BAALEI TZEDEKA

"Whoever passes up a chance to perform a Mitzvah with his friends,will suffer grief and shame when he sees what a reward he missed."   

                                         

                                                     

Observe what we find written in the Torah:"And next to them the Tekoites built,but their nobles did not assist in their master's work"[Nehemiah 3:5]{The verse refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile}.

Rashi explains that "their nobles" i.e.the wealthy men of the city of Tekoa,did not assist in God's work,building the walls of the city.Now,When you stop to think of it,what greater eternal shame could there be?

All of the angels above as well as all of mankind are aware that the wealthy man of Tekoa did not wish to assist in the building of the House of  of their master God.They surely feel great remorse for this now,but there is nothing they can do to make up for it.

The situation of the rich men of Tekoa really describes what happens to anyone who passes up any Mitzvah that his friends have taken up,and he had the chance to join them but he was too lazy to do so.How much anguish this will ultimately cause him.When he dies he will find all his friends enjoying the splendorous glory shinning forth from the good deed that they fulfilled.Only he will lack this pleasure.Concerning him,Our Sages say in Tractate Berachos:"'That which is crooked cannot be mended'(Kohelet 1:5).This refers to someone whose friends participated in some lofty good deed in which he did not participate."

                                                                               (Shem Olam,Chapter 17)

BAALEI TZEDEKA

THE MAD DANCERS

Already the voices of opponents were raised against the Baal Shem's teaching,for many rabbis could not understand his ways.Some said of him that he dishonoured the Sabbath with singing and freedom,some said that his ways and the ways of those who followed him and called themselves Chassidim were truly the ways of madmen.
One of the scholars asked of the Baal Shem,"What of the learned rabbis who call this teaching false?"
The Baal Shem Tov replied,"Once,in a house,there was a wedding festival.The musicians sat in a corner and played upon their instruments,the guests danced to the music,and were merry,and the house was filled with joy.But a deaf man passed outside the house;he looked in through the window and saw the people whirling about the room,leaping,and throwing about their arms.'See how they fling themselves about!'he cried,'it is a house filled with madmen!'For he could not hear the music to which they danced."