To preface, a well-known analogy is given to describe the nature of the Baal Shem Tov’s mission and what it was meant to accomplish. It begins with the scenario of a person who has just fainted. One of the ways to revive him is by calling him by his own name. So, too, the Jews in the times of the Baal Shem Tov were in a spiritual faint, and G-d called us with our name, “[the people of] Yisrael.” How did He do that? By sending us Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, in order to wake us up to spiritual consciousness.
Now the person who has fainted has lost consciousness, but his body is very much alive. In the analogue, the body represents the body of Torah (the study and practice of the revealed teachings of the Torah) which was very much alive in those days, while the loss of consciousness, the faint, represents the state of the soul, the spirituality, in Torah observance. The Baal Shem Tov’s mission revolved around maintaining a functioning body while reviving a weakened and depressed soul.
In all physical forms of life, there is a body and a soul. In a human being, for example, there are certain things that reinforce and strengthen the body, like food, sleep and exercise. There are other kinds of activities — like developing a positive attitude, refining one’s emotions, softening one’s ego, and giving of oneself to others — that strengthen and reinforce the soul; the inner dimensions of a person.
For all the various activities, there are different kinds of masters. For strengthening the body there are professionals such as doctors, nutritionists and exercise coaches whose specialty is to work with the mechanics of the body. There are other people, like teachers and counselors, whose specialty is to help strengthen the inner dimensions of a person such as developing healthy emotional traits and refining one’s character.
The same pattern operates within Judaism. There is a body of Judaism which consists of the physical, technical aspects of the Jewish way of life, such as what we are obligated to do and what we are prohibited from doing, along with the obligation to gain general knowledge in Torah.
Then there is the soul, or life-force, of Judaism that nurtures and strengthens Jewish practice from within. The soul of Judaism is revealed by emphasizing its emotional aspects such as our love and awe of G-d, developing our inner, G-dly qualities, and strengthening our faith and belief in Him. The common thread tying all the different aspects of chassidic life together is their integral role in strengthening the soul of Judaism.
Each of the following elements (mentioned previously) assists a person in accessing the soul of Judaism by developing and strengthening his inner qualities and emotions:
Prayer
While Torah study is connected to the mind (body), prayer is connected to the heart (soul). We learn this from the Talmud, which states: “What is the source in the Torah for the commandment to pray? The verse [in the Shema]: ‘You should serve G-d with all your heart’ — that is prayer.” The way to develop a stronger emotional bond with G-d is by meditating on G-d’s greatness and our relationship with Him during prayer, and this in turn stimulates our awe and love for Him.
Song
In the realm of holiness, there are songs that stimulate joy, songs that stimulate love for G-d, and songs that express the soul’s yearning to be close to G-d. Regardless, all the songs are geared towards one thing — to stimulate the emotions and help us connect to G-d with our hearts.
Joy
Joy lifts our spirits and “opens the channel” to allow our feelings and our love for G-d to develop and flourish. Achieving this enables us to connect to G-d on the deepest levels. The opposite of joy, on the other hand, is not neutral. It makes us feel depressed or stagnant, and causes us to feel separate from G-d.
Jewish Mysticism
The difference between the revealed part of Torah and the mystical part of Torah is that the former deals with the technical aspects — the “do’s and don’ts” — of Jewish life, while the latter deals with understanding G-d and His universe: how He created the physical and spiritual worlds, the spiritual purpose behind the mitzvos, and the spirituality of the soul. By studying the mystical part of Torah, we gain a better understanding of our relationship with G-d and His great kindnesses to us, and this strengthens and reinforces our belief in, and our love and awe for Him.
Going Beyond the Letter of the Law
Why would anyone want to go beyond the letter of the law? Aren’t there enough rules to follow in Judaism? Are people just trying to make themselves miserable?
The answer to these questions is very simple. If a person observes the laws of Torah just to fill an obligation, then he or she will do exactly what’s required and stop there. But if a person serves G-d out of strong feelings of love for Him, then one doesn’t make calculations. On the contrary, a person will be driven to do as much as possible — more than what is required — for G-d.
We see a parallel in the physical realm in the relationship between a husband and wife. Suppose a husband and wife have respect, but no real feelings of love, for each other. The husband will do everything he is responsible to do and the wife will do everything she is responsible to do but neither will go beyond their obligations. On the other hand, two people in a relationship that is full of love will go way beyond what is required of them. In such a case, one’s satisfaction and joy in the relationship will be dependent on doing more and more for the other.
The same is true with our relationship to G-d. If a person has a passionate fire burning within him towards G-d, he will strive to do more and more to get closer to Him. Rather than feeling burdened by his obligations to G-d, doing more than what is required will only increase his pleasure and sense of satisfaction.
So to revitalize the spirit of Judaism, the Baal Shem Tov sought to develop and strengthen its soul, and that is why he taught and emphasized those areas of Jewish practice that have the ability to accomplish that.
The Rebbe-Chassid Relationship
Now we are in a better position to address the questions people raise regarding the concept of a Rebbe.
Some people may ask, “I can understand showing respect to a tzaddik, a Rebbe, but aren’t people getting a little out of hand? The level of admiration people give him is what you would give to G-d, not to a person of flesh and blood.”
The response to this, once again, is that the chassidic way of life introduced nothing new to Judaism. As with the other elements of Chassidism, the Baal Shem Tov recognized that reviving the intrinsic connection of the Jewish people with a Rebbe would not only heighten their awareness and consciousness of G-d’s presence in the world and deepen their emotional connection to Him, it would hurtle them toward the realization of their destiny — the redemption of the Jewish nation with Moshiach.
The origin of the whole concept of a Rebbe and where it is found in Torah will be explained in more detail in the next chapter.
