He’s the guy with no feet, who actually equates to ‘Moshiach’, in Rabbenu’s Tale of the Seven Beggars.

I was discussing the Rav’s latest comments with my husband yesterday, when I suddenly got more insight into what the Rav may be hinting at.

Here’s the relevant passage again (but honestly, it’s all relevant):

Rabbi Shimon tells a story, from 1,000 years ago[3], that they went into the desert, when there wasn’t Waze, and there wasn’t GPS, and they got confused.

They made a mistake on the way, and they didn’t know how to get out of there (i.e. to leave the desert). It was already a quarter of an hour before sunset [of Shabbat] and they had another 500 parsaot to go.

They saw one person going along with crutches [also kab’in, in Hebrew], while they were travelling along on horses. He said to them: hold onto my belt, and I will fly with you, and within a second we will reach an inhabited place!

They didn’t understand what he was talking about.

They said to him, you are talking nonsense, us, we have horses, and you don’t even have legs! You are walking along with crutches!

[He replied] Grab on to my belt, and watch what happens!

==

They grabbed on to his belt, and within a second they reached an orchard. There were 300 students there, with benches, sitting down, and they were only reciting a single verse [over and over]:

“Haval havalim, amar Kohelet. Hakol havalim, hakol haval.”

==

It suddenly struck me, that guy on crutches is ‘Moshiach’, or at least, the Tzaddik of the Generation with the potential to become Moshiach, if the generation is worthy.

The lost dudes on the horses are you and me – we’re riding around on all our fancy gashmiut, embodied by the horses – but we are totally lost in the desert, and have no idea how to get out of there.

The timing is crucial: 15 minutes left before Shabbat begins, i.e. the 7th Millenia, geula, the world-to-come period of time.

And we have no idea how to get home, how to get to our safe space, before that deadline approaches.

==

Suddenly, someone on crutches, without legs – who instantly reminds us of another story by Rabbenu, called the un-PC title of ‘The Cripple’ – shows up, and starts calling to the lost dudes.

Follow me, just hang on to my belt, just hang on to me, I’ll get you out of here!!!

First of all, they kind of mock him in disbelief.

What, THAT guy?!? The guy with no legs? The guy on crutches, who isn’t even walking in this world?!?

==

Yes, that guy.

Who is so above the world, so not of this world, that he isn’t ‘walking around it’, immersed in gashmiut and the ‘reality’ of this world, the way we are.

He is way, way above all that.

==

But first, the lost dudes mock him.

You gotta be kidding us!! You can’t even walk, while we at least have our horses…

‘Horses’ being the symbol of all the honor, status, money, even Toyrah learning, whatever.

==

But the guy on crutches, the hidden tzaddik, he doesn’t give up so easily.

What do you care, if you just hold on to my belt for a second?! What’s the big deal?! Either it will work or it won’t, but what have you lost by trying?

This means, just stay close to the True Tzaddik however you can. Say one of the prayers. Spend 10 seconds reading some of his comments, or his books. Try to follow some of the teachings about talking to God for an hour a day, or overcoming anger.

Even just ‘want to want’, to be in the circle of the True Tzaddik, hanging on to his belt.

==

And then what happens?

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, the lost dudes reach the Pardes, and they are surrounded by 300 avreichim all repeating that nothing in this world really counts for anything.

The coda to this statement, is that the only thing that really counts in this world is the ability to learn Torah and do mitzvoth and good deeds, and work on improving our souls, while we are in a body and have the ‘free choice’ to do that, or not.

==

And then, the Rav moves on to Eretz Yisrael being unconquerable; open miracles God did and will do for His chosen people – and big hints that the earth is about to start moving again, big time.

==

Rebbe Nachman never actually wrote the story of the Seventh Beggar, of the Moshiach.

He said that Moshiach himself would have to do that, once he finally came.

So, it’s just interesting, is all I’m saying.

==

UPDATE:

The Rav gave a much more detailed version of this shiur, with way more explanation of this story, on a different occasion recently. The Ravberland.com site are translating it, but take a look at this:

https://ravberland.com/en/blog/the-secret-of-hevel-havalim-the-power-to-transform-into-a-body-shining-like-the-

Even more to think about.

==

Also interesting, for different reasons, is this strange story from 2016, that I just came across now, when looking for something entirely different:

https://israel365news.com/310069/sanhedrin-appoints-high-priest-preparation-third-temple/

Even though it’s a story from ten years ago, it’s all over evangelical channels on Youtube from 2025, as ‘proof’ the plan to rebuild the Third Temple, under Trump, is continuing as it should be….

You cannot make this stuff up.