Episode 105: Rabbi Adam Baal Shem Breaches the Fortress of Opposition in Slutzk; Rabbi Baruch of Vyazin Appoints a Head of Yeshivah

00:00 Rabbi Adam Baal Shem of Ropshitz arrived in Slutsk and delivered a sermon that left everyone in the city open-mouthed at his extraordinary scholarship and righteousness. It later emerged that he was the leader of the hidden tzaddikim. The zealots in Slutsk could not forgive him. We continue the story. Because of various developments, the zealots in Slutsk were too numerous to feel obliged to heed the advice of those who said that the visiting scholar, Rabbi Adam Baal Shem of Ropshitz, should be treated with full courtesy and respect. These extreme zealots, burning with hatred for the Kabbalists and the hidden tzaddikim, clamored that the visitor, being a Kabbalist and a hidden tzaddik, was nothing but a sinner of Israel who deserved no mercy. The city of Slutsk had never treated anyone considered a Kabbalist or a hidden tzaddik kindly, and Rabbi Adam was no exception, despite the extraordinary scholarship he had displayed for all to see. So the voices of the extremists prevailed over those of the moderates. The extremists would not even listen to explanations or persuasion. No one had any influence over them, and people prepared for the worst. Around the communal house where the visitor was staying, a mob of zealots gathered amid an uproar. The hotheads shouted that the visitor must be taught a lesson he would remember all his life. Several brazen and cruel young men began pounding on the door of his room, intending to break it down, drag him outside and give him a thorough beating. No one could stop these zealots from carrying out their plan, and they did manage to break down the door. But the moment they entered the room, they stood stunned and helpless. Rabbi Adam stood in a corner, wearing his tallis and tefillin, praying with concentration and deveikus. It was clear that he was unaware of what was happening. He had not heard the commotion at all or seen the agitated crowd. Fear and dread fell upon the zealots. Not one of them dared raise a hand

02:48 against Rabbi Adam. “Let’s wait until he finishes praying,” one man murmured weakly to another. Rabbi Adam Baal Shem’s prayer went on for many hours. Rabbi Adam was soaring in higher worlds. Outside, tempers raged. Hotheaded young men and older men alike hurled insults at the visitor. Only the sight of him absorbed in prayer, wearing his tallis and tefillin, protected him from the crowd’s fury. Time passed. Rabbi Adam finished praying. Still wearing his tallis and tefillin, he now sat down to study his regular daily portion, as he always did. His pleasant voice, learning Torah, soon filled the room. Once again the zealots felt helpless, but their anger burned within them. They grew increasingly furious that they could not punish him as they felt he deserved. Now several of the prominent zealots entered the tzaddik’s room—scholars among them—and, without waiting for him to finish learning, demanded that he clarify matters and reveal the truth: Was he one of the hidden Kabbalists? Rabbi Adam did not deny it. He stated plainly that he was indeed one of the hidden tzaddikim and a student of Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem of Zamosc. He did not, however, see fit to tell them that he, Rabbi Adam Baal Shem, was Rabbi Yoel’s successor. He closed the book before him, rose from his seat and, together with the Torah scholars who had spoken to him, went outside into the tumultuous street. There, angry extremists had gathered, waiting for a chance to vent their fury on the man they considered a sinner of Israel. Those present greeted Rabbi Adam with a burst of jeers and insults. The tzaddik, however, remained composed and calm, in an uplifted mood. He began addressing the crowd, speaking deliberately and with great warmth and friendliness. There was even a note of compassion in his words. At first the noise was so great that he could not be heard, but before long his voice rose

05:34 above it. He told them, “From your point of view, you are surely right. In fact, you deserve credit for being faithful to what you see as the truth and not saying one thing while thinking another. That is a high level. When I was young, I too was like you. This was when I studied in the yeshivah of the gaon Rabbi Shlomo Shmuel in Polotsk. Rabbi Shlomo Shmuel was known as a devoted student of Rabbi Shmuel Zundel, son of Rabbi Pinchas Zelig, the gaon of Speyer, who waged a campaign against Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem of Worms. Rabbi Shmuel Zundel’s son, and following him my teacher Rabbi Shlomo Shmuel, were also fierce opponents of the Kabbalists and the hidden tzaddikim. So I, too, adopted my teacher’s views and acquired a bitter hatred for the Kabbalists. Even so, I was careful with my words and guarded my mouth from sin. Never did I utter a word of insult or contempt.” The visitor, who spoke slowly and gravely, paused for a moment and gave his listeners a penetrating look. The crowd stood rooted to the spot. Everyone was curious to hear what else he had to say. “Years later,” Rabbi Adam continued, “after reflection and investigation, I concluded that my teacher and his fellow opponents of the Kabbalists and the hidden tzaddikim were mistaken. I was then thirty-three years old, and I traveled to study in the yeshivah of Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem of Zamosc. I remained there for fifteen years and studied Kabbalah. Later, I was accepted into the circle of hidden tzaddikim. That, in brief, is my story, and nothing more. Please listen: Most of you are young men, and it is still too early for you to pass judgment and reach a sound conclusion on such an important matter. But the day will come when your eyes will open and you will see the truth clearly.” Rabbi Adam Baal Shem concluded, “I must tell you that the insults you spoke to me today are dearer to me than the honor you gave me yesterday.” His words made a deep impression on his listeners. No one dared

08:19 open his mouth. A deep silence fell. The visitor, Rabbi Adam Baal Shem, now went back into his room. An hour later he emerged, walking stick in hand and bundle on his shoulder, on his way out of Slutsk. The city’s elderly scholars, who felt the visitor had been wronged, began asking him to stay, but none of their appeals helped. He left Slutsk, accompanied by another twenty Jews. It now became clear to everyone that these men were hidden tzaddikim who had worked quietly for a long time to introduce the study of Kabbalah and the ways of the hidden tzaddikim into Slutsk and its surroundings. These hidden tzaddikim had prepared the way for Rabbi Adam Baal Shem’s momentous visit to their city, and they were the ones who revealed his identity. He was not merely a hidden tzaddik, but their great leader, the successor of the Baal Shem of Zamosc[?], and the man who later passed the leadership to Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidus. This event brought about a change in Slutsk. For the first time in their lives, the zealots had come face to face with a hidden tzaddik of Rabbi Adam Baal Shem’s stature. It was indeed a momentous event. Many of the zealots softened their attitude toward the Kabbalists and the hidden tzaddikim after seeing for themselves someone so exceptional in both scholarship and righteousness. Hearing Rabbi Adam say that he had been an opponent in his youth and had come to recognize his mistake also gave them food for thought. At least one immediate result of the visit was that its impact forced them to consider other sides of the matter, rather than blindly following judgments others had planted in their minds. On the other hand, some became even more fiercely opposed to the Kabbalists after the visit, feeling both exposed and disappointed. Slutsk therefore remained a stronghold of opposition, though not to the same extent as before. Rabbi Adam Baal Shem had breached the stronghold, but he had not yet conquered it. In the neighboring settlements

11:05 The impression left by Rabbi Adam Baal Shem’s visit was even greater in Slutsk. As we recall, students of Rabbi Baruch of Vyazin’s yeshiva were active in the area. Although these students were not openly or directly trained to be kabbalists or hidden tzaddikim—so that Rabbi Baruch’s connection to those groups would not become known—they were prepared to absorb these teachings and, sooner or later, join Rabbi Adam Baal Shem’s circle. In this way, Rabbi Baruch of Vyazin carried out his important mission of preparing the ground in Slutsk and its surroundings for the spread of Kabbalah and the appearance of the hidden tzaddikim, and ultimately for the path of Chassidus that Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov would establish. In 5488—1728 by the secular calendar—Rabbi Baruch of Vyazin turned sixty and decided to hand over his businesses and devote himself to Torah study and the service of Hashem. For this purpose, he summoned his two sons, Rabbi Yosef and Rabbi Avraham, from Lemberg. Together with them and his wife, he made a precise accounting of all his property. As we recall, his wife was the daughter of the hidden tzaddik from Smila. Rabbi Baruch regarded her as the person who had brought him success in life. That was one reason he always consulted her about business and other matters, and generally did nothing without her knowledge and consent. He considered her an equal partner in his property. After they assessed the exact value of all his assets, both cash and land, Rabbi Baruch first set aside a fifth of the total for tzedakah. He divided the remaining four-fifths into five equal shares: one each for himself, his wife and each of his two sons, and the fifth, again, for tzedakah. In this way, Rabbi Baruch accumulated a very large sum for tzedakah. It grew even larger after he converted his real estate into cash. Half of this sum he placed at the disposal of Rabbi Adam Baal Shem, the renowned leader

13:42 of the hidden tzaddikim. The other half he distributed himself to various institutions and causes of tzedakah and kindness. The estates and businesses were entrusted to the management of his two sons, and the annual income was divided among the four owners after a tenth had been set aside for tzedakah. Rabbi Baruch and his wife lived comfortably on their share of the income, enabling him to devote himself entirely to Torah study and the service of Hashem. Around that time, a young married man of about thirty began to appear on Rabbi Baruch’s estate, where the yeshiva was located and many Jewish families lived. No one knew who he was or where he came from. He kept away from other people and told no one his name. Nevertheless, he often entered the yeshiva to listen to the classes and discuss the material with the students as they reviewed their lessons, wishing to help them. It became clear from this that he was a great scholar. Rabbi Baruch and Rabbi Menashe Yisroel, the yeshiva’s director, began to take an interest in the young man and his character. They tried hard to draw out details about him and where he came from, but got nowhere. When it came to himself, his lips were sealed. Convinced that the young man was a great Torah scholar, Rabbi Baruch wanted him to give classes in the yeshiva and proposed this to him. At the same time, he urged him to reveal something about himself. “If you want me to stay here and give classes, you must promise not to ask me or try to find out anything about me,” the young man replied firmly. He agreed to reveal only that his name was Aharon Yaakov, son of Rabbi Yosef. Rabbi Baruch began discussing the matter with Rabbi Menashe Yisroel, who voiced his concern that the young man might have been sent by the opponents to gather precise information about the yeshiva and its ties to the kabbalists and hidden tzaddikim. True, Rabbi Baruch’s yeshiva had no regular classes in Kabbalah, nor did it undertake any direct efforts to foster a favorable attitude

16:17 toward the hidden tzaddikim or the kabbalists. But from time to time, the students were told stories about the hidden tzaddikim and kabbalists, stories that expressed the yeshiva leaders’ friendly attitude toward them. That alone differed from the practice in the opponents’ yeshivas. It was also clear that Rabbi Baruch’s yeshiva was preparing students for a new path in the service of Hashem, one that was at least sympathetic to the hidden tzaddikim. There was therefore reason to fear that the opponents would want to investigate the yeshiva more closely. Despite this, and despite the fear expressed by members of the yeshiva’s leadership about the mysterious young man, Rabbi Baruch decided to appoint him as a rosh yeshiva. His exceptional scholarship tipped the balance for Rabbi Baruch, who felt that, for all the concerns, they could not pass him up. Perhaps Rabbi Baruch also intended to draw the brilliant young man toward his own path, even if he had originally come as an emissary of the opponents. He also assumed that, with time, he would learn more definite details about him. A select group of outstanding students was therefore assembled, and the young man was assigned to give them a regular class. Three times a week, he taught them a class distinguished by its logic and depth. The students, and Rabbi Baruch himself, disliked excessive pilpul and were deeply impressed by the clear, straightforward reasoning and depth of their guest’s classes. There was one thing that disappointed Rabbi Baruch. Three months had passed since the young man had been appointed rosh yeshiva, and he had learned nothing more about his guest. Members of the yeshiva’s leadership and Rabbi Baruch’s sons kept a constant watch on the young rosh yeshiva to see whether there was any basis for their concerns. They paid close attention to every word he said, both in his classes and in conversation, but found nothing to support their suspicions. This encouraged Rabbi Baruch: he saw that he had not been mistaken in appointing the brilliant scholar as rosh yeshiva, since no

18:39 basis for suspicion had been found. At the same time, Rabbi Baruch was intensely eager to know who the rosh yeshiva was. It struck him as extraordinary that he, Rabbi Baruch of Vyazin, who had ties with all the hidden tzaddikim of the time, should encounter a truly hidden figure in his own home and know nothing about him. He was also troubled by the uncertainty about the young man’s path in the service of Hashem. He knew that he was a great scholar, but not which approach to Yiddishkeit he followed. An idea occurred to Rabbi Baruch. He told the young rosh yeshiva that he wished to arrange a regular study session with him on the Rambam’s teachings. Rabbi Baruch thought that by spending time with the young man and studying with him, he might learn more about him and his path.