The man continued to tell Rav Galinsky the following story.
There was a Jew who read in a Sefer that a person who fasts for forty consecutive will merit to see Eliyahu Hanavi. The Jew was so excited that he could merit to see Eliyahu Hanavi so he fasted for forty consecutive days. However, after the forty days, nothing happened and Eliyahu Hanavi never showed up. The man was very broken and he traveled to see Rabbi Yisrael from Ruzin. He poured out his heart and cried bitterly to the Rebbe how he fasted forty days and he never merited to see Eliyahu Hanavi. What had he done so terrible?
Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzin listened carefully to the man. He told him to sit and listen to the following story.
Motzaei Shabbos was a time when the Baal Shem Tov would go for a ride on his horse on wagon. They would travel at lightening speed as the Baal Shem Tov merited 'kefitzas haderech' - arriving at the destination at miraculous speed. He would do what he had to do, speak to whoever he wanted to speak to, and then head home. The years went by and the horses aged, so the old horses were sold and new ones were bought.
One Motzaei Shabbos, Alexi, the Baal Shem Tov's driver harnessed the horses to the wagon and they were off. They arrived at the first stop and after a few minutes moved on to their new destination. The horses in the past were used to having a break and food at every stop. Now, when riding the Baal Shem Tov, they continued from place to place without feeling hungry or tired. They started wondering maybe they were becoming more elevated and they were becoming more humanly. Just like their master's only ate and slept every few stops, they were the same. They were looking forward to eat and drink the same delicacies like their master when they would arrive at their final stop. But the Baal Shem Tov kept on going from place to place and having no breaks. Now they understood, they, the horses of the great Tzaddik had turned into Malachim - Heavenly Angels; what a privilege! Shortly after they arrived back in Mezbuz and were led back into their barn. They saw the pile of oat and pounced on it like an animal, they stuffed themselves with as much as they could eat. Now they realized that they are not Angels, not even humans, horses they were and horses they will remain.
Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzin finished his story, turned to the man and said, "when one sees in a Sefer that someone who fasts forty days merits to see Eliyahu Hanavi. What do you think? Eliyahu wants people to fast and suffer? Heaven forbid. He just wants to elevate them and evacuate them from their materialism. This way they will be more pure, more elevated and this way merit to see Eliyahu."
"But you fasted and every time you broke your fast how did you eat? you pounced on your food like the horses, and you still expect to see Eliyahu Hanavi?"
The young man now turned back to Rabbi Galinsky and said, "After two Yomim Tovim and forty nine days Sefiras Ha'omer and we're the same as before, what's the purpose?"
