Rabbi Meir always remained bound above, to his previous incarnations, and does not fall below, a hint to his future incarnations [which do not fall from the level of holiness of his prior lifetimes]. It is possible that this is also related to the soul of the Ramban (Nachmanides), who, among the medieval sages, was a major proponent of the belief in reincarnation. However, Rabbi Meir of Premishlan was not only aware of his own reincarnations but also of all the souls connected to him and their transmigration—for better or for worse—as the following story demonstrates:
Rabbi Meir of Premishlan came to stay at the home of one of his followers. During their conversation, he asked to see his horses. Rabbi Meir chose one of the horses and said to the chasid, "This horse finds favor in my eyes, give it to me."
"Let our Rabbi choose another horse and I will give it to him. But this horse I cannot give away, for it is the best of all and on it my livelihood depends," the chasid replied.
Rabbi Meir was silent. After some time, he asked to see the chasid’s promissory notes. He picked one note and said to him, "Give it to me as a gift." "The holder of the note has already passed away and there is no one to collect from, and this note will be of no use to our Rebbe," replied the chasid.
"Even so, give it to me," Rebbe Meir insisted. The chasid gave him the note. Rebbe Meir took the note in his hand and tore it into pieces. Immediately, they heard the cry of the servant: the good horse had fallen and died. The chasid realized that there was more to the matter and asked Rebbe Meir for the meaning of what had happened. Rebbe Meir told him, “The person who signed the note was taking refuge in my shadow, and since he died and did not pay you the debt, it was decreed that he reincarnate as a horse to work for you. I wanted to redeem him from your hand. However, since you refused to give me the horse, I asked you for the note. And the moment the note was torn, you forgave the debt, and he was no longer obligated to work for you. Hence, he died and his souled attained its rectification."
