There was once a king whose only son fell into a deep illness. All the king’s physicians were unable to develop a plan to heal the king’s precious son. Finally, an expert doctor was brought in to consult on the case. He suggested that there was one possible cure, an elixir made using a powder ground from a rare jewel. The king’s servants searched for this jewel and discovered that there was only one in the entire kingdom, it was the center jewel on the king’s crown. A dilemma. Do we diminish the crown to save the prince? As the issue was considered by the king, the doctor informed the king that the prince’s situation had deteriorated so significantly that it was uncertain whether he would be able to ingest the elixir successfully at this point. Now the dilemma was even stronger. Do we diminish the crown for a cure that is uncertain to be successful in saving the prince?
The king declared, “To save the life of my son, I am willing to risk everything, even for just a small chance of success.” They swiftly ground the jewel and prepared the elixir. The doctor carefully administered the potion into the mouth of the prince. The prince was so weak that he could barely swallow the liquid and most of it dribbled out of his mouth. However, the few drops that made it in, were successful in bringing him back from the brink of death onto a path of recovery.
This story was told by the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad) in response to the accusation that indiscriminate dissemination of the inner teachings of Torah (such as Kabbala and Chassidus) were a disgrace to the “Crown of Hashem” from which they are drawn. They argued that most of these “secrets” get wasted and are not appreciated by the recipients.
The Alter Rebbe explained that the Jewish people, Hashem’s precious prince, were in a state of spiritual faint. The troubles of exile and the travails of time had taken their toll on the spiritual welfare of Am Yisrael. Hashem allowed for his “Royal Crown” – the deepest secrets of the Torah to be shared in the hope that at least a little bit will effectively revive the prince, Am Yisrael. For this the Alter Rebbe sat in prison and was willing to endure the greatest threat to his life so that a few drops of the potent teachings would enter the “mouth of the prince” thereby saving his life.
History has shown that this secret potion of spiritual life has been most effective. A Jew that has been exposed to the teachings of Chassidus and has allowed these teachings to “enter his mouth,” cannot remain unaffected by that exposure. They bring Torah and Judaism to life. They infuse a spiritual zest and enthusiasm into Jewish practice and perspective on life. They have successfully revived the Jewish people. Certainly, we have a long way to go, and many more people with whom to share, but these teachings have become ubiquitous permeating all walks of Jewish life with wonderous results.
Join us on Monday night for an inspiring talk by visiting orator Rabbi Yossy Goldman, Secrets to a Happier Life in an Uncertain World, as he shares drops of the elixir formed from Hashem’s crown jewel with our community. The event takes place at 7 pm – Chabad - 7037 Freret St. in Uptown New Orleans. Register at www.chabadneworleans.com/goldman.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin