Violent pogroms decimated scores of Jewish villages throughout Eastern Europe during the Cossack uprising that began in 1648. Hundreds of thousands were murdered, and the surviving Jews were in a state of despair. In the aftermath of these horrific events—commemorated still today by Jewish communities on the 20th of Sivan as a national day of prayer and fasting—Yisroel son of Eliezer, to be known as the Baal Shem Tov, was born.
Sensing the deep sorrow of his Jewish brethren and witnessing their impoverishment firsthand, the Baal Shem Tov enacted revolutionary policies within his secret tzadik society that prioritized the material well-being of Jews. He taught that caring for another’s needs was the key to unlocking their reservoir of G-dly potential.
On the spiritual front, the Baal Shem Tov undertook a soul expedition to the heights of Heaven to plead for the end to suffering, for the Final Redemption from exile. Passing by the immense spiritual delights of this otherworldly environment, he only focused on reaching Moshiach’s spirit. “When will the master arrive?” he demanded.
The answer was unequivocal: the Baal Shem Tov alone held the key to unlocking the floodgates of redemption. Only through the widespread dissemination of his Torah wellsprings would the world be the irrigated field that can yield salvation.
Thus a new mission was charted. The teachings of Chassidut, the innermost dimension of Torah that explore the soul, life’s purpose, and connection to G-d, were to no longer be the exclusive domain of scholars and mystics. Unleashing this force to the world, the Baal Shem Tov began to make the soul of Torah accessible to the masses. In the interim years, Chassidut has flourished and adapted to the full spectrum of society, regardless of education, language, and religious background. Chassidut has the power to infuse every Jew with a renewed sense of self and purpose.
A text that was written 2000 years before this event gives insight into how this particular process paves the way for redemption.
Tikkunei Zohar, attributed to the 2nd century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, is an appendix to the Zohar. In Tikkun 6, the prophet Eliyahu relays the following:
A vast number of Jews living in this earthly world will be sustained by your (Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai) soul-level teachings contained in the Zohar. This will be revealed in the final generation, at the end-days prior to the arrival of Moshiach. It will be in the merit of this study that the verse, “Proclaim freedom in the land” (Vayikra 25:10, referring to the Yovel year but also an allusion to the Redemption) will be fulfilled.
The Kisei Melech commentary on the Tikkunei Zohar by Moroccan Kabbalist Rabbi Shalom Buzaglo (1700-1780), expounds on the meaning of the Tikkunei Zohar:
Behold, many generations have elapsed since the Zohar’s teachings have been revealed but still the Son of David (Moshiach) has not yet arrived? But analyze the precise language of the original text that states, “They will be sustained from these teachings.” This means a specific time when the deep insights of the Zohar will be elucidated and spread out, becoming accessible to the masses. This is sustenance: they will comprehend and take pleasure from the light of these inner-dimension teachings of the Torah which are a delight for the soul and a healing for the body. It is true that one who studies these works even superficially has great spiritual reward for their effort and sanctifies the soul with purity. However, the capability of these teachings to signal the arrival of Moshiach when “proclaim freedom” will occur is dependent on the in-depth soul-sustaining internalization and application of the wisdom.
