Mitzvah Gedolah

Buchalter Rebbe in his younger pre -Shtreimel years

‘If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’.

These profaned words were uttered by the late Buchlater Rebbe, the Rebbe, Reb Lepke. (His close friends called him by his nick name, Nachman.)

Reb Lepke (Nachman) was walking down the street one day and had an epiphany. As he understood it, an epiphany was a disease of the uterus. He became very perplexed by this since as far as he could tell he had no uterus.

And then, for some inexplicable reason, he started laughing. He could in fact – NOT STOP!

While he was suffering this mal lady, he said to himself: ‘Why are you laughing so hard, Louie?!’ ‘You’re going to suffocate!’ ‘What in the heck is so funny, anyways?!’

Suddenly the Angel Gabriel appeared and said, ‘Na, Nach Nach, Nachma… NACHMAN!’  (Gabriel had a slight stutter.)

Nachman answered, ‘Yes? May I help you?’

Gabriel said, ‘Nachman, ‘This is your life. Be happy with you lot!’

OMG! It was at that point that the Rebbe said, ‘Aha! It really is my life!’ ‘I had always wondered whose life it was.’ He thanked the Angel Gabriel profusely and walked away happy. But still laughing uncontrollably.

Even though he was about to pass out due to laughing so hard he couldn’t breath, the Tzadik thought about how lucky he was to be surfing such a wild wave of happiness. Besides… it could have been worse. It could have been raining!

It turns out that an epiphany is not a disease of the uterus after all. It is a disease of the humerus. Which is the long bone in the upper arm. The power of the batteries in his hearing aid must have been low, Rebbe Nachman  thought - confusing humerus with uterus.

All the Meforshim ask, ‘Why was the pain in his humerus making him laugh so hard?’  They do not answer the question.

You can die laughing. But you don't die from a question. But if I may hazard a guess, he must have thought humerus was the funny bone which he believed is the source of all laughter.

Well... as we all know there is nothing funny about the ulnar nerve. But since his English was not so good he was confused. And that is really what made him laugh… and laugh… and laugh… and laugh… so hard that he finally passed out.

This explains why Buchalter Chasidim are so into Kiruv these days. And why it is they clap so long when the hear the name of Haman in the Magilla. (Which rhymes with gorilla if you think about it. Magilla Gorilla… Where have I heard that name???  But I digress.)  

this is when their great Rebbe  coined the phrase, If your happy and you know it, clap your hands. And now - because of those wise words he uttered to his Chasidim - who is happier than a Buchalter Chasid? They are ‘Killer Chasidim!’ ...living the dream!

Epilogue:

Just like their founder they laugh uncontrollably all the time. At the drop of a hat!  They love to laugh! And that’s why they finish the  Magilla reading on Purim so late (usually well after midnight). After which they too pass out and are instantly Mekayim the Mitzvah of Ad D’Lo Yada, Yada, Yada.

The moral of this story is  that you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes - you get what you need.

Hat tip: Elaine Benes and Michel Yeager

Please excuse all typos.