T248 PNC - Stories of the Deeds of Tzaddikim Are an Exceedingly Great Thing

Telling stories of the deeds of tzaddikim is an extraordinarily great thing — Rebbe Nachman says "davar gadol me'od." Here is why: when a tzaddik served Hashem during his lifetime, his service made an impression on the world. That impression doesn't disappear when the story is told — on the contrary, it is reactivated. As you tell over what the tzaddik did, the original impression of his avodah comes alive in the room and arouses the listeners' hearts to Hashem with intense longing. This is why Breslover Chassidim spend so much time telling stories of Rebbe Nachman, the Baal Shem Tov, Reb Noson — it isn't nostalgia or hagiography. The story-telling literally reawakens the spiritual force the tzaddik released into the world the first time he served Hashem.