This message of the Baal Shem Tov is echoed in the spiritual teachings of so many cultures and religions.
As I move through life it becomes more and more clear to me that there are certain concepts used by like-minded and like-hearted people that truly transcend the words that describe them. For example “karma,” the concept of “cause and effect" in the eastern philosophy is a concept that is embraced, to a degree, in Chasidic philosophy as well.
The Baal Shem Tov, who was deeply influenced by the Jewish mystical writings of the Kabbalah, made thousands of years of Jewish spiritual teachings accessible to us. He reflected on the power of cause and effect as the "chosen" system of our Creation. As such, cause and effect influences the affairs of the universe and makes us aware that there are definite repercussions for our actions.
In Chasidism we are taught that the words that describe something are considered "clothing." That is to say the meaning of a communication is the essence and is held to be higher than language. So then, the meaning is likened to the “body” and the words used to convey the meaning are the body’s “clothing.”
The Baal Shem Tov gives us a wonderful metaphor for “karma” in the following parable. There was once a King who was accustomed to going among the poor in order to become wise in their ways. One poor man in particular would always say to the King, “what ever a person does, whether it be good or bad, he does it only for himself.” This angered the King, because he felt this man did not show proper gratitude for all he had been given. The King devised a plan to teach him a lesson. The King instructed his servant to deliver a chicken to this poor fellow. However, the chicken was to be injected with poison before delivery, just enough to make him sick, unless of course he ate the whole chicken at once and then he might die. Upon receiving the chicken the peasant thanked the King’s servant and repeated, “what ever a person does, whether it be good or bad, he does it only for himself,” and then went off to preserve the chicken so it would last until it was time to be eaten.
Time went on and the King passed through the village returning from a hunting trip. Tired and hungry the King and his trusted servant stopped at the poor man’s house and asked him prepare him a meal. The man decided that the chicken the King had bestowed upon him would be a proper meal for the King. It was customary to have the King’s servant test the food for poison. When it was discovered that the chicken was tainted the servant wanted to kill the peasant, but the King held up his hand and responded, “No, it is this man who is the righteous one. The lesson I have learned from him could have cost me my life. His words, ‘what ever a person does, whether it be good or bad, he does it only for himself’ truly have merit.”
This message of the Baal Shem Tov is echoed in the spiritual teachings of so many cultures and religions. Some people may call it “karma,” while others simply say, “You’ll get what’s coming to you.“ It is easy to see how the different ways of communicating the same things are like clothing. Just like our own garments, the clothing of speech may be unique to the person, but language does not define the person. When we move beyond the barrier of language, we can see that the meaning of so many diverse approaches, many a time, are of the same essence, simply dressed in different clothing.