accepted?" Moshe asked. The Baal Shem Tov answered, "G-d will give you a sign."
So Moshe spent the week in a small shul, praying, studying and fasting. He wasn't used to such adversity and died a thousand deaths. Finally by Friday afternoon, he couldn't even move. Before the Prayer Service, he asked the shammesh caretaker to help him home after shul that evening.
Unfortunately, the shammesh forgot his promise, and no one else noticed the poor man who was by then only semi-conscious. They all left.
When Moshe realized that he was locked in, he started to cry and to pray. He was so weak he didn't think he could live much longer.
Suddenly, a holy man appeared in the locked shul and introduced himself as Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet). Eliyahu told Moshe to move to the city of Lemberg and become a Mikveh Yid there. He also promised that he would continue to visit him and study Torah with him every night. Then he disappeared.
Just then, the shammesh unlocked the door to the
shul. "I'm sorry I forgot you. I was relaxing at home when I heard a loud
knocking on my window. I looked to see who had come but there was no one. Then
I remembered that I had forgotten you."
When they arrived at Moshe's
house, they could see the Shabbos lights burning through the window. But Chanah
wouldn't let him in. Finally, with the help of the shammesh, Moshe convinced
her he had changed. Slowly she relented, but she remained suspicious. She didn't
accept that he had truly returned until she witnessed how he made Kiddush.
So Moshe and Chanah his wife moved to Lemberg, where he became the Mikveh Yid. And as promised, Eliyahu came to learn with Moshe every night.
One night, the Rabbi of the city, who was also a secret Kabbalist, noticed a luminous light coming from Moshe's house. After the Rabbi persistently inquired, Moshe finally admitted that Eliyahu came to teach him every night. The Rabbi begged Moshe to ask Eliyahu if he could join in. Eliyahu said no, but that Moshe could teach him the next day whatever they had learned the night before.
After
their first sessions the Rabbi was ecstatic, but then he wanted a sign that they
hadn't been deceived and that the teachings weren't coming from the "side
of unholiness." So Eliyahu relayed to him through Moshe that no one in the
town would die as long as the nightly learning continued.
One day, after
a time, the Rabbi was called to a funeral. He knew at once that it must be for
Reb Moshe, the holy Mikveh Yid.
Remarked the Maggid as he completed the story, "So, shouldn't we pay our respects to a man that did such great tshuvah?"
[Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the version of his friend Tzvi-Meir
Cohn on www.baalshemtov.com]
Biographical Note:
Rabbi Yisrael,
the Baal Shem Tov ("master of the good Name"), a unique and seminal
figure in Jewish history, revealed the Chassidic movement and his own identity
as an exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 1734. He passed
away on the festival of Shavuot in 1760. He wrote no books, although many claim
to contain his teachings. One available in English is the excellent annotated
translation of Tzava'at Harivash, published by Kehot.
credits
Biographical
note: