"It is essential that we prepare ourselves properly for what we are about to witness”

When Rav Moshe finally knocked on the sheik’s door on the third day, he felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion. The rigorous preparations he had undergone had sapped all of the strength from his body, and he had to use tremendous effort just to lift his fist.

“Wow.” The sheik’s eyes widened when he opened the door and stared at Rav Moshe. “You know something? I was not positive you would be able to undergo everything I had prescribed for you. But I did not make things harder just to put you through needless pain; it is the tradition passed down in my family that this is the necessary preparation for what we are about to do together. I always undergo this three-day rigorous process whenever someone comes to me for help. Sometimes I already know people are bound to come and undergo the process before they even get here. That way, I'm ready to access the family secret I am about to show you. It is such a holy and special thing that only the intense preparation you have gone through can allow you to see its special light.”

“Special light? Holiness?” Rav Moshe lifted his weary eyes in concern. “Let me ask you a favor before you show me anything. Tell me what we are about to do or see. I need to know this is not in a contradiction to my religion.”

“No, no! After all you have gone through to get to this moment, you cannot ruin the momentous occasion by my revealing anything to you before you experience it on your own. Do not worry. Now, are you prepared to follow me and discover the secret?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then come this way.” The sheik turned swiftly and led the tzaddik Rav Moshe to the back of his house and down a long and narrow passageway. At the end of the hallway there was a door which the sheik opened with a large silver key. The door swung open, revealing stone steps leading deep underneath the ground. Trembling with anticipation and a good measure of fear, Rav Moshe cautiously followed the sheik down the steps into the cool underground air.

“This way...” the sheik whispered, leading him down a maze of narrow passageways. “We are almost there.”

Finally, they reached another stairwell and began to ascend toward the light creeping underneath the doorway just ahead of them. The sheik withdrew another key and opened the doorway with a loud creak. Now they were standing outside in the sunlight in the most beautiful garden Rav Moshe had ever seen. Huge trees towered all around them, flowers of all types blossomed across the lush ground, and birds sang in the treetops. It was truly breathtaking.

“This is not our destination.” The sheik gestured for Rav Moshe to settle down beside one of the trees, and he took a seat next to him. “This is the final preparatory stage before we proceed into the final chamber. Here is where I sit when I undergo this procedure. This is the place where we must meditate and clear our minds. It is essential that we prepare ourselves properly for what we are about to witness.”