A chosid muz gloiben

There was a chosid of the Mitteler Rebbe who had a partnership with a litvak. The chosid was always encouraging his partner to travel to the Mitteler Rebbe and meet him, but the litvak did not see a point in the expense and the trouble.

Once, the 2 had occasion to make a business trip to very near to where the Mitteler Rebbe was staying. The litvak his time agreed that it would be worthwhile to take advantage of the opportunity, and they spent Shabbos together by the Rebbe.

After Shabbos, the chosid asked his partner about his impressions. The litvak as ecstatic. He couldn’t stop describing the bliss he experienced that Shabbos by the Rebbe. ‘I literally felt myself as if I was standing by har Sinai and hearing the aseres hadibros from the Eibishter himself. It was like spending a Shabbos in Gan Eden etc. etc.”!

Now it was the turn of the chosid to feel dejected. He loved his Rebbe, and was a devoted and loyal chosid, and had spent years learning from the Rebbe and following his directives. Yet he had never felt anything like what his partner was describing, in his very first Shabbos! What was wrong with him?

With a heavy heart, he turned (as a troubled chosid will invariably do) to the Rebbe. During yechidus, he poured out his worry to the Mitteler Rebbe. Was the litvak hat much greater than him as to reach in one Shabbos a higher revelation than he’d reached in years?

But the Rebbe put his mind at ease. That is the way it is meant to be, he explained to the chosid. “A chosid muz gloiben, ober a litvak muz ibertzeilen!” [a chosid needs to believe (and therefore doesn’t need to be able to enjoy such a lofty experience), but a litvak needs to be able to count over (i.e., he deals with things that are visible and tangible to him)].