Category: Holidays
Matzah and Shalom Bayis (Peace in the Family)
Pesach with all of its many preparations, is a holiday of peace. The seder conducted with shalom bayis (peace in the family) is the goal of every Jewish family.
The rabbi’s wife was busy in the kitchen with all the last-minute preparations for the Seder, when there was a knock at the door. A young girl who was helping prepare for the seder at the Holy Rabbi’s house answered the knock at the door. Someone had come to the home of the holy rabbi with a request for matzah for the seder. Seeing a stack of matzos wrapped up in a napkin, the young girl who opened the door innocently gave them away and hurried back to work.
A short time later, the rabbi’s wife realized the matzahs were none other than the special ones that which had been baked that same day with holy intentions. The matzahs were prepared with all manner of careful precautions against chometz. They were baked for the holy rabbi’s Seder. There was no way to get the special matzahs back. She felt her heart sag within her. How could she tell her husband of the mishap and cause him spiritual anguish? There was only one thing to do. She took a bundle of plain, ordinary matzos, deftly wrapped them up in the very same napkin, and pretended to know nothing of the whole affair. And that same evening, her husband conducted the Seder with the ordinary matzos.
Soon after Pesach (Passover) was over, a young couple visited the holy rabbi seeking a divorce.
“What makes you want to divorce your wife?” he asked the husband.
The young man answered that his wife had refused his request to cook for him during Pesach in separate utensils without shruyah — for it is the custom of certain pious folk to avoid allowing even baked matzah to come in contact with water throughout the festival.
Hearing this, the holy rabbi called for his wife and said, “Tell me the whole truth, please. What kind of matzos were placed before me at the Seder table?”
The rabbi’s wife was afraid to speak up, so she held her peace.
“Do tell me, please,” he reassured her; “have no fear.”
The rabbi’s wife mumbled the truth: “Ordinary matzos …” And she proceeded to to tell her husband the whole story.
The tzaddik now turned to the over-zealous young husband standing before him, “Look here, my son,” he said. “On the first night of Pesach I ate plain, ordinary matzah not the special ones that were prepared for the seder.” The holy rabbi continued, “I pretended not to know nor sense the difference, in order that I should not be brought to expressing hard feelings or harsh words to my beloved wife – G-d forbid — and you want to divorce your wife because of shruyah?!”
The holy rabbi then restored harmony between them, and they left him in peace.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Creating a Prayer – Shema and Pesach
One prayer unites Jewish people around the world – the Shema. The words of the Shema – Hear O Israel, the L-rd is Our G-d, the Lord is One – are said everyday.
Many rabbis and many more people have thought about the first sentence of the Shema. The Shema is a declaration of the Jewish people. It is an affirmation of faith, a vital part of the prayer service, and a meditation.
Every Jewish person can have a relationship with G-d as it says in the Shema “our G-d”. Pesach is a time when Jewish people come together to read the Haggadah and celebrate this joyous holiday.
One year, before beginning his own Seder, the holy rabbi of the village wandered through the village. He listened as people conducted their own Seders. As he walked down the cobble stoned alleys he heard the voices of simple Jewish families singing and reciting the narrative of the Haggadah. He stopped near the wooden shutters of one of the cottages and heard a voice reading aloud:
The Torah speaks of four sons: one wise son, one wicked son, one simple son, and one who does not know how to ask questions.”
Every time the reader came to the word for “one” — echad — he would cry it out aloud with prolonged concentration, just as people do when they say Shema Yisrael.
The holy rabbi was delighted at this approach. He commented later that this simple villager made out of the Four Sons of the Haggadah — including even the wicked son — a beautiful prayer. A sacred prayer as the Shema Yisrael.
Every year we read the words of the Haggadah: “All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are needy, let them come and celebrate the Passover with us.”
Let all of our prayers come together so that all Jewish people can unite as one and say the Shema and bring peace so that we can all celebrate Pesach in the Holy City of Jerusalem next year.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Who Was the Guest?
A Jewish innkeeper earned his living managing a small inn that stood on the crossroads leading to the big city. Every so often, a lone traveler or caravan would lodge at the inn; there they would eat to the heart’s content, rest from the long journey, and then continue on their way.
On one occasion, the Jewish innkeeper was falsely accused of committing a terrible crime against the state. While he was waiting for his trial, he was informed by reliable sources that if he were found guilty, he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
His loved ones advised him to travel to the capital where the king lived. There he would try his best to gain an audience with the king and present his case before him. The innkeeper’s friends reassured him, “The king is a man of truth and will certainly see that justice is served.
“But who will permit me to even approach the palace to begin with?” asked the innkeeper. “Why, the king’s guards have the palace surrounded.”
“You must try, nonetheless,” answered his friends.
The king had a habit every so often of putting on simple farmer’s clothing and travel around his kingdom seeing and listening carefully. In this way, he would get a sense of the mood and would know what the people were thinking.
On one such occasion, the king arrived at the inn managed by the Jewish innkeeper. There he received food and drink and slept on the floor like an ordinary person.
Sometime later, the innkeeper was told who his guest had been. Upon hearing that the king had stayed in his inn, the innkeeper took his head in his hands and cried, “Woe is me! The king was in my house, and I could have begged him to save my life…”
Every person can draw close to the Holy One Blessed, be He, the King above all kings, in this world, for here He is always within reach. One must seize the moment and draw as close to the Holy One Blessed, be He as he possibly can, for he will not have the opportunity to do so in the World to Come.
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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The King, the Thief the True Penitant
Chazal state (Berachos 34b), “R’ Ahahu said: In the place where ba’alei teshuvah (a true penitent) stand, tzaddikim gemurim (the purely righteous who have been untainted by sin) do not stand.”
There was a king who reigned over his entire kingdom with justice and wisdom. On one occasion, the king wished to discover his subjects’ true feelings regarding his rule, and so he disguised himself as a beggar, and went out in the streets.
As he roamed the alleyways, he was attacked by a band of cruel thieves. They wished to harm him, but one of the thieves, a spark of mercy for the beggar having flickered in his heart, fiercely defended him against his attackers, even helping him escape to safety.
The king returned to his palace and, some time later, arranged a lavish seudas hada’ah (lit., a feast of thanksgiving.), to which he invited all of the ministers and distinguished members of the kingdom. He also invited the thief who had saved him from the clutches of his partners.
The thief sat there in his simple attire and felt rather uncomfortable in the presence of the ministers who were dressed so elegantly. The ministers as well stared at the thief in utter bewilderment:
what place did this lowly individual have at the king’s feast?
The king noticed the puzzled expressions on the faces of the ministers. He therefore called over the thief and sat him down alongside him in a display of great honor. He then related to his guests what had transpired and how this thief had saved his life.
So too, it is in relation to repentance. The Torah states (Hoshea 14:2), “Return, Israel, unto Hashem your G-d.” When an individual repents and becomes a ba’al teshuvah, he draws closer to Hashem like the thief who, through saving the king, repented and in effect anointed the king over the entire land. In a similar vein, when a ba’al teshuvah overcomes his yetzer hara, he annoints Hashem King of the world as a result. The prophet Joel taught that one should “Rend your heart, not your garments and turn to the L-rd” (Joel 2:13) In this world “a king of flesh and blood insists upon having his decrees carried out. Hashem, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not act so, for He desires one’s repentance, so that He can have any excuse to annul His decrees” (Rosh haShanah 57a). It is good when one thinks about repentance and follows it with action and deed.
For the sake of one true penitent, the whole world is pardoned. (Yoma 86b)
l’Shana Tova May Everyone Be Blessed with a Good and Sweet Year
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Rosh haHashanah: Forgiving A Debt
In a certain city lived an very wealthy merchant who sold a lot of goods to the merchants living near his home town.
When it was time for the fair to be held, the merchant let everyone know that he wanted to travel to the fair so he could buy new and outstanding goods. For that reason the wealthy merchant urged all who owed him money to come and pay their debts.
Among those who owed him money was a merchant whose home had unfortunately burned down. All of his property had been consumed in the flames as well, leaving him penniless.
He was utterly distressed and ashamed at the thought of having to face the wealthy man. “How can I have the nerve to come before him empty-handed?” he asked.
“Just go to him and tell him the truth. There is nothing better than that!” advised his friends.
The merchant listened their advice and set out to see the wealthy man.
Sitting in the wealthy man’s waiting room, the poor merchant was unable to control himself and began to cry bitterly. The sound of the crying touched the wealthy man’s heart, and he asked to know why the poor man was crying. Soon after, the merchant’ s sad story was told to him.
The wealthy man felt pity for the unfortunate merchant; when the man was brought in to him he embraced him and and lovingly explained:
“Do not feel the least bit distressed. I hereby completely forgive you of your debt.” He then tore the bill of debt into shreds.
The merchant abundantly thanked the wealthy man and went on his way. The matter soon became known to the members of the community and. eventually spread to the public at large as well.
Among those who heard about it was a crook who decided to swindle the wealthy man.
He traveled to the wealthy man’s home, and upon taking a seat in the waiting room, began to wail loudly.
“What are you crying about?” shouted the wealthy man.
“I desperately need two thousand rubles,” he cried. “I beg of you, please give me the entire sum.”
“I am very sorry,” answered the wealthy man, “but I am simply unable to give you such a large amount of money.”
“But you forgave the other merchant from a debt of an equal amount,” insisted the disappointed crook.
“You fool,” said the wealthy man. “That individual owed me a great deal of money, and I knew that he did not have a penny to his name with which to repay me — what would I have gained had I not absolved his debt? Will I get my money back? That is why I forgave his debt. But as for you, I have absolutely no business with you – why should I acquiesce to giving you a sum of two thousand rubles? Should I give it to you simply because you are crying?”
The prayer, Unsaneh Tokef, speaks of many dire situations one may face during the year but concludes with the verse:
“But Repentance, Prayer and Tzedakah (charity) avert the severe decree.”
When a person repents honestly, he regrets his misdeeds, and cries to the Holy One, blessed be He that He forgive him for his sins — G-d immediately forgives him. But if a foolish individual thinks to himself, “I will sin, repent, sin again, repent once again, and even cry over my sins afterwards” — his repentance will not be accepted!
May you all be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the Book of Life
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Repentance and the Captive Prince
The rabbis of old taught that:
“In the place where those who return and truly repent stand, the purely righteous who have never sinned can not stand.” Berachos 34b
The Captive Prince
A king had two mighty and courageous sons. One day, the king went out to battle his enemies, and his two sons went with him as commanders in his army. Each son led his soldiers into battle. The sons fought with much strength and bravery, but the enemy was able to surround one of the sons. The battle raged on, but at the end he was taken captive by the enemy. The king’s son suffered in the enemy prison, starving and deprived, and after a full year, he finally succeeded in digging a tunnel so that he could escape from the dismal prison. The prince ran away, crossing over rivers and lakes, and trekking through forests and over mountains. After a while, he finally returned to his father’s home. How great was the happiness and joy in the king’s palace upon the prince’s return. Large celebrations were held in his honor, and the king sat him to his right and showered him with gifts. Without a doubt, this son’s joy is ten times greater than a son who had never left his father’s home.
This is the identical happiness that a person feels when he returns in complete repentance to his Father in Heaven. His joy is ten times greater than one who has never sinned, for only once a person has saved himself from sin can he truly perceive the taste of “captivity.”
L’Shana Tova May Everyone Be Blessed with a Good and Sweet Year
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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A Rock and the King’s Greatness
A king was traveling along the road, leading a large group of advisors and knights. Their journey led them to the edge of a field surrounded by a fence. Since they were pressed for time, the king ordered that the fence be torn down so they could pass through.
The field was owned by a simple hard working villager. He did not know the king at all and thought that the men who had broken the fence to his field were a group of hunters. He became angry and threw stones and dirt at them; one of the stones struck the king in the head.
The simple villager was immediately seized by the king’s men and brought to trial. It did not take long for the court to reach a decision. The farmer was sentenced to death for his crime of rebelling against the king.
Seeing that the villager had entirely no grasp of just how serious his act had been, the king had mercy on him and annulled the verdict.
The villager would not go unpunished, however, as the king ordered him to clean the streets of the capital city.
The man was first instructed to clean the streets that were quite a distance away from the king’s palace. Next he cleaned the areas immediately surrounding the palace, and ultimately the king’s courtyard. With each area that he cleaned, the villager began to understand the scale of the kingdom and just how powerful and awesome the king truly was. Having arrived at this understanding, it also dawned on him to what degree he had wronged the king and just how severe his crime had been.
When he had concluded his task, he turned to the minister in charge and requested that he bring him before the king so that he would be able to ask him for his forgiveness.
A man who sins does not have any understanding of the greatness of G-d and therefore stumble and sins on occasion. Had he understood how powerful and awesome the Holy One, blessed be He is, he would plead and request for forgiveness for his soul.
May you be inscribed for a year of blessings, sweetness, success and health
May all your tales end with Shalom (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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Repentance Out of Love
Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) is coming very soon. This is a time for all Jewish people to reflect and seek forgiveness for deeds of the past year. Repentance is the goal of every Jewish person during this time of the year. One can repent out of fear or out of love for the Holy One, blessed be He.
Repentance Out of Love
The rabbis of old taught that (Yoma 86b):
“Great is repentance out of love, for it turns sins into merits.”
Explaining the lofty level of repentance that is motivated by love of the Holy One, Blessed be He and why it is preferable to repentance motivated by fear of the Holy One, blessed be He is indeed a difficult task. It is brought down that once:
A thief came upon the idea to steal from the king’s treasury, and he spent many days figuring out how he could dig a tunnel beneath it. Having completed his passageway, he would enter and fill his sacks with the many treasures that lay inside the vast room. He finally worked out a plan and, one night, dug a tunnel.
His planning had not been exact enough, and instead of leading to the king’s treasury, the tunnel led into the great hall next to it. The thief entered the dark corridor and felt around, but did not find any riches at all. He was very disappointed and so he turned around and escaped before the sun came up.
That very same night, a different thief attempted to break into the king’s treasury as well. He, too, dug a tunnel, but unlike the first thief, he managed to successfully enter the treasury and fill his sacks with the king’s treasures. Before he left, however, he stopped for a moment and thought,
“How could I be so bold as to steal from the king himself? Why, I am obligated to honor him”
The thief emptied his bags completely and escaped to his home. When day broke, the king’s subjects noticed that there were two openings that were dug into the palace walls, but the careful investigation revealed that not a thing was missing from the treasury.
The king very much wanted to know the reason behind this strange occurrence, so he ordered that a full investigation be made by his trusted sheriff. In a very short time, the king’s sheriff brought the two thieves before him, and the king interrogated them, asking them to explain their actions. “I will not deny it,” said the first thief. “I entered the king’s treasury but did not find a thing. Since I feared that daybreak was near, I escaped in order to save myself.” The king immediately ordered that the thief be taken to the dungeon.
“I,” confessed the second thief, “entered the treasury and even took whatever I could. Suddenly I realized and understood that what I was about to do was a very bad thing which was an insult to the king’s honor. Out of love for the king, I decided on the spot to not follow through with this wicked deed.” When the king heard this, he sent the man home and even granted him many gifts.
So, too, in relation to repentance, it is a great honor to the King of the World when a person repents out of love!
LaShanah Tovah
Rosh HaShanah is just a few days away. People all around the world are trying to make amends for mistakes of the past year.
May all your tales end with Shalom (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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Counting the Omer: Simple Math
Knowledge of the physical sciences was never considered to be a deterrent from the study of Torah (Scriptures). Some of our greatest sages, from the Talmudic era to our own generation, were extremely well versed in mathematics and the sciences. Works on these subjects by ibn Ezra, Maimonides (RaMbaM), Zacuto, and the Gaon of Vilna are consulted to this day and demonstrate their vast knowledge.
The haskalah (Enlightenment) movement tried to undermine traditional Judaism and the study of Torah by introducing secular studies in all Jewish educational institutions, and they tried to use mathematics as a way of getting a foot in the door. The rabbis were against the education as presented by the maskilim. While they had no problem with the study of mathematics, they knew this was only a trick to destroy the traditional religious cheder (classroom).
One member of the haskalah movement argued with the rabbis, saying that the knowledge of mathematics would not affect anyone’s Jewishness in the least. One of the rabbis challenged him: “Then let me ask you a simple arithmetic question. How many days is it today in the counting of the Omer (days between Pesach and Shavuos)?”
When the maskil was unable to answer, the rabbi said, “See, with all your enlightenment, you don’t even know simple Jewish arithmetic.”
haYom sh’loshah v’arbaim yom sh’heim shisha shavuous v’yom echad l’omer (Today is the forty-third day, making six weeks and one day of the Omer.)
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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