The Story of the Baal Shem Tov from the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland

It is the custom of our community, the Breslov Chassidim, to read every Motzaei Shevi'i shel Pesach (the night following the seventh day of Passover) the story of the Baal Shem Tov's journey to Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) and the entire miracle of the salvation of the Jews of Istanbul. Here is the story as delivered by our teacher, the Rav shlit"a (may he live long and good days), with his pleasant and sweet speech, in a vivid and tangible way—it is recommended to copy and print:

In the time of the Baal Shem Tov, there was a couple who never had children; they had no children. They searched for children and wanted to adopt children. They traveled from Berlin and were already forty-five years old and had no children. What does one do at age forty-five with no children? They went to all the doctors and traveled to Boston and traveled to Manchester—Manchester is the best place; whoever doesn't have children should go to Manchester. Where hadn't they been? In the end, they were told, "There is only the Baal Shem Tov; only the Baal Shem Tov will help you." Rebbe Nachman was not yet in the world; this was before Rebbe Nachman was born. They had nowhere else to travel and nowhere else to go. Exactly at that time, the Baal Shem Tov decided he was traveling to Eretz Yisrael. We just spoke about Rabbi Naftali Katz, who was a flaming fire, and on the day of his passing, everyone fled from the fire.

We spoke about this couple traveling with a four-horse carriage. Every place they arrive, they are told, "The Baal Shem Tov just left; he traveled to Eretz Yisrael." Rebbe Nachman says that to reach Eretz Yisrael, one must take off his shoes. Rebbe Nachman, on his way to Eretz Yisrael, would take off his shoes, take off his suit, and take off his hat, walking only with a kippah (skullcap) and a shirt. To reach Eretz Yisrael, one needs "katnus d'katnus" (extreme humility and simplicity). You are now in Eretz Yisrael and don't quite feel or live it, but someone in Chutz La'aretz (outside the Land of Israel) longs deeply to ascend to the Land.

They travel, and wherever they arrive, they are told, "The Baal Shem Tov just left, just now he left." They take another four-horse carriage; it's snowing and cold—it was winter because they arrived for Pesach (Passover), and that is in the winter. They arrive in Odessa... there was no Odessa yet, it was Constanta. My mother traveled to Constanta, and apparently, my father also traveled to Constanta. They arrive at the port in Constanta, and there it is a danger to life and truly terrifying. The Baal Shem Tov entered a ship to Istanbul. Just as they reach the port, they are told, "The Baal Shem Tov just boarded the ship; he just boarded." They run and try to catch it, signaling the captain, but he doesn't notice and sails on. They remain there, poor things—a miserable couple at age forty-five—and they remain alone and abandoned. The ship leaves them, and they began to cry. They were asked, "Why are you crying? You take a ship too!" They were rich; they had no problem. How much does a ship cost? Two million dollars? Ten million dollars? A yacht is twenty million, so a ship is a hundred million. They had a hundred million; they brought a whole wagon just with dollars. They give a hundred million dollars and hire a ship, but they tell the captain, "Go full! On full steam!" There were no engines yet; everything was sails. They told him, "Go full," and he goes full, traveling at full speed because they want to catch the ship that is on the way and jump onto it.

They arrive in Istanbul, and there is no ship and nothing, no trace. They took the most luxurious 12-star hotel and brought matzos and brought wine and poultry and meat—beef and ten types of meat and twenty types of fish. What didn't they bring there? They even brought candles because there was no electricity yet. But they were looking for the Baal Shem Tov because only he has peyos (sidelocks). Once in Istanbul, there were no Jews who walked with peyos; even today there are no peyos.

And now they arrive in Istanbul and search for the Baal Shem Tov and find Adel'e. Adel is "Esh Das Lamo" (a fire of law for them). Adel'e was all fire; fire came out of her, flames of fire came out of her. Adel'e says to them, "Yes, who are you looking for?" "We are looking for a man with peyos." "Peyos? That's my father, obviously. Only my father is here now with peyos. Search all of Istanbul and you won't find any." "Okay, where is your father?" "He went to the synagogue; I know which synagogue he went to." She takes them to the synagogue and waits for him to come out. It's already ten at night, eleven at night, and twelve at night. When will the Seder (Passover ceremonial meal) be? She is waiting for the Seder.

It is written in the days of Shmuel that they would wait for the wife of Reb Nosson of Breslov, and they would wait for her until she came from the Kotel (Western Wall), because a woman who reaches the Kotel sticks to the Kotel. It's like a kind of glue; it's impossible to separate her. They try to detach her and it doesn't work. That's why I tell everyone, it's not worth it for you to get married at all, because in the end, she will go to the Kotel and stick to the Kotel and won't come home. Suddenly a man sees his wife isn't returning, so he goes to the Kotel to look for her. How will he enter the women's section, and how will he detach her from the Kotel? It's impossible to detach. Once there were such women that it was impossible to detach them, and they arrived home at three in the morning. If a woman goes to the Kotel, she sticks like glue and it's impossible to detach her.

The Baal Shem Tov comes out, and she says to him, "Father, listen, there is already wine and ten types of beef and twenty types of poultry, whatever you want, Father." But the Baal Shem Tov doesn't see or hear at all; he only sees Hashem before his eyes. He sees nothing except Hashem. He only sees Hashem and doesn't hear what she is saying to him at all. She sees that he doesn't hear at all, so she takes him—he doesn't even know where they are going—and she takes him and says to him, "Come to the hotel." They had put their suitcases there, but they had no money, so what will we do? How will we stay in a hotel? It's three hundred dollars for a bed, and they were three people—Reb Hersh was there, and the Baal Shem Tov, and Adel'e—that's nine hundred dollars a night. Where do you get nine hundred dollars a night?!? Today there are hotels for two thousand dollars a night and four thousand dollars a night. Back then it was nine hundred dollars, and there was nowhere to get nine hundred dollars. Suddenly he hears that everything is arranged—a penthouse on the sixth floor of the hotel, and wine and matzos and everything is ready, and Gemaras and Shas (the Talmud) and Ketzos HaChoshen (a classic legal text) are there, and one can study the entire Ketzos HaChoshen. The Baal Shem Tov doesn't show any sign that he is impressed at all. They walk up six floors by foot, and it's impossible to use the elevator because it's Pesach, the Seder night, so one must walk six floors by foot, and these are large floors. By the time they go up, the Baal Shem Tov is already seventy years old—how will he climb all those stairs? He sits at the Seder, and meanwhile, this forty-five-year-old couple arrived and also sat at the Seder. He sits and performs the Seder with enthusiasm and sings all the songs, "Dayenu, Dayenu," and he sings it with such enthusiasm. "If He had brought us before Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, Dayenu (it would have been enough)." Even without the Torah, just being at Mount Sinai, one already knows the entire Torah. "If He had split the sea for us and not led us through it on dry land, Dayenu." Just to see the splitting of the Red Sea, from that alone they already received the entire Torah. A person wants to learn for himself every moment, and he doesn't need to be taught at all; a person is born wanting Torah.

And then suddenly he gives a shout: "Noshatem!" (You are saved!). One word he shouts to you: "Noshatem!" And then his head falls. Suddenly, boom, his head fell back with signs of death, and saliva comes out of his mouth and his eyes roll and turn over—truly signs of death. They called Hatzalah (emergency medical services) and tried to revive him, but nothing helped. Suddenly he wakes up and shouts: "Even so, without Olam Haba (the World to Come), I don't need Olam Haba!" They don't understand what is happening, and Adel'e asks him, "What happened here? What did you shout? Why did your head fly back? Why were you dying?" The Baal Shem Tov said to her, "Listen, this couple cannot have children. There are those who are 'zero,' meaning zero, and they have no chance by way of nature to bring children into the world—everything is zero. They went to Manchester and Boston and traveled also to Los Angeles. Where didn't they travel? They tried in all places and no place helped." Then the Baal Shem Tov continued and explained to Adel'e that the doctors say "zero." It is forbidden to perform a miracle because it needs to have some grasp in the way of nature; there needs to be something, some chance once a year. With Hashem's help, everyone will have another child and everyone will have twins. As soon as the Baal Shem Tov said "Noshatem," the S"M (Satan) came and said to take away his Olam Haba. He is doing something that is forbidden to do, because it is forbidden to perform a miracle that has no grasp in the way of nature. Everything must have a grasp in nature, and if there is no grasp in nature, such a miracle is not performed. Whoever wants to perform a miracle not according to nature must give an accounting; they will deal with him and know what to do with him. Now the Baal Shem Tov performed a miracle not according to nature, so what is done? The S"M said to take away his Olam Haba. He said, "Fine, they took my Olam Haba, wonderful! I don't need Olam Haba; I need to serve Hashem and I don't need Olam Haba."

Now we return to our story. In Istanbul, there was a decree. If the Baal Shem Tov arrives in Istanbul, there are many reasons for it. There was a decree that at six in the morning, they kill all the Jews, like in Hebron where at six in the morning they started killing the Jews and by seven-thirty they had already finished everyone. The daughter of the Rosh Yeshiva (head of the yeshiva) of Hebron—I knew him and was in his classes, I was there for thirty days straight—he was the Rosh Yeshiva of Hebron and was the wisest of all generations. He missed the bus, so he said, "Now it's Friday, I'm not traveling; it is written that after 12 it's forbidden to travel." His daughter remained and was there. He had an apartment in Hebron and there he opened the Hebron Yeshiva, and after that, it moved to Jerusalem. His daughter suddenly sees that they are killing Jews and cutting off heads, hands, and feet. The British didn't allow a funeral to be held, may their name be blotted out. The British are the biggest liars. Moshe asked, "Do you want to receive the Torah?" The British are only lies. "For the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped." The British are only lies. First, he went to the British, and after that, he went to the Chinese, and after that, Mount Moriah jumped to Mount Sinai. They are going to kill all the Jews like in Hebron from six until seven-thirty. Within an hour and a half, they killed sixty-four Jews and hacked them into pieces with axes. They are told to go with axes and everyone goes; they don't need to be prepared.

It is written "to be ready to be avenged from their enemies." The King said to sign with the King's ring and it cannot be revoked. Iran is not like Israel where they hold an investigative committee for the government. Now the submarines cost them double because they took bribes and spoke Lashon Hara (evil speech). We need submarines; it's impossible without them because the Arabs can finish us off any second. If you have a submarine, you can sink ten ships at once. Now they take the whole budget and buy submarines and also give the Arabs gifts because it's a government of Arabs. Thank Hashem, a government of Arabs—this is what we waited for. We waited two thousand years for this. For this, they make Independence Day, to give the land to the Arabs, independence for the Arabs. Rabbi Kook, who was the Rabbi of Jaffa, said in the end everything will go to the Arabs. They were already talking about a state, so he said in the end they will give the state to the Arabs for free.

In Istanbul at the time of the Baal Shem Tov, what do they do? They are going to kill the Jews. At six in the morning, they kill the Jews and don't leave a single Jew alive. Well, the Interior Minister, the most important minister, cannot sleep. They made a condition that whoever reveals it will be hanged, because they know someone always reveals it. The ones who always reveal it are the Jews who are so cunning and planted with the King and the Sultan. The Sultan says, "Whoever reveals it, I will hang him with my hands and make him into pieces and make him into a pita falafel." But the Interior Minister cannot fall asleep, poor man. He always loved the Jews and would reveal the decrees and always inform on the King. He cannot fall asleep and gets up at Chatzos (midnight) and starts saying Tikkun Chatzos (midnight lamentation) and starts "By the rivers of Babylon," "A song of ascents, from the depths I called to You, Hashem," "I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go to the House of Hashem." He is truly crying and can no longer fall asleep. Now they are going to kill all the Jews and not one Jew will remain alive; they are innocent. Well, he runs quickly to the head of the community, and it's already one in the morning. It's Egyptian darkness and there was no electricity like today, and it's raining and everything is pits because there are no roads yet. Four hundred years ago, there are no roads and nothing. He falls into a pit and another pit and breaks his leg. He has one leg left, and finally, he reaches the head of the community and knocks on his door and faints. The head of the community opens and sees the Interior Minister knocking on the door and asks, "What happened?" "Tomorrow they are killing all the Jews, I told you, and I am fleeing, they are following me. Do what you can; tomorrow at six in the morning they are going with axes and slaughtering all the Jews. They will go with a loudspeaker in the streets and say it is permitted to kill the Jews, it is a positive commandment from the Torah. It is the first commandment of the Torah, and all the Arabs come out with axes and each one kills his neighbor and his babies and his wife." What is to be done? He already fled and is gone, already vanished, melted away and evaporated. He told him only that they want to kill the Jews and fled. Well, he goes and wakes up all the community leaders, twelve community leaders. He goes and it's already three in the morning. At six they kill all the Jews—three hours remain. He wakes them all up and wants to arouse them and get them up. He knocks, and now they have finished the Seder and they are tired. They are in such a deep sleep. He opens the door and shakes them to get up, "They are killing the Jews soon!" "Woe, they are killing the Jews!" By the time they get up, sleep is poured over their faces and their eyes are falling asleep, and they get up. Twelve men walk in the street and don't know where to go or in which direction or to whom. Suddenly they hear: "To Him who alone does great wonders, for His kindness is everlasting." Again: "To Him who alone does great wonders, for His kindness is everlasting."

Well, where will they go? Left, right, north, south? Will they go to the Kotel? Will they travel to Uman to Rebbe Nachman? Where will they go now? They remembered that the Sultan has a mother. The Sultan had a mother—this was the miracle here. It's a miracle that he had a mother; that's the greatest miracle, that he has a mother. A mother loves Jews. This was a mother who loved Jews with all her soul. "Let's go to her and she will find a solution." Well, they knock at her place and it's already three-thirty in the morning. The guard was startled, and they told him, "There is a terrible decree and the mother must nullify it, and she must travel to the Sultan now." She comes down, she comes down and barely woke up. She descends the stairs from the sixth floor and says, "What happened? Why did you come?" "A decree was made against the Jews to kill them all, and we are forbidden even to reveal it, but we are revealing it to you. If we reveal it, they will hang us, because they said they will hang whoever reveals it." She said to them, "Don't worry, sit here in the lobby," and she brought them cups of tea and cups of coffee, cola and champagne, she brought them whiskey. "Drink and forget everything, and I am traveling to my son." She took a carriage with four horses—a chariot, a coach—and ran over ten dogs and five cats on the way, and that's ten life sentences, and for a cat, it's half a life sentence. There was one man in Berlin named Ze'ev, and he went to bury his cat, and a giant dog the size of a horse came at him, so he hit it with the shovel and killed it. On the spot, a patrol car arrives: "What did you do here? This is murder! Bully, look what you did!" The policeman shouts at him like that. He says to him, "Listen, give me your number and your details." "What did I do wrong? Why are you shouting at me? Behave yourself, speak politely. You aren't speaking politely, so I am now going to file a complaint against you." He said to him, "Fine, let's make it zero-zero; I won't file a complaint against you and you won't against me. I forgive you." But to kill a dog is a life sentence, and a cat too. To run over ten dogs is ten life sentences, plus cats, so together it's four hundred years in prison. And she is running over dogs and cats, and now it's four-thirty in the morning, everything is clear and there are no traffic lights. She arrives at the King's gate and sees a guard there, and she says to him, "Wake the King quickly!" "What, I should wake him? Wait until eight in the morning." "Wake him immediately!" And he goes and wakes him, and he gets up from sleep like that. He arrives in his pajamas and asks, "What happened, Mother?" "Tell me, what did you do!?" "I'm fasting for Ramadan." "No! Tell me what you did?" "I ate in the bathroom once." "I didn't mean that! Tell me what you did?" "Your father came to me in a dream and said not a trace will remain of him and we are all going to die now—all the children and the babies and the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren, everyone will die. By six in the morning, no trace will remain of him. What did you do?" "I made a decree against the Jews." "A decree against the Jews?!? Have you gone mad!? You don't know what happened to Pharaoh and what happened to Haman? Haman was a 'tzaddik' (righteous man - said sarcastically) and look what happened to him. Poor man, he wanted to hang Mordechai and he hanged him. Everything was overturned; everything goes 'upside down' and 'it was reversed' (as in the Purim story)." Well, he says, "Mother, I am going to tear up the decree." He goes down to the archive in the basement and tore the whole decree to shreds and brought her the papers. She took the papers and traveled back to the community leaders, and it was already five in the morning. One more hour and they kill the Jews. "Here, the decree is already torn." They went and had to pass through all the streets again and by the same hotel where the Baal Shem Tov was, and they hear it again, but this time with joy and enthusiasm: "To Him who alone does great wonders, for His kindness is everlasting!!"