Shortly before the Baal Shem Tov's passing, he gave each of his closest disciples a special task to enable Chasidism to continue to grow. One of his disciples, Reb Yaakov, was given the task of travelling from town to town telling about all he had seen in his years with the Baal Shem Tov.
Reb Yaakov carried out his mission for several years, but after a time, he yearned to return to his home. He began to wait for a sign that his mission had been fulfilled.
One day Reb Yaakov arrived in Italy. He had heard that in Rome lived a wealthy Jew who paid well for every story he was told about the Baal Shem Tov. Arriving at this Jew's house, Reb Yaakov was received royally and given the finest accommodations. He prepared a number of stories to tell on the coming Shabbat at the meals.
Shabbat arrived, and Reb Yaakov stood up to begin his tales. But, to his shock and horror, his mind went blank; he could recall not one story. The surprise of the crowd was no less than his own; only his gracious host was unperturbed by this strange lapse.
The host urged Reb Yaakov to rest, and try again later. Reb Yaakov went to his room and suddenly, in a flash, all the stories flooded his mind. However, the next day, on Shabbat afternoon, when he stood in front of the crowd to begin his tales, he again fell speechless. When, by the third Shabbat meal, Reb Yaakov was still unable to tell even one story, he was filled with overwhelming sadness and sorrow. "This must be a punishment from Above for some terrible misdeed of mine," thought Reb Yaakov to himself.
When Shabbat was over, and Reb Yaakov joined his host at the Saturday evening meal, the host cautiously said, "Now that we are alone, you might possibly be able to remember something about the saintly Baal Shem Tov." But try as he might, Reb Yaakov could remember nothing. With great embarrassment and sorrow, he told his host he would depart immediately.
"Please, don't hurry," begged the host. "Stay a few more days, and if by then you don't regain your memory, I won't detain you." When the appointed day arrived and Reb Yaakov could still not tell one story, he prepared to leave. But no sooner had he mounted his carriage when a story flashed into his mind.
He lost no time recounting the following story: "About ten years ago, just before the Christian holiday of Easter, the Baal Shem Tov and a few of his disciples set out on a journey to an unfamiliar town. The gentile townspeople were gathering in the main square to hear a sermon from their bishop. The Jews were terrified that the bishop's words would provoke violence from the crowd, and closeted themselves in their homes. But the Baal Shem Tov was completely unconcerned. In fact, he told me to approach the bishop with the order to come to the Baal Shem Tov at once.
"I delivered this message in Yiddish, exactly as the Baal Shem Tov had told me. The bishop showed no surprise, but told me he would come immediately following his sermon. I hastened back to the Baal Shem Tov and told him what the Bishop had said. The Baal Shem Tov told me to go to the Bishop and order him to come at once. When I told the Bishop the Baal Shem Tov's words, his face turned pale and he followed me without question. The Baal Shem Tov secluded himself with the bishop for many hours. Then, as suddenly as we had arrived, we returned home without even a word of explanation. And that's the end of my story."
The rich Jew listened with rapt attention, then suddenly exclaimed, "Thank G-d! The Alm-ghty be praised!" After calming down, he explained to Reb Yaakov,
"Everything you've told me is true in every detail! I know it because I was there...I was that bishop!"
The host continued, "I was born and raised a Jew, but the lure of a great career tempted me to convert, for a Jew could not enter the university. At first I practiced my religion clandestinely, but little by little I forgot my origins.
"After I had attained the office of bishop, I began to be haunted by dreams and visions of my youth - it seems my holy ancestors had pity on my lost soul - but I was able to dismiss them from my mind. One night the Baal Shem Tov came to me in a dream and demanded that I return to my people. I began to think of repenting, but wondered if I had the strength. The night before my sermon, the Baal Shem Tov appeared to me again, saying that he was coming to help me. It was hard for me to break with my past, but I finally returned fully to our beautiful heritage. The Baal Shem Tov gave me instruction for carrying out my repentance. When I asked him how I would know that my repentance had been accepted, he replied: 'When a man comes to you and tells you the story of what happened that day, you will know that your repentance has been accepted.'
"I faithfully followed all of the Baal Shem Tov's instructions. When you came here, I recognized you immediately. And when you could not remember a single tale, especially my tale, I knew that my repentance was not yet complete. These past few days I have done a lot of soul searching and, thank G-d, now I know that my repentance has been truly accepted."
