On our adventure toward wholeness we have identified two of the three connections necessary to achieve wholeness: connection to our true self, and connection to others. Over the next several posts we will be looking at the third and most important connection necessary to achieve wholeness: connection to God.

We begin with the story of “The Baal Shem Tov and the Doctor” as told by storyteller, Doug Lipman.

Once, a famous doctor met one of his patients on the street. without a word of greeting, the doctor said, “I told you not to walk on that leg until it heals!”

“But it IS healed,” said the man.

“Impossible! I saw the wound in that leg. It will take months to heal.”

“I went to another kind of healer, doctor. I went to a mystical rabbi, the one they call the Baal Shem Tov.”

The doctor narrowed his eyes, then simply walked away.

A week later, the doctor rapped loudly on the Ball Shem Tov’s door. When the door opened, he said, “I hear you claim to be a healer!”

The Baal Shem Tove looked at his visitor. “God is the healer, my friend. Come in!”

The doctor did not move. “Let us examine each other, ” he said. “Whoever best diagnoses the sickness of the other will prove to be the better doctor.”

The Baal Shem Tov smiled. “As you wish. But please do me the favor of coming in!”

Once inside, the doctor began his examination of the Baal Shem Tov. The doctor poked him, pinched him, gazed in his ears, and tapped on his knees. After an hour, the doctor said, “You have no sickness that I can find.”

“I am not surprised that you could not find it,” said the Baal Shem Tov. “I so desire the presence of God that my heart cries out in pain when I cannot feel it. My sickness is this constant yearning for God.” The Baal Shem Tov looked at the doctor a long while. “Let me now examine you.”

The Baal Shem Tov took the doctor’s hands and gazed into his eyes. At last the rabbi said, “Have you lost something very valuable?”

“As a matter of fact, ” said the doctor,” I once had a large jewel, but it was stolen from me.”

“Ah! That is your sickness!” said the Baal Shem Tov.

“What? Missing my diamond?”

“No. My sickness is yearning after God. Your sickness is that you have forgotten that you ever had that desire.”

The doctor sucked in a breath. In a moment, a tear flowed down his cheek. One tear turned to many. Still holding the hands of the Baal Shem Tov, he began to sob. “Please,” he said. “Teach me how to yearn!”

“With God’s help,” said the Baal Shem Tov, “your healing has already begun.”

Connection to God begins with recognizing our yearning to have the God-shaped vacuum in our heart filled.

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Wrestling with a problem, pressure, or pain? Maybe a story will help. Go to http://www.hearttales.net/sg.html  and tell me what’s troubling you and I’ll send you a story for you to reflect upon that may give you a new perspective on your situation.