The Power of Prayer
One day, the Baal Shem Tov took his closest Chassidim to a remote, country town to "run some errands." After sending each Chassid on his way, the Baal Shem noticed an old Jewish peasant, wearing coarse ragged clothes, praying in the little town shul long after the Minyan had finished their morning prayers and left for work. A warm glow filled his heart as he slowly mumbled his way through the prayer book. The Baal Shem Tov went in and sat down to learn a Sefer while waiting for the old man to finish davening.
Hour after hour passed. 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock , Noon , 1 o'clock, two o'clock. Finally, at about 3 o'clock, the old man finished his... Siddur, and removed his Tallis and Tefillin.
"Shalom Aleichem, Aleichem Shalom." they greeted each other.
After talking for a while, the Baal Shem asked the old Jew why he davened so late into the afternoon.
"Rabbi, I really don't know what the words in the Siddur mean or even the right prayers to say. So, I just start at the beginning of the prayer book and stop when I reach the end."
"My dearest friend, would you like me to teach you the prayers?" asked Reb Yisroel.
"Oh Rabbi Israel, I can't tell you how much that would mean to me. But I don't want to waste your time"
"And you wouldn't. I would be honored to teach you."
And so the men sat together for a few hours while the Baal Shem Tov taught the old Jew about the different prayers. The morning prayers, then those for eating, for the afternoon, for the evening, for Shabbos and Yom Tov, and so on. By the time they were done, the old Jew's Siddur was packed with loads of little bookmarks indicating what was to be said when.
After saying their goodbyes, Reb Yisroel left, walking out of town at his normal fast pace.
Oh, the old Jew was so thrilled, He danced around hugging his siddur filled with small pieces of paper between the pages. His trot turned into a clumsy run as he dashed out of the shul to show his wife his new acquisition. In his excitement, he forgot about the bottom of the door post and tripped on his way out the door. The Siddur took flight and safely landed on the ground, as all of the bookmarks slowly floated down afterwards. He stood bewildered. All of the time he had spend with that lovely Rabbi, and now it's all lost. On one hand, he so wanted to know the proper prayers and when to say them. On the other hand, he was extremely embarrassed to chase down the Rabbi and ask him to take the time and show him again. Finally he decided. He gathered up the book and the pieces of paper and started walking as fast as he could down the path on which the Rabbi had left.
For quite a while, he didn't even see the Rabbi. Finally the old man spotted him standing on a hill out in the distance. It seemed that the faster he walked the faster the Baal Shem Tov would disappeared on the other side of hill. Then a glimpse of him again until he disappeared among some trees. Suddenly the old man was standing at the top of a hill with the Rabbi standing at the bottom next to a wide, raging river.
As the man hurried down, he saw the Baal Shem Tov take off his gartle, throw it accross the river and walk across it. When he reached the other side, the Baal Shem picked up the gartle, put it back on and continued walking.
The old man reached the raging river and stood confused while the Rabbi walked away on the other side of the river. The old man shrugged his shoulders, took off his gartle, threw it accross the river and walked across. When he reaced the other side, he picked up his gartle, put it back on and kept chasing after the Baal Shem Tov.
"Rabbi, Rabbi!"
The Baal Shem Tov turned around and was startled to find the old man chasing after him, out of breath. "How did you get here?"
"Well," said the old man, catching his breath, "I saw the Rabbi when he got to the river, take off his gartle, throw it accross the river and walk accross it, so I did too..."
"Oh..." replied the Baal Shem, "How can I help you?"
The man held out the Siddur with one hand and the loose pieces of paper in the other. "Rabbi, I'm awfully sorry, but I was so excited about what you taught me that I ran to show my wife and I tripped over the doorpost and all the bookmarks..."
"Rabbi, I'm so embarrassed...could you please show me where to put the pieces of paper again?"
"You know", said the Baal Shem Tov in a warm sweet voice, "you just keep davening exactly the way you are right now..."