The Jewel in the Rubbish Bin

Chassidim once asked Rav Yisroel of Ruzhin why his father had chosen a path of pomp and ostentation, which seemed so dangerous. He answered with a parable.

"The Baal Shem Tov gave our patriarch, the Maggid of Mezritch, a precious jewel, the true path of Chassidus. The Maggid hid it in a fortress of Torah and tefillah, but the thieves from Above, the Satan and his followers, broke in to destroy it. My grandfather, Rav Avrohom HaMalach, polished the jewel and built it a fortress of holiness and purity, through fasting and self-denial. But the thieves did not give up. So my father devised a new plan. He hid the stone in a rubbish bin of pride, glory and honor. That hiding place proved much safer, because the thieves never expected to find a precious jewel there."