Repentance and the Captive Prince
The rabbis of old taught that:
“In the place where those who return and truly repent stand, the purely righteous who have never sinned can not stand.” Beracho 34b
Story Tour
The teachings, thoughts and stories of a Maggid – Storytelling Rabbi
A Rock and the King’s Greatness
A king was traveling along the road leading a large group of advisors and knights. Their journey led them to the edge of a field that was surrounded by a fence. Since they were pressed for time, the king ordered that the fence be torn down so they could pass through.
The field was owned by a simple hard working villager. He did not know the king at all and thought that the men who had broken the fence to his field were a group of hunters. He became angry and threw stones and dirt at them; one of the stones struck the king in the head.
The simple villager was immediately seized by the king’s men and brought to trial. It did not take long for the court to reach a decision. The farmer was sentenced to death for his crime of rebelling against the king.
Seeing that the villager had entirely no grasp of just how serious his act had been, the king had mercy on him and annull the verdict.
The villager would not go unpunished, however, as the king ordered him to clean the streets of the capital city.
The man was first instructed to clean the streets that were quite a distance away from the king’s palace. Next he cleaned the areas immediately surrounding the palace, and ultimately the king’s courtyard. With each area that he cleaned, the villager began to understand the scale of the kingdom and just how powerful and awesome the king truly was. Having arrived at this understanding, it also dawned on him to what degree he had wronged the king and just how severe his crime had been.
When he had concluded his task, he turned to the minister in charge and requested that he bring him before the king so that he would be able to ask him for his forgiveness.
A man who sins does not have any understanding of Hashem’s greatness and therefore stumble and sins on occasion. Had he understood how powerful and awesome the Holy One, blessed be He is, he would plead and request for forgiveness for his soul.
May you be inscribed for a year of blessings, sweetness, success and health
May all your Tales end with Shalom
Repentance Out of Love
Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) is coming very soon. This is a time for all Jewish people to reflect and seek forgiveness for deeds of the past year. Repentance is the goal of every Jewish person during this time of the year. One can repent out of fear or out of love for the Holy One, blessed be He.
Repentance Out of Love
The rabbis of old taught that (Yoma 86b):
“Great is repentance out of love, for it turns sins into merits.”
Explaining the lofty level of repentance that is motivated by love of the Holy One, Blessed be He and why it is preferable to repentance motivated by fear of the Holy One, blessed be He is indeed a difficult task. It is brought down that once:
A thief came upon the idea to steal from the king’s treasury, and he spent many days figuring out how he could dig a tunnel beneath it. Having completed his passageway, he would enter and fill his sacks with the many treasures that lay inside the vast room. He finally worked out a plan and, one night, dug a tunnel.
His planning had not been exact enough, and instead of leading to the king’s treasury, the tunnel led into the great hall next to it. The thief entered the dark corridor and felt around, but did not find any riches at all. He was very disappointed and so he turned around and escaped before the sun came up.
That very same night, a different thief attempted to break into the king’s treasury as well. He, too, dug a tunnel, but unlike the first thief, he managed to successfully enter the treasury and fill his sacks with the king’s treasures. Before he left, however, he stopped for a moment and thought,
“How could I be so bold as to steal from the king himself? Why, I am obligated to honor him”
The thief emptied his bags completely and escaped to his home. When day broke, the king’s subjects noticed that there were two openings that were dug into the palace walls, but the careful investigation revealed that not a thing was missing from the treasury.
The king very much wanted to know the reason behind this strange occurrence, so he ordered that a full investigation be made by his trusted sheriff. In a very short time, the king’s sheriff brought the two thieves before him, and the king interrogated them, asking them to explain their actions. “I will not deny it,” said the first thief. “I entered the king’s treasury but did not find a thing. Since I feared that daybreak was near, I escaped in order to save myself.” The king immediately ordered that the thief be taken to the dungeon.
“I,” confessed the second thief, “entered the treasury and even took whatever I could. Suddenly I realized and understood that what I was about to do was a very bad thing which was an insult to the king’s honor. Out of love for the king, I decided on the spot to not follow through with this wicked deed.” When the king heard this, he sent the man home and even granted him many gifts.
So, too, in relation to repentance, it is a great honor to the King of the World when a person repents out of love!
LaShanah Tovah
Rosh HaShanah is just a few days away. People all around the world are trying to make amends for mistakes of the past year.
May all your Tales end with Shalom
Vote on this post on Jblog
Counting the Omer: Simple Math
Knowledge of the physical sciences was never considered to be a deterrent from the studt of Torah (Scriptures). Some of our greatest sages, from the Talmudic era to our own generation, were extremely well versed in mathematics and the sciences. Works on these subjects by ibn Ezra, Maimonides (RaMbaM), Zacuto, and the Gaon of Vilna are consulted to this day and demonstrate their vast knowledge.
The haskalah (Enlightenment) movement tried to undermine traditional Judaism and the study of Torah by introducing secular studies in all Jewish educational institutions, and they tried to use mathematics as a way of getting a foot in the door. The rabbis were against the education as presented by the maskilim. While they had no problem with the study of mathematics, they knew this was only a trick to destroy the traditional religious cheder (classroom).
One member of the haskalah movement argued with the rabbis, saying that the knowledge of mathematics would not affect anyone’s Jewishness in the least. One of the rabbis challenged him: “Then let me ask you a simple arithmetic question. How many days is it today in the counting of the Omer (days between Pesach and Shavuos)?”
When the maskil was unable to answer, the rabbi said, “See, with all your enlightenment, you don’t even know simple Jewish arithmetic.”
haYom esra yamim sh’hem shevu’ah echad v’shelisha yamim l’omer
Like a Rose Among the Thorns
Shir haShirim, The Song of Songs is read in many Synagogues on Shabbos Chol haMoed.
Sometimes the meanings of the words are hard to understand. The verse says: Like a rose among the thorns (2:2), but what can this mean?
One may think that tavern would seem to be a most unpromising place in which to serve one’s Maker. So, at least, was the conflict that raged inside a simple Jewish tavern keeper who came to pour out his heart to the holy rabbi who was visiting the village. Since he earned his living by pouring drinks for all kinds of vulgar people, and had no choice but to hear their coarse language and see their improper behavior, he was afraid that he might become common by his contact with them.
The holy rabbi smiled and said: ”It seems that you want to fulfill your function of being faithful and proper by being given a sack full of gold coins, being seated in a clean and splendid palace, dressed in silken garments with an impressive fine hat upon your head, with shelves on all sides filled with holy books — and then you will be able to serve the Almighty with your prayer and study proceeding from a clear and pure mind. But you may take my word for it: if the Holy One, blessed be He wants individuals to serve Him without any distractions or obstacles — why, for that he’s got hundreds of thousands of angels! The real delight that He finds in This World comes from those who are surrounded on all sides with difficulties and hardships, until it almost seems to them that they have been forced into a gutter — and even with this their minds cleave firmly to their Creator, and they anxiously yearn for the happy opportunity of one single moment when they’ll be able at last to address just a few words to Him. This longing no angel can experience! Do not complain about your livelihood. On the contrary, give thanks to Him for having given you the privilege of serving Him in this manner — to stand all day long in a place of impurity, and yet in your heart of hearts to cling to the wellspring of holiness and faith!”
And whoever elaborates on the story is praised
And whoever elaborates on the story is praised…
Whoever tells at length about the leaving from Egypt, increases his own praise, because the more one recognizes and appreciates the great miracles performed on his behalf, the more his own worth becomes apparent.
It once happened that….
A ship transported many merchants to a distant land to sell their wares. The ship’s passengers included all sorts of merchants, each with his own merchandise: flour, fabrics, art objects, and precious stones.
Out at sea, a pirate vessel approached the ship. The pirates commanded the ship’s captain to veer from his course and follow their vessel, as a captive ship.
Fear descended upon all the ship’s passengers, for the pirates were infamous for their cruelty.
The fearless captain immediately gathered his crew together and told them how to behave at this difficult time. The sailors obeyed his orders. Some climbed up the main mast and stretched out the sails. Some stood on the deck, swords and boarding hooks in hand, and some descended to the belly of the ship and from there, fired cannons at the pirates’ ship.
When the pirates saw the captain’s and sailors’ courage and heard the sound of cannons exploding, they turned around and hastily sailed away.
Although surely all of the merchants felt great happiness, this was not felt equally by each and every one of them. The relief of a merchant whose sacks of flour have been saved cannot be compared to the rejoicing of one whose precious jewels have been saved.
And even without knowing which merchant possessed the most valuable cargo, one could guess it by seeing which merchant most abundantly expressed his relief that the ship had been saved. The more elaborate the merchant’s appreciation of the rescue, the more valuable his wares.
So too it is as the haggadah says, “and whoever elaborates on the story is praised.” When a person elaborately recounts the story of the leaving from Egypt, he reveals true faith and, “makes a joyful sound unto the L-rd.
The King and Wall
The hagaddah says:
“…even if we were all wise, all of us clever, all elders of our people, all fully versed in the Torah, we would still be obligated to recall the leaving from Egypt.”
It is the retelling of the story and the strengthening of faith that will bring us closer to the time when we will no longer be slave.
There was once a city that was very well fortified. It was enclosed by a thick stone wall, thought to be impenetrable.
A wise king decided to conquer this fortified city. After inspecting the fortifications, he sent his mightiest soldiers to bring down the wall and attack the city. These soldiers fell.
He next sent a second wave of less mighty soldiers, and then a third wave, and so on. Before long, his entire army had been depleted and the wall had not come down.
But the king did not give up. Once again he circled the city, inspecting its walls “How can you expect to capture this city if all your mighty soldiers are gone?” he was asked. The wise king smiled. “If you look closely, you will see that though the soldiers could not breach the wall, they did succeed in cracking and weakening it. It is no longer strong and impenetrable. Now, with even the weak and wounded I can bring down the wall.” The king then sent his few remaining and weakest soldiers into battle and conquered the city.
Though the armies of the King did not succeed in bringing the Mashiach, all the great Tzaddikim of the previous generation did succeed in cracking the wall.
A Rabbi’s Holy and Simple Seders
One Passover, a rabbi conducted his first Seder with great spiritual inspiration. He carried out each of the Kabbalistic intentions and felt as if he were soaring through the heavens. He never remembered carrying out such an exhilarating Seder.
On the following night, he rabbi lay down to rest after the evening prayers to gather his strength. Suddenly, he was overcome by a deep sleep. Without realizing, he slept for several hours, waking only a half hour before midnight.
The rabbi was accustomed to finish the afikoman before midnight on the second night as well and, therefore, had to rush through the entire Seder. He had no time for mystic thoughts. With little more than the simple meanings of the words in mind, he read the Haggadah and ate the matzah, maror, and afikoman.
He felt crushed, How could he have conducted such a Seder, particular after yesterday’s heights?
After Pesach, the rabbi went to visit his master and teacher in a faraway city. When the rabbi greeted his teacher, his teacher replied:
”I watched your Seders, my student. The first night, shockingly low, soaring through the heavens, pheh…
“The second night, wonderful. The simple meaning of the Haggadah, the earnest desire to fulfill G-d’s command. How could anyone conduct a holier Seder!”
The Simple Seder is the Greater Seder
One Passover, after the conclusion of the Seder, the holy Rebbe of Berditchev felt very satisfied. He had fulfilled all the Passover mitzvos carefully and carried out all the mystic intentions associated with them. As he reviewed his behavior, his thoughts were interrupted by a heavenly voice:
“Don’t be so proud of your Seder. In your city, there is a poor Jewish water carrier whose Seder far surpassed yours.”
Disturbed and curious, the Rebbe dispatched some of his students to bring the water carrier to him. Despite the lateness of the hour, the students set out to fulfill their teacher’s request. Unfortunately, the water carrier was not a known person in the village and none of the students were sure where he lived.
After a considerable search, the students located the water carrier’s home and knocked at the door. Somewhat astonished to see the Rebbe’s attendants arrive at her home so late at night, the water carrier’s wife opened the door.
When the students asked to see her husband, she shyly answered “He can’t speak to you now.”
“But the Rebbe wants to see him,” they insisted.
Realizing that they would not take no for an answer, she pointed to their bedroom. “There he is, lying on the bed. He’s stone drunk. What could the Rebbe want from him?”
Without pausing to answer, the students approached the sleeping water carrier and tried to wake him. Unable to rouse him, they were forced to carry him to the Rebbe. In the holy rabbi’s presence, the water carrier began to come to his senses. When the Rebbe looked him in the eye, he began to cry continuously.
With soothing words, the Rebbe gently calmed his guest. When he regained his composure, the holy rabbi asked him: “Tell me about your Seder.”
Again the water carrier burst into tears. After calming him once more, the Rebbe assured him there was no need to worry. His Seder had found favor in G-d’s eyes and he, the holy rabbi, wanted to learn from it.
Stuttering, his words interrupted by occasional sobs, the water carrier began to tell his story:
“There’s one custom which I have adopted that I follow loyally. Each morning after prayers, I take a little vodka and say l’chayim to to the Holy One, blessed be He.
“This morning, after following my daily custom, it occurred to me that since I wouldn’t be able to drink alcohol for the next eight days, I should say I’chayim for the entire holiday. Without thinking much longer, I downed eight more l’chayims. My head became groggy and I went to sleep.
“I slept very soundly without realizing how the hours passed by. At nightfall, my wife tried to wake me to go to shul, but I couldn’t get out of bed. When everybody was coming home, she tried to wake me again, but I just turned to the other side.
“She waited a little longer, then, came to wake me a third time. Shaking me with all her strength, she cried: “Husband! It’s Pesach! What about the seder? All the Jewish people are celebrating the holiday. What about us?’”
“I felt terrible. She was almost crying. Summoning whatever strength I could, I stumbled to the table and began to speak: “I am a simple person and my father was a simple person. I can’t read Hebrew and don’t know what we’re supposed to say now, but I know one thing about Passover. Our ancestors were slaves to the Egyptians and God took them out of exile. We’re in exile again now. May G-d redeem us very soon.”
“Afterwards, I noticed that my wife had prepared matzos, wine, eggs, and some vegetables on the table. I drank the wine, ate the food, and went back to bed. That was my Seder.”
The holy Rebbe of Berditchev again assured the water carrier that his Seder had been accepted by G-d and asked his students to take him home. When they returned, he told them: “The few words he said, he said with all his heart, and therefore. G-d appreciated his Seder.”
This year, we are slaves…
The haggadah says, “This year, we are here; next year, in the Land of Israel. This year, we are slaves; next year, free men!”
We are still in exile today. The exile of Egypt was a difficult one, with bricks, mortar, and back breaking work. While today’s is one of abundance and wealth, so much so that sadly, people often do not realize that they are still in bitter Exile. It is like:
A prince rebelled against his father. The irate king exiled his son to a place far from the palace, decreeing that the rebellious prince must do hard labor and working with is hands.
Now the prince had never done any work at all, and he was completely unaccustomed to hard labor and working with is hands. He immediately sent his father a letter, begging for forgiveness and promising faithfully that he would never again do anything to challenge or disrespect him.
The letter touched the king’s heart, and he granted to the prince’s request and returned him to the palace as before.
Sadly, after a while, the prince forgot all that had happened and again rebelled against his father. The angry king exiled the prince once again, to the same land and to the same hard physical work.
When the king’s son saw that he was truly in a terrible situation, he wrote to his father once more, begging for mercy and forgiveness, and promising that he would never repeat his wicked actions.
The king received this letter and thought to himself, “My son writes to me now only because he finds himself in great distress, and not because he truly wishes to he close to me. If I forgive him and return him to the palace, he will once again sin against me.
“So instead, I will release him from the hard physical work in his exile—but not return him to the palace. Instead, I will support him there, in his exile, bountifully and pleasantly. Now, if my son truly wishes to return to my home, he will send me a letter with that request. But if he does not send me such a letter, I will know that he is not really devoted to me, and that all of his requests to return stemmed only from the hardships that he suffered there.”
When the Jewish people were in Egypt, the Egyptians burdened them with hard labor and working with is hands. The Jewish people cried out to Hashem, Who hurried to redeem them and take them out of Egypt. Sadly, after the Jewish people returned to the Land of Israel, they sinned against Him. As a result, the Holy One, blessed be He exiled them among the nations, where today many of them enjoy pleasant and easy lives.
If, from this comfortable exile, the Jewish people still cry out to Hashem and beg to return, this is a clear sign of their sincere, desire for Hashem’s love, But if they do not ask to return from this exile, it is a sign that they seek only a life of ease and comfort.
Subscribe
-
This project is part of a 501(C)(3)nonprofit organization, Project Shalom, that depends upon public support.
-
- Repentance and the Captive Prince
- A Rock and the King?s Greatness
- Repentance Out of Love
- Prayer ? A Matter of Life and Death
- Elijah and the Three Sons Who Watched in the Garden
- The Debtors
- King for a Year
- Rabbi to Present at NewCAJE Conference
- Prayer and the Safe
- Pride ? Twice Sewn Suit
JBlog Central
