BAAL SHEM TOV 33 - L'ENFANT ET LE LOUP

The Besht, it is 1840. The Besht, he passed away 60 years ago. And so, the Rav Israel of Ruzhyn, the great Hasid, the great rabbi, enters a village and says, "I want to hear a story of the Besht." Does anyone have a story? Everyone says, "No, no, we have no story.

We don't know, we've only heard of him. But I was told that there was someone here who had a story. And he waits, and waits, and waits, and waits. There is a very elderly person here.

He is a hundred years old, or perhaps more . So maybe he knew the Rebbe. Ah, I want to go see him. And he approaches and knocks on the door.

An old man answers. Tell me, excuse me, sir. Ah, but sir, I am not Jewish, you know. Yes , I understand.

But did you know the Besht? The Besht? Why, of course I knew him, but as I speak to you now, I am almost 90 years old. I was 10, 12, or 13 years old, and I was herding the sheep.

The goats of the lord, of the village, of the whole neighborhood, of the entire region. And that is how I just barely managed to eat. And one day , a wolf came. He came in the night, and I was afraid.

He took a sheep, he ate a sheep, and he left. Yeah, what am I going to do? Trouble there. And just the next day, the servants of that prince, they counted the sheep.

One is missing, a sheep is missing. Yes, yes, of course. But, but a wolf came. I was afraid and he ate it.

He left. So know this, that the prince said," You must pay for one sheep and another one as a punishment. You owe two sheep. But how can I?

That is not our problem. "And then, the next day, the wolf comes back . He returns there. I am trembling with fear.

What am I going to do? I am so small compared to that wolf. I don't want to, I hide. He takes a second sheep and he runs away with the sheep.

And there, they come back and tell me," You owe two more sheep, that makes four sheep. "Do you understand? Otherwise, you will be sold into slavery." And then, I start to cry. I cry, I cry.

And I'm walking like that in the in the forest. And all of a sudden, I see a light. I see a gentleman with a long beard. He says to me "Little boy, what is going on?" So he says "But but who are you?" And then, there is someone accompanying the Besht.

He says to him "But it's the Besht, the Tzadik of Israel." Ah! Okay. Ah sir, you know, I have a wolf, it's been 3 days it comes to me, it takes my sheep, two sheep and two sheep tonight, I'm scared again, it will come back. How am I going to manage?

Am I going to die? I won't have two more sheep, where am I going to get them? And he said to me my son, don't worry when the wolf comes, you will tell him Israel, you will shout out loud Israel. And there, next to the Besht someone says in his ear Israel is the first name of the Besht and you will see the wolf will leave.

And there , do you know what you call the one from Ruzhin? Yes, Israel of Ruzhin. Ah, listen, I waited for the night, I waited for the wolf and then it approaches and suddenly from my hiding place, I shout out loud Israel, Israel. And then, the wolf, it is frozen.

it can no longer move for a few seconds and turns around and runs away. And you know what? I was a shepherd for several years and each time I shouted and I was saved. And I meet the Rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov.

I say Rabbi, Rabbi, thank God , it worked. Thank you, thank you, I was saved from the wolf. Oh, and how can I thank you? Well, I tell you listen, don't thank me.

It's good. I bless you to have a long life. Ah, a long life? Yes.

But until when? Ah until a Rabbi comes and you will tell him the story. You will know that that's it, you have to go home up in heaven. And so it is that this person told the story.

The Rabbi of Ruzhin leaves the house, closes the door, and this elderly person passes away. Oh my, oh my, oh my. The Besht, he loved everyone, Jews and non-Jews. He loved to help.

He loved people who were in distress. He loved pure people like this child here.