The Chassidic mentor of the original Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch, Rabbi Shmuel Gronem-Estherman, recalled the following story:
Once, a certain Jew came to the famed scholar and chossid, Rabbi Yitzchak of Homel, telling him:
“I have heard that Chassidic thought has the power to ward off extraneous thoughts. Please teach me Chassidus so I too will be guarded from these evil thoughts.”
Rabbi Yitzchak responded with the following allegory:
“It is known that in the king’s treasury there are an assortment of precious vessels and ornaments. There is even a shovel made of pure gold there. If someone were to take this shovel to clean fertilizer, clearly people would be upset at the impudence of using the king’s precious treasure for such a menial purpose.”
“While true that Chassidus can indeed ward of negative thoughts, it is akin to using the king’s shovel for a lowly end. The true purpose of Chassidus is infinitely greater!”
(Sipurim Chassidim, Vol. 1 Pg. 139)
While cleaning out our internal mud is not the ultimate purpose of Chassidus, it is also important to realize that just as cleaning the Temple was a holy service, so too cleaning our own minds and hearts so that G-d can reside in a revealed manner within us, is a tremendously important service of G-d as well.
