The pious view is that nothing happens except by Divine Providence. TOP OF PAGE Believing in the Story Religious storytelling relies on belief. However, even if a teller or listener is not sure a legend actually occurred he can still believe in the story, that it is a leaf from the Tree of Life and conveys the meaning of life. But both teller and listener must prepare and open their hearts to the tale's divine light and what God wants to reveal. TOP OF PAGE Stories Save Hasidim believe that stories can save.
Religious stories describe and lift a person's mind to a higher plane of reality.
Because mishaps, such as accidents or arguments, often occur due to a lack of awareness, the mental elevation imparted by holy storytelling protects a person from them, and, if a mishap does occur, he will understand it in a deeper way, perceiving its underlying divine purpose. Sacred storytelling can also mystically effect miracles of salvation, although the rebbes say that in order to save, a story must be told with faith and fervor. My grandfather, who was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, was lame. When asked once to tell a story of his master, he began to tell them how the holy Baal Shem Tov leaped and danced when he prayed, and as he recounted what he had seen, he stood up. And the story so aroused his fervor, that he began to show them by his own leaping and dancing how his master did it.