Laughter and Love for Shabbos

Posted on Monday, 3, February, 2014Friday, 6, October, 2023 by Rabbi

If you refrain from violating the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the L-rd honorable, (Isaiah 58:13)

Once, the students of a holy rabbi decided to prepare him a special Shabbos meal. They worked for days to make sure that everything would be just as it should be, so that the spirit of the Shabbos would descend as it never had before.

The students and the rabbi came in from shul (synagogue) and began to sing Shalom Aleichem and an atmosphere of holiness surrounded the holy rabbi and his students. As they sang, the Holy rabbi began to laugh and laugh, as though he could not contain himself.

All was silent as the holy rabbi stood to make Kiddush, a student lifted the Kiddush cup and placed it in his holy teacher’s hand. Suddenly the holy rabbi began to laugh loudly, and all the students looked around to see what had made their teacher laugh — if there was something out of sorts — but everything was as it should be.

They began the Shabbos meal, hoping everything would meet their teacher’s approval. They served the holy rabbi the first bowl of the soup that they had worked so long over….He tasted it, and then he laughed so hard he almost spilled the soup.

The students were shocked. They rushed to taste the soup, but there was nothing in it that tasted…funny.

Still later, they were singing the Shabbos songs, listening to the holy rabbi’s lessons on the weekly Torah portion and stories. The holy rabbi smiled several times and was in a very joyful mood.

It was the custom of the students that as soon as the stars came out after the spirit of the Shabbos had departed, they would choose one question between them, and present it to the Holy rabbi. This Saturday night, there was no debate as to what question they would ask. “Holy master, why did you laugh three times during the Shabbos?”

In answer, the holy rabbi said, “Come with me,” and with that the students crowded into the holy rabbi’s carriage. Several hours later, the carriage stopped in a small village. The holy rabbi was greeted by the village leaders and he asked about Anschel the bookbinder.

Anschel the bookbinder lived on the edge of town, and several students went to bring him to the holy rabbi. When Anschel the bookbinder entered the old wooden village shul (Synagogue) and saw the holy rabbi he began to cry. “Oh, Holy Master, I know I have committed a great sin. Please tell me what I must do to be forgiven.”

“Anschel, tell us how you spent your Shabbos.”

“Do I have to? I’m so ashamed.”

“Yes, tell us everything and leave nothing out.”

“Rabbi, holy rabbi, I’ll never do it again. Please don’t make me confess my sins in public.”

The holy rabbi softly comforted: “Anschel, do not fear and have no shame, but please tell us how you spent your Shabbos.”

Fearfully, the Anschel glanced around the room and began his account: “I am an old bookbinder. In my youth, I could earn enough that my wife and I had what we needed during the week, and always had something special to greet the Shabbos. But as I have grown older, my hands can no longer work fast and we have suffered terribly.”

“Sadly, this Shabbos — for the first time — we had no Shabbos candles — and nothing for a Shabbos meal. So I went to shul and stayed late as there was nothing to go home to, but as I walked down the road I saw light shining from my house. I became very angry at my wife for taking charity, but for the sake of Shalom Bayis (peace in the home) I decided to hold my anger.”

“I entered the house and saw the table set with everything fine, there were golden challahs and wine. My wife was determined that we would observe the Shabbos as well as we were able. I could hold my anger no longer and asked my wife why she accepted charity. She answered me:

“Anschel, my beloved husband do you remember the black dress with the fancy buttons you bought me when we were first married?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with now?”

“Well, I was cleaning for Shabbos and was very sad. I found that black dress and tried it on and my heart skipped a beat as I remembered you told me when I wore that dress I looked like the Shabbos Malka (Sabbath Queen) and that I’d always be your Shabbos Kallah (Sabbath Bride). Then I had an idea. I took the buttons off my dress and took them to the jeweler and he gave me 5 gold coins for them. So I bought all we needed for Shabbos.”

“As she finished telling me this, I saw a wonderful light. I sang Shalom Aleichem, and I understood for the first time that the light that I had thought came only from the candles was also coming from her. I grabbed my wife and we danced around the table and with tears in my eyes I knew I loved more today than any other time.”

“I got control of myself, and went back to observing the Shabbos with due respect.”

“I stood at the head of the table and raised the Kiddush cup to make the blessing, when my wife smiled at me and my heart melted. I felted twenty years younger and rushed through the blessing and then danced around the Shabbos table with my wife.

“We finally sat down to eat and my wife served me chicken soup. At that moment, I realized that the nourishment — which all these years I had thought came only from the soup — actually came also from her, from our being together through so many Shabboses. (Sabbaths)

“And before I realized what I was doing, I jumped up, pulled her to me and kissed her. We danced as though we were teenagers.”

“Shocked at my own behavior, I sat back down. I stayed in my seat properly until later, when we sang the Shabbos songs and shared stories. Throughout Shabbos I kept looking at my wife lovingly”

“Suddenly, I knew that, in spite of our great poverty, while I had her in my life, I lacked for nothing.

“Rabbi, holy rabbi, I know I have defiled the Shabbos. Please, tell me what I must do to be forgiven.”

“The Holy rabbi looked at his students. ”When Anschel and his wife spent their Shabbos in such deep and holy love, I was there with them, and I shared in their joy.”

“When he spoke his love for his wife, not only I but the angels in heaven heard — and they smiled. And when he got up and kissed his wife, acting on that deep love — the angels in heaven saw them, and they laughed.

“And when the two of them joined their hands and sang and danced their joy, the angels themselves began to sing and to dance. And the Eternal Heart itself heard them, and it was warmed.

“On a Shabbos of such perfect joy, who wouldn’t laugh?”

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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What Happened to Yossele L’Koved Shabbos

Posted on Saturday, 25, January, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

The holy rabbi’s eyes filled with tears. He held Yossele his hand and looked him in the eye and gently said to him: “Yossele, I really, really envy you, to have such an exalted name – l’Koved Shabbos – and for such a holy reason. What an honor to meet such a Jewish person that lives what he believes. Please tell me a little about yourself.”

“Holy rabbi, the truth is, there is not much to tell. I never knew my parents, because they left this world when I was only five years old. I don’t have any other family, so I lived on the streets, making money for food anyway I could. Sometimes, late at night, I go to the old wooden shul, and some people out of kindness would teach me how to pray a little, and how to recite the Psalms. I never learned anything else. I’m big and I’m strong and so I make a living as a porter. I have a wife and children, and that’s all there is to say about me.”

The holy rabbi squeezed Yossele his hand again and said: “Yossele, sweet Yossele, there’s one more thing I want to know. This is very important to me. Why do you always sing? What are you thinking about when you carry all those heavy bundles and packages singing l’Koved Shabbos?”

Yossele looked at the holy rabbi is tears welled up in his eyes. He began to cry: “rabbi, holy rabbi, I know the beginning, but I don’t know how it will end. I know that in the beginning the Ribbono Shel Olam (the Master of the Universe) created the heavens and the earth. I learned about our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our four holy mothers, about the twelve tribes of Israel, I know the Master of the Universe took us out from the land of Egypt and brought us to a holy land where we built the Holy Temple, the place of G-d’s glory in Jerusalem.”

“I also know what happened next. We were driven out of our land, the Holy Temple was destroyed, and ever since, the Jewish people have been wandering around the world, in exile, without a home.”

“So you see, holy rabbi, I do know the beginning, and a little bit of the middle, but I don’t know the end. When will the bitter exile finally be over? When will the Holy One, blessed be He, take us back to the holy city, to Jerusalem? When will be able to gather again in the Holy Temple l’Koved Shabbos, in honor of the holy Shabbos?”

“So that’s why I sing, holy rabbi. My song is really my cry, my prayer to the Holy One, blessed be He. You ask, what am I thinking? Well I will tell you. I am thinking, Ribbono Shel Olam, l’Koved Shabbos, for the honor Shabbos, but the end of the long exile should come soon, l’Koved Shabbos, for the sake of the Holy Sabbath, the Holy Temple be rebuilt today, l’Koved Shabbos.”

The holy rabbi was silent for a moment and he could not hold back his tears. He began crying from the deepest parts of his soul, and he said: “Yossele you know the holiest secret of all, that everything we carry, everything we do, everything that happens to us in our lives, everything is all l’Koved Shabbos, for the sake of the Great Shabbos to come. If all of the Jewish people only knew this exalted truth, then the end of the terrible exile, the great day, the coming of the Messiah, would literally be so close, so near.”

That Shabbos Yossele was at every meal at the holy rabbi’s house. As the stars rose in the sky and the holy rabbi made Havdalah, Yossele looked into the flame and smiled. The next day Yossele disappeared. No one knew when he left or where he went.

The years went by and Yossele was forgotten. The young man continued his studies and became a teacher too many and became known as a holy rabbi. The holy rabbi was traveling through a distant village when he saw an old man sitting on a rocking chair in the marketplace. He heard a haunting melody, a song that was very close to his heart:

“L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos!”

It then became clear what had happened to Yossele. He left his home and went into the forest and there met the holiest of holy teachers who made him into lamed vov tzaddik. Yossele had become one of the 36 hidden holy people who keep the whole world going, l’Koved Shabbos, until the Messiah comes and everyone comes together l’Koved Shabbos, for the honor of Shabbos.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Yossele l’Koved Shabbos

Posted on Tuesday, 21, January, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

There once was a young man who wanted to study Torah with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all of his strength. He was honored to study with some very holy rabbis. Sadly with all of his learning, something was missing. The young man felt empty, it was as though the fire was not burning very brightly in his studies. He decided that he would search to find a holy teacher. Not someone to give him more information, more details on the finer points of Jewish law and ritual, but a teacher who could show him how to see the beauty in the world around him and could touch him to his very core – his soul. So the young man set out on his journey to find a holy teacher who would show him how to reach the highest places in the heavens, yet still embrace the world around him.

The young man was so hungry to find the right teacher, that he traveled from town to town speaking to every rabbi he could find. Many were very learned, had beautiful rituals and were holy. They taught him much Torah, but not any of them were able to touch the deepest parts of his soul.

One day, he traveled to a small village in there he saw the newly arrived village rabbi, a veil of holiness surrounded him and the young man knew that this was the holy teacher he was looking for. Still, the young man wanted to make sure that this holy rabbi was indeed the teacher he was hoping for and so he decided he would wait for a sign.

Now in the small village, every Jewish person was on a very high level. Everyone observed Shabbos, ate only kosher food, and prayed from their hearts. Yet there was one person, Yossele Trayger who most people felt was just a simple person. He could barely read or write, he knew how to pray a little and could recite a few Psalms. When the young man saw him, he knew that he was special.

Yossele Trayger was a giant of a man with bulging muscles. Because of his size and strength he was a porter. All day long he would stand in the marketplace and help people carry their bundles, but he did so much more than merely carrying packages and heavy boxes.

He would meet a woman shopping for provisions for her household, on Sunday, and she would ask him to carry all of her purchases to her home. Yossele Trayger would lift up the heavy bags and put them on his shoulder effortlessly, as he began to carry them he would ask: “please forgive me for asking, but do you think there’ll be some of this food left for Shabbos, l’Koved Shabbos, for the honor of the Holy Shabbos?”

The woman would look at him and think for a moment and then, maybe just to make Yossele feel good or maybe because it was the truth, the woman would answer kindly: “you know, I’ve bought a lot of food, even for my large family. I’m sure there will be plenty left for Shabbos.”

Yossele would start to smile and then, it seemed like he was filled with a holy light. He would lift the packages and bundles higher onto his shoulder, almost as though he wanted to lift them to the heavens. Then he would begin to hum a tune and very soon he would burst out singing as loud as he could on the way to the woman’s house:

“L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos!”

People along the way would just look and sometimes smile as they watched Yossele Trayger pass them.

On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, Yossele never carried anything without first asking about Shabbos. By Wednesday and Thursday, he didn’t even bother to ask, that late in the week. People were already thinking about Shabbos. On Friday, he would dart around the marketplace carrying anything and everything to all the Jewish homes. The whole city seemed to echo with his singing:

“L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos!”

Yossele Trayger’s heart was filled with warmth and joy, but sadly people can be very cruel and mean-spirited. Many people in the small village made fun of Yossele’s singing and even began to consider him nothing more than a joke. They called him crazy and even made up a nickname to tease him: “Yossele l’Koved Shabbos”

The young man watched Yossele all week, and even though people laughed at him, the young man felt that Yossele was one of the holiest and truest of people in the small village.

Shabbos was approaching the young man determined that he would watch the holy rabbi at the end of Friday night services. The rabbi had a custom of greeting everyone by saying: “Gut Shabbos.” The young man wanted to see if the rabbi really greeted everyone in the shul. If the holy rabbi could see how special Yossele was and paid attention to him, gave him honor, the young man would know that he was the holy teacher he was looking for. If instead, the rabbi ignored Yossele like everyone else usually did, and didn’t bother to say anything to him, the young man would know for sure that this rabbi was not the teacher he was looking for and he would have to journey further to find his holy teacher.

After the Friday night prayers were over, everyone rushed up greet the rabbi by saying “Gut Shabbos.” The young man noticed that Yossele did not join in the crowd around the rabbi, but instead stood in the corner of the old wooden shul and just watched. He looked so sad, so alone and totally broken. The young man watched him as a tear formed in his eye as he realized that Yossele was probably so used to being insulted and abused as the butt of jokes that he could not believe that a holy rabbi would want to speak to him. Slowly the young man walked across the shul and stood by Yossele.

The holy rabbi finished greeting all of the people who crowded around him. He looked around the shul and noticed two people who were standing in the corner whom he had not spoken to yet, Yossele and the young student. The rabbi walked across the shul to the corner and extended his hand to give a Shabbos greeting.

Yossele was so shocked he couldn’t move, but the young man pushed him towards the village’s new rabbi. The young man watched carefully to see what the rabbi would do. Very slowly, Yossele eased toward the rabbi and watched as the rabbi took the holy hand that carried everything l’Koved Shabbos.

The holy rabbi closed his eyes stood very still. He squeezed Yossele’s hand tightly and said, very softly: “my holy friend, would you please tell me your name?”

Yossele was so shy and so uncertain, he couldn’t even look at the rabbi. He just hung his head and mumbled, “um my name… um my name, is Yossele.”

“Is that your whole name, or do you maybe have another name also?”

Yossele was so ashamed, he bowed his head even more. “I ah well um sometimes people call me… I mean, they’re only joking, but they call me…. Yossele l’Koved Shabbos.”

“Why do they call you that?”

Yossele was so upset he could hardly speak. His voice dropped to a whisper: “because… because… because when I carry their bundles and packages. I always sing l’Koved Shabbos.”

The holy rabbi’s eyes filled with tears. He held Yossele’s hand and looked him in the eye and gently said to him: “Yossele, I really, really envy you. To have such an exalted name – l’Koved Shabbos – and for such a holy reason. What an honor. To meet such a Jewish person that lives what he believes.

The young man found his teacher.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Personally Tended Garden

Posted on Tuesday, 21, January, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Everyday students would walk past the house of their teacher, a holy rabbi, and see him carefully tending to a garden. He pulled weeds, loosened soil and watered the plants, while all the time quietly saying something.

“Rabbi, sorry to bother you” began one of the students. “Would you let us care for the garden? We feel it’s not proper for you a great teacher and holy rabbi to be doing such work.”The rabbi looked up from the garden towards his students and explained, “man’s dignity is not greater than G-d’s. If the Holy One, blessed be He can cause the winds to blow, clouds to rise, rain to descend, the earth to produce, and tables to be set, certainly a rabbi can do simple things. (Kiddushin 32b) Besides I prefer to care for the garden myself.”

Some days later the students again saw the rabbi on his knees carefully tending the garden. One of the students thought out loud, “What can be so important about tending a few plants? Our teacher is spending so much time on it.”

“Perhaps working the garden helps him to relax” another student offered.

“That can not be” answered another student. “There must be a worthy reason for the holy rabbi to devote so much time to such a simple task.”

The students decided to find out, and one of them approached their beloved teacher with their question.

“I was once walking with one of my teachers, a true light to the generation, through fields and then in a forest,” the rabbi explained. “We were discussing various Torah (Scriptural) topics, and I wasn’t paying too much attention to the surrounding trees and bushes. I concentrated on each and every word my teacher spoke.”

“Suddenly, my holy teacher stopped the lesson and pointed to a plant we were passing by. ‘In plants, as in sleeping bodies, there is life.’ (ibn Daud, Emuna Rama 15 (1168)) Listen well and remember the things I tell you this day. My teacher pointed at a small green plant and said, ‘This one can be eaten’, He pointed to another plant. ‘This one is poisonous.’ “

“We walked some more and he continued the lessons from the Torah (Scripture). Several times throughout the lesson, my teacher stopped and pointed out many plants that could be eaten. He then said something that left me a bit confused, ‘You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.’ (Psalm 128:2).

“I was a bit puzzled by my teacher’s interruptions, but I didn’t question him because he was my teacher, a true light to the generation. I made sure to remember what he had told me that day, for I was certain that he had some reason for telling me this.

“Shortly after that, we were forced to leave the village as anger, hatred and violence made it unsafe for Jewish people to remain. The hordes with their battle cry ‘Hierosylma Est Perdita’ (Hip Hip, Jerusalem is Lost). I hid in the forest, and I had almost no food with me. The hunger was almost unbearable. One day, I happened to glance down at the forest floor, and I recognized one of the plants that my holy teacher had pointed out to me, many months earlier. I lived almost entirely on those plants during that terrible time, and they saved my life.”

“I feel its necessary to show my appreciation to the plants that saved my life, and therefore, I care for them personally. I ask you to remember, ‘Just as water makes plants grow, so the words of the Torah (Scripture) nurture everyone who labours over them as they require’. (Song of Songs Rabbah 1:19)”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Loshon haRa – A Salty Conversation

Posted on Sunday, 12, January, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Tam and Chacham once set out together on a journey to do a d’var mitzvah (a deed of religious importance) in a faraway country. They traveled to many places and were welcomed with much respect and honor.

In one village they stopped at an inn known for its high standards of kashrus (kosher). They were seated at a special table set with a linen tablecloth and fine dishes, for the woman who owned the inn recognized them to be important rabbis.

She had them served promptly, and when they finished the meal she approached them and asked, “So how did you like my food?” she asked the rabbis. “Oh, it was quite good,’ Chacham replied, ” but it could have used more salt.”

When the woman left the dining room, Tam turned white. “I can’t believe what you have just done. All my life I have avoided speaking or listening to loshon hara (unkind speech) and now the Holy One, blessed be He caused me to travel with you, and I have to suffer by hearing you speak loshon hara! I regret that I came here with you and I am convinced that the purpose of our trip is not a true d’var mitzvah after all. Otherwise this would not have happened.”

Seeing Tam’s reaction, Chacham became confused and upset. “What did I say that was so wrong?” he hesitated. “I said that the food was good — I only added that it needed some salt.”

“You simply don’t realize the power of words.” Sadly said Tam. “Our hostess probably doesn’t do her own cooking. Her cook could well be a poor widow who needs this job to support her children. Now, because of what you said, the owner will go back to the kitchen and complain to the cook that the food didn’t have enough salt. In self defense the poor widow will deny it and will say, “Of course I put enough salt in the food. I even tasted it before you served it.”

“The owner will then accuse her of lying and say, “Do you think that the rabbis out there are liars? You are the one who is lying!” They will argue, strong words will lead to even stronger words and the owner will get so angry that she will fire the poor cook. The woman will then be out of a job. Look how many aveiros (sins) you caused: (1) You spoke loshon hora; (2) you caused the owner and myself to listen to loshon hora; (3) you caused the owner to repeat the loshon hora and that is the sin of rechilus; (4) you caused the cook to lie; (5) because of you the owner caused pain to a widow, and (6) you caused an argument, another Torah violation.”

Chacham smiled at Tam and said softly and respectfully, “Tam, my friend, certainly things are not as grim as you believe. Maybe, you are exaggerating a little. You’re carrying this just a bit too far. A few simple words cannot possibly have done all that.”

Tam reminded Chacham, “We learn that ‘You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is of your brothers, or of your strangers who are in your land inside your gates.’ (Deuteronomy 24:14) “If you really believe that I have overstated the situation,” answered Tam as he stood up, “let’s go to the kitchen and see for ourselves.”

As they opened the door to the kitchen, they saw that the owner was indeed scolding the cook as the poor woman stood wiping the tears from her eyes. When Chacham saw what was happening he became pale and ran over to the cook, begged forgiveness and apologized profusely for any harm or distress he may have caused her. He pleaded with the owner to forgive and forget the incident and begged her to let the woman stay on the job. He even offered to pay her to keep the cook.

The innkeeper was really a kindly woman and she also wanted to fulfill Chacham’s request. “Of course, of course,^“ she said hastily. “I only wanted to impress on her the need to be more careful. She is really a fine cook and she will remain here at her job.”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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To Give Tzedakah or Loans

Posted on Tuesday, 7, January, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Once there was a holy rabbi who had many, many students. His students learned much from their teacher, but could not understand why their beloved teacher disappeared every Thursday night. No matter how many people wanted to see him, he was nowhere to be found. None of his students or other rabbis in the community had any idea where he had gone.

One Thursday afternoon some of his students decided to try to find out what was going on and what their holy teacher was doing. The students hid in some bushes outside of the synagogue hoping to see their holy teacher. When he left on his secret business, after waiting for several hours, they saw the holy rabbi come out and hurried away. The curious students followed him.

The holy rabbi moved quickly through the streets and the students were always not far behind. Soon he entered one of the poorest areas of the town. He was immediately surrounded by so many needy people asking for tzedakah (charity). The students watched the holy rabbi’s actions and noticed that he didn’t just give some money to a better and then walk on, he stopped by each poor person and said: “my friend I would be so happy to help you, but I really can’t give you any charity. I can only give you this money as a loan.”

The beggar looked at him in surprise. “Alone? Rabbi, holy rabbi you would really give me alone?”

The holy rabbi would look at the poor man in front of him and smile as he answered: “yes, of course. Would you accept a loan for me? I have so much faith in you, I know you’ll be able to pay me back.”

With a peaceful face each beggar would happily accept some rubles as a loan, and the holy rabbi would go on his way.

After watching the holy rabbi do this for a while, the students decided they had seen enough. They went back to the synagogue and gathered around the table where they learned holy lessons from the rabbi and waited for him. When the holy rabbi finally returned very late that night, they confronted him with what they have learned:

“Holy teacher, we have to admit we followed you tonight and saw that you were doing. But really, how could you tell all those poor people. You were giving them loans? You know full well they’ll never be able to repay you. Why didn’t you just give them some tzedakah (charity) and let it go at that.”

“Why? I’ll tell you why! It’s not just that those beggars don’t have any money. They’ve also lost all of their hope, all of their faith that their lives can ever be better. They’re so broken, and too many are in despair.”

“Do you know what that means to them. When I, the holy rabbi, offer them a loan? It means that I believe in them… Even though they fallen to the lowest place, I have faith that they can get back on their feet again”

“Listen to me! I’ve taught you a lot of Torah. But this is the most important thing I’ll ever tell you. It’s not enough to hand a beggar a few coins. You have to give them back their self-respect, to show them that you believe in them, even if-especially if-they no longer believe in themselves.”

The holy rabbi paused for a moment or two and then continued: “Are we not taught: ‘who gives the poor money is blessed six-fold, who gives him morale is blessed seven-fold.’ (Baba Basra 9b) May each and every person who gives the poor a means to strengthen themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually be blessed.’ ”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Money, Listening and Justice

Posted on Monday, 6, January, 2014Friday, 21, March, 2025 by Rabbi

Two men came before the holy rabbi seeking justice in resolving a monetary dispute. The non-Jewish man claimed that the Jewish man had borrowed money from him, but the Jewish man denied that he owed the other man anything. The holy rabbi sensed that the non-Jewish man was truthful.

The holy rabbi listened to both men. After hearing the arguments of both sides, he told them that he had to leave for a little while and asked them to discuss the matter between themselves in the meantime.

The arbitration was held in the local synagogue, and the two men thought that the rabbi they asked to judge the merits of their dispute had left the synagogue.

The holy rabbi had not left; he had gone up to the women’s section and was listening to every word the two men were saying.

A heated argument erupted between them, and the holy rabbi heard the non-Jewish man talking at the Jewish man as ‘He fixed his gaze and stared at him until he was ashamed.’ (2 Kings 8:11) “Aren’t you ashamed? You know very well that you borrowed money from me, and how can you claim that you don’t owe me anything?”

“It’s true that I borrowed money from you, “the Jewish man responded, “but I’m under a lot of financial stress right now, and I don’t have the money to pay back.”

Hearing this, the holy rabbi went back down into the synagogue and ruled in favor of the non-Jewish man, reprimanding the Jewish man for his shameful behavior, he said: “To rob a non-Jewish person is more dreadful than to rob a Jewish person, for such actions cloud justice and also involves the desecration of G-d’s Holy Name.”

Later, he explained that he had derived this strategy of leaving the two men alone and listening in to their conversation from the verse,

“Listen among your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger who is with him” (Deuteronomy 1:16) which implies that in order to judge fairly, a judge has to listen to what the litigants say to each other.

As the men were leaving the holy rabbi and the synagogue, the non-Jewish man remarked:

“Happy are those who maintain justice, and he who does righteousness at all times. (Psalm 106: 3) and let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream (Amos 5:24).” in such holy places through such holy people.”

The simple meaning of the verse is that a judge, to fairly dispense justice, has to listen to both sides equally and not give preferential treatment to one side.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Kosher and Washing the Hands Before a Meal

Posted on Tuesday, 31, December, 2013Wednesday, 6, September, 2023 by Rabbi

Kosher is often misunderstood and explained within the context of science, health and modernity while ignoring the spirituality and holiness it brings into everyday life.

Kosher is so much more than merely food. It is the way we approach everyday activities. We have the ability to elevate the plain everyday actions into something that is wonderful and holy – this is kosher.

We are taught: “Whoever eats bread without scouring his hands is as though he were eating food that is ritually unclean.” (Sota 4b) In other words, failure to observe the practice of washing hands before the meal can cause one to eat forbidden meat.

“The L-rd said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations… “ (Ezekiel 4:13)

It happened in the days of the persecution by the Romans that there was an innkeeper who used to cook forbidden meat as well as clean (kosher) meat and sell them, in order that nobody should know that he was Jewish. After much observation of people who came into his inn, his practice became: If anybody entered the inn without washing his hands, he knew that this must be a non Jewish person and set pork before him. But if if a person washed his hands, he knew that this must be a Jewish traveller and gave him meat that was kosher.

On one occasion a certain Jewish merchant came into the inn to eat and did not wash his hands. He served the merchant pork, and he ate it and was satisfied. The man ate and did not say the grace after meals. When the time came to settle the account, the innkeeper said: “You have eaten a piece for ten copper coins.” “Yesterday,” said the other, “I ate the same meat for eight, so how can you ask for ten today?” The innkeeper answered, “I served you pork.” When the man heard this, he became very upset and whispered to the innkeeper: “I am Jewish, how could you serve me pork, unkosher food? ” The innkeeper explained, “When I saw that you did not wash your hands before eating, I believed that you were not Jewish.” The merchant became angry and answered: “How could you presume that I was not Jewish?”

The innkeeper looked at the merchant for a moment then replied: “Kosher is a way of life for us, and is much more than the food we eat. You came into the inn and did not wash your hands, you sat at the table and did not offer any blessing for the food or bread, you ate in a voracious manner and then you did not offer a prayer of thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He. Now you tell me how I was to identify you as Jewish?”

Because the merchant did not wash before the meal, nor did he act in a kosher way, he was fed nonkosher meat.

Based on Yoma 83b

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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New Year’s Day – Rosh haShanah and Blessings

Posted on Tuesday, 17, December, 2013Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

The snow and wind blew while sounds of celebration were heard from outside the wooden synagogue. It was the eve of the secular New Year’s. Many men were gathered around tables studying the holy words of Torah.

Suddenly the door to the holy rabbi’s private room opened and the holy rabbi himself came out and greeted everyone:

“L’Shana Tovah Tikasevu v’Techasemu!” (May you all be inscribed and sealed for a good year!)

With that the holy rabbi went back into his room and closed the door. Everyone who was studying the holy words of Torah were very surprised. Surely the holy rabbi knew that this was not Rosh haShanah, but the secular New Year? Why then did he extend such a greeting.

Some time later, the door opened and the holy rabbi again greeted the men studying the holy words of Torah. Hours passed and the holy rabbi offered the greeting a third time.

Puzzled by the holy rabbi’s behavior, the men went to one of the holy rabbi’s students and asked him to go to his master’s room and ask about the meaning of his strange actions through the night.

The student went and knocked on the door of his teacher, the holy rabbi and entered. The holy rabbi looked up from his studies and greeted his student: “Shalom Aleichem” the student answered: “Aleichem Shalom.” The Rabbi continued: “what brings you to my study at such a late hour?”

The student looked at his teacher, cleared his throat and asked: “many have been studying Torah tonight and you greeted them as though it was Rosh haShanah. This seems a little out of the ordinary. What is the holy reason for your greetings, this night of all times?”

The holy rabbi thought for a moment, smiled and explained:

“Last Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment for all the Jewish people and the world, the Jewish people prayed with intensity in their synagogues. Their prayers and the sounds of the shofar ascended to the heavens. Moved by the waves of heartfelt pleas, the Holy One, blessed be He, left his Throne of Justice to ascend the Throne of Mercy. There he wrote a decree which stated that the coming year would be a year of health and happiness for all Jewish people and peoples of the world.

When Yom Kippur, the fearful Day of Atonement, came and He saw how all of the Jewish people fasted and wept and poured out their hearts in prayer as “all are judged on Rosh haShanah and the verdicts is sealed on the Day of Atonement.” (Rosh haShanah 16a) The Holy One, blessed be He lifted the pen to sign the decree of blessings for all of the people in the world.

At that moment, the Dark Accusing One approached to protest: “yes, O L-rd, on Yom Kippur they fast and have remorse, dressed in white as the angels in heaven. What of all the rest of the year when they are filled with sins and wickedness?”

The decree was not signed.

When the Jewish people gathered together boards and scraps of wood to build succas for the holiday of Succos (the Feast of Tabernacles), prepared to eat and sleep in the succas, the defending angel appealed:

“Ribbono Shel Olam, Master of the Universe, You see these succas which even the poorest of Your children are building with so much joy, according to Your command “You shall dwell in booths for seven days” (Leviticus 23:42) and in the days of old “on the Festival of Tabernacles Israel would offer up seventy bullocks, one for each of the seventy nations of the world, and prayed that they might live in peace.” (Pisikta Kahana 175b). Have You heard them pray, ufros aleinu succas sh’lomecha (spread over us the shelter of Your peace). Please sign the decree now.

And so it would have been, had not the Dark Accusing One not objected: “yes, for the boards, which are here today and gone tomorrow. But for themselves – for their homes, their businesses, their entertainment – they erect strong buildings of brick and stone and glass that last forever!”

Then came Simchas Torah, the Jewish people embraced the Torah and danced with it in their synagogues in boundless joy. Again, the Defending Angel argued that the Holy One, blessed be He, should sign the decree: “See, oh G-d, how your children are happy with Your Holy Word, the Torah!”

The Dark Accusing One intervened: “yes, for one night they dance merrily with your Torah, their heads turned and their spirits lifted by a drop of schnapps. But in a more sober mood when their minds are clear, do they fulfill the mitzvahs, which are written in the Torah?”

The decree was not signed.

Every window was filled with light during Chanukah. It seemed as though the light of the first day touched every soul. The words of the morning prayer, “v’chol ayin lecha tetzapeh” (every eye longs for you) were realized.

The Defending Angel argued that the Holy One, blessed be He, should sign the decree:

“Look, and see how Your children are bringing Your holy light into the world. For indeed ‘the spirit of man is the candle of the L-rd.’ ” (Proverbs 20:27)

The dark accusing one interjected: “true, they kindle lights and may touch the soul with holiness, but are they honest and holy in the marketplace or with other people?”

The decree was not signed.

And so it is that the judgment written in favor of the Jewish people and all the peoples of the world on Rosh haShanah has remained unsigned all these many weeks until tonight. For when the New Year began and with it started all of the drunkenness, the shouting and brawls that usually occur on that night, the Defending Angel approached G-d and said: “O Lord, see how they begin the New Year tonight. Listen to the screams and noise as well as the sounds of discord, look at the shamelessness and the corruption – and remember how Your children began the New Year on Rosh haShanah, with prayer, with repentance, and with holiness.”

To this, the Dark Accusing One could not say single word.

And so it was that, after some four months of delay, the Holy One, blessed be He, at last signed the good decree for the Jewish people and the world.

“Therefore,” the holy rabbi concluded, “I greet you tonight with L’Shana Tovah Tikasevu v’Techasemu!,” (May you all be inscribed and sealed for a good year!)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Chanukah Lights and the Blessings of Sight

Posted on Saturday, 23, November, 2013Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Chanukah is the Festival of Lights and it hold a lot of power. When one sees somebody else’s light we see hope and promise and this leads to Berachos (blessings), and this leads to hope that people will see blessings over each other lights. About Chanukah, it says “mitzvahs ner Chanukah ish u’beiso” (Succah 46a) — the mitzvah of the light of Hanukkah is for a man in his whole household.

Chanukah is all about the eyes. When you want to visualize someone you are thinking about, you don’t think of their back or their arms or legs. You visualize their face, because their face is the most important thing. In today’s society with all of the distractions people’s faces become lost in the crowd. Many times the essence of a person becomes lost.

It was a cold wintery night and the winds were blowing the snow about when a someone came to see the very holy rabbi. This person looked so crude, his clothes was tattered and he smelled. He didn’t even have a human face. The holy rabbi’s young son answered the knock at the door. He didn’t even want to let the man into the house, but he did, and he decided, “I’ll keep the door a little bit open to hear what my father says.”

So this unkempt man spoke to the holy rabbi, who quickly realizes that this person is the one of the crudest people in the world. So he says to the crude man: “My dear friend, your soul needs a lot of fixing. I’ll tell you something very simple. Everyday slowly say the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and I want you to promise me that every day for a few minutes you’ll forget the whole world and just think about what you can do for another person. Think if you can do one favor for another person and please come back next year.”

One year to the day later, there was a knock on the door of the holy rabbi’s house. The holy rabbi’s young son answered the knock at the door. The man at the door was shining from the top of his hat to the bottoms of his shoes. He really had changed and had a different face.

What part of a person shines, or stands apart from everything else? It’s not the arms or legs, it’s the face. In the small light of the Chanukah candle we see each person’s face and the beauty within.

May we all be blessed to see the beauty of the world around us and may the small lights of Chanukah shine bright with blessings for all.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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If you refrain from violating the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the L-rd honorable, (Isaiah 58:13)

Once, the students of a holy rabbi decided to prepare him a special Shabbos meal. They worked for days to make sure that everything would be just as it should be, so that the spirit of the Shabbos would descend as it never had before.

The students and the rabbi came in from shul (synagogue) and began to sing Shalom Aleichem and an atmosphere of holiness surrounded the holy rabbi and his students. As they sang, the Holy rabbi began to laugh and laugh, as though he could not contain himself.

They began the Shabbos meal, hoping everything would meet their teacher’s approval. They served the holy rabbi the first bowl of the soup that they had worked so long over….He tasted it, and then he laughed so hard he almost spilled the soup.

The students were shocked. They rushed to taste the soup, but there was nothing in it that tasted…funny.

Still later, they were singing the Shabbos songs, listening to the holy rabbi’s lessons on the weekly Torah portion and stories. The holy rabbi smiled several times and was in a very joyful mood.

In answer, the holy rabbi said, “Come with me,” and with that the students crowded into the holy rabbi’s carriage. Several hours later, the carriage stopped in a small village. The holy rabbi was greeted by the village leaders and he asked about Anschel the bookbinder.

“Anschel, tell us how you spent your Shabbos.”

“Do I have to? I’m so ashamed.”

“Yes, tell us everything and leave nothing out.”

“Rabbi, holy rabbi, I’ll never do it again. Please don’t make me confess my sins in public.”

The holy rabbi softly comforted: “Anschel, do not fear and have no shame, but please tell us how you spent your Shabbos.”

“I entered the house and saw the table set with everything fine, there were golden challahs and wine. My wife was determined that we would observe the Shabbos as well as we were able. I could hold my anger no longer and asked my wife why she accepted charity. She answered me:

“Anschel, my beloved husband do you remember the black dress with the fancy buttons you bought me when we were first married?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with now?”

“I got control of myself, and went back to observing the Shabbos with due respect.”

“I stood at the head of the table and raised the Kiddush cup to make the blessing, when my wife smiled at me and my heart melted. I felted twenty years younger and rushed through the blessing and then danced around the Shabbos table with my wife.

“We finally sat down to eat and my wife served me chicken soup. At that moment, I realized that the nourishment — which all these years I had thought came only from the soup — actually came also from her, from our being together through so many Shabboses. (Sabbaths)

“And before I realized what I was doing, I jumped up, pulled her to me and kissed her. We danced as though we were teenagers.”

“Shocked at my own behavior, I sat back down. I stayed in my seat properly until later, when we sang the Shabbos songs and shared stories. Throughout Shabbos I kept looking at my wife lovingly”

“Suddenly, I knew that, in spite of our great poverty, while I had her in my life, I lacked for nothing.

“Rabbi, holy rabbi, I know I have defiled the Shabbos. Please, tell me what I must do to be forgiven.”

“The Holy rabbi looked at his students. ”When Anschel and his wife spent their Shabbos in such deep and holy love, I was there with them, and I shared in their joy.”

“When he spoke his love for his wife, not only I but the angels in heaven heard — and they smiled. And when he got up and kissed his wife, acting on that deep love — the angels in heaven saw them, and they laughed.

“And when the two of them joined their hands and sang and danced their joy, the angels themselves began to sing and to dance. And the Eternal Heart itself heard them, and it was warmed.

“On a Shabbos of such perfect joy, who wouldn’t laugh?”

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

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The holy rabbi squeezed Yossele his hand again and said: “Yossele, sweet Yossele, there’s one more thing I want to know. This is very important to me. Why do you always sing? What are you thinking about when you carry all those heavy bundles and packages singing l’Koved Shabbos?”

“I also know what happened next. We were driven out of our land, the Holy Temple was destroyed, and ever since, the Jewish people have been wandering around the world, in exile, without a home.”

That Shabbos Yossele was at every meal at the holy rabbi’s house. As the stars rose in the sky and the holy rabbi made Havdalah, Yossele looked into the flame and smiled. The next day Yossele disappeared. No one knew when he left or where he went.

“L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos!”

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)

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The young man was so hungry to find the right teacher, that he traveled from town to town speaking to every rabbi he could find. Many were very learned, had beautiful rituals and were holy. They taught him much Torah, but not any of them were able to touch the deepest parts of his soul.

Yossele Trayger was a giant of a man with bulging muscles. Because of his size and strength he was a porter. All day long he would stand in the marketplace and help people carry their bundles, but he did so much more than merely carrying packages and heavy boxes.

The woman would look at him and think for a moment and then, maybe just to make Yossele feel good or maybe because it was the truth, the woman would answer kindly: “you know, I’ve bought a lot of food, even for my large family. I’m sure there will be plenty left for Shabbos.”

“L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos!”

People along the way would just look and sometimes smile as they watched Yossele Trayger pass them.

“L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos, oy, L’K-o-oved Shabbos!”

The young man watched Yossele all week, and even though people laughed at him, the young man felt that Yossele was one of the holiest and truest of people in the small village.

The holy rabbi closed his eyes stood very still. He squeezed Yossele’s hand tightly and said, very softly: “my holy friend, would you please tell me your name?”

Yossele was so shy and so uncertain, he couldn’t even look at the rabbi. He just hung his head and mumbled, “um my name… um my name, is Yossele.”

“Is that your whole name, or do you maybe have another name also?”

Yossele was so ashamed, he bowed his head even more. “I ah well um sometimes people call me… I mean, they’re only joking, but they call me…. Yossele l’Koved Shabbos.”

“Why do they call you that?”

Yossele was so upset he could hardly speak. His voice dropped to a whisper: “because… because… because when I carry their bundles and packages. I always sing l’Koved Shabbos.”

The young man found his teacher.

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)

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Everyday students would walk past the house of their teacher, a holy rabbi, and see him carefully tending to a garden. He pulled weeds, loosened soil and watered the plants, while all the time quietly saying something.

Some days later the students again saw the rabbi on his knees carefully tending the garden. One of the students thought out loud, “What can be so important about tending a few plants? Our teacher is spending so much time on it.”

“Perhaps working the garden helps him to relax” another student offered.

“That can not be” answered another student. “There must be a worthy rea­son for the holy rabbi to devote so much time to such a simple task.”

The students decided to find out, and one of them approached their beloved teacher with their question.

“I was a bit puzzled by my teacher’s interruptions, but I didn’t question him because he was my teacher, a true light to the generation. I made sure to remem­ber what he had told me that day, for I was certain that he had some reason for telling me this.

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)

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Tam and Chacham once set out together on a journey to do a d’var mitzvah (a deed of religious importance) in a faraway country. They traveled to many places and were welcomed with much respect and honor.

In one village they stopped at an inn known for its high stan­dards of kashrus (kosher). They were seated at a special table set with a linen tablecloth and fine dishes, for the woman who owned the inn recognized them to be important rabbis.

She had them served promptly, and when they finished the meal she approached them and asked, “So how did you like my food?” she asked the rabbis. “Oh, it was quite good,’ Chacham replied, ” but it could have used more salt.”

Seeing Tam’s reaction, Chacham became confused and upset. “What did I say that was so wrong?” he hesitated. “I said that the food was good — I only added that it needed some salt.”

Chacham smiled at Tam and said softly and respectfully, “Tam, my friend, certainly things are not as grim as you believe. Maybe, you are exag­gerating a little. You’re carrying this just a bit too far. A few simple words cannot possibly have done all that.”

The innkeeper was really a kindly woman and she also wanted to fulfill Chacham’s request. “Of course, of course,“ she said hastily. “I only wanted to impress on her the need to be more careful. She is really a fine cook and she will remain here at her job.”

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)

“That can not be” answered another student. “There must be a worthy reason for the holy rabbi to devote so much time to such a simple task.”

“I was a bit puzzled by my teacher’s interruptions, but I didn’t question him because he was my teacher, a true light to the generation. I made sure to remember what he had told me that day, for I was certain that he had some reason for telling me this.

In one village they stopped at an inn known for its high standards of kashrus (kosher). They were seated at a special table set with a linen tablecloth and fine dishes, for the woman who owned the inn recognized them to be important rabbis.

Chacham smiled at Tam and said softly and respectfully, “Tam, my friend, certainly things are not as grim as you believe. Maybe, you are exaggerating a little. You’re carrying this just a bit too far. A few simple words cannot possibly have done all that.”

The innkeeper was really a kindly woman and she also wanted to fulfill Chacham’s request. “Of course, of course,^“ she said hastily. “I only wanted to impress on her the need to be more careful. She is really a fine cook and she will remain here at her job.”