Wednesday, November 23, 2016

What Would The Baal Shem Tov Have Said?

I was once an eyewitness to the following episode:

A Chasidishe Yungerman [young married man] stopped by where his grandfather, a litvishe Rosh Kollel, was eating lunch on a Shabbos afternoon. The grandfather invited his grandson to join him. The man said that he had not yet davened. The grandfather expressed his shock and dismay that in the middle of the afternoon his grandson hadn't yet davened Shachris.

I ask myself: If the Baal Shem Tov REALLY wants this man to daven Shachris in the middle of the afternoon [debatable... not to mention the Gemara and Shulchan Aruch who explicitly FORBID one to daven Shachris after chatzos], does he also want him to cause his grandfather anguish??? Wouldn't it have been nicer if he had joined his grandfather at Vasikin and given him the nachas of davening with his grandson or at least to see his grandson davening b'zman. 

Putting aside the Holy Baal Shem Tov for a moment - what about the Ribbono Shel Olam?

This happened some time ago but I am still beside myself.

There is more to say on the topic and עוד חזון למועד!