How Litvish Gedolim Viewed the Baal Shem Tov’s Igeres HaKodesh versus Chassidish Gedolim

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Throughout the 1980’s, whenever the opportunity presented, I posed a question that bothered me to a number of Gedolim:  litvish, chassidesh and sephardic.  The Shivchei haBesht reprints the contents of a letter that the Besht wrote to his brother-in-law Rav Avrohom Gershon z”l of Kitov while he was in Eretz Yisroel.  In it he describes his meeting with Moshiach.  My question was, “How do we, in the litvish world, understand this letter’s contents?  Was it real? If so, shouldn’t we all stop learning Ktzos and start getting into Chassidus?  If it is not real, then how can many of the great Chassisheh seforim be so acceptable in our circles?

Below, is a translation of that letter, but first – some background:

Rav Avrohom Gershon zt”l was born around 1701 in or near Kuty (Kitov), Poland, into an illustrious rabbinical family. He was a descendant – likely the grandson – of the Shach, Rav Shabtai HaCohen (1625-1663), author of the fundamental Peirush on Yore De’ah. Both Rav Avrohom Gershon and his father, Rav Ephraim of Brody, served as dayanim on one of the batei din of the prestigious kehillah of Brody.

In Brody, Rav Ephraim and his son first encountered Rav Yisroel, later known as the Baal Shem Tov. According to the Shivchei HaBesht, Rav Ephraim, on his deathbed, gave his bracha for his daughter Chana to marry the Baal Shem Tov. However, after Rav Ephraim’s passing, this all remained unknown to Rav Avrohom Gershon until the Baal Shem Tov himself revealed the engagement contract.

The Shivchei HaBesht portrays the complex relationship between the two brothers-in-law with remarkable candor. Rav Avrohom Gershon, a sophisticated talmid chacham, initially viewed his brother-in-law with skepticism, seeing him as someone of humble station. Indeed, Rav Avrohom Gershon is believed to have been instrumental in the Baal Shem Tov’s departure from the Brody region, leading to his eventual settlement in Mezhibuzh.

Yet as the Baal Shem Tov’s extraordinary tzidkus and profound Torah knowledge became apparent, Rav Avrohom Gershon underwent a complete transformation, becoming one of his brother-in-law’s most devoted Chassidim.

In 1745, Rav Avrohom Gershon rendered a controversial psak and was compelled to flee Brody, finding refuge with the Baal Shem Tov in Mezhibuzh. There, deeply influenced by the nascent Chassidic teachings while maintaining his connection to traditional Lurianic kabbalah, he was entrusted by the Baal Shem Tov with the sacred responsibility of educating his only son, Reb Tzvi.

In 1747, Rav Avrohom Gershon undertook the journey to Yerushalayim, becoming one of the first Chassidim in the Holy Land. It was to his brother-in-law in Yerushalayim that the Baal Shem Tov penned the famous Igeres HaKodesh, the letter describing his ascent to the heavenly spheres on Rosh Hashanah 5507 (1746). In this extraordinary letter, the Baal Shem Tov describes his neshama’s journey through the celestial realms, his encounter with Moshiach, and the revelations he received. This letter, preserved for generations, remains one of the most significant documents in Chassidish literature.

Upon arriving in Eretz Yisroel, Rav Avrohom Gershon connected with the circle of the Rashash and other mekubalim. He initially resided in Chevron for six years before relocating to Yerushalayim in 1753, where he became associated with the renowned kabbalistic yeshiva, Beis Keil.

Rav Avrohom Gershon was niftar in 1761 and was buried on Har HaZeisim. Following the Six-Day War in 1967, Har HaZeisim was liberated, and his kever was rediscovered, next to that of his second wife, Bluma, allowing subsequent generations to daven there.  This is my translation of the letter.

The Vision on Rosh Hashanah

On Rosh Hashanah of the year 5507, I performed an hashba’ah for the ascent of my neshama, [in the process that is now] known to you. In that vision I saw remarkable things, which I had not ever since the day that I became spiritually awakened. It is impossible to relate and to tell what I saw and learned in that ascent there, even in private.

The Ascent Through the Worlds

But when I returned to the lower Gan Aiden, I saw the neshamos of people – both living and dead, of those with whom I knew and those of whom I did not know. They were so many [of them] that they were uncountable. They moved back and forth, going from one world to the next through the special passageway known to those proficient in kabballah.

I asked my teacher and master that he come with me,(His Rebbe is known to be Achiyah haShiloni see Bereishis Rabbah 35 where Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai said: “The world must have thirty righteous men to serve as its pillars. I and my son are counted among these . . . and if Abraham would carry the past generations by his merit, I will carry the future generations until the advent of the Messiah. And if Abraham would not, I would count Ahijah of Shiloh with me, and we together would carry the world by our merits”) as it is very dangerous to go up to the worlds above, where I had never gone up since I became spiritualy awakened, and these were very high ascents. I ascended little by little, until I entered the palace of Moshiach.

In the Palace of Moshiach

This is the place where Moshiach learns Torah together with all the Tannaim and Amoraim and the seven shepherds. There I saw a very great joyous thing.

Moshiach’s Answer

I asked Moshiach: “When will you come?” He answered: “You will know [the time], which is when your chassidus will be revealed publicly and will be disclosed to the world, and your fountains will spring forthl outside what I have taught you and you apprehended, and also they [the people of Israel] will be able to perform the unifications and the ascents [of the neshamah] as you do, and then the shells will be abolished and there will be a time of good will and Geulah.”

The Revelation and Hope

I was surprised by the answer and I was deeply sorrowful because of the length of the time when this will take place. However, from what I have learned there—the three things which are remedies and three holy names—it is easy to learn and explain. Then my mind was calm. I thought that it was possible for my peers to reach this level by doing these practices that I do, namely to be able to accomplish the ascent of neshamos and they will thus be able to study and become like me.

What did these Gedolim answer?  The Litvish ones (most of them) responded that the Besht only meant it allegorically and that even the Chassidesh Gedolim did not believe it literally.  The Chassidesh ones responded that there is no question that it is literal and that even the Litvish Gedolim do not believe it to be allegorical.  I decided to leave the matter to a different time.

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