מעשה ו-מהמלך שהיה גבור ואיש אמת ועניו

This is also a wondrous story, as is clear to every thoughtful reader. And so too the allusions that follow it are wondrous matters. Incidentally wondrous things are alluded to within it — about the types of jest and katavis [comic performance, satire — used here to allude to a deeper concept] in the world, through which one can know and understand the essence of every matter. And that there exist many types of such performance. And the matter of how truth cannot tolerate falsehood. And the matter of how the land was so filled with lies, yet its king was so wondrously a man of truth, that his face had never been seen by anyone. And the sage who understood all of this, who praised and greatly magnified the king — through this he brought the king to such humility and smallness that he could not restrain himself, and removed the veil from his face to see who this one was who knew and understood all this — and thus the sage merited to see him.

See Isaiah 33: "He who walks in righteousness and speaks uprightly…who waves his hand away from holding bribes" and so forth — all this is the very opposite of the ways of the land in this story, where all were filled with falsehood and bribery — "He shall dwell in the heights, his stronghold shall be the rocky cliffs" — the aspect of the King who was exceedingly mighty, for he dwelt in the strength of a great man, as explained within. And it concludes: "Your eyes shall behold the King in His beauty; they shall see the land of far distances" [Isaiah 33:17] — as brought within, in the allusions at the end of the story. "The ways of Zion are in mourning" [Lamentations 1:4] — explained according to what our Sages derived on the verse "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty" [Psalms 50:2]: that from there [Zion] sinews went out to all the lands, and King Solomon was expert in them, and so forth. And here Rebbe Nachman, of blessed memory, hinted to us similarly regarding spiritual and exceedingly subtle matters — such as in the qualities and outlooks of human beings, who all differ from one another in their perspectives, especially the differences that exist between land and land as is known. But since every matter has some aspect of a root also in holiness, as explained in the holy books, therefore all was included in the holiness of Zion and Jerusalem — especially in the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash [the Holy Temple] and the Heichal HaKodesh [the Holy Sanctuary]. See Likutay MoHaRaN, Part I, the discourse "Chadi Rebbe Shimon" §61 — that the Even Shesiyah [the Foundation Stone] contained within it all the contractions of the world, and from it all intellectual powers [sechels] shone forth through which the contractions are sweetened — especially through the comprehensive intellect that encompasses them all, which is the aspect of the Holy of Holies. And this is the aspect of "The great one among the nations" — and our Sages expound: "great in outlooks" — "She who was ruler among the lands" [Lamentations 1:1], for she was inclusive of them all. And perhaps this is the aspect of what is explained in the story — that there is a land that encompasses all lands, and in that land is a city that encompasses all the cities of that land, and in that city is a house that encompasses all the houses of that city, and there is a man there — and so forth. The meaning is self-evident: this is the holiness of the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Beis HaMikdash, and ultimately the Tzadik who encompasses it all. This is hinted at in the words of our Sages — that when the men of the Great Assembly prayed to have the [evil] inclination delivered into their hands, "a lion cub of fire emerged from the Holy of Holies" [Talmud Yoma 69b]. As explained in Likutay MoHaRaN Part I §72, regarding the supernal yetzer hara [evil inclination] that has some aspect within the supernal holiness — and there it is only in the aspect of jest and katavis. And it is said of Yahu [the king] — "Serve him abundantly" — although he said this only in jest and katavis, he was nonetheless ultimately ensnared through it. And so too there is a level of katavis far lower than this — in the aspect of "Like a madman shooting firebrands" [Proverbs 26:18], and so on, lower and lower in degree. And similarly above, above, and so on without limit — for all human free choice concerns only the matter of katavis, for in truth the yetzer hara that seduces the person does so only in the way of katavis, its inner desire being that the person not heed it — as in the parable of the harlot in the holy Zohar. And similarly above, above, and so forth — for are not the very Gevuros [Severities] themselves Chassadim [Kindnesses] in essence? And this is the aspect of "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood" [Isaiah 5:18] — the aspect of the katavis above. And this is "Return, O Israel…for you have stumbled in your iniquity" [Hosea 14:2] — for had you known that the seducer's intention was only in katavis, you certainly would not have heeded him. Therefore, return henceforth in any case. And so it cascades from level to level downward until from this emerges the crude and thick yetzer hara that deceives the entire world with its foolishness and vanities — each land according to its aspect, and so each city and each individual. Through all this, the world becomes very far from the Holy One, Blessed is He, and none merit to see the face of the King of the Universe. Sometimes, because the land is filled with falsehood and the King is a man of truth, He conceals His face and is very hidden and covered and concealed from them — for "One who speaks falsehood shall not stand before My eyes" [Psalms 101:7]. And when a great sage comes who understands well all the falsehoods and frivolities of the land, and he comes before the King and describes all the falsehoods of the land and begins to greatly praise the King — that from this itself one sees that he is a man of truth — then, because the King is exceedingly humble, and it is the way of the humble that the more one praises and magnifies him, the more he comes into humility and smallness, as in "In the place of His greatness, there one finds His humility" — and because of the great praise with which the sage praised the King, the King came into such humility that he could not restrain himself and removed the veil from his face to see who this one was who knows and understands all this. Through this, the sage merited to see the King's luminous face. And this parable, beyond the great secrets alluded within it — even on its simplest level it is clear to every individual according to his own understanding.

"The ways of Zion are in mourning" [Lamentations 1:4] — explained according to what our Sages derived on the verse "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty" [Psalms 50:2]: that from there [Zion] sinews went out to all the lands, and King Solomon was expert in them, and so forth. And here Rebbe Nachman, of blessed memory, hinted to us similarly regarding spiritual and exceedingly subtle matters — such as in the qualities and outlooks of human beings, who all differ from one another in their perspectives, especially the differences that exist between land and land as is known. But since every matter has some aspect of a root also in holiness, as explained in the holy books, therefore all was included in the holiness of Zion and Jerusalem — especially in the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash [the Holy Temple] and the Heichal HaKodesh [the Holy Sanctuary].