Episode 87: The History of Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem of Worms

00:01 In light of everything Baruch had heard so far about the hidden tzaddikim, he wanted to understand the entire chain of events thoroughly. He decided to delve into the matter. He wanted to learn as much as possible about both Chassidus and its opponents, and he was especially interested in Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem of Worms, who had founded the circle of hidden tzaddikim. And Baruch did indeed learn some startling details. He learned that the great scholars Rabbi Avraham Zev of Bishenkovitz and Rabbi Simcha Zelig of Vitebsk were among the fiercest opponents of Chassidus and of the circle of hidden tzaddikim that preceded it. They had taken this opposition from Rabbi Nachum the ascetic of Zlakov, who had taken it from Rabbi Shmuel Zundel of Prague. Rabbi Shmuel Zundel was the son of the tzaddik Rabbi Pinchas Zelig of Speyer. Rabbi Pinchas Zelig of Speyer had said that the hidden tzaddikim should be persecuted, and he was indeed Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem’s great adversary. Baruch was deeply impressed when he heard the details of Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem’s life and character. This was the story: It was in the year 5261 or 5265—that is, 1501 or 1505 by their reckoning—when a Jew of Spanish origin named Rabbi Yosef Yozpa arrived in Krakow. Rabbi Yosef Yozpa was not only a great Torah scholar but also a great tzaddik. He was then about fifty years old, and it soon became known throughout Krakow that he was completely removed from worldly life, immersed solely in the four cubits of Torah and prayer, and had virtually no contact with other people. He had also never married. Rabbi Yosef Yozpa remained in Krakow. He spent thirty years there living in seclusion, admired by the entire community. Everyone was certain that this was how he would live out his days. But then something unexpected happened. At that time there was a wealthy merchant in Krakow named Reb Levi, who conducted extensive trade with the estates of the noblemen and was known throughout the region as a generous giver of tzedakah and as someone whose home was open to all. He ran

03:13 an extensive business, trading with the estates of the noblemen, and was known throughout the region as a generous giver of tzedakah and as someone whose home was open to all. Reb Levi had a son named Yosef, whom he married off to the daughter of Reb Avraham the goldsmith, a man known for his fear of Heaven. All this took place in Krakow. After his marriage, Yosef began helping his father in his business and quickly became its driving force. Yosef was not only a shrewd merchant but also an intelligent man who knew many languages. He also had a broad knowledge of worldly affairs. The landowners and noblemen who did business with his father liked him very much for these qualities. They enjoyed discussing political matters and other subjects important to them with him, and their doors were always open to him. When the Jews saw the standing Yosef had in influential circles, they began turning to him and using his connections for various communal and personal needs. They regularly came to him with requests, asking him to use his influence on their behalf. Yosef never refused to act on behalf of a fellow Jew. Over time, young Yosef’s business grew, and it required him to spend long periods traveling. He had particularly extensive dealings with the city of Prague. Once, while he and his servant were on their way home, robbers attacked and murdered them. When the news reached Krakow, the city was plunged into deep mourning and gloom. Yosef left behind a widow who had borne him no children. In accordance with halachah, she received chalitzah from her murdered husband’s brother. Krakow had an old custom of conducting chalitzah with considerable ceremony. Afterward, the beis din would bless the woman that she should soon find a suitable husband and have children with him. The beis din would then announce that anyone willing to marry her would receive its blessing. This beautiful custom was observed in the case of Yosef’s

06:14 widow as well. But no one came forward to say he was willing to marry her. Five or six months passed, and one day the elderly tzaddik Rabbi Yosef Yozpa, known as the holy Spaniard, appeared before the beis din. He announced that he was willing to marry the woman who had received chalitzah, if she agreed. Rabbi Yosef Yozpa explained that he had actually intended to continue living in seclusion and solitude, but for a certain reason that he did not wish to disclose, he had decided to marry. The beis din sent for the woman. As soon as she appeared before them, even before she heard why she had been summoned, she burst into bitter tears. The rabbis asked her why she was crying. She replied that a great secret weighed on her heart, but she could not decide whether to reveal it to the beis din. In response to further questions from the rabbis, she explained that her father, who had been in the World of Truth for many years, had appeared to her in a dream five or six times already. He had commanded her to do something, but she could not bring herself to decide whether to obey him. And, as she had said, she could not decide whether to tell the beis din what her father had commanded. The rabbis conferred among themselves and then told her that she had no choice: she must reveal her secret. Sobbing, she related that the first time her father had appeared to her in a dream, he was dressed in Shabbos clothes. He placed his hands on her head and blessed her, ending by wishing her mazel tov and saying, “It has been decreed that you will marry the holy Spaniard, Rabbi Yosef Yozpa.” When she awoke and remembered the dream, she was shaken. Later she calmed down and dismissed it as an ordinary dream. But about a week later, her father appeared to her again in a dream and now commanded her to marry the tzaddik Rabbi Yosef Yozpa. This time, too,

09:03 she did not take it seriously. A short while later, her father appeared in a dream yet again. This time he spoke sternly and commanded her emphatically to ask someone to speak to Rabbi Yosef Yozpa about marrying her. Her father told her that this was the will of the Heavenly Court. He added, “If you follow this instruction, you will merit to have a son. If not, Heaven forbid, the outcome will be bitter.” When the woman finished her story, the rabbis looked at one another in astonishment. They then told her that Rabbi Yosef Yozpa himself had expressed a wish to marry her. Now she understood that this match was Heaven’s will, and she gave her consent. In Krakow, it was customary to regard the wedding of a woman who had received chalitzah as a communal event, belonging to the entire community. This wedding, too, between Rabbi Yosef Yozpa and Yosef’s widow, was arranged by the community, and all the city’s residents attended. In keeping with an old custom, all the kohanim of the city aged thirteen and older stood in two rows. The kohanim were wrapped in talleisim and wore [unclear]. The bride and groom walked between the two rows and received the blessing of the kohanim, who raised their hands to bless them. The wedding feast was also held according to an old custom in the synagogue courtyard, with each person contributing his meal. In general, everyone in Krakow sensed that this was no ordinary wedding and that hidden matters lay behind this marriage. After Rabbi Yosef Yozpa married the widow, the community began seeing to the couple’s needs. As long as Rabbi Yosef Yozpa had lived alone, he had made do with very little. He slept in the beis midrash and ate only bread and drank water. But now the couple needed a home, and his wife needed to be able to run a household. In the second year of their marriage, they had a son. He was named Eliyahu, after Eliyahu Hanavi.

11:57 Even before the child turned two, his father began learning Torah with him and continued in the years that followed, unwilling to rely on teachers. When young Eliyahu turned seven, his father began taking him along every night for Tikkun Chatzos. Rabbi Yosef Yozpa told his son not to speak with anyone—not only about worldly matters, but even about Torah. He brought him into a separate room and learned Torah with him alone. Two weeks before young Eliyahu was to become bar mitzvah, Rabbi Yosef Yozpa called his wife and told her that his time had come to return his soul to its Creator. He instructed her not to mourn him for too long. He told her: “You are still in the prime of your life, and if a suitable match comes your way, do not turn it down. Know that our son Eliyahu will soon decide, after his bar mitzvah, to travel far away. Do not dissuade him, for you must know that Eliyahu’s soul came down to this world for a holy purpose: to carry out a great mission for the benefit of the entire Jewish people. With him will begin a line of descendants who will play an important role on the path toward the coming of Moshiach. Know that all this time he has learned Torah from Eliyahu Hanavi, who has prepared him for the mission entrusted to him in this lower world.” During their conversation, Rabbi Yosef Yozpa told his wife that immediately after her first husband was killed, he had been informed from Heaven that the heavenly court had ruled that he should marry her, so that they would have a son with a very lofty soul, destined to bring about a tikkun in the world. Later, Rabbi Yosef Yozpa summoned the leaders of the Krakow community. He thanked them for the kindness they had shown him, his wife and his son, and asked them to continue caring for his wife and son after his passing. He blessed the community leaders, and immediately afterward his soul departed. Young Eliyahu said Kaddish and taught Mishnayos publicly for the elevation of

14:52 his father’s soul. That was the first time the community saw him lead prayers and teach. Everyone saw that, despite his youth, his righteousness was great and his Torah learning knew no bounds. Meanwhile, the time came for his bar mitzvah celebration, and the whole city took part in the joyous occasion. Several weeks later, Eliyahu told his mother that he had decided to leave Krakow and travel far away. His mother, who had known this in advance, raised no objection and gave him a heartfelt mother’s blessing. Where did Eliyahu go? What did he do for forty years, from 5310, when he left Krakow, until 5350, when he suddenly appeared in Worms, Germany? Nothing is known. But by the time people heard of him in Worms, he was already known as Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem. He did not arrive in Worms alone, but with his wife. It became known that they also had a son and two daughters, all married and living in distant places. Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem quickly became known throughout the region as a wonder-worker who healed the sick and helped childless women conceive. His home was open to all. Anyone with a request could come to him, and crowds did indeed flock to him from near and far. He also maintained a yeshiva at his own expense. The poor, in particular, were at home with Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem. They came from all corners of the world and stayed with him for weeks, even months. Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem spent about ten years in Worms, and his renown grew from year to year, until people hundreds of miles away were recounting his wondrous deeds with amazement.