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Category: Rabbi’s thoughts and teaching

The Bookbinder

Posted on Sunday, 6, May, 2018Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

A bookbinder’s love for books made a difference in this world and the next as was discovered by the holy and saintly Rebbe, Elimelech of Lizensk. Once he became very seriously ill and fell into a deep state of unconsciousness. His close disciples gathered at his bedside and prayed fer­vently that the “Healer of all Flesh Who Works Won­drously” send a speedy and complete recovery to their beloved Rebbe. The Almighty heard their heartfelt prayers. The holy rabbi opened his eyes, smiled, and said he felt much better. Before long he recovered completely.

The disciples were most happy and grateful to Hashem for having spared their Rebbe and given him many more years to continue his holy work, and to guide them and teach them. To them it had seemed that for a while, during those critical mo­ments when the Rebbe was so deeply unconscious, his soul must have been hovering between heaven and earth, and they feared that if it entered Heaven, it might not wish to return to earth. They were now eager to know what happened to their Rebbe during those fateful moments. They waited for a suitable opportunity to ask their Rebbe about it.

Some time later, when the Rebbe was seated at his table, surrounded by his close disciples and followers, in a happy get-together and thanksgiving to Hashem, one of the senior disciples asked the Rebbe whether he could tell what happened to him while his soul was in Heaven.

Bookbinder Chasidim

The Rebbe replied that he could not tell them everything, since it is not important for them to know everything. But one thing he would tell them, for it was well to think about. This is what he told them:

“As I was walking in Gan Eden, where the souls of the righteous were enjoying the nearness of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), I saw among them, in an honored place, a familiar face. He looked very much like Mottel the Bookbinder. But what would he be doing there? I thought. For one thing, I had not heard that he had departed from the living on earth. Furthermore, if he did, how come he is sitting in such a high place? To be sure, Mottel was a G-d­fearing Jewish man, an honest hard-working bookbinder, but he was otherwise an undistinguished, ordinary person, not much of a Torah scholar.

“So, I went up to him and asked him, `Are you really Mottel the Bookbinder from my town?’

“`Holy Rebbe,’ answered the bookbinder, `excuse me, but before we proceed, may I say that here I am called Reb Mordechai, and not just plain Mottel.’

“If so,” I replied, “what happened to your mod­esty, my dear Reb Mordechai?”

“`Rebbe, here we are in the World of Truth; here modesty has no place; here only Truth is the rule, and the truth is that the Heavenly Court has decreed that I should be called Reb Mordechai,’ replied the bookbinder simply.

“Said I, `I am delighted, Reb Mordechai, that you have earned this honor. But tell me, in what merit did you achieve this honored title and, moreover, what worthy deed has won you such an honored place in Gan Eden? Perhaps it will provide a lesson to be followed by my disciples, all those who wish to better themselves?

“`This I will gladly do,’ the bookbinder replied. `When the Rebbe became ill, I, too, became ill. But I did not recover. I was brought before the Heavenly Court, and the usual questioning began.

“`Did you study Torah?’

“`I had to admit that, regrettably, very little. I didn’t have much of a head for Torah study. Besides, we were very poor, so I had to find a way of earning money to help my parents support the family. I was apprenticed, at an early age, to a bookbinder to learn the trade….

“`Then began the weighing of my mitzvos and sins. On the right side of the scale, angels began putting all my mitzvos and good deeds. Then they pushed the scale down to make it weightier, saying this was for the joy and sincerity with which I per-formed the mitzvos. So far so good. But then other angels came forward and began to load my sins and misdeeds on the left scale. I watched with hor­ror how my sins were adding up, threatening to outweigh my mitzvos. Most of the sins were truly not serious, and they happened because of my igno­rance; but nevertheless, small though they were, they were adding up dangerously, till they tipped the scale! As I stood there before the Heavenly Court, trembling and ashamed, two angry looking angels stepped forward, one on each side of me, ready to carry me off to the place where sinful souls are sent to be cleansed and purified…

“`Suddenly an angel appeared with a well-used siddur in his hand. Behind him was a line of wag­ons loaded with sacks. The angel asked permission to speak up on behalf of a dear soul that was on trial. The angel began:

“`I am the angel in charge of holy sheimos (stray pages from holy books, especially with G-d’s Name in them). I go to every Jewish home, and in every shul, yeshivah and talmud torah. I look to see in what condition are the holy books: siddurim, chumashim, tehillims, mishnayos, gemaras, and the like. Whenever I see an over-used book, with crumpled pages and loose covers—it gives me pleasure, for this is the best evidence that the holy books are in constant use, not just kept on shelves, but actually used every day by Jewish people, young and old, praying three times daily and studying Torah. But when I see some of these books tattered beyond repair, I feel troubled, for every holy book has a holy soul, and every page has a soul, and must be treated with care and respect.

“‘Now, in the course of my travels I met this man that is here on trial and grew to know him very well. Ever since his early childhood, even before he mastered the alphabet, Mottele loved his little siddur, and would often fondle it and kiss it before closing it. When he saw a creased page, he would smooth it out gently.

“`After his Bar Mitzvah, when it became neces­sary for Mottel to learn a trade, his father asked him what he would like to do for a living. Mottel replied without hesitation—he would like to be a bookbinder.

I must tell you, the angel in charge of sheimos continued, that ever since people began printing and binding books, I have never seen a bookbinder like Mottel. He was the most dedicated and perfect bookbinder I ever saw. He never got any pages mixed up, he never missed a stitch, he always used the best material available—and he did all this, not only because he was an honest man, but also because he loved books, especially holy books. This is why he would, from time to time, go to the houses of prayer in his town and collect siddurim and chumashim, and other holy books that cried out for attention. He would take them home and work late into the night to restore them and bind them and give them new life. Then he would take them back to where they belonged, without charge for his time and trouble. He never bragged about it, never even mentioned it—for him it was a labor of love, a real mitzvah.

“`I respectfully request the Heavenly Court to permit me to unload all the sacks of holy sheimos and over-used books, to which Mottel the Bookbin­der had given a second life, and I will put them on the scale with all his other mitzvos and good deeds.’


Bookbinder Scale of Justice

Here the Rebbe Elimelech paused for a moment, then continued the Bookbinder’s story:

“`The Heavenly Court agreed and ordered two angels to assist the sheimos supervisor to unload the contents of the sacks. And long before half of this job was done, the scale with the mitzvos clearly outweighed the other side.

“Believe me, dear Rebbe, the bookbinder con­cluded, I was as astonished at what had happened before my eyes as you were when you saw me here. I was even more surprised when the Heavenly Court decreed to give me an honored place in Gan Eden and that I should be called henceforth: Reb Mordechai.”‘

The Rebbe Elimelech paused again, and said:

“Well, now you have heard the Bookbinder’s story. As a matter of fact, I wanted to ask him a few other questions, but at this very moment—I woke up!

“As for what we must learn from Reb Mordechai the Bookbinder,” the Rebbe concluded, “the lesson speaks for itself. Let us also remember that Hashem never fails to give credit and reward for any good deed, even for such a seemingly trivial act as smoothing out a crumpled corner of a well-worn page in a holy book.”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more resources for addressing death, mourning and grieving, visit The Chevra Ed Project

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

Posted in Faith, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged bookbinder, books, Faith, gan eden, heavenly reward, holy books, inspirational stories, Jewish Faith, Jewish Stories, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, short stories, Spiritual Storytelling, Spirituality, Stories of faith1 Comment on The Bookbinder

Sad Tidings of a Fortune Teller

Posted on Wednesday, 2, May, 2018Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

There was a certain man who could cast spells in order to know the future. The fortune teller approached a holy man and told him: “You may thank the Holy One, blessed be He for his decree regarding you, since I see that you are going to marry a beautiful wife.” “And who is she?” asked the holy man. He answered: “Yaffa.” “Why,” said the holy man, “she is a married woman!” “It is clear to me,” said the fortune teller, “that she will wed you.”

Fortune Teller

“Today,” said the holy man, “is not a day of good tidings. I shall not say a blessing because of the death of a man who will have to die on my account. For who knows whether I am better than he?” “In that case,” said the soothsayer, “How shall a man wed a widow?” “There is no comparison,” said he, “since in that case her husband has already died. Yet you tell me this while he is still alive—and I shall always pray that he should have a long life.”

The fortune teller was taken aback and asked: “how can you not accept the blessing of a beautiful wife?” The holy man answered: “The Holy One, blessed be He said, ‘I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse, therefore choose life.’ “(Deuteronomy 30:19) The fortune teller looked confused as the holy man continued: “We are taught ‘do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers. (Jeremiah 27:9)’ give your whole heart to the Holy One, blessed be He. Trust not in dreams or omens, inquire not of fortunetellers. Such things show a lack of faith.’ ” (Tochechah, 14th century)


The holy man continued, “the tidings you bring are not good, go and leave the mysteries of the future to the Master of All Mysteries. Since ‘the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from Hashem (G-d).’ (Micah 3:7) Go back and change your ways for ‘it will not be well with the wicked, neither will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not stand in fear before G-d.’ (Ecclesiastes 8:13)”

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)

 If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

 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

Please share this story with others

 The rabbi has tried to add at least one or two new stories each week, with the hope of strengthening faith and understanding through the many readers and communities.  Due to rising expenses and the need to work longer hours and harder, his stories have become less frequent.

What was originally started as a way to share old and forgotten tales of faith costing almost nothing in time and out of pocket expenses has become very expensive.  The highest cost is the time cost – working on this site many hours a week. This is all very good, and we’re delighted at the steady growth in popularity of the Story Tour Blog, but please don’t let us become victims of our own ‘success’!

No income from the Story Tour Blog has been realized. But expenses have grown such as web-hosting, software and other web-based development costs. Our goal is to raise over $2500.00 which would allow us to improve the Story Tour Blog.  If you feel you’ve received some value, or would like to help support the site’s ongoing presence, please share.  Any donation would be much appreciated and will help to keep the site online and growing.

You can simply send a donation securely and instantly through the Stories Should Never Come To An End Page

Posted in Faith, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged Faith, fortune teller, fortune telling, Jewish Stories, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, Stories of faith, wisdomLeave a Comment on Sad Tidings of a Fortune Teller

Sweet Prayers

Posted on Sunday, 29, April, 2018Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Sweet Prayers come from the inner being of each person. The Ohr Zarua (Rabbi Yizchak ben Moshe of Vienna, 1180-1250) tried to impress upon the Jewish community the importance of reciting the praises of Hashem sweetly and with concentration, thereby acquiring a lofty portion in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden – Heavenly reward).

There was a wealthy merchant in Vienna who was very respected and a leader of the chevra kaddisha (Burial Society). His hand was open to anyone who came to him. One early morning as the wealth merchant was making his way to shul (synagogue) to daven (pray), he saw a man who was wearing a wreath of freshly cut flowers on his head sitting on the bench outside the shul. As the wealthy merchant got closer, he recognized the man, he froze from fright. He would have turned and fled but his legs didn’t cooperate and they wouldn’t move.

After a few moments, he composed himself and asked the man, “Is it possible that you are the person we buried just yesterday?”

“Yes. Yes, I am”, the man calmly replied.

Doubting, the wealthy merchant asked, “I don’t understand. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere in Shamayim (heaven)? What happened with you after we buried you yesterday?”

“I was welcomed warmly and placed on a very high level in Gan Eden”

“Why did you merit such a high level in Gan Eden? After all, when you were alive, you were but a regular member of the community.”

Sweet Prayers

“That is true”, the man replied, “I was just a simple member of the community. However, I was careful to always recite the brachos (blessings) in shul in a very sweet manner. That mitzvah (religious deed) itself is held in very high esteem in Heaven and I was therefore rewarded with a lofty level in Gan Eden.

 

“As proof that you just buried me, look at the sleeve of my burial shrouds. It is ripped in the same place that it tore as you placed me in the ground.

The wealthy merchant then asked him why he was wearing a wreath of flowers on his head, to which the man replied, “They are flowers from Gan Eden with a beautiful scent. I placed them on my head to protect me from the awful odor of this world.”

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)

 If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

 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

 Please share this story with others

Posted in Prayer, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged inspirational stories, Jewish Stories, Prayer, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, short stories, Stories about prayer1 Comment on Sweet Prayers

Tzedakah and Teshuvah – Charity and Forgiveness

Posted on Thursday, 26, April, 2018Friday, 22, September, 2023 by Rabbi

The routine of everyday living can leave us with little time for thinking of others. Sometimes, however, a single moment’s thought can be acted upon and cause one to reach great heights.

Tam and Chacham often traveled together to a certain village to collect money for many causes. Many Jewish families in the village became wealthy from the lumber business. They hoped that they would be able to convince the prosperous Jewish leaders of the village to contribute generously to their charity causes. Somehow, though, the people of the village were all extremely reluctant to give tzedakah (charity). Still, year after year, Tam and Chacham made the effort to return to the village and try to collect a little bit more than the year before.

Tam and Chacham would spend several days making their usual rounds of wealthy Jewish businessmen. Each person gave willingly enough, but it was only a small amount in comparison to the sums that Tam and Chacham knew these men could afford.

After a week of collecting in the village, Tam and Chacham noticed a certain name on their list: Feival Fenster. Feival Fenster was a very wealthy man and was always too busy to talk to Tam and Chacham. In all the years that Tam and Chacham had been coming to the village, they had never actually been able to make contact with the wealthy merchant. There was little reason to think that things would be different this time, but Tam and Chacham tried to meet with Feival Fenster once again.

Much to their surprise Feival Fenster answered the door himself and welcomed them into his home. He extended his hand to Tam and Chacham and gave them a heartfelt “Shalom Aleichem” (Peace be unto you). They responded, “Aleichem Shalom (unto you peace). Feival asked, “What can I do for you?”

Tam and Chacham explained that they were collecting tzadakah (charity). Much to their surprise, the wealthy merchant answered with an almost regretfully, “You know I really owe you an apology. I know you’ve been trying to reach me for years, and it just never works out. What if you meet me at the inn tomorrow morning? We could have a good, long talk, and take things from there.”

Tam and Chacham could hardly believe that the wealthy merchant was actually going to meet with them.

The next morning found Tam and Chacham walking to the inn well before ten o’clock. Finally, a few minutes after the appointed hour, Feival Fenster came up to them. “Shalom Aleichem” (Peace be unto you). I am so glad to meet with you. Let’s sit down and talk.”

The two men sat down with the wealthy merchant. Tam and Chacham described the yeshivah and kiruv (outreach) projects they were collecting for to Fenster. They further emphasized the importance of Torah (Scripture/religious) education and the great responsibility of contributing to its support. Feival Fenster listened closely, asking important questions from time to time. The minutes stretched out to an hour, then longer. Finally, Chacham gathered enough courage to ask Feival Fenster a question he had been wondering about for a long, long time.

“Reb Fenster,” he said hesitantly. “You are a very prosperous merchant and you deal with many, many people. If anyone understands this village, it would be you. You are aware that we have been coming to this village for several years. We also do some fund-raising in other neighboring villages, I was wondering why the people of the other villages are so much more charitable than the people in this village?”

Feival Fenster froze. Watching him, Chacham wished there was some way he could withdraw the question. Antagonizing or insulting the wealthy merchant would certainly not be the best way to convince him to make a donation.

“Rabbi,” he finally whispered in a soft child-like voice. “Rabbi, I’m so ashamed. I’m ashamed of myself and my village.” He swallowed. “What will I say to the Holy One, blessed be He when I stand before the Heavenly Court?” His heart broke as he buried his face in his hands and cried.

Tam and Chacham, astonished beyond belief, sat quietly and waited. Feivel’s words had sounded almost like a Yom Kippur confession. The wealthy merchant was completely broken and looking for selichah (forgiveness).

After several moments, Feival partially composed himself. In a trembling voice, he said, “Rabbis, whatever amount of money you ask, I’ll give you. I, I want to redeem my community from this embarrassment…” Tears overflowed his eyes as he broke down once more.

Tam softly suggested a figure. Suddenly, Feivel Fenster stood up and ran out of the inn. Tam and Chacham did not know what to expect, they felt that maybe they had embarrassed and overwhelmed the wealthy merchant.

Some time later, Feivel Fenster returned with a large bag and gave it to Tam. As Tam accepted the bag of gold coins, he felt a great sense of awe for this simple Jewish man who had willingly shouldered the shame of his community and opened his heart to the mitzvah of tzedakah (Charity).

Repentance, Prayer and Charity will cancel the harsh decree

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

Posted in Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, Tam and Chacham, teshuvah, UncategorizedTagged charity, forgiveness, inspirational stories, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, short stories, Teshuvah, tzedakah, U’Nesaneh Tokef, U’Netaneh Tokef, Yom Kippur1 Comment on Tzedakah and Teshuvah – Charity and Forgiveness

Why the People Screamed When They Prayed

Posted on Wednesday, 18, April, 2018Monday, 19, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Two men were good friends from the time they were children. When they grew older, one became a Rosh Yeshiva (headmaster/rabbi at a Jewish school) and the other became a very successful merchant. At one point, the Rosh Yeshiva had to go on a trip to collect money for his yeshiva. During his trip, he visited the city where his friend the merchant lived. The merchant was delighted to see his old friend, and he invited him to spend Shabbos (Sabbath) at his house.

The Rosh Yeshiva gladly accepted the invitation. Before Shabbos, he gave his friend the money he had collected during his travels so far, asking him to safeguard it until his departure.

Friday night, the two friends went to pray in the local shul (synagogue). The Rosh Yeshiva was surprised to see that the people in the shul screamed loudly when they prayed.

Later, when they were eating the Friday-night meal, the merchant asked his guest what he thought of the community. “I am very impressed with the community,” the Rosh Yeshiva responded, “but can you explain to me why the people here shout so loudly when they pray? Where does this custom come from?”

The merchant declined to give an answer as his wife brought out the Shabbos food. The question was soon forgotten as the two friends began discussing Torah matters and remembering things from their childhood.

In shul the next morning, the strange behavior of people screaming loudly when they prayed repeated itself, and the Rosh Yeshiva was very bothered by the loud shouting of the congregants.

At the meal at the end of the morning Shabbos service, he again asked his friend for an explanation of this unusual custom, but again the merchant avoided the question. The same thing happened at shalosh seudos (the third Meal of the Sab bath), after the two returned from a noisy Minchah (afternoon service).

Min Hameitzar Prayer

Immediately after Havdalah (prayer marking the end of the Sabbath) that night, the Rosh Yeshiva got ready to leave, and he parted warmly from his friend who had hosted him so graciously. As he was about to leave the house, he asked his friend to return the money he had given him for safekeep­ing on Friday.

“What money?” the merchant asked in surprise.

“The money that I collected on this trip,” the Rosh Yeshiva replied. “I gave it to you before Shabbos, don’t you remember?”

“I’m sorry,” the merchant said, “but I don’t remember you giving me anything for safekeeping.”

“What?” the Rosh Yeshiva sputtered. “How can you not remember? I gave you a thick wad of money!”

“I don’t recall anything of the sort,” the merchant said calmly.

The Rosh Yeshiva realized that he was in deep trouble. He had given his friend tens of thousands of crowns, all of the money he had worked so hard to raise during his trip, thinking that his friend would hide it away in his safe until Shabbos was over. It hadn’t occurred to him to ask his old friend to sign a paper stating that he had received the money. Who would have ever thought that his friend would dream of taking the money for himself?

But now, to his dismay, he realized that he had been naïve in trusting his friend, for his friend valued money far more than friendship.

Seeing that his friend had no intention of returning the money, he raised his voice and shouted at him, “You rasha (wicked man)! Where’s all the money I gave you? How can you dare to do such a thing? This is money that was collected for the yeshiva!”

The Rosh Yeshiva’s shouts were loud enough to be heard out­side on the street, but the host just listened impassively.

“Excuse me,” he said, “why are you shouting? Can’t you talk calmly and quietly?”

“How can I talk quietly after you hurt me so deeply?” the Rosh Yeshiva continued to yell.

Suddenly, a broad smile spread over the host’s face. He walked over to his safe, removed the money, and handed it to his stunned friend the Rosh Yeshiva.

“Listen to what you are saying,” he told him. “When someone is in pain, troubled or upset, they raise their voice and scream. Is has been this way since ancient times when Samuel wrote: ‘In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God; and he heard my voice from his temple, and my cry entered into his ears.’ (II Samuel 22:7)   So why are you so surprised that the mem­bers of our community raised their voices and shout when they pray? They are in pain, and they know that through prayer they can be healed from all of their pain and suffering. And that’s why they scream!”

This is how every Jewish person should approach prayer. He should feel that he has the opportunity to pour out his heart to his Father in Heaven, tell him everything that is hurting him, and ask him to take pity on him and save him.

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)

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

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

 Please share this story with others

 The rabbi has tried to add at least one or two new stories each week, with the hope of strengthening faith and understanding through the many readers and communities.  Due to rising expenses and the need to work longer hours and harder, his stories have become less frequent. 

What was originally started as a way to share old and forgotten tales of faith costing almost nothing and representing a few hours a week of time commitment evolved into a project demanding a lot of time and expense.  The highest cost is the time cost – working on this site many hours a week. This is all very good, and we’re delighted at the steady growth in popularity of the Story Tour Blog, but please don’t let us become victims of our own ‘success’! 

No income from the Story Tour Blog has been realized, but expenses have grown such as web-hosting, software and other web-based development costs. Our goal is to raise $2500.00 which would allow us to improve the Story Tour Blog.  If you feel you’ve received some value, or would like to help support the site’s ongoing presence, please share.  Any donation would be much appreciated and will help to keep the site online and growing.

You can simply send a donation securely and instantly by clicking the link below

Stories Should Never Come To An End Page

Posted in Prayer, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged Jewish Stories, Jewish thought, Prayer, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, short stories, Spiritual Storytelling, Stories about prayer3 Comments on Why the People Screamed When They Prayed

Gold and Silver, Land and Property and the Holy Word

Posted on Sunday, 15, April, 2018Monday, 28, August, 2023 by Rabbi

A young man once came to a wise man and told him he did not know what kind of man he would become as he grew older. The wise man thought for a moment or two and then explained:

There are three types of men in the world:

One engaged in silver and gold,

 One busy in properties and lands

While one is deeply involved in the study of the Holy Word and charity and the awe of Heaven.

When the one who is engaged in silver and gold passes away, he says: “Give me of my silver and gold to go to my eternal home.” But they tell him: “You have nothing, for the Prophet Haggai said long ago (2:8): ‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the L-rd of hosts.’ ”

When the time comes for the man who is busy in lands and property to pass away, he says: “Give me of my lands and property to accompany me to my eternal home.” But they tell him: “You have nothing, for the Psalmist has already said (24:1): ‘The earth is the L-rd’s and the fullness thereof.’ “

Torah Tree of Life

Yet he who is deeply involved in the study of the Holy Word, charity and the awe of Heaven does not even pass away before the angels say to him: “See these go before you as the Prophet Isaiah said (58:8): ‘And your righteousness shall go before you.’ “

The wise man looked at the young man and smiled as he said:

“You have just begun your journey on many roads and paths, the kind of man you become is your choice.”

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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

Posted in Derech Eretz, Faith, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged Faith, inspirational stories, Jewish Faith, Jewish Stories, Jewish Storytelling, Jewish thought, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, Spiritual Storytelling, Spirituality, Stories of faith, StorytellingLeave a Comment on Gold and Silver, Land and Property and the Holy Word

Kosher With Good Reason

Posted on Monday, 2, April, 2018Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

There are those who argue that the many aspects of keeping kosher are archaic and from a bygone era. Others claim that it’s just too difficult to keep kosher. Many Jewish people today view keeping kosher as an outdated aspect of ancient biblical Jewish practice and complicated by rabbis through the generations. A great number of Jewish people argue that keeping kosher is no longer relevant to modern day life. Modern society has rendered obsolete many of the laws, traditions and customs of kosher.

It happened many many years ago that a wealthy merchant sent someone to buy him a cow in a nearby village. The man bought the cow but the knot it was tied with came undone. The cow ran into the forest. The man was afraid to go into the forest because of the wild animals. He was also ashamed to return home without the animal fearing someone would accuse him and say: “He did not buy the animal and has kept the money!” The man took a great deal of trouble and searched all night until he found the cow in a herd to which it had fled.

Being real careful, he brought the animal back with him and it was slaughtered. After the meat had been salted and soaked (kashered), a dog ate some of it. The rest rest of the meat was cooked in the pot. Then the dog came and took the meat from the hot pot and broke the pot and ate the meat. The wise merchant said that this did not happen by chance. Then they told him what had happened, and he said: “Bless the L-rd who prevented me from eating the food which was brought to my home with so much risk and danger.”


kosher cow

Keeping kosher is more than the food we eat, it is the lifestyle we accept upon ourselves. The many aspects of keeping kosher reminds us again and again that Jewish spirituality is inseparable from what one might term “physical.” It teaches us that Jewish spiritual practice is about taking the most ordinary of experiences — in all aspects of our lives — and transforming them into moments of meaning, moments of connection.

Simply said, keeping kosher connects people to tradition, to other holy people, and to the Holy One, blessed be He. 

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Posted in Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged inspirational stories, Jewish Faith, Jewish Stories, Jewish Storytelling, Jewish thought, Kosher, kosher food, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, short stories, SpiritualityLeave a Comment on Kosher With Good Reason

The Dark Forest and the Unknown Wilderness

Posted on Wednesday, 14, March, 2018Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

It happened that when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness (Deuteronomy 5:23)

 A holy rabbi lived near the forest outside of the village. He would teach and pray with his students every day. The forest was dark and foreboding. The night, filled with sounds from the forest that frightened many. No one dared to travel far into the forest.

One Friday the holy rabbi began walking towards the forest. in the cold of the afternoon and the wail of the wind through the trees. The sun slowly set as the eerie shadows of the trees grew long, yet the holy rabbi and his students walked on into the forest. He stopped at a clearing and asked his students to recite the verses of Kabbalas Shabbos (service to welcome the Sabbath Day) with him.

The students were surprised, many wondering, why did their teacher the holy rabbi want them to say the Kabbalas Shabbos prayers in such a dark and fearful place?


Prayer in the Forest

The holy rabbi answered that he was fulfilling of the verse, “The voice of Hashem convulses the wilder­ness (Tehillim 29:8). He explained that even the wilderness is waiting from the days of Creation to hear Hashem’s (G-d’s) voice, and he wished to use the opportunity to bring Hashem’s voice to the wilderness.

The students were astounded by the holy rabbi’s faith and efforts to bring a renewed holiness to the forest, for even amid the suffering and darkness he was experiencing, he remem­bered the explanation of this verse and wished to implement it.

We see from here how holy people are able to remain serene and detach themselves from their surroundings, even under dire conditions. Indeed, a person who carries the Torah (Scriptures) in his heart can create an island of serenity that no one can take away from him, no matter what circumstances he finds himself in.

Although the students were well meaning, they could not overcome their fear and the cold winds, and they slipped away one by one and returned to their homes in the village. Only one student remained with the holy rabbi until he completed Kabbalas Shabbos prayer.

Years later the student met the holy rabbi on the street in a large city, and he reminded his teacher the holy rabbi of the time when they had said the verses of Kabbalas Shabbos together in the dark forest. The holy rabbi’s face lit up, and he said, “Don’t think that the verse, the voice of Hashem convulses the wilder­ness, applies only to the dark cold forest. The principle is true and exists everywhere. In every place, there are people who are living in a spiritually desolate wil­derness and are waiting to hear the voice of Hashem!”

How many people today are indeed living in spiritual desolation! It is incumbent on us to bring the  voice of  Hashem (G-d) into the dark forest of their lives and save them from their spiritual wilderness.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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

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Posted in Faith, Prayer, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged inspirational stories, Jewish Faith, Jewish Stories, Jewish thought, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, short stories, Stories of faith1 Comment on The Dark Forest and the Unknown Wilderness

The Security of Friendship

Posted on Thursday, 8, March, 2018Thursday, 28, September, 2023 by Rabbi

There were two men who very close friends, and their souls were intertwined together. Sadly, a great war separated them and they had to live in two different kingdoms. Once one of them came to his friend’s city and the king was informed by his friends and advisors and believed the visiting man was a spy because he came from the kingdom of his enemy.

The king ordered that the man be arrested and brought before him. Since the king’s advisors and friends accused the man of being a spy, he was condemned to death. When he saw that there was no escape from the king’s sentence, he fell before him and asked for one act of mercy. “What is it?” asked the king, and the man answered: “Your majesty, I was a great merchant and I gave all my goods to men on trust and never wrote any documents; and my wife and children do not know who they are. If I die without informing them who my customers are and do not write documents with them, my children will be paupers. Now permit me to go and do this, and I shall return.” “Who will believe that you will return?” said the king. “Your majesty,” he answered, “my friend and companion who lives in this city will be security for me.” So the king asked his friend: “Will you be security that if he does not return by the time I set for him, you will die?” “Yes, your majesty,” said he. “I offer my life as security for the life of my friend and companion.” “Upon my soul,” said the king, “I don’t believe that such a friendship can be so strong. I must see whether this great thing can be.” He gave the merchant a month’s time to leave and return.

Friendship

On the last day of the month the king waited all day to see whether the man would come. The sun was setting and the merchant had not yet returned, so the king ordered that his friend should be brought from prison to have his head cut off. They took him out into the main street, walked him up to the block, forced him to his kness and the sword was at his neck when there suddenly came a noise in the city: “See, the merchant has returned.”

The merchant came and saw his friend about to be slain. He helped his companion rise from his knees and placed the sword on his own neck, but his friend also took hold of it. The two friends began to argue as one said: “I must die.” Then the other said: “I must die for you!” The king saw that this final deed was more astounding than the earlier one. He and his friends and advisors were greatly amazed. He ordered the sword to be taken away from both of them and pardoned them and rewarded them very much for he had learned a great lesson from them. That “there are friends that one has to his own hurt; but there is a friend that sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.” (Proverbs 18:24). The king stood up and asked them: “I have a request of you, since there is so great love and friendship between you, let me join you as a third. Your friendship is more valuable than all the gold in the royal treasury, besides ‘he who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure’ (Sirach 6:14) ‘” From that day forward they were the king’s companions.

And it was in this spirit that our sages of blessed memory said in Pirke Avos (1.6): “Acquire yourself a friend.”

Sirach 6:14

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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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

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Posted in Faith, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged ben sira 6:14, Ecclesiasticus ^:14, Friendship, inspirational stories, Jewish, Jewish Stories, loyalty, Rabbi Rock, Rachmiel Tobesman, short stories, Sirach 6:14, Spiritual Storytelling, SpiritualityLeave a Comment on The Security of Friendship

A Maggid and Purim

Posted on Sunday, 25, February, 2018Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

A maggid (storytelling preacher) once (or perhaps more than once) observed that a number of the listeners fell asleep as he told wondrous stories to strengthen the faith of people and touch their hearts. In order to make light of it, the maggid announced, “This tendency to doze off when hearing words of ma’asios tovos (good stories) and mussar (ethics) is not a new occurrence. The Talmud tells us that when the great Rabbi Akiva preached, the people also fell asleep.

“The Talmud goes on to relate that in order to arouse the crowd, Rabbi Akiva would begin talking about the Megillas Esther (Book of Esther). Why did Rabbi Akiva choose that particular subject for this purpose?

Book of Esther

“I guess it was because there is evidence in the Megillah that there were once no maggidim (spiritual storytellers). How so? The Megillah reveals that “the king could not sleep, and he gave orders to bring the Book of Records, the Annals, and they were read to the king.” (Esther 6:1)

“Now had there been any maggidim around at that time, he would certainly not have had to do so. He could simply have called the maggid to deliver a brilliantly moving and relevant story, which would promptly have sent him into the bliss of dreamland.”

A Freilichen Purim!

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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

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Posted in Holiday, Holidays, Rabbi's thoughts and teaching, Stories, UncategorizedTagged Book of Esther, Jewish, maggid, Megillah, Megillah Esther, Purim, spiritual storytellerLeave a Comment on A Maggid and Purim

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