THE HOPE OF HAVING children was one of the most common reasons why people came to the court of the tsadik. The childless would ask the tsadik for his blessing; once given, according to the hasidic story, this generally resulted in the birth of a son.

The Ba'al Shem Tov blessed childless couples in order that they might have issue, and, according to the testimony of the stories, his blessings were effective. Some of these couples brought great tsadikim into the world, at times even in their old age: indeed, the most prominent example in the hasidic tale of the birth of a great spiritual leader to an elderly couple is that of the Ba'al Shem Tov himself, which in turn is reminiscent of the births of Isaac and Jacob. R. Israel ben Shabetai, the Maggid of Koznitz, was born to his aged parents upon the blessing of the Ba'al Shem Tov, because his mother preferred a male child to material wealth. The tsadik issuing the blessing often also chose the name of the baby that would be born, quite frequently on the request of the supplicant hasidim themselves.

In some instances tsadikim promised a son to their hosts, as an expression of gratitude for the hospitality that was extended to them. Thus, for example, it is related that when the Ba'al Shem Tov was on his way to the Land of Israel, he stayed with a rich man in Constantinople who had no children. After their return from the synagogue on the sabbath eve, when the Ba'al Shem Tov had recited the kiddush over wine, he said, ‘Now, I know your desire, for you are childless. Accordingly, for your having sustained me, I swear to you that this your wife [pointing to her with his finger] shall give birth to a son.’ The continuation of the story is most enlightening: the Ba'al Shem Tov heard a herald proclaim that he, the Ba'al Shem Tov, had lost his portion in the world to come, because he had troubled the Holy One, blessed be he, to change the order of nature, since this man and his wife were both naturally infertile.