By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
There was once a wealthy man who loved hosting guests. He built a guesthouse, and always had food available for all to eat. People would come from far to admire his charitable work, or just to rest their weary bones for a week or two.
Once, the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi arrived at his home. The wealthy man provided his distinguished guest a beautiful room and afforded him great respect. That evening, he knocked on the rabbi’s door and asked for an audience.
“I feel that what I do for guests is not coming from a place of authenticity,” he said painfully. “What are my actions worth if they are not done with a complete heart?”
After thinking for a few minutes, Rabbi Shneur Zalman responded that the people being cared for are not caught up in their host’s sense of inadequacy; rather, “they truly are satisfied with your efforts.”
Find Hasidic Archives latest books on HasidicArchives.com Story Bites: Short Stories to Savor and The People’s Rabbi: The Life & Legacy of Rabbi Leib Kramer, also available on Amazon Prime.
