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The Psalm-Singer
Not far from the home of the Baal Shem, there lived a wealthy Hassid who was renowned for his generosity. He had commissioned a famous Torah-scribe to write a Torah for the glory of God, and when the job was completed he threw open his mansion doors to the public to join him on this festive occasion. The festivities had gone on for a few days and his servants had to fight off sleep for three days and nights. Among them was a psalm-singer who was known for always reciting the words of David's songs as he worked. The psalm-singer, however, had fallen asleep through sheer exhaustion in his attic chamber. His master was outraged and shouted at him: "May the black year descend upon you". The house withered away around him and he suddenly found himself in a strange chamber with an enormous shimmering green oven in a corner. The Patriarchs sat around the oven together with King David, who demanded a just punishment for the rich man who had cursed the psalm-singer. But he recognised another person in the room, the Baal Shem, who courteously and respectfully reminded his Majesty of the story of Batsheba and Uriah. Nobody is faultless. King David realised the truth of the Master's words and the nocturnal trial ended with reconciliation: the Hassid was allowed to wake up in his own home.
"A Psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bat-sheva. Be gracious to me, 0 God, in keeping with Your kindness: in accordance with Your a6ounding compassion, erase my transgressions. Cleanse me thoroughly of my wrongdoing, and purify me of my sin... " (Psalm 51)
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