שיחות השיך לספורי מעשיות:

(1.) The story of the Burgher he told after someone had told him beforehand about writing with golden letters — and this was after Purim 5569 [1809]. Before Purim he told the story of the Wise Man and the Simple Man.

(2.) On the night after the Sabbath of the Torah portion Noach, in the year 5570 [1809]: after he had said on the Sabbath night the Torah that begins [Likutay Moharan, vol. 2, Torah 67]: "And this is the aspect of a eulogy for the passing of the tzaddik" — and on the night after the Sabbath we entered to him as was our custom, and he motioned with his hand that we should leave from him, and we immediately left from him. And it was a wonder to us, for it was our constant custom to speak with him a great deal on the night after the Sabbath, and we had a bit of sorrow from this, and we entered the house of the local rav.

After some hours he sent his servant, who called us to come in to him, and I and my colleague Rabbi Naftoli entered to him. And he commanded us to tell him news — as was his constant custom, that he always asked specifically to be told news — and Rabbi Naftoli told him what he had heard then about the war of France, which was happening at that time. And then in that conversation we were marveling and astonished at the great rise of one who had arisen so suddenly, for he had at first been a simple slave and became emperor. And we spoke with him then about this. He answered and said: Who knows what soul he has — for it is possible that [the soul] was exchanged, for so it is that sometimes in the Heichalay HaTemuroas [the "Heavenly Chambers of Exchange"] souls are exchanged etc.

And afterwards he began to tell that there had already been such an incident — that once a queen gave birth, and at that same time etc. — and he told the entire story of the prince who was exchanged.

After he told the story of the king's son and the maidservant's son, I had an argument with my colleague Rabbi Naftoli regarding what is written there — that when he went to the fair, he took everything he had and left it at the inn. And one of us thought he left it there because of what he owed at the inn, while the other said no — he simply left it there. And we made a wager on this and went and asked his holy mouth. And he was then occupied with his service [of G-d] and was walking back and forth in his house as his holy custom, and he answered us according to the words of the second one — that he left it simply, not on account of a debt.

Afterwards there was with him one distinguished man of our men, and Rabbainu o.b.m. spoke with him and told him that in these stories, when a single word is changed from how he himself said it, a great deal is lacking from the story. And he told him: Consider these two who made the wager about the aforementioned matter — it seems at first glance that this is a small thing, and there is not so much to be particular about whether it is as this one says or as that one says. And in truth a great deal depends on this, and there is great particularity and precision in it.

And from this you can understand somewhat how far — how far — these stories reach, for his thoughts were extremely deep. Fortunate is he who merits to attain something of them according to his level.

(3.) The story of the Baal Tefillah (Master of Prayer) began after he had a conversation with the cantor Rabbi Yosef of this [town], and we were standing before him, and the aforementioned cantor's garment was torn. He answered and said to the cantor: Are you not the baal tefillah through whom everything is drawn (that is, all the Divine bounties) — so why do you not have a garment (called a kaftan)? And in the meanwhile he began to tell it in these words: There was already such a case — that there was a baal tefillah — and he told the entire story. And at the beginning of his telling we did not know that he was telling a story from his stories, but rather we thought he was telling a story that had simply occurred. Only afterwards, when he entered into the words, we understood the awesome nature of what he was telling — that it is an awesome story from his stories, which are stories of primordial years.

(4.) Pertaining to the beginning of the story of the Seven Beggars, which is printed in the conversations (Sichos HaRan §149) — see there. After the words "I will tell you how once upon a time people were rejoicing" — I heard that he said then in these words: "What do you know about how to be joyful from out of marah shechorah (melancholy — lit. 'black bile')? I will tell you how once upon a time people were rejoicing" etc.

It was heard explicitly from his holy mouth that the stories he told are wondrous and awesome novelties of the very highest order, and they are fitting to be expounded publicly — to stand in the synagogue and tell a story from these stories that he told, for they are extremely high and awesome novelties.

(The transcriber says: I heard from the mouth of Rav Naftoli of blessed memory that after Rabbainu o.b.m. told the story of the Seven Beggars, he praised its virtue exceedingly and said that one may travel to Brod and enter the synagogue and tell the attendant to gather the congregation for a sermon, and to strike on the table [as is the custom before a sermon to quiet the congregation], and to tell them this story.)

(5.) Pertaining to the conversations (Sichos HaRan §151), after the words "how exalted is their stature": Afterwards, on the first day of the week [Sunday], after midday, we stood before him, and he spoke with us. And in the midst of the conversation he said a witty remark about the sect etc. Afterwards he spoke about broad shoulders. Afterwards, from that conversation, it developed that he asked where we were up to in the story — and we answered him: Thursday. And then he told the Thursday episode [of the Seven Beggars] joyfully.

(6.) I heard from one man of our men who said that he heard from Rabbainu o.b.m. the story about the tzaddik who once fell into great sadness, and revived himself by recalling the greatness of the lovingkindness of Hashem Yisburach "who has not made me a gentile" — which is already printed in the Legendary Tales, see there — which was written as I myself heard it from his own holy mouth o.b.m. And the aforementioned man said that he heard this story from Rabbainu o.b.m. in a slightly different version.

And he said that Rabbainu o.b.m. told: There was one great tzaddik who was a master of self-accounting (m'marei d'chushbena), who reckoned with himself each day whether he had performed the service of G-d completely on that day as was always his custom, and he reckoned the things he needed to do on that day, and found that he had not fully discharged his obligation on that day. For example: he needed to walk back and forth within the house such and such a number of times, as was fitting according to his lofty attainment — and on that day he had not walked so much in the house as was proper for him. And through this he fell very low in his mind, to the extent that it was impossible for him to revive himself, until he revived himself by recalling that he had merited "who has not made me a gentile."

And also in the telling of the story there was a slight variation, and I no longer remember it more than this. And from this matter you will understand the extraordinary exaltedness of that tzaddik — how great he was in his level, that he had so elevated a service in the mere act of walking back and forth within the house — to the extent that through his having, as he reckoned, diminished somewhat in this service, he suffered so greatly that he was nearly unable to revive himself — had he not recalled "who has not made me a gentile." See and understand and behold the service of the tzaddikim and their anguish over their diminution in their service — how far, how far it reaches. Fortunate are they.

(7.) Pertaining to the matter printed at the end of the Legendary Tales [Sichos HaRan], which begins: "Know that there are two kinds of palaces — in one dwells a king and in one dwells a slave etc." — when one serves G-d and is still in the aspect of slave, he is still in the aspect of cursed, G-d forbid. And there is the aspect of slave in holiness, the aspect of Moses, servant of G-d. And know that there is a commandment through which one exits from the aspect of slave — and it is the commandment of redeeming captives.