When a father wants to teach his young son wisdom which ultimately will enable him to ascend to the higher levels but which he cannot presently understand if he tries to induce the child to learn by saying to him "Endure the strain of discipline and instruction so that through them you may ascend to esteemed levels" the child will be unable to bear it and will not listen to him because he does not understand it. But if the father promises him things that bring him immediate pleasure and threatens him with immediate discomfort while reassuring him with convincing tangible arguments and clear and truthful evidence it will be easier for him to endure the strain of discipline and bear with its difficulty When he reaches adolescence and his mind has matured he will understand the intended goal of his training and direct himself toward it while the pleasure for which he had been so eager at the beginning of his way will appear unimportant to him Such an upbringing proves to be a great kindness toward him
Once, on a Motzoei Shabbos, the chasidim were sitting in the bais medrash of the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a for Melave Malka. Suddenly, the Rebbe opened the door of his room next to the bais medrash, stood at the entrance, and said, “The Baal Shem Tov was not a deity, and the zaida, the Magid, was not just an ordinary wagon driver. And once, when the holy Baal Shem Tov prayed, his talis fringe fell out of his gartel and dragged on the floor. The Magid approached, picked it up, and put it back in the gartel, but he was trembled with such tremendous fear that he fainted and his life was in danger. They were compelled to rouse the Baal Shem Tov from his deep dveikus in order to calm him.” He then added, “I told you that the Baal Shem Tov was not a deity and my zaida, the Magid, was no wagon driver. Still and all, when he touched the Besht’s garment, he fainted from fear. The entire world is Hashem’s garment. How much fear must we feel to touch this world!” May the memory of the...