21st Century Bogatyr: Alexei's Doubts & The First Great Leap of Faith

Alexei had been instructed to proceed due east on the rutted road leaving his village. He held the reins and urged the horses forward in the dark. My Great Great (multiplied by a large number) Grandmother Mruczek, curled up on an old blanket, on the floorboards. The Baal Shem Tov was praying quite loudly, and fervently, it seemed to Alexei, in a language that was quite unknown to him.

A couple of hours passed this way and Alexei was becoming increasingly irritated by the irrationality of traveling at night and the uncertainty about the destination or purpose of the voyage. Also, he was none too pleased with the incessant chanting. However, he couldn't even broach any of these subjects with the Baal Shem Tov until he finished his prayers.

When the wagon became quiet, except for the sounds of the wheels turning, the springs squeaking, and the jolting on the uneven road, Alexei determined that perhaps he could ask his employer what their plans were.

“Reb Yisrael,” he began, “where are we headed to at this hour and when are we likely to arrive?”

The Baal Shem Tov sighed and took a deep breath. He sighed once more and he cleared his throat. Then, he said nothing at all for so long that Alexei was convinced that there was no answer to his question forthcoming. Then, the Baal Shem Tov cleared his voice once more and began to speak.

“Alexei, you shouldn't bother yourself with matters that are not of any concern to you. I told you, when I introduced myself to you, that you will need to follow my instructions without questioning. You will learn to trust me. For now, you need to act on that trust even before it is developed. So, this one and only time I will answer your questions. In the future, you will just do what needs to be done.”

A few minutes passed before the Baal Shem Tov continued speaking. “We will go from here directly to Moskve, in the heart of Russia. We will arrive there shortly before sunrise. We will be there for only a few hours, leaving by midday. From there, we will proceed to Liozna, in Lithuania, where a great sage will soon be born. We will have time for a meal there. We will feed and rest the horses in Liozna, as well. From there, we will make a quick stop in Safed, which is in the Holy Land, not very far from Jerusalem, which I presume that you have heard of. We will be arriving in Safed around one hundred and fifty years ago. In Safed we will complete our current mission. We will be back at your cottage, in time for your evening meal tomorrow.”

“But, Reb Yisrael, Moskve is thousands of versts from here!” Alexei exclaimed. Alexei didn't bother even questioning the rest of the impossible itinerary.

The Baal Shem Tov sighed once more. “Yes, Alexei. But I know a shortcut. So, be quiet so I can meditate. I will let you know when we need to turn off this road.”

The wagon proceeded, once again in relative silence. Alexei presumed that his employer had lied to him and had no intention of giving a straight answer to any of his questions.

The wagon was moving through a particularly dense forest. Trees crowded the road on both sides, with branches extending overhead, obscuring any view of the night sky. It was very dark, making traveling treacherous.

They moved forward quite slowly and with caution. It was so quiet that Alexei was listening to the breathing of the horses and hoping against all logic that the horses could see where they were going because he certainly couldn't. Mruczek slept on and off, as cats are inclined to do. Alexei assumed that perhaps the Baal Shem Tov was also sleeping, except for an odd feeling that the Yid may have been watching him. Alexei had serious misgivings about the agreements that he had made with this very demanding employer.

The pace of the horses had slowed to a crawl when the Baal Shem Tov spoke up. “Here, Alexei, just up on the left, we will find a narrow parting of the trees. There is a pathway just barely wide enough for the wagon. This is where we turn.” Alexei shook his head, bit his tongue, and followed the instructions.

This pathway was smoother than the road that they had been on and soon widened some as well. The wagon rolled on until they reached a small clearing and a tiny shtetl.

The Baal Shem Tov told Alexei to stop at the first small house and wait in the wagon for him. He disembarked and knocked on the wooden door. A bearded man opened the door and stepped out. The two men entered into a hushed conversation there, in the middle of the night, in a tiny shtetl, as if this was perfectly normal for both of them. Then, the Baal Shem Tov climbed back into the wagon, signaling that the voyage was to continue with a wave of his hand.

The wagon rolled through the shtetl and the pathway came to a wide rushing river, an abrupt ending at the remains of a bridge that had collapsed long ago. Alexei pulled the wagon to a stop.

“Nu?” said the Baal Shem Tov. “This is where we cross. I didn't tell you to stop.”

Alexei turned and looked directly at the passenger before speaking. The Baal Shem Tov stared back at him with piercing eyes, causing Alexei to doubt his own better judgment. Nonetheless, he spoke up. “Reb Yisrael, the bridge is washed out. We can't cross here.”

The Baal Shem Tov retorted, “We most certainly can. The bridge might very well be washed out for now but it was a perfectly good bridge fifty years ago. We will travel on that bridge. Just get the horses running fast enough and we will be on the other side in no time.”

Alexei opened his mouth but no words came out. He looked at the Baal Shem Tov, who seemed very sure of himself. He looked at the river that seemed deadly, equally sure of itself. He looked back at the Baal Shem Tov, who waved his hand in the direction of the nonexistent bridge. Alexei sighed. He crossed himself before snapping the whip to encourage his horses forward. As the road below the wagon disappeared, the horses and the wagon raised into the starry sky, sailing gracefully over the raging river.