זבחים מו

R’ יעקב יוסף of Polnoye, one of the greatest חסידים of the בעל שם טוב, begged him to give him extra sensory perception, the ability to read other people’s minds.  The בעל שם טוב granted his request.  ר׳ יעקב יוסף went to the market, met a man and kissed him on the brow. Then he met another man, took one look at him and turned away to spit.  When asked what he saw that caused him to act as he did, ר׳ יעקב יוסף explained that he saw the mind of the first man filled with ספרים and גמראות, while the second man’s thoughts were on young men and women. When the בעל שם טוב heard this, he said: “The man you kissed is a bookbinder who was thinking about his work.  The man that caused you to spit was also thinking about his work. He’s a שדכן.”  As soon as ר׳ יעקב יוסף heard this, he asked that the ESP be taken from him.

06/10/2021