"A man comes to the Maggid of Koznitz saying he wants to discuss a spiritual problem. The Maggid says, 'Never mind the spiritual problem, what do you eat for breakfast?' And the man says, 'Just a little bit of gruel.' 'And what do you have for lunch?' 'A little thin soup.' Now this man was a very rich person — Shlomo Carlebach, of blessed memory, would have called him 'a millionaire.' And he talks about how he hardly eats anything. So the Maggid of Koznitz says to him, 'If you would like me to help you dealing with the matter of your soul and your spirit, I'll do this gladly. But first, you have a task to fulfill. Every day you must have a good goose for dinner, or a steak, and a really good wine.' And he tells him that he should eat a luxurious breakfast and so on.
"The disciples hear the Maggid talking to this man, and they can't believe their ears. A sinner is trying to atone for his sins, and the Maggid tells him to eat like that! So afterward they say to him, 'Rebbe, what kind of prescription is that?' And Maggid says, ' If he eats a little gruel in the morning, what do you think he gives to a poor person? If he eats well, he will give bread to the poor. But if he eats like the poor, he'll give them stones.' The real healing, the true penance, for this person was to help others as the prophet Isaiah (58: 6-8) declares: 'This is the way I want to fast: break bread with the poor, the downtrodden beggar take into your home; when you notice one who has nothing to wear, give him clothes.'
