“Open your eyes…the time of Geula has arrived.” ~ Lubavitcher Rebbe

In the 1700’s, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, brought into the world teachings to usher in the Geula, the peaceful, abundant time foretold in Jewish prophecies. He would travel with his students by horse and carriage to share words of wisdom and love to uplift the poor and simple Jews of Eastern Europe. They had suffered terribly from the pogroms, and the Baal Shem Tov brought deep compassion and care for their broken bodies and spirits.

His inspiring teachings and tales have been passed on and are very well known in the Jewish Chassidic communities of today. Some of his most famous lessons are contained in a letter  where he describes his encounter with the soul of Moshiach. He had a vision, in which he entered the supernal chamber of the Moshiach and posed the question “When will the Master come?” and Moshiach answers “By this you shall know: In the time when your teaching will become public and revealed in the world, and your wellsprings will burst forth to the farthest extremes…”

I believe those teachings ARE becoming public, and these are further revelations that the time of Geula has come. It was in the early 90’s when I first immersed myself in the Baal Shem Tov’s wellsprings in a woman’s yeshiva (Jewish school) in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. At that time and place, the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoke often and passionately to his Chassidim, encouraging us to “open our eyes” to see that the world is already revealing the Geula.

A few years ago, a secular Jewish man began to learn the practices of the Chassidic movement. He was a gifted singer and quickly rose to fame as Matisyahu. One of his incredible talents was to create lyrics from spiritual Chassidic concepts and weave them into reggae/rap beats. His song, “Bal Shem Tov”* reveals the Rabbi’s supernal vision and conversation with the Moshiach. Two hundred and sixty eight years after the Baal Shem Tov experienced this vision, his teachings are literally, not only public and revealed, but bursting forth through speakers at a modern day concert.

A more surprising revelation came for me one summer afternoon, in the midst of my Martha Beck coach training, as I was listening to a teleclass. The teacher ended the class with a legend of the Baal Shem Tov, my mouth dropped open in awe of the moment. It’s one thing for me, as a Chassidic Jew to hear teachings of this venerable sage in my religious circles, but to hear his tales being shared over the telephone during a life coach class given by a non-Jewish woman from Canada — that’s totally Geula revelation.

Whether I’m listening to the Baal Shem Tov’s wellsprings pulsating out of my iPhone or hearing his wisdom shared through a teleclass, my eyes are opened to the dawn of world peace.