Others Should Also Be able to Help

Posted on Wednesday, 8, February, 2023 by Rabbi

In Jewish law and tradition, redeeming a captive (pidyon shevuyim) is the highest form of charity. The code of Jewish law says that “there is no mitzvah as great as pidyon shevuyim. (Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 252:1).”

There was a very wealthy man who was respected by many in the village. Once on a journey to collect much needed funds, Tam and Chacham came to him for a donation in order to ransom people who had been seized and unjustly held in prison by the authorities.

“How much do you need?” the wealthy man asked.

“We need three hundred silver coins” the rabbis answered.

The wealthy man left the room and came back with a pile of silver coins. “Here are two hundred and ninety silver coins,” he told them. “You can collect the rest in town.”

“Why only two hundred and ninety?” Tam and Chacham asked. “If you have given us so much, why not add another ten silver coins and spare us going through town like beggars and being humiliated in the process?”

“The Mishnah says: “One who gives, but does not want others to give, has an evil eye for others”’ (Pirkei Avos 5:13), because such a person doesn’t want them to share in the mitzvah (a commandment commanded by to be performed as a religious duty, a good deed),” explained the wealthy man. “I want others, also, to have a chance to participate in this very special mitzvah .”

The wealthy man wished Tam and Chacham success on their journeys and they left one another in peace.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

Hide and Seek A Game of Faith

Posted on Monday, 6, February, 2023 by Rabbi

One day the son of the holy rabbi of the village was playing hide-and-seek with another boy. The holy rabbi’s son search for a while before finding a good hiding place. He settled down waited for the other boy to find him. After a short time, he peeked out of his secret hiding place, saw no one, and went back into his hiding place. The rabbi’s son began to pray saying, “You are my hiding-place and my shield; I hope in your word.” (Psalm 119:114)

After waiting a very long time, the rabbi’s son came out of his hiding place, but the other boy was nowhere to be seen. He searched for the othger boy for some time, but he could not find him. Sadly, the holy rabbi’s son realized that his playmate had not looked for him from the very beginning. Crying, he ran to his father and told him how hurt he was that his friend had abandoned him.

The holy rabbi listened to his son and truly felt his pain. Tears flowed from the rabbi’s eyes as he realized that the Holy One, blessed be He says the same thing: “So very few want to faithfully seek Me.”

The holy rabbi took his son in his arms and held him close as he explained, using the words of King David, “You are a hiding-place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7)

May all who seek find strength in their faith and may everyone find their spiritual path.

Job 5: 8-8

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

A Path of Return and Forgiveness

Posted on Thursday, 8, December, 2022 by Rabbi

A holy rabbi was feeling tired and run down so he decided to follow the advice of his doctor and went to a seaside spa. A grandson of a famous rabbi was living there. He had been caught in the net cast by the Maskilim (the Enlightened modernizers of Judaism) and had strayed from the path of his fathers. When the holy rabbi heard about him, he sent for him and invited him to come to and visit him in his home. He promised that all his expenses would be taken care of, and the young man agreed.

He had sat at the rabbi’s table only a short time when he completely repented his past misdeeds. One day, however, the holy rabbi noticed that the young man was looking depressed, and asked: “My son, what is troubling you? If it is your sins, remember- that the turning makes up for everything.”

The young man answered: “Why should I not be troubled? After repenting I keep returning to sin over and over again as a dog return to his bone – and how can I know whether my repentance is still accepted?”

The holy rabbi touched his arm and said: “Have you ever wondered why we read in the shemoneh esrei the prayer S’lach Lanu: “‘Forgive us our Father for we have sinned, pardon us our King for we have willfully transgressed, for You pardon and forgive. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who is gracious and ever willing to forgive.’ Would it not be enough to write: `You forgive .and pardon? But just as it is man’s way and impulse to sin and sin again and again, so it is G-d’s way and his divine compulsion to forgive and pardon again and again.”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Chanukah Stories

The Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown On December 18, 2022.

Most people in the Jewish communities throughout the world can rattle off a list of Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah each night; playing dreidel games; eating foods cooked in oil (latkes and Sufganiot); and exchanging gifts.

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

The Story Tour Blog has grown to over 600 short stories about faith. Many visitors to the Story Tour Blog have requested that the stories be gathered together into a book. 72 (4 times Chai) of these special tales are now available in the storybook, Story Tour: The Journey Begins, that would make a special gift for Chanukah.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

ORDER YOURS TODAY

Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from:

the publisher, Xlibris

Barnes & Noble

Booksamillion

and

Amazon

A Daughter’s Memory

Posted on Monday, 5, December, 2022Wednesday, 2, August, 2023 by Rabbi

She was traveling to far away places, trying to find herself. She had a loving family and could not wait to tell them of her adventures. One day she received a letter from her mother that forever changed her life. Her father died in a tragic accident.

She sat devasted thinking, she was too young to be without a father, and yet she was.

He was too young to die, and yet he did.

All the answers to all the questions she hadn’t asked him, were now lost forever, because she believed he would always be there for her

She closed her eyes and in her mind’s eye she saw him, old but never frail, many years from now, always ready whenever she needed him to console her, advise her, disapprove of her latest boyfriend.

Instead, she found herself journeying back home, unable to stem the flow of tears that seemed to come without her even realizing it half the time.

she cried constantly, not eating because in her grief she wasn’t hungry. It seemed the closer she got to home the darker the world became, and she cried more.

The sun was out in full force, such a lovely day it angered her, it should have been pelting down with rain, hail, thunder, something to match the storm going on inside, but nothing, and so she cried some more.

People gathered in full force to come and say goodbye, and she saw people she never knew crying for beloved father, so many people, the casket was lowered into the grave and her heart seemed to sink into the earth at the moment. She was so glad for the many people that shared this pain with her, it is so heavy upon her shoulders she needed others to carry her for a while.

In the days after the funeral, the fog of grief and sadness slowly cleared and she began to feel like herself. At times, she was angry at him for leaving, even though he never wanted to leave. Mostly, she was angry at herself for letting so many so many opportunities to spend time with her father, learn from him, talk to him.

She won’t get another chance to do so, but she can still hear him talk to her, she knows what he would say when she makes unwise decisions or when she just needs advice. Her father’s voice now has more authority than ever, because she has a debt to pay to him, she owes him big time.

A thing like this rips your heart. It is unexplainable in words alone, unless you have been there yourself. A person can imagine the pain of losing someone they love, but reality surpasses all imagination, and how she wishes it wasn’t so.

Her father loved to talk, discuss, and teach, he would get you into a conversation and before you knew it was the wee hours of the morning, your cheeks burning, your mouth yawning but your mind still racing to keep up with him and his arguments.

Her father taught her to question things, to not take anything for granted, to strive to be a better person, and she wanted to tell you he was here, sorry you missed him…

May all your tales end with Shalom (Peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

Alexander the Great and the Wisdom of a Youth

Posted on Sunday, 27, November, 2022 by Rabbi

Some believe that Alexander the Great is referred to in the prophesy, “Then a warrior king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and take action as he pleases. And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided towards the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these.” (Daniel 11:3-4).

In a later text it is noted, “After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated King Darius of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king.” (1 Maccabees 1:1)

He was honored by a visit from the Kohain gadol (High Priest) as reported, What did he do? He donned the priestly vestments and wrapped himself in the priestly vestments. And the nobles of the Jewish People were with him, with torches of fire in their hands…When Alexander saw Shimon HaTzaddik, he descended from his chariot and bowed before him. His officers said to him: Should an important king such as you bow to this Jew? He said to them: I do so because the image of this man’s face is before me on my battlefields, when I fight I see his image going before me as a sign of victory, and therefore I know that he has the highest level of holiness.” (Yoma 69a)

“Alexander of Macedon asked the Elders of the Negev about ten matters.” (Tamid 31b) The wise men mention that when Alexander reigned all the sages appeared before him to speak and debate after their fashion, each one according to his own language and clarity of thought. When they had all gathered together in their house of prayer, the king said: “Choose one among you and let us hear what he has to say.” Then a young man among them rose to speak and Alexander said: “Good youth, go back to your place for you are but a boy, and let someone older than you speak!”

The young man answered: “May the Holy One, blessed be He grant you success, your majesty! You should know, indeed, that man distinguishes himself in his heart and speech, and when the Holy One, blessed be He grants His servant a clear tongue and a heart that does not forget, then it is fitting for him to speak, as it is for a man to be brave. And if he were chosen by his years in order to reign over all these masses by length of days, then surely there would be somebody among them who is better fitted to reign than you are!”

To which they all responded: “You are right, good youth.”

Based on Ben haMelech v’haNazir VII (13^th Cent)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

An Egg and Tzedakah – Charity

Posted on Thursday, 24, November, 2022Thursday, 18, April, 2024 by Rabbi

A Certain man had been wicked all his life long. When he was about to die, his family said to him: “Why do you refuse to eat?” “If you give me a boiled egg,” said he, “I shall eat it.” But before he could eat it, a poor man came to his door and cried: “Give me charity!” Then the sick man said to his kinsfolk: “Give him the egg!” So they gave the egg to the poor man. Now this egg was the only act of charity he had ever performed.

Three days later the sick man died, and his sons buried him. In due course the dead man met his son, who asked him: “Father, how are you in the world to which you have gone?” His father told him: “Make it your practice to perform charity and you shall gain the life of the world to come! For all my life long the only act of charity I performed was the egg that I gave to the poor man. Yet when I departed from your world, that egg outweighed all my transgressions, and I was admitted to Paradise.”

Of him it is said: Never refrain from doing good!

Chibbur Ma’assiyos 6-7

HUEVOS HAMINADOS

(Sephardic Eggs)

INGREDIENTS

1 dozen eggs		1 -2 garlic clove, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon pepper		1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt		1 teaspoon vinegar
5-6 yellow onion skins, the outer layers (the more, the better!)		Sliced onions (from the skinned ones)

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients into a pot or crock pot and cover well with lukewarm water.

Bring water to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to very low. Cook for at least 5 hours or (preferably) overnight. As water evaporates, more can be added.

After the eggs have been cooking for several hours, you can gently tap the shells with a spoon to crack them, and continue to cook. This will cause a beautiful, marbled color to form on the egg whites.

Drain the eggs, rinse the shells and refrigerate until ready to use.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two.

Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

A Matter of Perspective

Posted on Tuesday, 22, November, 2022Thursday, 7, September, 2023 by Rabbi

One day a rich man received a letter from his son who was studying in another city. Being occupied, he asked his secretary to read it to him. The secretary, who was in a bad mood, read in a disagreeable irritable way, “Father! Send me some money right away. I need a new pair of shoes and a coat.”

When the father heard what his son had written, he cried out, “That insolent ingrate! How dare he write in such a disrespectful manner to his own father! He won’t get one copper coin from me!”

A little later, when the secretary had gone away, his wife entered. “Just see what kind of letter our precious son writes!” the aggrieved father remarked, handing his wife the letter.

When she saw her son’s handwriting her mother’s heart melted, and she began to read the letter aloud in the tender, supplicating voice she used at prayer, “Father! Send me some money right away. I need a new pair of shoes and a coat.”

“Well! That’s different!” cried the father. “Now he’s asking like a gentleman!

I’ll send him the money right away.”

People strive to learn and live according to Torah. Speech is a true test of a person’s feelings. It is taught that is acquired and learned “By study, Attentive listening, Proper speech, By an understanding heart” (Pirkei Avos 6:6)

The way a message is received can affect a person’s perspective and color their responses.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two.

Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

He Who Turns Against a Friend in Distress

Posted on Wednesday, 9, November, 2022 by Rabbi

A certain man was condemned to death and led out to be stoned. Large stones were thrown at him but he remained silent, for he saw that evil had befallen him and that no outcry would help him or free him. But one of his close friends passed by and picked up a little stone and tossed it at him to show that he had never been one of his companions and had never listened to him. When the stone struck the man and he thought how the other had turned against him in his distress, he burst into a great and bitter outcry.

“Go and ask him,” said the king to one of his servants, “why he cried when a little stone hit him but remained silent at all the great big stones?” The condemned man answered: “Your majesty, when many large stones were flung by those who did not know me I kept still, but when a small stone hit me from a good friend I have to cry out for I remember how he was my companion at play and how he has now turned away. For now I see “even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.” (Psalm 41:9). Indeed, I find that death is sweet, and that is why I cried out.”

Then the king took pity on him and remembered that “every friend declares friendship, but there are friends who are friends in name only.” (Ben Sira 37:1) The king promptly ordered him to be released and free, saying: “Were it not that no man may be sentenced to death without clear and definite evidence, I would have stoned his comrade who turned against him in his distress.”

Mishle ‘Arav in haLevanon II 208 (13^th Cent)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

The Falcon, the Eagle, and the King

Posted on Tuesday, 1, November, 2022 by Rabbi

Once upon a time there was a great king whose ministers and governors and followers did not honor him. Now he had raised a falcon from a chick and trained it to hunt. It ate of his food and dwelled in his bosom because he loved it so greatly. In the third year of his reign he wedded and made a feast for all his ministers and attendants, his horsemen and his riders, and he placed the falcon in front of him to display it. The falcon saw an eagle flying to take a fluttering chick, and the falcon grew enraged and flew aloft and trod the eagle underfoot. Then it returned to its master the king, thinking he would approve of his deed. But the king stretched out his hand and took him and twisted his neck.

All the ministers were astounded and said nothing but were very upset. Then the king said to them: “Do not be angry or feel distressed at heart. It is abiding law that none shall act against the anointed one and escape unharmed. For the eagle wears the crown of majesty and rules over all creatures that bear wing and is the king of all who fly. Anyone who rebels against him will have his head crushed. And let that law prevail against every man who holds his king in low esteem!”

Then those who were present were amazed at his cunning and wisdom, and he was feared by all who dwelt in his kingdom.

Kaftor va-Ferach 25 (1322)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

The Honey in Mead

Posted on Saturday, 29, October, 2022 by Rabbi

There once was a man who searched for a good livelihood and so he asked many merchants and businessmen what he should do. He was advised to learn how to make mead, since people like to drink mead. So he went to the big city and had an experienced mead master teach him the principles of making mead. Then he returned home and began to make mead. When the mead was ready – as was the custom – he arranged a mead feast and invited many people who he thought, would spread the. fame of his mead. When the mead was brought to the table and the cups filled, the guests tasted it. They made wry faces, for the mead was bitter and undrinkable.

The man returned to the mead master and angrily demanded, the return of the money he had paid. The brewer asked him whether he had used the right amount of all the ingredients, and the. man answered yes to every question in a furious voice. Finally, the mead master asked, “And of course you put the right amount of honey in?” “Honey?” the man responded. “No, I never thought of that!”

“You fool” cried the mead master, “you have to be told that too?”

And that is the way it is with many who gather and speak idle words. A feast is all very well, but along with it there must be a full measure of honey. Remember to share words of holiness and faith as we are taught, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103)

Mead – Honey Wine

INGREDIENTS

8-10 lb Honey		1 packet Champagne Yeast or Lalvin D47 yeast
about 2 ½ gallons Water>		¼ cup strong tea

DIRECTIONS

Add honey to 1 ½ gallons of water.

Stir until dissolved.

Pour into 3 gallon carboy or bottle

Add the yeast.

Cap the bottle and shake well.

Add more water to fill the bottle, making sure to leave 3-4 inches of headroom at the top.

Take the top off and add an airlock. These are available at your local homebrew store or https://www.midwestsupplies.com/ (for any other supplies)

Once the airlock is in place, set the bottle in a cool spot for about 6 weeks.

When bubbling has stopped bottle the mead. (for best taste allow to age 3 months or more)

Enjoy

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

In Jewish law and tradition, redeeming a captive (pidyon shevuyim) is the highest form of charity. The code of Jewish law says that “there is no mitzvah as great as pidyon shevuyim. (Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 252:1).”

There was a very wealthy man who was respected by many in the village. Once on a journey to collect much needed funds, Tam and Chacham came to him for a donation in order to ransom people who had been seized and unjustly held in prison by the authorities.

“How much do you need?” the wealthy man asked.

“We need three hundred silver coins” the rabbis answered.

The wealthy man left the room and came back with a pile of silver coins. “Here are two hundred and ninety silver coins,” he told them. “You can collect the rest in town.”

“Why only two hundred and ninety?” Tam and Chacham asked. “If you have given us so much, why not add another ten silver coins and spare us going through town like beggars and being humili­ated in the process?”

The wealthy man wished Tam and Chacham success on their journeys and they left one another in peace.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

The holy rabbi listened to his son and truly felt his pain. Tears flowed from the rabbi’s eyes as he realized that the Holy One, blessed be He says the same thing: “So very few want to faithfully seek Me.”

The holy rabbi took his son in his arms and held him close as he explained, using the words of King David, “You are a hiding-place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7)

May all who seek find strength in their faith and may everyone find their spiritual path.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

The young man answered: “Why should I not be troubled? After repenting I keep returning to sin over and over again as a dog return to his bone – and how can I know whether my repentance is still accepted?”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

The Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown On December 18, 2022.

Most people in the Jewish communities throughout the world can rattle off a list of Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah each night; playing dreidel games; eating foods cooked in oil (latkes and Sufganiot); and exchanging gifts.

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

ORDER YOURS TODAY

Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from:

the publisher, Xlibris

and

She was traveling to far away places, trying to find herself. She had a loving family and could not wait to tell them of her adventures. One day she received a letter from her mother that forever changed her life. Her father died in a tragic accident.

She sat devasted thinking, she was too young to be without a father, and yet she was.

He was too young to die, and yet he did.

All the answers to all the questions she hadn’t asked him, were now lost forever, because she believed he would always be there for her

She closed her eyes and in her mind’s eye she saw him, old but never frail, many years from now, always ready whenever she needed him to console her, advise her, disapprove of her latest boyfriend.

Instead, she found herself journeying back home, unable to stem the flow of tears that seemed to come without her even realizing it half the time.

she cried constantly, not eating because in her grief she wasn’t hungry. It seemed the closer she got to home the darker the world became, and she cried more.

The sun was out in full force, such a lovely day it angered her, it should have been pelting down with rain, hail, thunder, something to match the storm going on inside, but nothing, and so she cried some more.

She won’t get another chance to do so, but she can still hear him talk to her, she knows what he would say when she makes unwise decisions or when she just needs advice. Her father’s voice now has more authority than ever, because she has a debt to pay to him, she owes him big time.

A thing like this rips your heart. It is unexplainable in words alone, unless you have been there yourself. A person can imagine the pain of losing someone they love, but reality surpasses all imagination, and how she wishes it wasn’t so.

Her father loved to talk, discuss, and teach, he would get you into a conversation and before you knew it was the wee hours of the morning, your cheeks burning, your mouth yawning but your mind still racing to keep up with him and his arguments.

Her father taught her to question things, to not take anything for granted, to strive to be a better person, and she wanted to tell you he was here, sorry you missed him…

May all your tales end with Shalom (Peace)

Read more Stories to Console and for more Grief and Mourning resources for adults and children including thoughts and meditations, stories, and crafts

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

In a later text it is noted, “After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated King Darius of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king.” (1 Maccabees 1:1)

To which they all responded: “You are right, good youth.”

Based on Ben haMelech v’haNazir VII (13th Cent)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others

Of him it is said: Never refrain from doing good!

Chibbur Ma’assiyos 6-7

HUEVOS HAMINADOS

(Sephardic Eggs)

INGREDIENTS

1 dozen eggs

1 -2 garlic clove, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

5-6 yellow onion skins, the outer layers (the more, the better!)

Sliced onions (from the skinned ones)

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients into a pot or crock pot and cover well with lukewarm water.

Bring water to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to very low. Cook for at least 5 hours or (preferably) overnight. As water evaporates, more can be added.

After the eggs have been cooking for several hours, you can gently tap the shells with a spoon to crack them, and continue to cook. This will cause a beautiful, marbled color to form on the egg whites.

Drain the eggs, rinse the shells and refrigerate until ready to use.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

“Why only two hundred and ninety?” Tam and Chacham asked. “If you have given us so much, why not add another ten silver coins and spare us going through town like beggars and being humiliated in the process?”

Based on Ben haMelech v’haNazir VII (13^th Cent)