The Baal Shem Tov and His Disciples: The Path of Joy

Historical Context

Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name) or simply as “the Besht,” founded Hasidic Judaism in 18th-century Eastern Europe. At a time when Jewish religious life had become overly focused on scholarly Talmudic study accessible only to an educated elite, he taught that God could be reached through joy, prayer, and devotion—accessible to even the simplest person.

His teachings emphasized the omnipresence of God, the importance of devekut (cleaving to God), and the elevation of everyday activities into holy service. He told stories rather than giving scholarly lectures, danced and sang in prayer, and saw the Divine spark in every person and thing. His approach revolutionized Judaism, creating a movement that emphasized experiential spirituality alongside traditional observance.

The Dialogues

On Finding God in Everything

Rabbi Dov Baer (who would become the Maggid of Mezeritch): “Master, I have studied Torah day and night, I pray with all the proper intentions, I fast and practice asceticism. Yet I feel far from God. What am I doing wrong?”

Baal Shem Tov: “My dear student, you’re doing everything right except one thing—you’ve forgotten that Ein Sof (the Infinite) is everywhere and in everything! You’re treating God like a king in a distant palace who must be approached through elaborate protocol. But God is right here, right now, in this very conversation!

Tell me, when you study Torah, do you feel God’s presence in the letters themselves? When you eat, do you elevate the sparks of holiness in the food? When you see a simple Jew who cannot read, do you recognize the Divine soul shining through him?”

Rabbi Dov Baer: “But Master, the scholars teach that God is transcendent, infinite, beyond comprehension. How can the Infinite be in finite things?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Ah, you’ve learned well—too well! Yes, God is transcendent, beyond all comprehension. But God is also immanent, present in all things. This is the paradox at the heart of creation!

Listen: why did the Infinite create the world? To hide Himself! All of creation is like a veil concealing God’s presence. But—and this is the secret—the veil itself is made of God! There is nothing but God, even in apparent concealment.

Your task is not to reach up to some distant heaven. Your task is to recognize the Divine right where you are—in your eating, your sleeping, your working, your studying. Every action can be holy service if done with the right intention, with devekut—cleaving to God.”

On Joy vs. Sadness in Spiritual Life

A Student: “Master, when I contemplate my sins and shortcomings, I become sad and dejected. Surely this is appropriate—should we not mourn our distance from God?”

Baal Shem Tov (with sudden severity): “Sadness is from the Other Side! Melancholy is not humility—it’s arrogance disguised! You think so much about yourself—about YOUR sins, YOUR failures, YOUR unworthiness—that you forget about God!

Let me tell you something: when you’re sad, the Shechinah (Divine Presence) weeps. Your sadness adds to the exile of God’s presence in the world. But when you’re joyful—even if it’s not ‘earned,’ even if you’re not ‘worthy’—joy opens gates that no amount of fasting and weeping can open.

The Evil Inclination has a clever trick: first it tempts you to sin. Then, when you’ve sinned, it whispers: ‘Look how low you are! You’re too sinful to approach God. You should be depressed.’ And in this depression, you’re farther from God than the sin itself placed you!”

The Student: “But Master, shouldn’t we take our sins seriously? Shouldn’t we have remorse?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Yes, take them seriously—for five minutes! Recognize what you did wrong, have sincere remorse, resolve not to repeat it. Then move on! Return to joy, to serving God with gladness.

Think of it this way: if a child falls and gets muddy, does the mother want the child to sit in the mud crying about how dirty he is? No! She wants him to get up, let her clean him, and go back to playing!

God is like that mother. Yes, acknowledge your mistakes. But don’t wallow in them. Get up! God’s mercy is greater than your sins. His love for you is not based on your performance but on your essence—you’re His child!

Serve God with joy! Not because you’ve earned it, but because joy itself is the service. A joyful Jew doing a mitzvah with a full heart is more precious to God than a sad saint with all his stringencies.”

On Prayer and Ecstasy

The Disciples (observing the Besht in prayer, moving, swaying, sometimes crying out): “Master, your prayer is so different from what we learned! The scholars pray quietly, with concentration on the meanings. You pray with your whole body, sometimes shouting, sometimes dancing. Why?”

Baal Shem Tov (after finishing his prayers): “When you want to wake someone who’s sleeping very deeply, do you whisper? No! You shake them, you shout, you do whatever it takes!

Prayer is not about reciting words correctly. It’s about awakening! Awakening yourself to God’s presence, awakening the Divine sparks in the words themselves, awakening the heavenly realms.

The words of prayer are like vessels containing Divine light. But to access that light, you must break the vessels—go beyond the literal meaning, beyond the intellectual understanding, into direct encounter with the Living God!

Sometimes when I pray, I feel I’m about to leave my body completely, to dissolve into the Ein Sof. I have to hold onto something physical—a Torah scroll, a prayer shawl—to keep from disappearing entirely! This is not loss of control—this is complete focus, total attention, every part of yourself engaged with the Infinite.”

A Disciple: “But how do we reach such states? We try to concentrate and our minds wander.”

Baal Shem Tov: “First, understand that even your wandering thoughts come from God! Nothing exists separate from the Divine. So when a thought intrudes in your prayer—don’t fight it. Find the Divine spark in that thought and elevate it.

Let’s say you’re praying and suddenly you think about your business. Ask yourself: ‘Why did this thought come now?’ Perhaps God is reminding you to be honest in your dealings. Or perhaps there’s something in your business that needs repair. Elevate the thought—turn it into prayer about conducting business with integrity. Then return to your formal prayer.

Second, pray with your whole heart! Don’t just mouth words—feel them! When you say ‘God is great,’ feel His greatness! When you say ‘God is near,’ sense His nearness! Engage your emotions, your imagination, your entire being.

Third, know that you’re not praying alone. When you pray, you’re part of all Israel praying. More than that—the Shechinah Herself speaks through you. You’re giving voice to the Divine Presence longing to return to its Source!”

On Simple Faith vs. Complex Study

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef (a great scholar): “Master, I’ve spent my life studying Talmud, Kabbalah, and Jewish law. Yet you tell stories about simple Jews—water carriers, woodcutters—who can barely read Hebrew. You say they’re sometimes closer to God than the scholars. How can this be?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Come, let me tell you a story:

‘There was once a king who decreed that all his subjects must come to his palace on a certain day. The wealthy came in golden carriages, the educated came with learned speeches, the skilled came with beautiful gifts. And there was one simple man who came with nothing—only his love for the king.

When the king saw him, he left his throne, embraced this simple man, and said, “You are closer to me than all the others. They came with their accomplishments. You came with yourself.”’

You see, Yaakov Yosef, your learning is precious—don’t misunderstand me. The Torah must be studied! But sometimes, the learned become proud of their learning. Their study becomes about their own cleverness rather than about connecting with the Living God.

A simple Jew who says one prayer with his whole heart, with simple faith and love—his prayer pierces the heavens! He has no doubts, no philosophical questions, no worries about correct pronunciation. He stands before God like a child before a father—open, trusting, loving.

This is what I mean by serving God with simplicity (temimut). Not ignorance, but wholeness. Not that study is bad, but that study should lead to this simplicity, not away from it.”

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef: “So what is the purpose of all my learning?”

Baal Shem Tov: “To reach the place where you can learn from everyone! The truly wise person can learn Torah from everyone—even from children, even from simple folk, even from animals and trees!

Your learning has value only if it increases your humility and your love. If it makes you proud, if it creates barriers between you and others, if it leads you to judge rather than to love—then it has become a klippah (shell, husk) rather than a vessel for holiness.

Use your learning to teach others! Use it to elevate the everyday! Use it to find Divine wisdom hidden everywhere! Then your scholarship becomes holy service.”

On Elevating the Sparks

A Young Disciple: “Master, you speak of ‘elevating sparks’ in everything we do. What does this mean?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Listen well, for this is a great secret:

When God created the world, Divine light filled vessels that then shattered. Sparks of this holy light became trapped in the physical world, hidden in all created things. These sparks are like captives waiting to be liberated, exiles longing to return home.

Every object contains these sparks. Every food you eat, every word you speak, every action you take—all contain trapped Divine sparks. Your holy task is to release these sparks, to elevate them back to their Source.

How do you do this? By doing everything l’shem shamayim—for the sake of Heaven, with consciousness of God. When you eat, intend that the food’s energy will help you serve God. When you speak, let your words be words of Torah or kindness. When you work, work with integrity and awareness of Divine Providence.

But here’s what’s crucial: you cannot elevate the sparks if you’re doing things only for personal pleasure, for ego, for selfish reasons. You can only elevate them when you connect the action to its Divine source.

Even pleasure is allowed—encouraged even!—but with this awareness. Enjoy your food, but thank God for it. Enjoy your spouse, but sanctify the relationship. Enjoy your work, but see it as partnership with the Creator.”

The Disciple: “What about things that seem unholy—mistakes, even sins?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Ah, this is the deepest mystery! Even in sins—after the fact, after repentance—there can be sparks to elevate. Perhaps you were meant to face that temptation to learn humility. Perhaps going through that struggle will give you compassion for others who struggle.

But listen carefully: I’m not saying to sin in order to elevate sparks! That would be a terrible distortion of the teaching. Sin is sin, exile is exile, darkness is darkness. But after you’ve made a mistake, after you’ve sinned—don’t stay in despair! Find the spark even there. What did it teach you? How did it wake you up? How can you use this experience to serve God better?

This is what our sages meant when they said that for the truly righteous, even their transgressions become merits. Not that the transgression itself is good, but that they use everything—everything!—to come closer to God.”

On the Rebbe as Channel

Several Disciples Together: “Master, people come to you from far and wide, bringing their problems, asking for blessings. Sometimes you give them strange advice, sometimes you just tell them a story. Yet miracles seem to follow. What is your power?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Power? I have no power! I am nothing—less than nothing. But precisely because I am nothing, the Divine light can shine through me.

A rebbe is not a magician performing tricks. A rebbe is a window—clean and transparent—through which the Divine light shines into the world. The more transparent the window, the more light passes through. If the window thinks ‘Look at me, how clear I am!’ it has become clouded with pride.

When someone comes to me with a problem, I don’t fix it. I connect their soul to its Source. Sometimes just this connection is enough to heal, to bring blessing, to open gates. I’m like a telephone wire connecting the caller to the one they want to reach.

But here’s the secret: you don’t need me! Each of you can connect directly to God. The same Divine soul that’s in me is in you! I serve as a rebbe now because that’s my tikkun (spiritual rectification), my task. But you each have your own task, your own unique way of serving.”

A Disciple: “Then why do we come to you?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Because sometimes we forget. We get lost in our own minds, trapped in our own smallness. A rebbe reminds you of who you really are—a holy soul, a child of the King, filled with infinite potential.

Also, when Jews gather around Torah and holiness, great power is generated. Your gathering itself creates vessels for Divine light. I may be the channel, but you are all part of the circuit.

And finally—I’ll tell you the deepest reason: God hides. He wants to be sought, wants relationship, wants the beloved to come searching. The rebbe represents the Divine hiddenness calling to the seeker. In the relationship between rebbe and hasid (student), the eternal relationship between God and Israel is enacted.”

On Living in the World

A Wealthy Merchant: “Master, I feel torn. I want to serve God, to study Torah, to live a holy life. But I have a business to run, a family to support. The scholars in the study house can pray all day—I must work! Am I condemned to be a second-class Jew?”

Baal Shem Tov (with great warmth): “Second-class? My dear friend, sometimes the merchant serves God more than the scholar!

Listen: There are two kinds of service. One person prays all day in the study house—this is beautiful! But another person prays quickly and goes to work, dealing honestly with customers, giving charity from his earnings, supporting scholars, feeding his family with love—this one is serving God through every transaction!

The world says, ‘The spiritual is holy, the material is profane.’ But this is false! Everything is either holy or can be made holy. Your business dealings are your spiritual practice!

Let me tell you the secret: God doesn’t just want part of your day—the hour of formal prayer. He wants ALL of you, all day long! When you’re in the marketplace, remember God. When you’re negotiating with customers, act with integrity because God is watching. When you give charity, know that you’re partnering with God to repair the world.

Your situation is actually more challenging than the scholar’s, and therefore potentially greater! The scholar is surrounded by holiness, by books and prayers. You must create holiness in the midst of ordinary life. This takes real strength!”

The Merchant: “But I feel guilty that I enjoy my prosperity. Should I give it all away?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Enjoy it! God gave you prosperity not as a test to refuse but as a gift to use wisely. Enjoy your food, your home, your comforts—but don’t be enslaved by them. Share generously. Help others. And always remember Who gave you everything.

The test of wealth is not to refuse it but to use it for holiness. Can you enjoy pleasures without becoming their slave? Can you have money without money having you? Can you succeed in business without compromising your integrity? If yes, then your prosperity is a blessing to you and through you to others.”

On Death and Afterlife

A Disciple (after losing his father): “Master, I’m heartbroken. Where is my father now? Will I see him again?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Your father is fine—better than fine! He’s returned to his Source, like a drop of water returning to the ocean. But hear this: he’s also still here, just in a different form. The soul never dies!

In the World to Come, your father is experiencing the fruits of his good deeds, the love he gave, the Torah he learned. Every kind act he did now shines like a sun. Every prayer he said now sings to him. This is Gan Eden (Paradise)—not a place but a state of experiencing the truth of one’s life.

And you will see him again! Souls that love each other never really separate. Even now, on Shabbat and holidays, souls of the departed return to visit their loved ones. Your prayers help him, and his merits help you. You’re still connected.”

The Disciple: “But Master, what of sins? Is there punishment?”

Baal Shem Tov: “Punishment? Not in the way people imagine—some angry God throwing souls into fire! But there is a process of purification, what we call Gehinom. The soul must face the truth of its life—all the ways it hurt others, all the opportunities for holiness it missed. This recognition itself is the ‘fire’ that purifies.

But even Gehinom is mercy! It’s like a hospital where the soul heals. And it’s temporary—eventually, all souls are purified and return to their Source. God’s love is infinite. His patience is endless. No soul is ever abandoned.

Here’s the secret: you can start this purification now, in life! When you recognize your mistakes, feel sincere remorse, make amends—you’re already purifying yourself. Don’t wait for the afterlife to repair what you can repair now.”

On the Coming of Messiah

Disciples: “Master, you have reached such heights of holiness. Can you not bring the Messiah? Can you not end the exile?”

Baal Shem Tov (with sadness and joy mixed): “Ah, the Messiah! You know, I tried. In a mystical ascent, I reached the chamber of the Messiah. I asked him, ‘Master, when will you come?’

He answered: ‘When your teachings spread to the farthest corners, when all Jews know they are beloved children of God, when joy and simple faith have replaced sadness and religious formalism—then I will come.’

So you see, it’s not in my hands alone. It’s in all our hands! Every act of kindness brings Messiah closer. Every prayer with joy adds light to the world. Every Jew who returns to Torah, who recognizes their Divine soul—this hastens redemption.

But here’s what people don’t understand: in a sense, the Messiah is already here! Wherever love is, wherever joy in God’s service is, wherever Jews unite in holiness—there is a taste of the messianic age. The full redemption will come when this partial redemption spreads everywhere.

So don’t wait for Messiah to start living in redemption! Live with joy now! Serve with love now! Treat others with kindness now! This is how you bring the redemption—not by waiting but by living as if it’s already here.”

Final Teaching: The Love of Israel

The Disciples (gathering for what would be one of the Besht’s last teachings): “Master, give us a teaching we can hold onto, something that captures everything you’ve taught us.”

Baal Shem Tov: “If I could give you only one teaching, it would be this: Love your fellow Jew! Not because they deserve it, not because they’re righteous, but simply because they’re God’s children—your family!

Do you know why I was given the name ‘Baal Shem Tov’—Master of the Good Name? Not because I can use Divine Names to perform wonders. But because I saw the Good Name—the Divine essence—in every person, even the simplest, even those the world calls sinners.

When you see another Jew, don’t look at their external appearance, their knowledge or ignorance, their wealth or poverty. Look at their soul! Every Jewish soul is a piece of God Himself. When you love a Jew, you love God. When you judge a Jew, you judge God.

This doesn’t mean ignoring wrong behavior. If someone sins, help them repent—but with love, not with condemnation! Like a doctor treats a patient—not with disgust for their illness but with compassion and desire to heal.

And here’s the deepest secret: Israel, Torah, and God are one. When Jews love each other, the Torah is fulfilled, and God’s presence dwells among us. This unity—ahavas Yisrael (love of Israel)—is the foundation of everything else.

If you remember nothing else from my teachings, remember this: Love God with all your heart, and show this love by loving every Jew you meet. This is the essence of Torah. This is the path of the Hasid.”

Key Teachings

1. God’s Immanence in All Things

The Infinite is present in every created thing, though hidden. Every object contains Divine sparks waiting to be elevated through holy intention.

2. Serving God with Joy

Joy, not sadness, opens gates to the Divine. Depression is a spiritual obstacle, while joyful service—even if imperfect—is precious to God.

3. Holiness in Everyday Life

Every activity—eating, working, speaking—can become holy service when done with awareness of God and proper intention (kavanah).

4. Simple Faith vs. Intellectual Pride

A simple person with wholehearted faith can be closer to God than a scholar proud of his learning. The goal of study is to increase humility and love.

5. Elevating the Sparks

Through holy actions and intentions, we elevate Divine sparks trapped in materiality, participating in the repair (tikkun) of creation.

6. Love of Fellow Jews (Ahavas Yisrael)

Loving every Jew—seeing the Divine soul in them—is fundamental to spiritual life and hastens redemption.

Practical Applications

Finding God in the Ordinary

• Before eating, pause and recognize the Divine sparks in the food
• During work, remember you’re partnering with God in sustaining creation
• In conversations, see the Divine image in the person you’re speaking with
• Transform mundane activities into spiritual practice through intention

Cultivating Joy

• Begin each day thanking God for returning your soul
• Find reasons for gratitude throughout the day
• When sad thoughts come, acknowledge them briefly then return to joy
• Serve God with enthusiasm, song, and bodily movement

Practicing Devekut (Cleaving to God)

• Develop the habit of God-consciousness throughout the day
• Connect actions to their Divine source
• Practice the presence of God in all activities
• Let love of God motivate all you do

Elevating Sparks

• Eat with awareness that food’s energy will help you serve God
• Speak words of Torah, kindness, and truth
• Work with integrity, seeing your labor as holy service
• Find the Divine teaching in every experience

Questions for Contemplation

1. Where in my ordinary, daily activities can I find opportunities for holiness?

2. Am I serving God with joy or with heaviness? What needs to change?

3. Do I see the Divine spark in every person I meet, or do I judge by external appearances?

4. How can I transform my eating, working, and relationships into holy service?

5. What “shells” (klippot) of ego, sadness, or judgmentalism are blocking my connection to God?

The Significance of This Dialogue

The Baal Shem Tov’s teachings revolutionized Judaism by making mystical spirituality accessible to ordinary people. At a time when Kabbalah was considered dangerous for the masses and religious life had become dry and intellectual, he taught that everyone—regardless of education or status—could connect directly with God through joy, sincerity, and love.

His emphasis on God’s immanence balanced the traditional emphasis on transcendence. While maintaining all traditional observances, he infused them with vitality, meaning, and joy. This approach spoke especially to common folk who felt excluded from elite scholarly circles.

The teaching on “elevating sparks” gave cosmic significance to everyday activities. You’re not just eating breakfast—you’re liberating trapped holiness! You’re not just doing business—you’re participating in tikkun olam (repairing the world)! This transformed ordinary life into spiritual practice.

For contemporary seekers, Hasidic teachings offer several vital messages:

Integration of spiritual and ordinary life: You don’t need to abandon worldly responsibilities to live spiritually. Every activity can be sacred.

The path of joy: Spiritual life need not be grim and austere. Joy itself is a form of worship and often more effective than harsh disciplines.

Love over judgment: The emphasis on seeing the good in others, on loving fellow humans, on judging favorably—these teachings cultivate compassion over criticism.

Direct experience over book learning: While honoring traditional study, Hasidism emphasizes that knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. Direct experience is essential.

Community and relationship: The rebbe-hasid relationship, the emphasis on communal worship, the value placed on spiritual friendship—all these highlight the importance of supportive community in spiritual life.

The Baal Shem Tov’s legacy continues through Hasidic communities worldwide, but his core teachings transcend any single tradition. The message that God is everywhere, that joy is holy, that every person contains a Divine spark, that ordinary life can be sacred—these are universal truths needed in every age, perhaps especially in our own time of fragmentation and disenchantment.

His life demonstrated that profound spirituality doesn’t require withdrawal from the world but can flourish in the midst of everyday life—in the marketplace, in family relationships, in ordinary joys and sorrows. This integration of transcendence and immanence, of mystical experience and practical living, represents spiritual maturity that our contemporary world desperately needs.