By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
Rabbi Michoel Bliner, a Mashpia (mentor) in the yeshiva in Lubavitch, was known for his longevity and dubbed Michoel the Elder. He lived what he taught, and the students loved him for it.
Once, when R’ Michoel was deep in prayer, a cobbler arrived at the yeshiva.R’ Michoel walked over to him and pointed to the torn shoes of one of his students, signaling that the cobbler should fix the shoes and he would cover the cost.
After prayers, someone asked R’ Michoel how he could occupy himself with such unimportant matters in middle of prayer.
R’ Michoel responded, “What do you think the echad of the Shema prayer alludes to? In Chassidic thought, echad refers to the unity of G-d, the eight higher spheres and the four corners of the world. When G-d is imbued into your entire existence, you cannot rest until the shoes of another person are fixed.”
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>eight higher spheres
What?