A Chossid's response

The Alter Rebbe was once noticed by chassidim, standing in the doorway to his room, completely lost in thought, and apparently completely oblivious to anything around him. The Alter Rebbe appeared detached from his body, and seemed to be undergoing an experience in the supernal worlds. The Chassidim were gazing at him with awe, when, suddenly, to their great surprise, he laughed!

Later, the Alter Rebbe explained to the Chassidim the cause of his laughter, by sharing the following story:

There were once 2 friends, who grew up together in a small village. When they reached adulthood, their paths diverged, as one became an ardent misnaged, while his friend was drawn to the path of the Chassidim. Thus, they lived out their lives on this world, until eventually their souls were returned to their Maker.

When the chosid ascended to the Heavenly court, he was duly judged, and relegated to spend the rest of his years in the afterlife. Now, the procedure in that world is (as is explained also in various places in chassidus) that before a soul may be granted entry into any of the chambers of gan eden, it must first undergo a routine session in gehinom, to be cleansed of any residue that may have clung to it during its sojourn down below, and only then can it enjoy its eternal reward. So, the soul of the chosid, as well, was sent towards the down-escalator to do his stint in the down-below place.

It just so happens, that part of the methods practiced in gehinom is to make a neshomo feel a great sense of loss, by projecting to it (exaggerated?) images of what may have been. Thus, it came to pass, that this chosid was in the middle of feeling the pains of gehinom, and he was introduced to his one –time good friend, the misnaged, and, lo and behold, the misnaged was basking in Gan Eden!

The misnaged (who couldn’t resist the urge to jab at his friend even in that world of truth) called out to the chosid and said; “Nu, what do you say now, look where you are, with all of your chassidus, and look where I am?!”

The chosid looked up at his former pal and responded ‘Du, un dayn gan eden, kenen mir kushen in . .’ [You and your gan eden together can kush mir in . .] 

“It was this response of the chosid”, the Alter Rebbe concluded to the Chassidim, “that made me laugh!”