The Gate That Would Not Open

Chassidim tell that on one Erev Yom Kippur the Baal Shem Tov saw a terrible accusation against Israel, that the Oral Torah would be taken from them. He was in such anguish that he could not give the usual blessings, and in the beis medrash he cried out that without Torah the Jewish people could not last even half a day among the nations. He hurried the prayers along so that he could stand at Neilah while the day was still bright.

During Neilah, as Rav Yaakov of Mezhibuzh read the liturgy aloud for him to answer, he fell silent. His body bent far backward, his eyes stood open, and the congregation, frightened, wanted to hold him. His disciple Rav Wolf Kitzes signaled them not to touch him. This lasted about two hours, and then he straightened and finished the prayer quickly.

After Yom Kippur he told them what he had seen. He had gone from world to world with the prayers of the day, until he reached a hall where the prayers of fifty years lay unanswered, and now, because this Yom Kippur had been prayed with real intention, they all rose and shone. He led them toward the last gate, but an angel shut it with a lock as large as a town. He could not open it, and neither could his teacher, whom he sought out. Together they went to the palace of Mashiach, who saw him from afar, told him not to cry out, and gave him two letters. With them the lock opened, the prayers went in, and the decree was annulled, leaving only a trace behind.