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The World Is like a Wedding Feast: A Parable Tradition hen people come to a wedding, one person rejoices in the food he eats-in fish and meat and the like-while another rejoices in the music played on instruments, while still others find joy in other things. And there are those like the parents who do not turn their attention at all to the food and drink but who rejoice in the wedding itself. But no one can rejoice in all the various joys together. And even that person who rejoices in all these various things does not experience joy in all of them at the same time, but rather one at a time, consecutively.... But the wholeness of joy is known only by the person able to rejoice in all these goods together, simultaneously. (Likkute Moharan tinyana)l Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav, who related this parable, went on to explain that "only the person who looks above all the good things and considers the Root from which all the various goods are drawn" is able to rejoice in all the goods at the very same time. That is true because "there, at the Root, all is one." That higher Source transcends the divisions and differentiation and the utter variety of phenomena, sensations, and emotions that mark our own human level of experience. And among the examples of guests at a wedding and their diverse foci, there is one among them, presumably a holy man-a tzaddik (presumably Rabbi Nahman 109 The World Is like a Wedding Feast: A Parable Tradition hen people come to a wedding, one person rejoices in the food he eats-in fish and meat and the lil~e-while another rejoices -====;;;;;;1 in the music played on instruments, while still others find joy in other things. And there are those lil~e the parents who do not turn their attention at all to the food and drinl~ but who rejoice in the wedding itself. But no one can rejoice in all the various joys together. And even that person who rejoices in all these various things does not experience joy in all of them at the same time, but rather one at a time, consecutively.... But the wholeness of joy is l~nown only by the person able to rejoice in all these goods together, simultaneously. (Likkute Moharan tinyana)l Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav, who related this parable, went on to explain that "only the person who looks above all the good things and considers the Root from which all the various goods are drawn" is able to rejoice in all the goods at the very same time. That is true because "there, at the Root, all is one." That higher Source transcends the divisions and differentiation and the utter variety of phenomena, sensations, and emotions that mark our own human level of experience. And among the examples of guests at a wedding and their diverse foci, there is one among them, presumably a holy man-a tzaddik (presumably Rabbi Nahman 109 110 THE ttAflDIC PA~ABLE himselD-who fully attains a transcendental vision of the Divine Source of all that exists. The Bratslaver was not alone in employing the image of a wedding festivity in a parable. One notes the same image, for example, in a parable related by Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev in connection with a talmudic saying, "alma damya le-hilula" (the world is likened to a wedding feast).2 When one makes a wedding festivity for his son or daughter, he gathers all the townspeople and people of the surrounding area for a feast, preparing for them big meals with rich dishes and sweet drinks. Now, does it make sense for him to give his bread to strangers and to pour wine for them? Is the wedding not his own joyous event? And so wouldn't it be more fitting for him to eat and drink and rejoice without having strangers present at his joyous celebration? But [he does itbecausel the joy of the occasion is increased and enhanced through a joyous event with many invited guests. The host of the occasion, however, is busy all the days of the feast, working ceaselessly without rest, each day preparing all kinds of tasty dishes for the guests. And when will the host himself be able to rejoice? For it is most appropriate for him to rejoice, as the guests are present solely for the purpose of augmenting his own joy...

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