Two short teachings from the Baal Shem Tov
October 13, 2009
The texts here are from the Baal Shem Tov, widely considered the founder of Hasidism, though they were written down by his disciples. The questions are from Reb Burt Jacobson, who's teaching the class on the Besht which I'm taking now; the references to the "four core truths" are part of his framework for understanding the Besht and his work. The translations are my own.
1.
It is a central principle that one must attach oneself to the internal qualities of Torah, and the mitzvah is to connect one's thoughts and one's soul to the root of the Torah [which is to say, God.] And this mitzvah that one does: if one doesn't do it, God forbid, then there is a cutting-off and a crumbling from where one is planted. I received this from my teacher. (--Ben Porat Yosef, on parashat Noah, page 21, section 1)
What is your immediate personal response to the teaching?
Fascination with the metaphor of roots and planting. The Hebrew word for root here is a grammatical term meaning word-root. But it's my understanding that the word can also signify something more earthy than syntactical, which is echoed for me in the next sentence's reference to the danger of crumbling away from where one has been planted. This text presents a simple binary choice: attach oneself, heart and soul, to the root of the Torah -- or risk being existentially and spiritually uprooted from the ground of being.
Define the underlying question(s) or issues that this teaching seems to be addressing.
What is the meaning of the choice we make when we study Torah? Is the study of Torah just about learning the text on the page, or mastering the arcana of commentary? For the Baal Shem Tov, I think the answer is clearly no. Immersing ourselves in Torah means attaching ourselves (the verb is לדבק, sometimes translated as "to cleave" or "to unify") to the internal qualities of Torah, Torah's hidden inner face. It means connecting ourselves, heart and soul, to the root of the Torah which is the Holy Blessed One. And if we choose not to take that path, then we need to understand the spiritual risk we're taking.
Distill the essence of the teaching. What idea(s), value(s), virtue(s) or spiritual practice(s) does this text explicate?
Choose deep connection with the root of all things, or risk spiritual uprooting. The text seeks to remind us of the centrality of Torah study to Jewish life, not just because there is useful information there but because delving into Torah is a way of delving into connection with God.
How does your knowledge of the Baal Shem Tov's Four Core Truths illumine the teaching? Which truth(s) is this particular teaching addressing?
The third truth tells us that the purpose of human existence is to end the division between the world of unity and the world of exile. The fourth truth tells us that the way to achieve this purpose is through Hasidism, the path of sacred fervor. I see this teaching as springing out of that fourth truth. Through practicing ecstatic devotion in our study, and practicing mystical mindfulness in our daily activities in the world (including Torah study!), we bring together these two cosmic realms.
Consider the teaching in relation to your own life. What insights regarding your own spiritual growth or transformation does it offer you?
What's important, the Baal Shem Tov says, is connecting myself heart and soul with the inner root of Torah, which is God. I need to get out of briyah-consciousness, out of living in my head, and connect heart and soul with that which underpins and sustains all intellectual learning. As I anticipate new parenthood, when I don't expect to be able to immerse in my books in the sustained way to which I've grown accustomed, I know that this teaching is going to be important for me.
2.
I heard from my teacher, of bessed memory, "Whatever your hand finds to do by your strength, do it" (Kohelet / Ecclesiastes 9:10), for in this way we will make a palace for God, "that I may dwell among (or: within) them" (Exodus 25:8.)(--Lifnot Pa'anat, on parashat Terumah, page 105, section 3)
What is your immediate personal response to the teaching?
I really like the idea of building a palace or a holy place for God here in creation, and I'm intrigued that the Besht seems to be saying that we do this by applying ourselves wholly to whatever task is at hand. The Exodus quote is from a passage about the building of the portable tabernacle, the mishkan (place for God to dwell), but this teaching seems to be saying that we build a place for God whenever we turn ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever it is we're doing. Even more radical: this can be read to suggest that when we inhabit our tasks wholly, God dwells in us.
Define the underlying question(s) or issues that this teaching seems to be addressing.
How do we create a place for God in the world? It can seem that God is far away, that the world of divine unity and the world we inhabit are far apart. What can we do to rectify that distance?
Distill the essence of the teaching. What idea(s), value(s), virtue(s) or spiritual practice(s) does this text explicate?
We can build a dwelling-place for holiness here in creation when we inhabit who/where/what we are fully. The spiritual practice implied here is one of bringing mindfulness to physical acts.
How does your knowledge of the Four Core Truths illumine the teaching? Which truth(s) is this particular teaching addressing?
I see this as arising, like the previous teaching, out of core truths 3 and 4: that our purpose on earth is to bridge the gap between the world of unity and the world of illusory separation, and the way we achieve that purpose is through a commitment to holy mindfulness in our mundane lives. There's a stitching-together of transcendent and immanent here. When we commit ourselves to mundane tasks with holy intention, then the mundane tasks are transformed and we are building God's palace with every breath.
Consider the teaching in relation to your own life. What insights regarding your own spiritual growth or transformation does it offer you?
Here, again, I see a gentle admonishment which will serve me well when I am nursing and changing diapers and doing tiny laundry and changing diapers and nursing some more! Whatever my hand finds to do, the Besht says, I should do it wholly, and in that way the work becomes holy. The way to contribute to building a palace for God here in creation is not to eschew mundane realities, but to infuse them with cosmic connection. If I can do that, God will dwell in me.