The Great Healer

"And He called [in Hebrew, 'Vayikra'] to Moses, and G‑d spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting…". (Lev. 1:1)

The Baal Shem Tov said that he learned all his remedies from the verse, "And He called to Moses…."(Heichal HaBracha, parashat Vayikra)

Besides being a mystic and a communal leader, the Baal Shem Tov was also a renowned healer, who used both natural remedies and segulot - supernatural methods - to effect cures.

Rabbi Yitzchok Isaac of Komarno (Heichal HaBracha) explains that the letter alef at the end of the word "Vayikra" represents the level of keter and Ayin [Nothingness; Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in this word, is written small in the Torah scroll, suggesting the idea of ego-nullification.] The Baal Shem Tov knew how to uplift the world to this supernal root and draw down healing energy.

The Baal Shem Tov cured only through the use of Unifications. He would uplift the Shechina and unite it with the trait of Ayin. (Meor Eynayim, parashat Naso)

"Unifications", or "yichudim", lie at the basis of Kabbalistic meditation, prayer and ritual acts, and include the mystical recombination of letters, as well as the uplifting and unification of one's emotions and intellect with the Divine.

The Shechina is the Divine Presence that dwells within Creation. Ideally, it receives light from G‑d and reveals it in the world, so that divinity shines from within Creation itself. At times, however, the Shechina falls into "exile", and a breech occurs between G‑d and Creation (from our perspective). This is the spiritual root of all suffering and illness. When the Shechina is uplifted and unites with G‑d, all the forces of negativity are annulled.

"Ayin" refers to the sefira of keter, which contains a revelation of the Divine Being completely beyond human perception, just as a crown is above the mind of the wearer. "Ayin" therefore means, "Nothingness," since it transcends human cognition, and can only be accessed through mystical self-annulment. The Baal Shem Tov taught that a person should never pray for his own needs, but only for the fulfillment and redemption of the Shechina, for when the Divine Presence is rectified, so are all of her "limbs", which are the individual components of Creation.

[Translation and commentary by Eliezer Shore
Reprinted with permission from www.baalshemtov.com]