Q&A: The Baal Shem Tov Paradox
The Baal Shem Tov Paradox
Question
Greetings and peace, the Messiah’s answer to the Baal Shem Tov sets an impossible condition. On the one hand, the Messiah makes his coming dependent on the Baal Shem Tov’s wellsprings spreading outward and on the revelation in the world of “what I taught you”; on the other hand, he warns the Baal Shem Tov in unmistakable language not to reveal to anyone the secrets he learned from his mouth, not even to Rabbi Gershon: “And permission was not given, all the days of my life, to reveal this. And I asked on your behalf to teach you, but they did not permit it at all. And I am bound by oath there concerning this.” Is this a real paradox? Thanks, Benjamin Baal Shem Tov Gorlin
Answer
The way you present it, yes. I assume the presentation is not faithful to the source. For example, perhaps he can reveal one part, while about another part he is under oath to keep it.
Discussion on Answer
Paragraph 1, line 3
.. only chapter headings are given to him…
With God’s help, 2 Sivan 5780
In every revelation of the secrets of Torah there is an inherent tension between the vital importance of revealing them and the constant concern that such revelations may lead to misunderstanding because of the limited grasp of the one who understands and of the thing being understood. Therefore there are secrets that are not transmitted even to an individual; rather, only chapter headings are given to him, and he understands on his own.
There is also a distinction between the study of the sefirot and the holy names, where one is careful not to transmit them to someone who may not understand them properly, and the guidance for the service of God that emerges from the kabbalistic approach. Thus, for example, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto concealed his kabbalistic writings, while on the other hand he published Mesillat Yesharim and Derekh Hashem and the like, which are founded on his kabbalistic method but written in the clear language of the revealed tradition.
And apparently the same happened with the Baal Shem Tov’s kabbalistic approach: his revelations concerning the sefirot and the holy names were kept secret, but his “teachings” in the ways of serving God — seeing the divine presence in everything, intensifying joy and service of the heart, and placing emphasis on love of fellow Jews while also uplifting the stature even of the simple Jew — these “teachings” had their wellsprings spread outward and bring Israel closer to their Father in Heaven in ever-widening circles..