The Vision of the Rashash

After Rav Mani's passing, a manuscript of one of his seforim was found. In it he had written, "I have accepted upon myself not to question the writings of the Divrei Shalom because of what happened to me." This is what had happened.

Rav Mani was once learning the Divrei Shalom with his colleague Rav Nissim Ini. They came to a difficult kabbalistic matter that the Rashash, Rav Shalom Sharabi, had discussed, and they read how the Divrei Shalom explained it. The author of the Divrei Shalom was a grandson of the Rashash. Rav Mani, with his deep knowledge, said, "This was not what the Rashash meant," and he went on to show what he took to be the true meaning of the Rashash's words.

The moment he finished speaking, Rav Mani lost his voice. He began to weep, and his lips formed the words of the vidui. After a short while his speech returned.

Rav Mani explained that while he was mute he had a vision of the Rashash. The Rashash said to him, "What right do you have to say that my grandson did not understand me? It is you who have misunderstood the great words of my grandson." Only after Rav Mani asked for forgiveness was he healed.