השכינה המתחפשת: פרק בתאולוגיה בעש"טנית

The most famous parable told by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (Besht) is the parable of the Son of the King and the imaginary walls, which prompted many scholarly discussions. Another less known parable of the Besht is that of the merchant's wife. The former is told using the sage's pattern of father-son relations, while the later is told using the pattern of marital relations. The later parable didn't receive any serious discussion in Hasidic research. It was also claimed that the Besht was 'forced' to tell it only because of his essential attitude toward storytelling in general. In the present article a wide literary analysis of the merchant's wife parable is suggested, using insights from the research of Midrash. The article identifies the gap between the parable and its moral and discusses its meaning. Also, discussed is the radical theology expressed through widening anthropomorphic images regarding the Godhead. The discussion enables us to look at this parable as fundamental and meaningful part of Beshtian theology. The parable of the imaginary walls expresses the idea of God's immanence on the personal-mystical level, while the merchant's wife parable expresses the same idea on the national-historical level.