The few real Tzaddikim in the world are really not like you and me.

They see and understand things at a much deeper level, and that means that they often do things that appear to be strange, or even ‘mad’ to outsiders, who don’t understand the spiritual level that the few real Tzaddikim in the world are actually operating at.

Recently, my friend sent me this story from Kochavey Or, which really sums up what I’m talking about.

I translated it below – it’s interesting for a lot of different reasons.

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First, here’s the original Hebrew:

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And this is my translation:

Kochavey Or, 46 – Moharan’s People

In Breslov there was one rich person who had drawn closer to the Rebbe, Zt’l, and he had an only son.

And he made a shidduch with him with a grand-daughter of the Baal Shem Tov, Zt’l. And when it came time for the nesuin (wedding), at that same time, one of Rabbenu’s children died.

And it was Rabbenu’s custom to sit shiva outside of the city, so he rented himself an apartment there, which had a garden in front of it.

Because he was in peak health, he took with him Reb Chaim Sarah’s, who attended to him there.

And behold, the rich person we spoke about earlier, about to travel to the chuppah of his son, came with [his son] to Rabbenu, to receive permission from him [that the couple could get married], and got [Rabbenu’s] permission, and then went on his way.

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That night, Rabbenu woke up from his sleep, ritually washed his hands, then send to Reb Chaim mentioned above, come with me.

And he went with him to the garden, and Rabbenu ran to and fro between the trees there, and this Reb Chaim became very scared when he saw this, to the point that his hair stood up on end.

While this was going on, Rabbenu came to him, and said to him was it revealed to you?

Because the Baal Shem Tov came to me, the ancestor of the bride, because he didn’t desire to have this groom, and he wanted to take the groom, and the bride would be alone.

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And when this Reb Chaim heard, he became even more frightened, and he stood…

[Something that seems to be Yiddish, that I can’t translate: וארכבותיו דא לדא נקשן]

And soon afterwards, Rabbenu returned to him another time, and said to him,

I influenced him [the Baal Shem Tov] that he shouldn’t take the groom; just, that they shouldn’t have children together.

And afterwards, they entered back into the house.

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And see, the following day after noon, Reb Chaim was standing outside and behold! He saw a special messenger from the parents-in-law running to the Rebbe.

And he told him that the groom had fallen ill on the way, and it was totally impossible, under any circumstances, to travel to the chuppah with him.

And so, they were asking [Rabbenu] to ask for mercy for [the groom].

And Rabbenu told him return on your way, the groom will be in peak health, and you will travel with him to the wedding, and erect the chuppah.

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The messenger immediately retraced his steps, and this Reb Chaim was very astonished on account of this, because he knew what had been done the night before.

And the wedding took place then, but the words of the Rebbe were fulfilled, where he told this Reb Chaim that they wouldn’t have children.

And this couple lived together, but children they didn’t have.

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After a few years, after the passing of the Rebbe, Rabbi Zvi Aryeh, the Moreh Tzedek of Breslov (who was the father-in-law of Reb Chaim Sarah’s) tried to get them to divorce, on account of the fact that his son-in-law, Reb Chaim, had told him the whole story, described above.

And the Rav himself, Rabbi Zvi Aryeh, arranged the get (bill of divorce) for them, and afterwards [they remarried other people] and both of them had children.

This story was told by R’ Zvi Aryeh, Z’l, himself.

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There’s lots to think about, isn’t there?

Imagine, this couple showed up at the door of one of the fakers today, that pass for most of our ‘rabbis’.

What do you think would happen next?

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And imagine, you saw a ‘big Admor’ today doing what Rabbenu was seen doing, running around a garden at night in the middle of sitting shiva for one of his children….

Who would believe that someone  like this was actually the spiritual foundation of the world, the ‘Tzaddik HaEmet’, the source of wisdom…. ?

And yet, he was.

As anyone who has ever really taken the time to engage with Rabbenu’s advice, and / or to visit his grave in Uman, can probably tell you.

Crazy stuff goes on in Uman.

Stuff no-one believes you about, if they haven’t actually been there themselves and also experienced the above-natural stuff that goes on routinely.

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Point is: there are 36, and some say 72, real Tzaddikim in every generation, including in our totally stuffed-up, deep, deep in-the-toilet one.

Probably, most of us have absolutely no idea who any of them are.

For sure, they aren’t selling their dad’s shtreimels for a cool $2 million, or pushing people to take experimental shots, or given fake psaks about how super dandy it is to donate all your organs, so your soul can NEVER find real peace, because not all of its body got buried properly….

More than that….

I can’t tell you.

But continue to think for yourself.

Because it’s the ‘crazy people’, the downtrodden people, the belittled and slandered people, who are really the biggest light in our upside-down generation.

And when you dive back into the history of Breslov; into the history of the Baal Shem Tov, and then the ARIZAL before him, and then Shimon Bar Yochai before him, and Moshe Rabbenu before him – you start to understand that it has always been this way.