The Besht: Magician, Mystic, and Leader

Appendix II | The Besht's Epistle

Written in the [week of] Trumah Torah portion, 5512, here in the community of Raszkow. To my beloved, my brotherin -law, and my friend dearly cherished as my own soul and heart, he being the Rabbinic wonder, the Hasid, famous in Torah and piety, his honor our teacher Avraham Gershon, may his candle shine and peace be to all that is his, and to his chaste wife Mrs. Bluma and all her offspring, may they all be granted the blessing of life, Amen Selah. The imprimateur of his holy hand I received at the Lukov fair in the year 5510, This is the letter given by Rabbi Israel Besht of Blessed and Righteous Memory to our Rabbi the author our teacher (etc.) Yaakov Yosef Hacohen to be passed to his brother-in-law Rabbi Gershon Kotover who was in the Holy Land and because of a delay which came from the Blessed Lord he did not travel to the Land of Israel and it remained in his hands so as to benefit our nation the people of Israel. To my beloved, my brotherin -law, and my friend dearly cherished as my own soul and heart, he being the Rabbinic wonder, the Hasid, famous in Torah and piety, his honor our teacher Avraham Gershon, may his candle shine and peace be to all that is his. And to his chaste wife Mrs. Bluma and all her offspring, may they all be granted the blessing of life, Amen Selah. The imprimateur of his holy hand I received at the Lukov fair in the year 5510, So as not to put out blank pages I have written out a great story from R. Israel Baal Shem. The Sacred Epistle  appendix ii the besht’s epistle frenkel-bauminger version koretz version manuscript version etkes.qxp 11/23/2004 3:31 PM Page 272  that which you sent with the emissary who left Jerusalem and which was written in the essence of brevity; there it is said that you had already written at length to each and every one employing someone who was traveling to Egypt, yet those letters written at length did not reach me and I was greatly pained by this that I have not seen the figure of your holy hand which you wrote out in detail, and no doubt this is owing to the deteriorated conditions in the countries (by our sins) as the plague has spread to every country and even has reached nearby regions, the community of Mohilev and the districts of Walachia and Kedar, and there it is also said that those innovations and secrets about which I had written to you via the scribe the Rabbi and Mokhiah of the Polonne community did not reach you and I was greatly pained by this as well for surely you would have been greatly pleased to have received them and although at the present I have forgotten certain parts yet some of the details which I can recollect I will write about quite briefly. For on Rosh Hashana of the year 5507 I took an oath for an ascent of the soul as you know and I beheld amazing things in a vision that which you sent with the emissary who left Jerusalem and which was written in the essence of brevity; there it is said that you had already written at length to each and every one employing someone who was traveling to Egypt, yet those letters written at length did not reach me and I was greatly pained by this that I have not seen the figure of your holy hand which you wrote out in detail, and no doubt this is owing to the deteriorated conditions in the countries (by our sins) as the plague has spread to every country and even has reached nearby regions, the holy community of Mohilev and the districts of Walachia and Kedar, and there it is also said that those innovations and secrets about which I had written to you via the scribe the Rabbi and Mokhiah of the Polonne community did not reach you and I was greatly pained by this as well for surely you would have been greatly pleased to have received them and although at the present I have forgotten certain parts yet some of the details which I can recollect I will write about quite briefly. For on Rosh Hashana of the year 5507 I took an oath for an...