Baal Shem Tov Laughs Reflecting on Divine Providence and Charity's Power
Rabbi Avraham Mordechai of Pintshov recounted a story about the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, observing the world from end to end. Once, while his senior disciples sat around him, the Baal Shem Tov suddenly began to laugh. When asked why, he told them about a distant city where a minister built a magnificent building over several years. A righteous man praying Mincha was caught in a hailstorm and took shelter inside this building. When the storm ceased and the man left, the building collapsed. The Baal Shem Tov explained that the building's main purpose was to protect the righteous man briefly, and through his presence, the stones and sparks within it were rectified. Thus, the building had no reason to stand and fell immediately after the man left. This story illustrates the hidden ways of divine governance.
The Baal Shem Tov also taught about the special nature of charity, emphasizing that even charity given without pure intentions is accepted by God because it sustains the poor. He explained that all possessions belong to God, and humans are merely temporary custodians. Giving charity is essentially returning what God entrusted to a person. Charity invokes God's thirteen attributes of mercy, especially when given wholeheartedly and compassionately, leading to forgiveness of sins and protection from harm.
He highlighted the spiritual challenge in giving charity, which requires subjugating one's will to God's will, a profound act of free choice that brings about miracles. To give charity sincerely, one must awaken an inner desire, or "illumination of will," attracting blessings and divine abundance. God delights in bestowing blessings through charity, increasing generosity as the giver's merit grows.
Moreover, the Baal Shem Tov taught that reducing one's wealth through charity breaks old vessels of abundance and creates new, larger vessels capable of receiving greater blessings. Charity protects from death and all forms of hardship, and through it, the entire Jewish people merit salvation. The message concluded with blessings for health, livelihood, and abundant blessings for all Israel.