"How can I begin my day without connecting to Hashem?”
"But you are connecting to Hashem," insisted Reb Zusha. "The same Hashem who commanded you to pray each morning, also commanded you to abstain from prayer under such circumstances. In a location such as this, you connect to Hashem by the absence of prayer."
His brother's viewpoint, allowing him to view his problem as part and parcel of his relationship with Hashem, elated Reb Elimelech's heart. The awareness that the waste-filled pail in the corner of the room allowed him the opportunity to enjoy an intimate, though different, type of relationship with Hashem inspired him so deeply that he began to dance. The two brothers were now holding hands and dancing in celebration of their newly discovered relationship with their Father in Heaven.
The non-Jewish inmates imprisoned in the same cell were so moved by the sight, that they soon joined the dancing. It did not take long before the entire room was swept away by an electrifying energy of joy, as dozens of prisoners were dancing and jumping around ecstatically.
When the prison warden heard the commotion coming from the cell, he burst open the gate, only to be stunned by the inmates enjoying such a lively dance. In his fury, he attempted to stop the dancing, but to no avail. The prisoners were by now totally consumed by an awesome happiness, stemming from a very deep place within their souls.
Finally, the warden pulled aside one of the inmates, demanding from him an explanation for what was going on. The frightened prisoner related that the outburst was not his fault, nor was it the fault of the other inmates. It was rather the two Jews dancing in the center of the circle who triggered the trouble
"And what inspired the two Jews to go into such a dance?" thundered the warden. The prisoner pointed to the pail in the corner of the room. "It is the pail, they claim, that brought about the joy in their heart; they discovered some new type of relationship through the pail."
"If that's the case, I will teach them a lesson that they will remember for a very long time," shouted the furious warden. He took the pail and threw it out of the cell. Reb Zusha turned to his brother and said: "And now, my dear brother, you can begin your prayers."
Reprinted from an email of Inspired by a Story.
