Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezritch, taught the tenets of Chasidism and the mysteries of Torah to the masses not only through stories, as did his predecessor, the Baal Shem Tov, but openly and explicitly. The Maggid's elucidation of the mystic tradition was opposed by many, amongst whom were some of his own senior colleagues who believed that these esoteric concepts were not meant for general consumption. One of these, Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, felt strongly that the sublimity of these concepts would be degraded by their popularization. He was especially opposed to the practice of the Maggid's disciples of writing and circulating their transcripts of the Maggid's teachings for copying by others. His criticism was aggravated one day when, on a visit to Mezritch, he found one of these transcripts lying in the gutter. The wind had obviously seized the paper and carried it from an open window, but to Rabbi Pinchas, his worst suspicions appeared confirmed. He was notably upset; this incident could very well have led to a serious rift between himself and the Maggid. The situation was saved, however, by the quick intervention of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, a junior student of the Maggid. He approached Rabbi Pinchas and appeased him with the following parable:
"Once there was a great and powerful king who had but one son. The king wished to see his son excel in wisdom and strength and sent him to many distant places to be trained in all the arts and sciences. One day a letter came informing the king that while on some far-off island, the prince had fallen ill with a very dangerous disease which perplexed his doctors. Immediately the king gathered the greatest medical experts to find a cure, but to no avail. One day a man appeared and said that he knew of an effective medicine. The alleged elixir, however, consisted of a unique and most precious stone ground into a fine powder which had to be mixed with a liquid and then fed to the patient. After a thorough search the king's servants could find but one stone of the type prescribed: It was none other than the central and most precious jewel adorning the royal crown.
"The joy at finding this jewel was soon tempered by the great dilemma: The removal of the stone might cure the prince, but it would dim the very symbol of the royal majesty. But to the king, nothing mattered as much as a cure for his only son. He ordered that the jewel be removed and pounded into powder. In the meantime, however, the patient's condition had deteriorated severely to the point that he was unable to take in even liquids; for his mouth could hardly open.
In view of this development the king's advisors thought it useless and senseless to destroy the precious stone and with it, the crown's glory. But the king insisted that they proceed, arguing that the slightest chance of getting a single drop of the elixir into the patient's mouth was worth the destruction of the inestimable stone.
"The advisors retorted: 'For as long as your son was able to take in food and drink we agreed with you. Indeed, nothing would have been too precious to save his life, but now his condition has worsened. It is most doubtful, in fact unlikely, that he will be able to take in anything. Surely it is not right to destroy the very diadem of the kingdom!'
"But the king replied: 'If, Heaven forfend, my son should not live, what use do I have for the crown? But if my son survives, surely that shall be my greatest glory--the life of an only son who exposed himself to danger in order to obey his father's wish and excel in wisdom and strength.' "
Rabbi Pinchas nodded his head in approval. He understood the analogy--that sometimes even the diadem of the kingdom must serve as a means towards a higher end: The King's son, the people of Israel, was in dire need of that most precious life-giving elixir of popularized Chasidut. With a smile he conceded: "You are quite right. Your words are an effective defense for the propagation of Chasidut."
Upon hearing of this incident the Maggid personally complimented Rabbi Shneur Zalman, adding: "With your words you saved me..." [For there had been an accusation made in the Heavenly Court against the Maggid for bringing the esoteric concepts of Kabbala to the masses. Rabbi Shneur Zalman refuted the charge, and therefore actually saved the Maggid's life.]
Excerpted from The Great Maggid, Kehot Publication Society.
