In Likutei Diburim, the Previous Rebbe related that when his father, the Rebbe Rashab, told him that he would become the next Rebbe, he accepted the mission on condition that it would be carried out with kindness and mercy.
The Rayatz stated that the incident affected his health. In fact, he cried such copious tears that the walls of the room became saturated. His tears were because he did not want anyone to be hurt or distanced while accomplishing his mission.
Our Rebbe tells us that the Rayatz refused to permit the story to be published. Nevertheless, he knew our Rebbe had notes, and that sooner or later, the episode would be revealed.
There is something of a wonder in this episode. The Previous Rebbe made a condition that his mission would be carried out with kindness and mercy, and his father, the Rebbe, agreed assuring him that the condition would be upheld. So why did he still shed copious tears?
When the mind is overwhelmed by a flood of information it can’t contain, it overflows the brain in the form of tears. Similarly, kabala explains that tears can result from an overflow, the soul can’t contain like great pain or on the positive side, great happiness. Alternatively, tears flow during prayer when the soul is poured out. We also see this play out powerfully when the heart is filled with overflowing with emotion which is expressed not just with normal tears but to the point where the walls become saturated.
In explaining the incident, our Rebbe focusses on the walls of the room. When two or more people are in a room, their situation brings them close. We find a similar concept in Jewish law; when ten Jews are in the same room, they become a minyan.
According to Chassidus, a spiritual difference exists between a house and clothes. A house represents “an encompassing level of spirituality that is far from a person, as opposed to clothes which represent an encompassing level that reflects the measure of the person.”
A room can contain people with opposite personalities and viewpoints. Since they are together, however, each will help the other even though the other person is not a friend [not his colleague in Torah and Mitzvos].
