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 The Baal Shem Tov taught: Every individual must live and conduct himself according to standards of his own spiritual level. However, when one tries to conduct his life by the standards
of someone else's spiritual level, he will fail by both standards. This is the deeper meaning of the sages' teaching, "Many tried to emulate Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, but they were unsuccessful."1This means that though they themselves were not on Rabbi Shimon's spiritual level, they tried to live according the high standard by which they saw him living, and that is why they were unsuccessful.2 Furthermore, the sages teach us that Truth is G·d's seal (Genesis Rabbah 81:2), and truth is the only gateway to G·d. If one is not living truthfully with oneself, one cannot be living with G·d. And finally, since no one can truly grasp the spiritual level of another person, following the unique behavior of another person can be nothing more than mimicking his conduct, and is doomed to failure, as the Baal Shem Tov says here. 1Brakhoth 35b 2The underlying thought of this teaching is that every person must be true to himself and live his own truth within the framework of the Torah. Every person was brought into this world for a very specific purpose, and if one tries be someone else, one has betrayed his own soul (Toldot Yaakov Yoseph, VaYishlach #8, Metzora #1). Translation and commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua Starrett and reprinted with the kind permission of the Baal Shem Tov Foundation. Please visit www.baalshemtov.com Also, write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to receive the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov in your email inbox, visit and join a discussion group on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov at http://groups.google.com/group/teachings_of_the_besht?hl=en Publicize the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov To Help Bring Moshiach Right NOW! Bentzion Meltzer 954.242.9208 www.besht-yomi.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it http://groups.google.com/group/teachings_of_the_besht?hl=en http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stories_of_the_Baal_Shem_Tov/ 
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