A Clock for Safed

 

The horses moved southward on the road at a slow trot, maintaining a very casual pace. They were happy to be out on a wide smooth road and had no concerns about the voyage nor the destination. 

The passengers in the wagon each had their own perspective. For Mruczek, it was a grand adventure. There were new sights, sounds, and smells. She was traveling much further than any other cat that she was aware of. The Baal Shem Tov withdrew into a contemplative state. Alexei held the reins, stared at the road ahead of him, and tried to make sense of it all. 

Alexei didn't know how far it was to Safed but he was pretty sure that it was a long arduous trip to the Holy Land. Besides all the other impossible aspects of a voyage to the Holy Land, the Baal Shem Tov said that they would arrive around one hundred and fifty years in the past, and had promised him that they would be home in time for his evening meal. It was already well into the later part of the afternoon, so that was beginning to seem increasingly improbable. “At least we have nice weather for it,” Alexei said to no one in particular as they rolled on. 

Shortly after Alexei noted the good weather, however, the wagon was enveloped in a thickening mist. Before long, he couldn't see anything beyond the wagon. Not even his horses. “I suppose that we should stop here, Reb Yisrael,” Alexei suggested. 

The Baal Shem Tov cleared his throat for emphasis before speaking. “That certainly isn't necessary and neither is it practical. The horses know where they are going. For now you will need to trust their guidance. We are on a tight schedule. There is no time to lose and any delay might put our expedition at great risk.” 

The wagon rolled onward through the pervasive fog. Beyond the edges of the haze, there were lights that weren't lights and sounds that weren't sounds and a whirling of indeterminate space and time. Just as suddenly as the mist had descended, so it lifted. 

The air was warm and the sky was clear. Mountains and valleys were visible in all directions. Lush forests of cypress, pines, wild olive trees, as well as other plants that were most unfamiliar stretched as far as the eye could see. The road that they were on had other travelers dressed in flowing robes, turbans on their heads and sandals on their feet, some with mule carts and others in long caravans of camels, and all leading upward towards a walled city on a mountain top. Roosters just out of view were crowing. 

Mruczek looked all around. Alexei blinked, wiped his eyes and blinked again. The Baal Shem Tov smiled broadly. “That is Safed we are approaching. The year is 1570 according to your calendar, Alexei. We are in the right place and at the right time. Now, we need to stable the horses and then find Rabbi Isaac Luria. That really shouldn't be too difficult. Also, maybe we should have something to eat.”

Just within the city gate Alexei guided the wagon to an inn and arranged for the care of the horses. Alexei and the Baal Shem Tov went on zu fuss to explore the town. The Baal Shem Tov was aided by his walking stick. Mruczek was perched on his shoulder. They soon found their way to a bustling souk where the smell of a variety of food cooking competed for their attention. 

The Baal Shem Tov jabbered with the merchants in Judeo-Arabic, Ladino, Aramaic, and Arabic with equal ease, shifting from one language to another depending on the comfort of whomever he was speaking with. Alexei could only stare and point, unfamiliar with any of the local languages. Mruczek simply hoped that some tasty tidbits would be offered to her before she turned desperate enough to hunt for rodents on her own. Before long though, they each had their satisfying share of the local cuisine. 

Their bellies full, the Baal Shem Tov began to make inquiries concerning the whereabouts of Rabbi Luria. He soon found a local youth that agreed to guide them to the Rabbi's study in exchange for a small coin. They followed the lad through the winding streets and alleyways, past various study halls and synagogues and ultimately to the personal quarters of the great Kabbalist. 

The Baal Shem Tov entered the study in order to converse with the Ari. The two great sages remained in consultation for several hours. Mruczek and Alexei waited outside, in the alleyway near Rabbi Luria's residence, taking in the mysterious city which offered amazement to all of their senses. 

The city of Safed was mostly Jewish at that time of their visit although to Alexei and Mruczek it may certainly have been difficult to tell. The Jews and Arabs of Safed dressed similarly and their common shprakh was Arabic. Safed was a regional trade center as well as a cultural and intellectual focal point. Safed was indeed a wondrous, bustling city for them to behold.

From the vantage point of the alley where they were standing, they watched the steady flow of people living their daily lives. Men, women, and children walked past them on their way to and from the market. Children were working, playing, and going back and forth between schools and homes. Men were conducting business as well as attending the many houses of study and prayer. Women worked in the market and shopped, as well as maintaining homes. Everyone was moving about. 

A few doors down from where Rabbi Luria lived, there was a table in the alley where men sat and played backgammon, or shesh besh as it was called there. They drank cup after cup of aromatic coffee and smoked hashish in a hookah. A few others gathered around to watch the game as well as place bets. 

Along the wall, a small line formed. Alexei watched the activity with curiosity. Mruczek watched Alexei. The man at the front of the line placed a coin on the table, beside the backgammon board. One of the players examined the coin and then slipped it into a hidden pouch within the folds of his flowing robe. A few minutes later, the waiting man was allowed through a curtain that covered a doorway behind the shesh besh table. After a while, the curtain parted and the man left, walking down the alley. 

Again, another man placed a coin beside the backgammon board. This coin also disappeared into the folds of the player's robe and the next man was allowed through the curtained doorway. After a bit, this man exited as well. Another stepped forward as the pattern repeated. Alexei left Mruczek standing where he had been and joined the line along the wall beside the backgammon game. 

When Alexei returned to Mruczek, she couldn't help but notice that he carried the aroma of sweat and perfume. Shortly later the Baal Shem Tov came out of Rabbi Luria's study, meeting Alexei and Mruczek in the alley. The Baal Shem Tov picked Mruczek up and placed her on his shoulder. He looked at Alexei with his piercing eyes for what felt to be an eternity before speaking. 

“We need,” he said, “to retrieve the wagon and bring the clock to Reb Luria as a gift. Then, perhaps we should have a cup of coffee or two before we head home. Is that a coffee house over there?” he asked, looking in the direction of the doorway that Alexei had so recently exited. Then, without waiting for an answer to the question, the Baal Shem Tov began walking in the direction of the inn where the horses were stabled and the wagon was stored. Alexei followed, somewhat sheepishly, behind. 

It took some time to navigate the wagon through the narrow, winding, and crowded streets of Safed. Along the way, Alexei asked the Baal Shem Tov about the Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria. “This Rabbi Luria,” he started, “he is still a fairly young man, isn't he?”

The Baal Shem Tov was startled, it seemed, by this observation of Alexei. “Yes, I suppose so,” he responded. 

“Well,” continued Alexei as he tried to ponder through the mysteriousness of this stage of the excursion, “will he become important in a decade or so?”

The Baal Shem Tov began to explain. “No, Alexei. Rabbi Luria is already important. He will continue to do very important things over the next year and a half, or so. Then, he will be dead. He will, in fact, be buried in the cemetery that we happen to be passing right now,” he said as he pointed in the direction of the cemetery. “Rabbi Luria will also be important for centuries to come. His grave will be a pilgrimage destination. People will come from around the world to pray at his tomb. I have done so several times myself. It was a great honor to meet Reb Luria.”

Alexei sat perplexed for a while before voicing another question. “Why did we come here today?” he finally asked. 

“We came,” the Baal Shem Tov explained, “to correct a mistake in the treatise that he is now writing. I was reading it recently and I saw a glaring error in his analysis. I came here, at this exact time, to assure that the mistake never happened. Rabbi Luria's writing is incredibly influential. It paves the way for all that needs to unfold. But, he has much to do and so little time. This is why I want him to have this clock.”

“What becomes of this city?” Alexei asked. 

The Baal Shem Tov responded, “Wonderful things and horrible things will happen here. In a few years from now a Hebrew press will be established and important books will be published here. There will be a vibrant Jewish community here for ninety years or so. But, there will be upheaval and warfare and the Jewish community will be nearly destroyed.”

“When peace returns, Safed will again attract Kabbalists and mystical thinkers. Unfortunately, many people will be attracted to a charlatan named Shabtai Zvi who will lead hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of Yidden astray.”

Alexei was aghast. “What will we do about it?” he asked. 

“We will go back to our place and time and do whatever we must do. That is all that anyone can do. One cannot change what is meant to be. We will each do our part, in our own way, in our own time. Let's go home.” 

Alexei urged the horses forward. The horses, well cared for and rested, were quite ready for a good run. They set off at a fast pace. The wind blew through, conjuring up a cloud of sand that enveloped the wagon. Both Alexei and the Baal Shem Tov wrapped their heads with scarves to protect their eyes from the sand. Mruczek crawled under the seat and wrapped herself as best she could to protect herself as well. 

When the wind subsided and the sands settled, the road was certainly familiar to Alexei. They were a few versts from his home. Alexei and Mruczek were home in time for their evening meal. The Baal Shem Tov was able to doven Mincha und Maariv at Alexei’s cottage as well. 

For the rest of the story, so far, follow the links here:

1) A Cat and the Baal Shem Tov 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-baal-shem-tov-and-cat.html

2) How Mruczek - The One Who Purrs - Came to Live with Alexei  

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/how-mruczek-one-who-purrs-came-to-live.html

3) Alexei's Inheritance, Mruczek the Cat and the Mysterious Traveler 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexeis-inheritance-mruczek-cat-and.html

4) Alexei and Mruczek Learn to Read

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexei-and-mruczek-learn-to-read.html?m=1

5) Alexei's Doubts & The Great First Leap of Faith 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexeis-doubts-great-first-leap-of-faith.html?m=1

6) Herring for Breakfast in Moskve 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/herring-for-breakfast-in-moskve.html

7) From Moskve to Liozna

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/04/from-moskve-to-liozna.html

8) The Street Urchin of Liozna

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-street-urchin-of-liozna.html?m=1

9) A Clock for Safed

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/04/a-clock-for-safed.html

The Street Urchin of Liozna

 “Reb Yisrael,” Alexei called out from the front of the wagon. “Where would you like me to take you?”

The Baal Shem Tov answered young Alexei in what seemed to be an uncharacteristically casual and unspecific manner. “Just drive around. Perhaps you can just let the horses decide. Go until you find a band of ruffians, riffraff, and guttersnipes lolling about on a street corner. There, we will stop because I have some business to attend to.”

The wagon drove about without rhyme or purpose through the dingier, unkempt parts of town. Alexei spotted a dozen or so disreputable children on a corner and he asked the Baal Shem Tov if they would serve his purpose, as he brought the wagon to a full stop.

The Baal Shem Tov took his walking stick and slowly climbed down from the wagon. He leaned heavily on the stick for support. He was bent as he approached the disheveled children. To Alexei and Mruczek, the Baal Shem Tov seemed to be much older than before. Slowly he made his way forward. 

The youngest of the children, the four and five year olds, were each accomplished beggars. The older boys had mostly graduated to petty thievery and picking pockets. They were all dressed in rags and none had shoes on their feet. They all gathered around the Holy Man. The Baal Shem Tov had a kind word and a small coin for each of them. When he turned back towards the wagon, the Baal Shem Tov stood erect. His face was shining. He no longer leaned on his staff when he walked back to the wagon and practically jumped into the front seat next to Alexei. Mruczek climbed into his lap. 

Alexei turned and looked at the Baal Shem Tov. A question circulated in his mind about the miraculous transformation that had taken place in his employer's posture. The question almost formed as words before he chose to refrain from asking. Instead, he said “Reb Yisrael, you are looking well. Did you find what you were seeking here?”

The Baal Shem Tov responded, “This was a fortuitous and productive encounter. With these youths, I traded some of my age and wisdom for some of their youthfulness and stamina. Now they are all a bit wiser and I am a bit stronger and healthier. The older of the boys have also committed to stealing less and to be more charitable. So, all told, this was profitable for everyone, the boys, for me, and for the townsfolk of Liozna. I didn't, however, find the person whom I am seeking. For that, we will, it seems, need to search for another gaggle of street urchins.” The Baal Shem Tov waved his hand, signaling to Alexei to continue onward through the streets of Liozna. 

When another group of street boys came into view, Alexei urged the horses to a stop. The Baal Shem Tov disembarked and walked to the cluster of urchins. Once again, the Baal Shem Tov had kind words and small coins for each of the troubled boys.

The last lad that the Baal Shem Tov approached was the smallest of the boys, a child that was barely four years old. He stood somewhat apart from the others. He clutched a filthy blanket in one hand and was sucking on a thumb. Tears were running down his cheeks. 

The Baal Shem Tov knelt on one knee so as to speak with the child. The Baal Shem Tov removed a handkerchief from a pocket and cleaned the boy's face as he spoke with him. After a few minutes, the Baal Shem Tov stood. He looked about at the rundown buildings of the surrounding area until, it seems, he saw what he was looking for. Then, he took the small boy by his tiny hand and the two walked away from the other boys and the wagon as well where Alexei and Mruczek sat. 

Alexei and Mruczek looked in the direction that the Baal Shem Tov and the urchin were walking. The street was desolate and the buildings were bleak, with the exception of one window. From that window a light emitted. This was where they were headed. The closer they got, the brighter the light shone until the Baal Shem Tov and the boy disappeared into the magnificent light and then the light folded into itself and was gone.

Perhaps an hour passed before the Baal Shem Tov re-emerged and walked back alone to the waiting wagon. “Our mission here is accomplished. We can move on,” he informed Alexei. 

“I thought that you said that we were coming to Liozna because a great sage will be born here soon. What of this birth and the sage?” asked Alexei. 

“All is now settled on that account,” the Baal Shem Tov responded. “He will assuredly be born a few decades from now.”

“Decades?” Stuttered Alexei. “But, but, but…”

The Baal Shem Tov calmly explained. “That young boy, I took him to the cheder and presented him to the melamed. I paid his tuition and arranged for the boy, a place to live. He will be a wonderful student and excel in all of his learning. When he has learned what he can from the cheder he will go on to the Gymnasium and then the University where he will study medicine. He will become one of the best doctors in the entire region.”

“But,” asked Alexei, “what does that have to do with the sage?”

The Baal Shem Tov sighed, before continuing. “Years from now there will be a small girl in Liozna who will be very sick. No one will know what to do for her. Her family will be desperate. She will be close to death when she is placed in the care of the doctor that the street urchin will become. He will save her life.”

The Baal Shem Tov sat quietly for a few minutes. “She will grow up. She will marry. She will give birth to a boy who will grow to be a great sage. Our work here, for now, is done. Now, head south. We have much to do in other places and many, many versts to travel, before we can go home.”

For the rest of the story, follow the links here:

1) A Cat and the Baal Shem Tov 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-baal-shem-tov-and-cat.html

2) How Mruczek - The One Who Purrs - Came to Live with Alexei  

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/how-mruczek-one-who-purrs-came-to-live.html

3) Alexei's Inheritance, Mruczek the Cat and the Mysterious Traveler 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexeis-inheritance-mruczek-cat-and.html

4) Alexei and Mruczek Learn to Read

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexei-and-mruczek-learn-to-read.html?m=1

5) Alexei's Doubts & The Great First Leap of Faith 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexeis-doubts-great-first-leap-of-faith.html?m=1

6) Herring for Breakfast in Moskve 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/herring-for-breakfast-in-moskve.html

7) From Moskve to Liozna

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/04/from-moskve-to-liozna.html

8) The Street Urchin of Liozna

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-street-urchin-of-liozna.html

From Moskve to Liozna

 When Alexei brought the wagon to the front of the inn, the Baal Shem Tov climbed into the front seat beside him. Mruczek sat in the Baal Shem Tov’s lap, taking in the sights of the marvelous city. The Baal Shem Tov gave Alexei orders that weaved the wagon through the web of streets, into a rough industrial district until they arrived at the back door and loading dock of a warehouse. 

Here the Baal Shem Tov disembarked. He knocked a coded message on the door. The door opened a crack, and a bearded man stood in the doorway. A hushed dialogue ensued. Then, the door was fully opened and Mruczek and Alexei were able to see a printing press inside the warehouse as well as wooden crates stacked by the door. Several cases were furtively loaded into the back of the cart. The crates were covered with woolen blankets, hiding them from the sight of prying eyes. 

The Baal Shem Tov returned to his position seated next to Alexei in the front of the wagon. Mruczek returned to her position, sitting in his lap. The wagon rolled on through the streets of Moskve. From here, the wagon entered an upscale commercial district with fine shops lining the streets. Well dressed people rode in fashionable droshkies and walked about, looking in the shop windows. 

The Baal Shem Tov’s directions to Alexei brought the wagon to a clock maker's shop. Here, the Baal Shem Tov once again disembarked and entered the shop, leaving Alexei and Mruczek waiting in the wagon. Minutes later, the shopkeeper's assistants carried a tall, elaborately decorative clock out through the door and placed it carefully into the wagon. The clock was quickly wrapped in woolen blankets and further protected with straw. 

The Baal Shem Tov instructed Alexei to follow a broad boulevard that ran nearly due west, and to inform him when they were well clear of Moskve. The Baal Shem Tov and Mruczek rested amongst the piles of straw in the back of the cart. Alexei urged the horses forward, in the direction of the descending sun. When he brought the wagon to a rest in a meadow where he could graze the horses, the afternoon was well advanced. The Baal Shem Tov was snoring contentedly and Mruczek was comfortably resting on the Holy Man's chest and purring. 

“Where are we headed from here, Reb Yisrael?” Alexei asked. 

The Baal Shem Tov answered his young driver, “When the horses are done grazing and harnessed once more, we will continue westward directly to Liozna in Lithuania. We will be there shortly.”

Of course, such a trip is a very long distance, hundreds of versts and many days traveling across frontiers and borders, when traveling by horse drawn-wagon. Alexei, by this point, knew better than to question the Baal Shem Tov’s intentions. With some trepidation and a certain degree of stoicism or perhaps fatalism Alexei prepared the horses and wagon for the next phase of the expedition. The Baal Shem Tov patiently hummed a nigun while petting Mruczek, waiting for Alexei to be finished. 

Alexei climbed into the driver's seat. With some trepidation, he set himself to the impossible task at hand. However, before he could snap the reins to encourage his horses forward, the Baal Shem Tov spoke up. 

“Alexei, there are aspects of the voyages that we will take together that are beyond your capacity to understand. Perhaps they are even dangerous for you to experience. When we crossed the river and flew to Moskve, I recognized that was shocking and disturbing for you. It isn't, I assure you, black magic or witchcraft, chas v'shalom. There is a scientific principle to our leap of distance, the kefitzat haderech as we call it, although it is a complicated Kabbalistic science, one that you are not prepared to comprehend.”

The Baal Shem Tov once again hummed a nigun and sat swaying for a while before he began speaking again. 

“So, young man,” he continued, “I believe that it is in your best interest that we spare you some of the stress. I want you, for now, to turn around and face the back of the wagon, but keep the reins in your hands.” Alexei turned himself towards the back of his wagon. The Baal Shem Tov continued speaking. “Now, take your scarf and wrap it around your head, completely covering your eyes.” Alexei did as he was told. 

With their driver in this position, the horses began to walk, then trots and soon they flew amongst the clouds with the wagon comfortably following, the kefitzat haderech taking place with Alexei protected from further shock. Mruczek, perched herself in the very front of the wagon, overlooking the horses, observing the swirling of space all around. In nearly no measurable time the wagon was approaching the outskirts of Liozna.

The Baal Shem Tov once again spoke to Alexei. “Young man, you can now unwrap your eyes and once again take control of your wagon. You will need to bring it down on the road that is below us.” Alexei pulled on the reins and encouraged the horses towards the ground well below them. It is difficult to say exactly how much the blindfolding helped in reducing his stress. Nonetheless, Alexei calmly landed the vehicle and drove the horses into Liozna. Mruczek returned to the back of the wagon and the Baal Shem Tov’s lap. 

The rest of the story, so far:

1) A Cat and the Baal Shem Tov 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-baal-shem-tov-and-cat.html

2) How Mruczek - The One Who Purrs - Came to Live with Alexei  

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/how-mruczek-one-who-purrs-came-to-live.html

3) Alexei's Inheritance, Mruczek the Cat and the Mysterious Traveler 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexeis-inheritance-mruczek-cat-and.html

4) Alexei and Mruczek Learn to Read

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexei-and-mruczek-learn-to-read.html?m=1

5) Alexei's Doubts & The Great First Leap of Faith 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/alexeis-doubts-great-first-leap-of-faith.html?m=1

6) Herring for Breakfast in Moskve 

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/03/herring-for-breakfast-in-moskve.html

7) From Moskve to Liozna

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2026/04/from-moskve-to-liozna.html