Passing through Mesrych,
A small town in present-day Poland,
Rabbi Kolbischoff saw an old man arrive one morning at Rabbi Dobber's house who was going to ask him for a penance.
Rabbi Dobber,
Also known by the nickname of the Magid,
Which means itinerant preacher,
Said to him,
Go back home,
Write a list with all your sins and bring it to me tomorrow morning.
The old man,
Aware of the relevance of this meeting,
Spent the rest of the day and part of the night writing down all kinds of sins,
Venial,
Mortal,
Of thought,
By omission,
Even some transgressions committed during his adolescence.
The next day,
The Magid took a look at the list and said to him,
For the moment,
Everything is in order.
Go back home in peace.
When the man had crossed the door,
Rabbi Kolbischoff was astonished to see how the Magid read the confession carefully and laughed out loud after each line.
How is it that this renowned teacher makes fun of the difficulties of his pilgrims?
Said the very outraged Rabbi.
For many years,
Rabbi Kolbischoff remembered this event with a certain bitterness and still a certain bewilderment.
Until a good morning on Sunday,
He fortunately heard this quote from Baal Shem Tov,
The father of Hasidism.
It is an archaic thing that no person would commit any sin unless it had been carried away by madness.
And what does the wise man do to a madman?
He laughs at the inconsistencies and nonsense that he expresses.
With that laughter,
A breath of soft clemency is extended that softens the severe rigor of justice.
That which weighed so much becomes light and insignificant.
With great pleasure,
The Rabbi exclaimed,
Now I understand the laughter of the great Magid.
