Another important principle in the Ba’al Shem Tov’s teachings was that the rectification of the soul cannot remain only in the intellectual and conscious level of a person, but must also penetrate the unconscious layers. Almost two centuries before Freud, the Ba’al Shem Tov distinguished between a person’s “conscious heart ailments,” which he could directly heal, and those of which he was unaware and could not heal without first bringing them to consciousness.
The rectification of unconscious defects is essential for truly internalizing the study of Torah. As long as Torah study doesn’t penetrate the heart’s interior, one cannot achieve a true rectification of his traits. He might be a great scholar and possess immense knowledge, and even develop traits of humility and righteousness, but inside, he may be filled with pride over how “sanctified” he believes himself to be. This is how the Ba’al Shem Tov interpreted the repetition of the root “to conceal” (סתר ) in the verse “And I will surely conceal [אַ סְ תִּ יר הַ סְ תֵּ ר ] My face on that day”: There are times when we are hidden from God, i.e. distant from Him, but this fact is in and of itself is hidden from our eyes—despite our distance, we are sure that we are actually close to Him. Spiritual double-blindness.
The Ba’al Shem Tov encountered this phenomenon frequently in his life. In those days, “moral preachers” would wander through towns, standing on the pulpits of synagogues and delivering reprimands, pouring fire and brimstone on their listeners and bringing them to tears. The Ba’al Shem Tov recognized that this method of admonition does not open a person’s heart but rather contracts it out of fear. He also noticed the falsehood in the speaker’s soul, who, in his arrogance, pretended to be perfectly rectified himself. The Ba’al Shem Tov would expose the preachers’ own concealed soul defects, showing them they had no right to preach and perhaps even needed to learn from the simple people they admonished. Thus, he managed to instill humility in the scholars and also to develop a completely different method of outreach, teaching merit and highlighting the good.
Indeed, one of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s central educational methods was to send his learned students to observe the way of life and customs of the simple folk, and to learn from their unassuming lowliness and innocence. The Ba’al Shem Tov recognized that just as the scholars tend to be filled with unconscious pride, so too the simple and uneducated people tend to be naturally humble to the extent that their spiritual stature exceeded that of the greatest rabbis. The Ba’al Shem Tov was known for his love for these simple Jews, who, although they had little Torah knowledge, possessed greater wisdom—their self-awareness was rectified. (What is less known, but no less important, is that after the Ba’al Shem Tov sent his students to learn from these simple Jews, he would send the simple Jews to learn from his student, because ultimately, the best combination is that of innocence and wisdom together.)
