One day, Rebbe Avigdor Halberstam, brother of Rebbe Chaim of Tsanz, was invited to Shabbos with a man famous for his wealth, but not at all for his meekness. It was known that this man was very rude to servants, immediately dismissing them for the slightest offense.
In those days, it was customary to prepare cholent (thick roast) for Shabbat lunch. As a sign of respect for the guest of honor, the cook brought the pot of roast to the rebbe, so that he would serve the dish on the plates of the host, family members and other guests.
The Rebbe inhaled deeply the smell of the cooking. However, he did not put the food on plates, but took a spoon and tasted it straight from the pot.
- Incomparable! - he exclaimed and ate some more. — The most beautiful cholent I have ever tried!
Not paying attention to the embarrassed guests and the owner himself, the rabbi ate all the roast from the pot, leaving not a crumb for anyone. But instead of apologizing, he turned to the cook and said:
- Simply amazing! Isn't there yet?
The confused woman brought the remains of cholent, and the rebbe finished what was left.
Everyone present was simply dumbfounded. Never before in this house have guests behaved this way, and, of course, no one expected such an outburst from such a respectable person as Rebbe Avigdor. Naturally, out of respect for him, everyone kept silent and dined on challah.
When Shabbos ended, the rebbe and his students thanked their hosts for their hospitality and left. As soon as they left the outskirts of the town, the Hasidim decided to ask the teacher how to understand his strange actions at the table.
“As soon as the pot of cholent was in my hands,” said the rabbi, “I smelled kerosene.” I immediately realized that the cook, in her haste, had seasoned the dish with kerosene instead of vinegar. If the owner tried this cholent, he would immediately fire the girl. So I ate all this brew so that she wouldn’t lose her job. Let them think what they want about me, but I felt sorry for her. Now they will think that the girl is such a skilled cook that because of her even the rebbe behaves like the last chazir (pig).
Commentary by Rami Shapiro How important is reputation to you? Are you willing to make a fool of yourself in order to protect another person from undeserved punishment? Are you sure you're ready?
There are many parables about various rabbis, gurus or simply saints who behaved like madmen in order to point out the truth. There are so many similar examples that even a term has appeared: crazy wisdom. The madness of such wisdom is primarily that it challenges established norms and conventions. However, we must figure out whether what we see really represents mad wisdom, or whether the sage has truly gone mad.
During lunch, Rebbe Avigdor's students interpreted their doubts in his favor, but then demanded an explanation. This is a good example for all of us.
Rebbe Avigdor's willingness to play chazir in order to save a man from unjust punishment shows that he was above his own reputation. This man was not afraid of notoriety. It was enough for him that his intentions were pure. Moreover, he was ready to explain everything to his students. He didn't tell them, "Don't you dare question my decisions!" No, the rebbe respected their need to understand the motives for his actions and explained the reason for his supposedly crazy act. This is a way to test any spiritual teacher: is he ready to explain his behavior and is his actions based on compassion and a desire for justice?
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru