A man once came to the Ba’al Shem Tov with a terrible problem. He told the Ba’al Shem Tov: “Rebbe, I have a problem. There are always bad thoughts in my mind. I don’t want to think about bad things, but I can’t stop. What should I do? No matter how hard I try, I cannot stop thinking about bad things.”
The Ba’al Shem Tov said: “Down the road lives Reb Chaim. Go to him. He can help you with your problem. I am sorry, but I can’t help you.”
So, the man left the Ba’al Shem Tov, and started walking down the street. He found Reb Chaim’s house, but the door to the courtyard was locked. You see, in those days most houses were not just open to the street. There was a wall around the house, and behind the wall was a courtyard.
The man knocked on the door to the courtyard, but there was no answer. He knocked a little louder and waited, but there still was no answer. He heard some noise coming from the courtyard, it sounded like there was someone sweeping.
The man knew that there was someone in the courtyard, because he heard a person sweeping, but why wasn’t that person answering the door, he wondered. The man waited a while, and then knocked on the door again. There still was no response.
The man waited a little longer, and finally Reb Chaim opened the door. The man asked: “Are you Reb Chaim?”
Reb Chaim answered: “Yes, I am Reb Chaim. How can I help you?”
“Well,” the man said. “The Ba’al Shem Tov sent me here, so that you would help me with my problem. But before I tell you my problem, I would like to ask you something. I came here a while ago and I was knocking for a long time. Didn’t you hear me knocking?”
“Yes, I heard you knocking,” Reb Chaim replied, “but I was not ready to let you in. I was in middle of sweeping, that is why I did not open the door.”
“I understand you were sweeping, but why couldn’t you let me in?” the man asked.
“Listen,” Reb Chaim said. “This is my house. I decide when to open the door, and when to close the door. I also decide who to allow in, and who to keep out—because this is my house, and my courtyard.”
The man then understood why the Ba’al Shem Tov had sent him to Reb Chaim’s house. Reb Chaim had made it crystal clear for him. The same way that Reb Chaim—or anyone for that matter—can control who or what enters his house, a person can control which thoughts come into his head.
No matter what bad thoughts wants to enter a person’s head, a person can always say, “Sorry, the door’s locked,” and not let the bad thoughts come in.
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