Brooklyn man is master of thousands of tales

By Gretchen Murray
Traverse City Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Mich.)

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. May 15, 2007 02:42 pm

— Storytelling has long been used as an effective way of passing down religious tradition.
If done well, it can be a true art form that enables the storyteller to hold an audience spellbound and a powerful tool in transcending cultural boundaries.
Judaism is one faith that thrives on telling the stories of its rich heritage. No one loves a good story as much as the Jewish people, and as Jewish storytellers go, Yitzhak Buxbaum ranks at the top.
Buxbaum, considered in some circles to be one of the most important Jewish storytellers of our time, was in Traverse City last week speaking at Horizon Bookstore and The Potter’s House Church. His visit was under the sponsorship of the Or Tzafon Retreat Center, which is directed by Rabbi Chava Bahle of Ahavat Shalom Congregation. Twice yearly the center strives to bring to the area some of the best teachers in Judaism.
Buxbaum, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a master of thousands of tales. He travels throughout the country as a maggid, a Jewish inspirational teacher and storyteller.
Maggid Buxbaum focuses on Jewish teachings, but he frequently is asked to speak in ashrams, mosques and churches, providing a bridge between not only the different Jewish sects, but also a link between Jews and people of other faiths.
A Hasidic Jew, his beliefs lie in the teachings of the 18th century Ukrainian Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement. Buxbaum is an expert at relating legendary stories and teachings of the Besht, a Hebrew acronym for the Baal Shem Tov. The stories are interwoven with ancient Kabbalistic mysticism that the Baal Shem Tov brought into his teachings. Kabbalah, the deeper mysticism of Judaism, is a belief that God is found in everything.
His years spent studying religions have brought Buxbaum to the conclusion that knowledge of only one religion isn’t enough. The more they are understood, the similar they become.
“I’m Jewish, but I have a perspective on religion. I see similarities in the teachings of Jesus, Moses, (rabbi and teacher) Hillel, and the Baal Shem Tov,” he said before an audience at Horizon Books. “I don’t seek out the differences in religions. I see the similarities.”
He builds his own philosophy on the similarities.
“I want bliss, and I’m convinced you get it religiously. If you feel that inner joy, you know how close you are to God,” Buxbaum said. “As a Jew my focus is on Jews, but I’m the friend of everyone who is seeking the ultimate oneness. My mission in life is to bring people to God.”
The author of 10 books on Jewish spirituality, Buxbaum offers a teaching program to train and ordain maggidim, Jewish inspirational teachers and storytellers.
His work comes at a time when Kabbalah is enjoying a surge of interest, particularly when public figures such as Madonna are willing to openly discuss the spirituality they find in the religion.
Rabbi Bahle credits the recent interest in Kabbalah with the fact that more people are seeking insight, peace and answers to life’s deepest questions. She says that Kabbalistic teachings, at one time kept secret, are becoming available to the public.
“Today there is unprecedented access to ancient text that is being translated, published and taught as fast as it is discovered,” she said.
Bahle shares Buxbaum’s passion for storytelling. She has been taking Buxbaum’s maggid training and is ready to take her newfound craft to the next level.
Bahle will step down from her position as Ahavat Shalom’s rabbi at the end of this month to concentrate on offering the art of storytelling to the people of northern Michigan.
The Or Tzafon Retreat Center, which Bahle was instrumental in founding in 2000, emphasizes the spiritual practices in Kabbalah and creative self-expression. She plans to offer programs through the center that will keep the stories alive.
“For me, it’s exciting to teach from a Jewish perspective in a Christian community,” she said. “Storytelling is rooted in what’s older than us — but contemporary. I want to be the vehicle to teach and awaken that interest in our community.”
For information on Yitzhak Buxbaum, visit The Jewish Spirit Online, www.jewishspirit.com. For information on Congregation Ahavat Shalom, visit www.ahavatshalom.com.

Gretchen Murray writes for Traverse City (Mich.) Record-Eagle.

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