וְזֶה הָאִישׁ שֶׁבִּזָּה אוֹתוֹ מְאֹד בִּסְטַנְבּוּל נִפְטַר מִיָּד בְּבִיאָתוֹ לְבֵיתוֹ. The man who insulted the Rebbe so much in Istanbul died immediately upon his return home.
וְשָׁאַל הָאִישׁ הַנַּ"ל שֶׁהָיָה עִמּוֹ אֶת רַבֵּנוּ ז"ל: הֲלֹא כְּתִיב גַּם עָנוֹשׁ לַצַּדִּיק לֹא טוֹב? The Rebbe’s attendant asked Rebbe Nachman, “Is it not written, 'For the righteous to punish is also not good'?” (Proverbs 17:26; cf. Sanhedrin 105b).
וְהֵשִׁיב לוֹ מָשָׁל עַל זֶה: שֶׁהָיָה מֶלֶךְ אֶחָד, וְאָהַב אֶחָד מִבְּנֵי הַשְּׂרָרוֹת. וְחִבֵּב אוֹתוֹ, וְקֵרְבוֹ בְּכָל מִינֵי אַהֲבָה וְחִבּוּב. The Rebbe answered him with the following parable: Once there was a king who was very fond of one of the young princes. He showed the prince all sorts of affection, doing everything he could to attract him.
וְאַחַר־כָּךְ כְּשֶׁהִגְדִּיל, הֵעֵז נֶגֶד הַמֶּלֶךְ. The child became a young man. One day, he did something highly disrespectful to the king.
וְאָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ: "תֵּדַע, שֶׁאַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹהֵב אוֹתְךָ מְאֹד, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אִי־אֶפְשָׁר לִי לַעֲבֹר עַל דַּת וּמִשְׁפַּט הַמַּלְכוּת. וּמִשְׁפָּטְךָ חָרוּץ לְמִיתָה". וְתֵכֶף צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ לְסָגְרוֹ בְּכַבְלֵי בַּרְזֶל וּנְתָנוֹ בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר. The king told him, “No matter how much I love you, it is still impossible to go against the law of the kingdom. The judgment has been passed, and your sentence is death.” The king commanded that the prince be bound in chains and imprisoned.
וְהִתְחִיל זֶה הַבֶּן שְׂרָרָה לְצַיֵּר בְּדַעְתּוֹ הַיִּסּוּרִים שֶׁלּוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ מִן הַמִּיתָה, וּרְאֵה שֶׁצַּעֲרוֹ לֹא יֻמְשַׁךְ זְמַן הַרְבֵּה כִּי־אִם עַד שֶׁיֵּהָרֵג. The young prince began to think about his imminent death. In his mind, he could already feel the great pain he would suffer at the moment he would be killed. But he realized that this agony would only last an instant, and then he would be dead.
אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהִתְחִיל לְצַיֵּר בְּדַעְתּוֹ צַעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ, רָאָה שֶׁצַּעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ יִגְדַּל מְאֹד כִּי צַעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ יִהְיֶה תָּמִיד. כִּי הוּא יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ אוֹהֵב אוֹתוֹ מְאֹד וְיִהְיֶה לוֹ גַּעְגּוּעִים גְּדוֹלִים אַחֲרָיו, וְצַעַר גָּדוֹל מְאֹד לְעוֹלָם. וְהָיָה לוֹ רַחֲמָנוּת עַל צַעַר שֶׁל הַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹתֵר מִצַּעֲרוֹ. וְחָשַׁב מַחֲשָׁבוֹת אֵיךְ לְהַצִּיל אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ מִצַּעֲרוֹ. וְנִתְיַשֵּׁב כָּךְ: הֲלֹא בּוּשָׁה חֲשׁוּבָה כְּמוֹ מִיתָה. Then he began to imagine the anguish of the king. He knew that the king loved him very much and still yearned for his presence. He understood how much pain his death would cause the king, and that this anguish would last forever. The prince worried more about the king’s suffering than his own. He thought and thought about a way to spare the king this pain. Finally, an idea came to him: Shame is considered equal to death (Bava Metzia 58b).
וְצִוָּה לְהַשַּׂר שֶׁל הַתְּפִיסָה לְהַכְנִיסוֹ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ. וְאָמַר אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ: "הָאֱמֶת יָדַעְתִּי כִּי צַעַרְךָ גָּדוֹל מִצַּעֲרִי אַךְ אִי־אֶפְשָׁר לְךָ לַעֲבֹר עַל חָק וְדַת הַמַּלְכוּת. בְּכֵן זֹאת הָעֵצָה הַיְּעוּצָה: שֶׁתְּסַבֵּב תַּחְבּוּלוֹת, שֶׁיְּבַיֵּשׁ אֶחָד אוֹתִי בָּרַבִּים, וְהַבּוּשָׁה חֲשׁוּבָה כְּמוֹ מִיתָה. He asked the jail keeper to bring him before the king. Standing before the king, he said, “Truthfully, I know that your suffering is greater than mine. I also realize that it is impossible for you to ignore the law of your kingdom. But I think I know a way out. If you can arrange for someone to publicly shame me, the sentence will be fulfilled, for shame is equal to death.
עַל־כֵּן תִּרְאֶה לְהוֹצִיא מֵהַשְּׁבוּיִים גַּזְלָן אֶחָד שֶׁדִּינוֹ לַהֲרֵגָה, וַאֲנִי אֶתְגָּרֶה בּוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּכְעַס עָלַי וִיבַזֶּה אוֹתִי וְיַכֶּה אוֹתִי בָּרַבִּים, וְיַגִּיעַ לִי מִזֶּה בּוּשָׁה גְּדוֹלָה, וְיִהְיֶה נֶחֱשָׁב כְּמוֹ מִיתָה. “Bring me a prisoner who has already been condemned to death. I will provoke him until he becomes angry and publicly insults and beats me. I will be bitterly humiliated, and this will be the same as death.
וְאַחַר־כָּךְ יִקְחוּ אֶת הַגַּזְלָן הַחַיָּב מִיתָה בְּלֹא זֶה וִימִיתוּהוּ כְּדִינוֹ. וְהָעוֹלָם יִהְיוּ סוֹבְרִים שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁבִּזָּה עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְ הֶחָבִיב נֶהֱרַג, וְלֹא יִתְחַלֵּל כְּבוֹד הַמַּלְכוּת וְהָעֶבֶד שֶׁלּוֹ". “Then take this condemned criminal and execute him according to his sentence. The people will think that he was killed because he insulted one of the king’s favorite servants. In this way, neither the honor of the king nor his servants will be impinged.”
כָּךְ לִפְעָמִים אֶחָד מְבַזֶּה אֶת הַצַּדִּיק. וּבֶאֱמֶת הוּא עוֹשֶׂה טוֹבָה גְּדוֹלָה לְהַצַּדִּיק, כִּי מְכַפֵּר לוֹ עַל זֶה מַה שֶּׁהָיָה חַיָּב לְהִסְתַּלֵּק, וְנִתְחַלֵּף עַל בּוּשָׁה זוֹ. The same is true in this case, the Rebbe explained. A man might insult a tzaddik and without realizing it, be doing him a great service. The tzaddik may have been condemned to death for some misdeed. The shame he experiences might then take the place of his death sentence.
אַךְ אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵין זֶה כְּבוֹד שָׁמַיִם שֶׁלֹּא לִקַּח נְקָמָה מִזֶּה שֶׁבִּזָּה עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְ הֶחָבִיב לוֹ מְאֹד. וְלַעֲנשׁ אֶת זֶה שֶׁבִּזָּה אֶת הַצַּדִּיק בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה גַּם־כֵּן לֹא נִיחָא קָמֵהּ, כִּי גַּם עָנוֹשׁ לַצַּדִּיק לֹא טוֹב. Still, this tzaddik is a beloved servant of the king, and it is not fitting that the insult go unpunished. But to punish the man just for insulting the tzaddik is also not desirable, “for the righteous to punish is also not good.”
עַל־כֵּן הוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ מִסִּבּוֹת מִתְהַפֵּךְ, וּמַעֲמִיד עַל הַצַּדִּיק אִישׁ כָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב מִיתָה וָעֹנֶשׁ מִכְּבָר. וּמְזַמְּנָם שְׁנֵיהֶם לְפֻנְדָּק אֶחָד, וְזֶה מְבַזֶּה אֶת הַצַּדִּיק, וְהַצַּדִּיק נִפְטָר בָּזֶה מִן דִּינוֹ כַּנַּ"ל. וְזֶה הָאִישׁ נֶעֱנָשׁ אַחַר כָּךְ וְנִתְקַדֵּשׁ שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל כְּבוֹד הַצַּדִּיק נֶעֱנַשׁ. וּבֶאֱמֶת 'גַּבְרָא קְטִילָא קְטַל' כִּי כְּבָר הוּא חַיָּב עָנְשׁוֹ מִקֹּדֶם. Therefore, God brings it about that the man who insults the tzaddik should be one who has already been condemned to death. They may happen to be in the same inn (Makkot 10b), and this individual insults the tzaddik. The shame saves the tzaddik from a more permanent judgment. In order to protect the tzaddik’s honor, the other is then punished. The name of Heaven is thus sanctified (cf. Yebamot 79a; Sotah 8b) – but actually it was a dead man who was killed, for he was previously condemned.
וְדַרְכֵי ה' יְשָׁרִים וְלֹא עַוְלָתָה בּוֹ. Thus we see that God’s ways are straight (Hosea 14:10), and there is no unrighteousness in Him (Psalms 92:16).