מעשה ה-מבן המלך שהיה מאבנים טובות

This is also clear to every thoughtful reader — it is an awesome and wondrous story. And incidentally it alludes to "Hashem is for me, I will not fear; what can man do to me?" [Psalms 118:6] and to "Many are the thoughts in the heart of man, but the counsel of Hashem — it will stand" [Proverbs 19:21]. For precisely through the King's daughter having done sorcery upon him so that he became a metzora [afflicted with a spiritual skin ailment — here symbolizing a descent], thereby, when he was afterward healed, he became entirely of precious stones. And so forth. This is also a wondrous strengthening for the matter explained elsewhere — that sometimes the descent is the very purpose of the ascent — beyond all the many hidden matters within this story. See Sichos HaRaN §147, where there is an opinion that within this story are contained all the letters of the holy Name of 42 letters. And I have also heard it said in the name of some that this story is also connected to what is known about [Rebbe Nachman] himself having once fallen into water and nearly drowned.