Siman 413

(7.) Once he told of a jester who was in Lemberg — who in the midst of his jesting with rhymes and melodies as is the way of jesters, answered and said: "The old, old, old G-d" [in Yiddish, meaning: Hashem Yisburach — the Ancient of Ancients]. And Rabbainu o.b.m. repeated the word "old" many times — like the jester who was accustomed to mention the word "old" many many times. And Rabbainu o.b.m. told this in his name and also mentioned the word... "old" many, many times, until it ended with "old G-d." And the intention of Rabbainu o.b.m. was clear: he wanted to implant in us faith in simplicity — that we must believe in Hashem Yisburach that He is prior to all priors, Atik of Atikin — and this faith was bequeathed to us by the elders of our elders, our holy fathers. The matter is somewhat understood by one who merited to hear it from his holy mouth, and even now one can understand something of it. And it was the way of Rabbainu o.b.m. to tell this matter of the jester several times before several people, and every time he told it he would repeat the word "old, old" many, many times — and the matters are Atik [ancient/hidden]. And the general rule: although Rabbainu o.b.m. revealed awesome and wondrous Torahs the like of which was never heard in the world, and also told wondrous stories the like of which was never heard, etc., etc. — he nevertheless added to speak with us face to face much, in the ways of conversations and stories of the world. And all this in order to implant in us the holy faith and the fulfillment of the Torah and commandments that rest upon it. And in several ways he wheeled about with us like a father who educates his small son, who must lower himself to him in order to accustom him gently to the study of Torah and fulfillment of the commandments — likewise, and many thousands of times more, he lowered himself to us and clothed himself in several different garments, and spoke with us all kinds of conversations in the world. And from all of them there afterwards became distilled a conversation touching the service of Hashem Yisburach. And truly, even all the utterances he spoke beforehand about worldly matters were also all Torah — as I heard from his holy mouth that every conversation of his is entirely Torah. Only that at first we did not merit to understand, in simplicity, the service and Torah coming forth from his holy utterances; and afterwards we went from matter to matter until there was always distilled from them a conversation touching the service of Hashem Yisburach in simplicity. And the main thing was to implant faith in the world, as mentioned. Fortunate are his men who stand before him to hear his wisdom and wholeheartedness — for in each and every utterance and in each and every movement of his holy, pure, and very awesome utterances and movements was included, in each and every one, wondrous and deep wisdom, and complete wholeheartedness in the uttermost simplicity, in truth. For wholeheartedness and true wisdom are entirely one — as is understood by one who discerns in truth: