מעשה ז-ממלך שכבש כמה מלחות וכו'

Every thoughtful reader will judge rightly that this is a wondrous and awesome matter — even though much is missing in it, as it is not fully told, as mentioned there. And within it is alluded the secret of Rebbe Nachman's holy journey to Navritch [Navritch — a town he visited under extraordinary circumstances], which was also an awesome and wondrous matter, as explained somewhat elsewhere. This story's narrative also touches upon the great controversy that was directed against him without cause, as is known. How wondrous is the matter of the mountain in this story — that none can ascend it except one who has all his teeth — and G-d brought about that an herb grew there, such that anyone who came near would have all his teeth fall out. Although the matter is wondrous and sealed, and we cannot understand at all the holy intention behind it — yet in this we have seen wonders. For we have heard from our elders who told us that several years before he told this story — when he was at the very beginning of the period when the controversy against him was beginning — he once spoke about this matter and said that he was not afraid of that person [the opponent], "for he himself showed me that he has no teeth in his mouth" — meaning, they had once met together and that person excused himself before him, saying that it was impossible for a man of his advanced age who had no teeth in his mouth to intend to increase controversy against him; and to prove this, he forcibly put Rebbe Nachman's finger into his mouth and showed him that he indeed had no teeth. (And there is a complete story to this, which may be told elsewhere.) And now, see and understand the depth of his thoughts in every utterance from beginning to end — for at that time the idea would not have entered anyone's mind that there was in those words a deep intention and wondrous secrets, for it seemed as though he was saying this in the ordinary way of human speech. Only after many years, when he told the matter of the mountain — it becomes retroactively clear that he had even then in those words a deep and wondrous secret. Although even now this entire matter is totally hidden and has no interpreter whatsoever. The general rule: every single word of his, of blessed memory, contains supernal secrets — and especially every single word in these Sipuray Maaseyos, as heard from his own holy mouth regarding this matter, and as explained elsewhere. And although we cannot understand at all even a fragment of the great wonders hidden within them, it is nonetheless understood and clear to all that they are exceedingly great wonders, and each matter and each episode is an extraordinary thing and a hidden mystery unto itself. This is understood also in this story — from the ordering of the narrative — beginning with the King, and immediately revealing his intention not to tell all and that [we] will not understand. And it then tells of the feast the King made, and the jest and komedye [theatrical performance] that was there, and then entering the story of the spider with the fly (which is an awesome and wondrous story, as we saw — the King himself was astonished by it and understood it was not an ordinary matter, as explained there). And he also abbreviated that story and did not wish to tell what happened with the fly — which is itself a wondrous matter. And afterward it tells of how the King drowsed over the book, and what he then dreamed, and the matter of the mountain that came to him and what the mountain told him, and so forth — all these are wondrous and awesome matters. And afterward it tells of what the King saw on the page that had protected him, and how it was written there the charter of Israel — and he resolved that he must certainly be an Israelite but what can be done to bring all of them back to the right path? And how he journeyed to seek a sage who would explain the dream to him, and how the King saw all that had transpired from beginning to end — all this is greatly abbreviated, as explained there.

All of it is wondrous and awesome. And so too the allusions at the end — how this matter is alluded to in Psalm 3, "A Psalm of David, when he fled from…" — all is wondrous and awesome. Would that we merit through all this to be aroused and strengthened in G-d's service as befitting — as Rebbe Nachman, the holy, of blessed memory, desired, which is the sole reason he told and revealed to our forebears and to us all these wonders, in such wondrous and awesome ways.

Before the soul of the true Tzadik, who is the true leader for the world, descends — a proclamation goes out in all the supernal worlds: whoever has any complaint against this soul should come forward. And presumably not one being will come forward to speak any complaint against such a holy soul.

In the meantime, the Ba'al Davar [the Adversary — i.e., the Samech-Mem, the Accusing Angel] himself comes and cries out: if this Tzadik comes into the world, what is there left for me to do, and for what purpose was I created in vain? For he will certainly bring the entire world back to the right path, and the entire world will be rectified through him completely. Then they answer the Adversary: this soul must certainly descend into the world. Figure out a strategy for yourself. And then the Adversary devises a strategy: this Tzadik will be permitted to descend into the world, yet his true light and the holiness of his righteousness will be very hidden and concealed from the world. Presumably the strategy involves establishing against him some "public figure" of the generation who will dispute this Tzadik and conceal his light with great concealment. And this opponent presumably has an acquaintance with the Adversary from before — for there have been many such stories throughout the ages, in almost every generation. Were it not for the Adversary strengthening himself so greatly in each generation to dim the light of the true Tzadik, the world would certainly already have been fully rectified. Yet even so: "Devise a plan — it shall be foiled" [Isaiah 8:10], and "Many are the thoughts in the heart of man, but the counsel of G-d — it will stand" — and the soul descends into the world, and although what passes over it passes over it, and were it not for G-d who was for us — nonetheless this Tzadik conquers many battles and ultimately the world will be completely rectified through him.