Siman 61

(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.