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The shiur in English
The Yanuka’s own words in this shiur, translated into English by Lehallel · 514 words · 2:12. Press a time to hear it said.
0:00 He met a Jew sitting in the synagogue; the Baal Shem Tov asked him, 'How are you?' He asked him how he was. He did not answer him. He paid no attention to the Baal Shem Tov... This was the holy Baal Shem Tov, still before he became known. So the holy Baal Shem Tov saw that he did not answer him, and said to him, 'You are a thief, and you are stealing the livelihood of the Holy One, blessed be He,' left him and went. The man was frightened; he did not know what this thing was.
0:26 Why does he tell him 'You are a thief'... and leave? Well, the holy Baal Shem Tov started to walk; that man ran after him, said, 'Excuse me, no, no, I did not know what you asked me, no, I did not pay attention to you. You came to me, you ask me how I am - I do not know you, I did not answer you.' The holy Baal Shem Tov said to him, 'Know this: What do you make your living from?' So he said to him, 'I am a farmer, a woodcutter...' He said, 'What does the Holy One, blessed be He, make His living from - do you know?
0:53 He said to him, 'What?' - 'From the praises with which the Jewish people praise Him. 'And You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel.' What gives the Holy One, blessed be He, satisfaction - what is His livelihood, what is His praise? The praises with which the Jewish people praise Him.' So learn: always, when you ask a Jew, 'How are you?' say 'Baruch Hashem - blessed be Hashem.' 'How do you feel?' - 'Baruch Hashem, praise to G-d.' From these simple praises that Jews say, this praise, when they are asked 'How are you?', 'How do you feel?' and one says 'Baruch Hashem' - 'Praise to G-d.' And everyone always says such a praise - the Holy One, blessed be He, has very great pleasure in Heaven from these small praises. So one must always mean the 'Baruch Hashem' one says, this praise. When a person is asked 'What's new? How are you?', always give praise and glory to the Holy One, blessed be He.
1:38 Rabbi Nachman once said: when a person is asked how he is, and life is hard for him and bitter, and he makes an effort to say that truly, Baruch Hashem - the Holy One, blessed be He, will truly show him what 'Baruch Hashem' is. The opposite: the person who complains all the time - when he is asked how he is, he says... always complaining - Heaven forbid, he can bring something bad on himself. So one should always give praise to Hashem. And so from here that Jew learned always to praise the Holy One, blessed be He. So Rabbi Moshe - whenever he is asked how he is, he starts to recite the whole Tehillim.
2:06 May Your Name be praised forever, Creator of the world; may the Creator be praised!
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