He who takes a pledge from his fellow does so for one of three reasons: a. lest the fellow becomes impoverished and unable to repay him, b. lest he be tightfisted with what he has, making it impossible to collect from him, c. out of fear that his fellow may die or disappear. The pledge is the cure for these ills in him and the relationship. But if people were safe from these three risks in their relationships with others, it would undoubtedly be shameful for them to demand a pledge. Now these three concerns are totally inapplicable to the Creator, may He be exalted. Hence, it is much more shameful and absurd to demand a pledge from Him. pg 461
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...