The Ba’al Shem Tov on Creating Space for Something New
Can a person really change? Think, feel, act differently?
Yes, says the Ba’al Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement. People can re-create themselves. But they must follow the logic of creation.
God created something from nothing. Something: yesh. Nothing: ayin. Yesh mei’ayin.
But how could God do that? Simply by existing, divine energy fills every space. Thus there is no place for new beginnings.
So, first God had to contract a bit. That created the ayin, the void in which something genuinely new could arise.
People also need a starting point, a space for something new. Our energies fill the yesh of our consciousness. A constant stream of thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, judgments, fears, resentments. A layered kaleidoscope of energies landing, taking shape, falling, shifting, and landing again.
How do we create moments of spaciousness—a little bit of ayin—within the flow?
Life’s fullness, says the Baal Shem Tov, gives us so many opportunities. Create a little bit of ayin within any activity that fills your life. Friends, food, study, prayer, meditation and more.
Do you enjoy solitary, silent meditation? And do you have a trusted guide to support you on the inner journey? Then you know how to quiet your psychic flow and find some open space.
Does prayerbook liturgy point you to a spiritual posture? Do you have a favorite short section that you know well—like the Shema and v’ahavta (Deut, 6:4-9)? Then recite it slowly, a full breath per word. Breathe in before the word. Breathe out slowly as you whisper it. Pause for a moment of stillness before the next breath.
Do you like to eat? Maybe you have a favorite food, delicious dessert, or special Shabbat treat? Eat it with intention. Savor every mouthful as if it were a total immersion in paradise. Dwell in this single sensation as if it were a gateway to infinity.
Are you a social type—by temperament or occupation? Talking with people all day? Prepare for each interaction. Imagine yourself practicing hishtavut, equanimity. So, if an interaction is disappointing, you can step back a bit from the fullness of feeling. And say to yourself, this disappointing outcome does not matter. I am focused on a different outcome—inner stillness.
Perhaps you are an intellectual and you love Torah study? Study a bit in the morning. And then let the ideas go. Don’t spend the day figuring out how you can bring that Torah forward. Instead, be fully present with the day. And let the Torah work its subconscious magic on you. When you need inspiration, insight will come.
Can a person genuinely change? Yes, they can, says the Ba’al Shem Tov—if they train themselves to be open to it.
May this be a year of change for the better. Shanah tovah.
This teaching is based on Tzava’at HaRivash (Testament of the Ba’al Shem Tov). Photo credit: Laura Duhan-Kaplan at Boundary Bay, BC, Canada.
