Keser Shem Tov

B"H
Please spread the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov v'nishmas my parents,
Yoel Ben Avrohom and Malka ben Avrohom. May their Neshamas have an Aliyah

Kesser Shem Tov Hashalem Perek 15

"There are three types of favors: The favor of a dwelling place in the eyes
of those who dwell there; the favor of a woman in her husband's eyes, and
the favor of merchandise in the eyes of the purchaser."1

The Baal Shem Tov taught: When G.d told Jacob, "I will give to you -- the
Land upon which you are lying," 2 He had folded the entire Land of Israel
underneath him.3 This alludes that he would not have to travel from one
place to another in order to find his sparks, but would be able to find them
wherever he would be.4 Hence, "Noah found favor in G.d's eyes." 5

1Tractate Sotah 47a.
2 Genesis 28:13.
3 Tractate Chulin 91b.
4 This alludes to the teaching that everything we come in contact with,
everything that belongs to us, even everything we eat, are all part of our
own souls. These parts have been separated from us and we must reunite and
elevate them within ourselves. But how do we know what things are really
part of us? The answer is, to those things to which we are attracted are
really part of us. These include, things we are attracted to eat, the items
we are attracted to purchase, and the person we are attracted to marry. The
attraction is G.d's way of telling us, Look here, these are the parts that
are really apart of you! This is why the sages said in the opening teaching
that there are three types of favor - the favor is our attraction to those
things, which includes our attraction to live where we do, because that is
where most of those things are to be found. Some people, though, travel
around a lot, whether for their livelihood or for other reasons. This is
because their sparks are scattered around in those places. But G.d's
blessing to Jacob was that He would bring those scattered sparks to him.
5Genesis 6:8.
The connection of this verse here is not clear. Perhaps the allusion is that
Noah also merited that his sparks come to him, as indeed happened when the
designated survivors of all life on earth came to him to enter the Ark.
Furthermore, it may also allude that Noah found favor in G.d, just as the
three things find favor in the eyes of their beholder. That is, Noah
represents the righteous person, the tzaddik, who reunites his soul with
G.d, and is thus with G.d wherever he is, which is another way of
representing G.d folding the Land of Israel under Jacob.

Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua Starrett and reprinted with the
kind permission of the Baal Shem Tov Foundation. Please visit
www.baalshemtov.com

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