In a previous post we mentioned that sometimes a soul comes down to this world in under an interesting set of circumstances formulated to help them accomplish a particular Tikun.
A story to bring out this point:
There was a period of time where the districts surrounding the Ba'al Shem Tov were suffering from heavy drought. The Ba'al Shem directed his students to look for such and such a person in a particular town. They would be able to find him in a particular inn. This man had the keys to open up the gates of heaven and return the rain-fall.
When they arrived at the inn and asked about the man's whereabouts the innkeeper replied that while the man was a total lowlife and completely useless they would be able to find him near the fire. They inquired as to what the innkeeper meant by useless. They were told that this man rises early in the morning, dons his Tefilin, recites the first portion of Davening and then proceeds to drink himself into a perpetuated stupor that lasts the whole day until he blacks out. The next morning he repeats the process, and so is his life.
The Chassidim, although confused, did not forgo on their mission to receive a blessing from this man that the rain should return. They waited for him to rise and begin his prayers, and they confronted him just before he started to imbibe. They declared themselves students of the Holy Ba'al Shem and requested his blessing. Slightly perplexed, the drunkard gave his Brachah none the less and then continued on with his originally planned consumption.
The Ba'al Shem later explained that this man was, in his previous Gilgul, a tremendous Tzadik and Talmid Chacham. However, for a number of reasons he was often unable to put on his Tefilin for the start of Davening and often had to wait until further along in the service. He was therefore sent back down to this world in order to polish up this one, tiny blemish on his otherwise lofty soul. Thus he would arise, put on his Tefilin, Daven and lose the rest of his day.
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