A Simple Act of Devotion

The Rizhiner was sitting one Sukkos when he suddenly burst out laughing. Such an outburst of mirth was quite unlike him, and his close followers were surprised. The Rizhiner explained that there was laughter and joy in Heaven at that moment, because a simple man had awakened great simchah above by a sincere act.

This simple Jew was hungry, but there was no sukkah in sight. How could he eat outside a sukkah? Suddenly he had an idea. He took off his hat and turned it upside down, so that the hole was on top and the brim served as walls. He gathered some straw for s'chach, and sat down to eat with a sukkah on his head. The act was so comical, yet so great, that in Heaven they laughed with delight, and so did the tzaddik.