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| The Master Storyteller Once in a time yet to come a disciple of the Baal Sipur Tov wanted to begin his time as a storyteller. When he went to Baal Sipur Tov to tell him and to ask his blessing, Baal Sipur Tov told him that he should begin telling stories and that when the time was right he would give his blessing. So the disciple began to tell stories. At first there were only very small groups who would come, but gradually as the disciple’s talents grew, more and more came to hear him. And as the crowds grew the disciple said to himself, surely now Baal Sipur Tov will give me his blessing, so he went to him. But Baal Sipur Tov said that it was not yet time, he still had much to learn. So the disciple returned to his storytelling and his fame grew, and as he told his stories his audiences were more and more caught up in the emotions of the story, and it was not uncommon for even the hardest among them to be moved to tears or laughter, sadness or great joy. Once one of his disciples, Reb Richard asked him if peace would ever come to us and he told this story: There was once a very wise rabbi named Reb Judah. One day he had his disciples around him and he was teaching them about the Divine Sparks of God that are within everyone and everything. He spoke about how the creator had filled many vessels with the primordial light before the beginning of the beginning, and how those vessels had broken spilling that essence of the Divine into all creation. He spoke of how it was the duty of each person to gather those sparks and return them. But as he spoke, he felt that he was on the verge of a great discovery, but could not grasp it wholly and so he encouraged his disciples to ask questions in hopes that one of them might be the instrument of his understanding. Reb Tim was first, "Master, tell us where we shall find these sparks?" Reb Judah responded, "In truth, there is no place without sparks, but your task is to first find them within yourselves. Within you are many sparks because you contain more than one soul. Reb Barbara wanted to know how this was possible. The answer was given “Since in the beginning there were only created 600,000 souls. But those souls became fragmented so that now there are untold numbers. Within me, I know I contain the souls of many who have lived before me as well as after me.” For a moment all were silent because they also sensed they were on the verge of a great mystery being revealed. Then Reb Serena asked, "Master, how did the vessels shatter in the first place?” And Reb Michelle added, “Was it a mistake?" Reb Judah responded immediately. It is often misunderstood, but the vessel breaking was part of the plan, just as a seedpod must burst open when they are ripe to allow the seeds to be cast into the wind." Now the power of the mystery was so great that it could be felt by all there as something physical, something tingling throughout the body, and after another silence, Reb Kathleen asked, "But who will restore the vessels?" "This will be the task of the Messiah," Reb Judah quickly responded, and then Reb Suzi wondered, "And how will this come to be?" The answer was quick and burned like a cold fire through each one present. "Within every spark that went into the 600,000 souls was a seed for the Messiah. When those seeds are joined together in peace, then the Messiah will come forth. Reb Gerrie asked how this could come to be? You carry within you that seed as does everyone else. When you can honor each one as the Messiah, the Messiah will come, because you will recognize that the Messiah is within you and is you. Reb Christina now asked, “But since the original 600,000 were so fragmented how will we ever know how to put the right 600,000 together?” Now Reb Judah understood the mystery and a great hush fell over the room as he gave his answer. “Since within each of us living today are the sparks of an unknown number of original souls it is possible that if even two people truly join together in peace and in respect of one another that would be enough to create Messiah in our world and usher in complete and total peace for all mankind. All who heard this story were moved and altered and began to treat one another with greater respect. At another time Reb Elaine asked him to speak of love between two people. He told her the story of the Rose and the King Once upon a time there was a great king and queen. Under their guidance there was peace and prosperity throughout their land. The love of these two was legendary. The kindness of these two was legendary. And the goodness of these two was legendary. One day a wizard entered the land at first he was received kindly by the pair, but it soon became obvious that his intention was self-serving and he wanted to have control over the kingdom. He was banished from the land. Before he left he managed to use the love of these two against them. He fashioned the most beautiful rose anyone had ever seen, but it was also the most deadly. He sent it to the King disguised as a gift from his Queen. When the King saw the rose he thought of his beautiful queen and breathed deeply it’s fragrance. That breath was his last as the King. He fell into a deep forgetfulness and wandered away from the land. The Queen soon discovered the treachery of the wizard, but her grief was so great that she had no power to fight the wizard. She prayed only to join her husband in oblivion. The goddess who protected her heard her cries and took pity on her and turned her into a Rose also of unparalleled beauty. The goddess knew that only if the King managed to find this Rose and once again breathe its fragrance could the evil spell be broken. Years turned to decades and to centuries as the King wandered the land not knowing who he was. The land became a place of sorrow and tragedy with the evil wizard in control. All seemed hopeless until one day the King walked into a garden and happened upon a garden of roses. There was one that caught his eye. There was a stirring, a memory that he couldn’t quite place. He was drawn to this Rose. He had never seen such beauty before – or had he? As he reached the Rose and breathed in its fragrance he began to cry. He cried with a deep longing and remembering and soon his tears flowed so freely that the Rose began to drink in the tears. Soon the Rose began to grow and take a form joyously familiar to the King. He remembered who He was and the two embraced and loved. They returned to their Kingdom and cleansed it of the Wizard and his evil and once again restored joy and peace and healing to the land. And everyone lived happily ever after. Everyone there understood that true love can only come as we remember the truth of who we are and this honest love will rid the world around them of evil and sorrow, and there was a great remembering in the crowd as the tears of joy and recognition swept over everyone there and the disciple thought surely now Baal Sipur Tov will give me his blessing. But he was told the same message as before, so he continued to tell his stories. One day Reb Laura said speak to us about the importance of women, and why it has been so hard for us to find peace in this world of men. This was the story he told. Shortly after the Garden was removed from Adam and Eve a son was born to Eve. This was a blessed event that brought great joy to all. The presence of God was strong at the time of the circumcision and naming and God also was full of joy upon this occasion and offered to Eve a gift of her choosing. Eve looked upon Cain and thought about his future and she decided to ask God to show her the future of Cain and all her descendants. This God did. Eve saw the good and the evil and the patience of God through it all. Eve saw the first destruction which brought great sadness, but she took heart at the hope brought to the world through Noah and his children. She saw the greatness of Abraham and Isaac and Ishmael, and Jacob. She saw the beauty of Joseph and the love of Moses for his people Israel, a love that on more than one occasion saved them from God’s wrath. She heard the beautiful voice of David and the wisdom of Solomon, and saw the magnificence of the Temple, and she felt great joy that once again God would dwell among her children. But all of a sudden a great terror seized her, and she could see no more. She cried out to God to explain this abysmal dread that racked her body with an unnamable fear. And God explained that all hope and joy for man rested in the people Israel, but that at last their sin was too great and when the temple, God’s dwelling place was destroyed because of the sin, God was removed from the world and along with God, hope, and soon after all mankind died away and was no more. At this Eve flung herself before God and wept as she had never wept before and not only Eve, but a cry rose up from all the unborn mothers within her, and there was a sound heard throughout the universe, and the pain of that sound moved even God to tears, and God took counsel with Eve as to how she and all the mothers inside of her could save their children, and this is what was decided. Eve asked that her body would be in place of the temple and that she would endure the pain of the sacrifice of atonement for all her life, and not only this pain, but that she would be despised and rejected of men who would not know the great sacrifice that was taking place for their sakes, and all the mothers inside of her asked the same thing for themselves. And God was moved and agreed not to destroy the world for the sins of Israel because of the great sacrifice made by Eve and all the unborn mothers, but God’s compassion also lightened their burden somewhat and decreed that they would only have to bear this burden through the years of their child bearing and then they would be released from it. So for the sake of Eve and all women, the world has been spared until the time of the Messiah once again brings God to dwell among us. Once again this great crowd was moved to weeping both men and women alike wept because all recognized the great price and the great love that sacrificed itself for the atonement of sins and from that day forth both women and men treated one another with respect and love. Then one day this great storyteller was speaking before the greatest crowd ever assembled for such a purpose. Reb Jessie asked about wealth and enjoying what the world has to offer. This was the story he told. Once upon a time there was a great Rose. This Rose was the most beautiful one in the Garden and her blooms were magnificent. But she never knew her beauty until one day a young man came along and smelled her fragrance and exclaimed to her that she was indeed the most beautiful Rose. From that day on she knew who she was and she knew that it was her destiny to indeed be the Queen of the Roses. Soon she began to grow and acquire more and more branches and blossoms, but as she grew a strange thing happened and instead of feeling more beautiful she felt only fear and grasping to hold onto what she had. Others would come by and smell of her fragrance, but much as she wanted she could not hear in their voice the same admiration that she once heard. She knew who she was, why couldn’t they see it. She began to believe that they were all just blind and unfeeling. Then one day another man came by and thought he recognized this Rose. He visited her many times, and she began to think this might be the one. Then one day he came to visit and in his hands were pruning shears. She was horrified. How dare this man take away anything from me. Doesn’t he realize who I am. Not only is he not the one, but he is the worst of the lot for daring to think that he could do this to me. Everytime he tried to use his shears she would scratch him violently and he went away in tears. This happened several times until finally he decided to endure the pain and he caused to happen that which Queen Rose feared most. He caused her to lose all that she had, and they both wept. But soon a wondrous thing happened. She began to bloom even more beautifully then before, and everyone who came by praised both the Rose and the Gardener for the beauty they saw, and never again did she resist his touch and they lived happily and joyfully for the rest of their lives. Many lives were touched and each began to accept the need in their own lives to accept the lessons that came with each experience and to not cling so hard to the past for fear of the future. The Storyteller began to tell another story and it was obvious that this was his greatest story yet. No one had heard such passion and each could see in their own minds the story happening as if they were there, but in the midst of it the Storyteller stopped and ran off. He ran in tears until he finally appeared before the Baal Sipur Tov, and he made the startling announcement that he must quit storytelling. When asked why he explained that the last time he told a story he began to see himself between two worlds, one was the world of the audience and one was the world of the story, and he felt that if he wasn’t very careful he could just as easily end up in the story world as in this world. At that Baal Sipur Tov laughed with joy and gave his blessing to the disciple whose fame continues to grow to this day as do his stories and a changed world. |
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