Category: Holidays
A Cry to the King
There once was a wise king who had a son he loved very much. The king knew that one day his son would ascend the throne and wear the royal crown and so he wanted him to learn about the world and government. He sent his son to learn wisdom and skills from the many lands throughout the world.
The king made sure that his son had everything he needed including gold and silver as well as a well provisioned ship. With a pain in his heart, the king watched as the ship faded in the distance.
The prince, being young, lost his fortune as he traveled through many lands. Many years passed and one day the prince realized that he was without any means to take care of his needs. Sadly, he decided to return to his father’s palace and began his long hard journey home. After a long time, he arrived at the courtyard gate to his father’s palace.
In the long time he had traveled, he had forgotten how the language was spoken in his native country, and he was unable to identify himself to the guards. He was tired, confused and hopeless and in his despair he began to cry out in a loud voice. The King, who happened to be walking the battlements, recognized the voice of his beloved son. Hearing the crying of his son, the King went out to him and brought him into the palace, welcoming him with tight embraces and kisses.
We see from this story that: The King is G d. The prince is the Jewish people, who are called the “Children of the living God.” (Hosea 1:10). The King sends a soul down to this world in order “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d (Micah 6:8) and to fulfill the words of Torah and mitzvos.
However, the soul becomes very distant and forgets everything to which it was accustomed to above, and in the long exile it forgets even its own “language.” So it utters a simple cry to its Father in Heaven. This is the blowing of the shofar, a cry from deep within, expressing regret for the past and determination for the future. This cry brings about G d’s mercies, and He demonstrates His abiding affection for His child and forgives him.
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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A Sandwich at the Seder
The holy rabbi welcomed everyone and seemed to be able to talk to anyone. He took time to hear what each person had to say. No matter what anyone did, he would always find something positive to say. He believed in treating everyone kindly, no matter how much his patience was tested.
A merchant came to the holy rabbi because his son no longer wanted to follow Jewish customs, traditions or rituals. One year, during the Seder, as the family recited:
And the family was about to make a sandwich of matzah and maror for korech. To everyone’s surprise, the boy pulled from his pocket two slices of bread and some meat, and made himself a sandwich. His father started to cry: “How dare you bring bread to my Seder?”
“I’m hungry after reading the Haggadah, besides what difference does it make if I eat bread or matzah? I’m sure the holy rabbi wouldn’t mind. the boy answered. The father in his anger, jumped up from the table and grabbed his son. “Oh that’s what you think. Let’s go ask him.” The whole family marched to the holy rabbi’s house, the father leading the boy by the ear. “Rabbi,” the man said, “even you would not tolerate what my son just did. He ate bread at our Seder. I have four sons, rabbi, and I don’t have to tell you which one he is.”
Everyone room was shocked; everyone, that is, except for the holy rabbi. He smiled at the boy and asked if it was true.
“Of course, rabbi. I was hungry so I made myself a sandwich.”
“Don’t you know that on Pesach Jewish people don’t eat bread,” asked the holy rabbi. “Well, rabbi,” the boy responded, “to be totally honest, I don’t really believe in all this Seder stuff. What difference could it possibly make if I eat bread or matzah?”
The entire room was silent. Only the boy’s mother could be heard crying in the doorway. “Please come here,” the holy rabbi invited. The boy walked slowly, afraid that this time he had gone too far. As he approached the table, the rabbi hugged him. “Such a fine boy,” he said to the father, “and so honest too,” he added to the mother.
“Come here my boy and have a seat by me at the Seder table”, the holy rabbi instructed as the surprised parents watched. “He’s ready to admit what he did and he’s acting according to his beliefs. Such a fine, honest boy must sit with me at my Seder. I have so much to learn from him! Just one thing though.” The rabbi turned to the boy and said, “There’ll be no sandwiches at this Seder table – unless you make them with matzah.”
The shocked merchant, lost for words, asked, “Why?” The holy rabbi closed his eyes for a moment and answered, “The Torah speaks of four children, including your son. The Holy One, blessed be He spoke to all the Jewish people at Sinai, when He said: ‘I am the L‑rd Your G‑d.’ Those words were inscribed into the depths of the soul. In other words, in spite of your son’s distance, the Torah considers him connected to the Jewish people.”
“We learn in our holy writings that a Jewish person cannot lose their Jewishness. (Sanhedrin 44a) Regardless of the degree of his disengagement from Judaism, the Jewish spark lives on within him.”
In today’s day and age, there is almost no such thing as a renegade Jewish person! Those who do not observe Jewish practices and the like, cannot be faulted, since many of them never really experienced Judaism. In the past, there were those who had a choice and chose to rebel…. But too many children were never told about Jewish traditions and rituals in such a manner that would translate into observance. They cannot be blamed for their disinterest…
The yetzias Mitzraim (Egyptian Exodus) was incomplete. It will only be fully realized in the time of Moshiach (Messiah), a time that will be ushered in by uniting all Jewish people — including those who seem most distant—and revealing their inherent connection to the Holy One, blessed be He, their inner “wise child.”
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 First Question and the Captive Prince
Passover is coming fast. It is a time filled with questions and the reading of the Haggadah. Too many times within the questions and the retelling of the journey from slavery to freedom we become lost in the yearly ritual.
The prominence of science and technology has weakened faith throughout the community. Sadly, this has led to many to go through the motions of faith by conducting rituals by rote.
During this season of Pesach (Passover) maybe we need to ask, “What is the first question in the Torah (Scriptures)?
Before man was created, there were no questions. The first occurs in the Garden of Eden. The man and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. G-d calls out to them, “Ayecha?” “Where are you?” (Genesis 3.9)
How can that be? Does G-d not know where the man and Eve are? For centuries, the Jewish people have recognized that this question has a deeper meaning. G-d is not seeking to find the man and Eve. That is why they do not answer, “We are over here!” Instead, it is a question of spiritual geography. The man, understanding the importance of G-d’s question, and answers that he was frightened, so he has been hiding.
Man has seen, enjoyed and explored the wonders and mysteries of creation, yet still questions faith. People become lost as they question everything, many times using science and technology to define “what is real(ality).” It is easy for many to separate the “religious” from the “spiritual” to those who are simply “unbelievers.”
It is hard to understand, but easy to accept and follow what others say, and so we come back to that first question, “Where are you?” This simple question leads to many many more. “I have not lived according to my religion so I can’t be special or holy” “Why should I believe in this religious stuff that has so many rules and restrictions?” “It too hard to believe in something that cannot be proven?”
It once happened that there was a king had two strong and brave sons. The sons loved their father very much and tried to honour him in all they did. One day the kingdom was attacked by a powerful enemy that wanted to destroy the king and prey on the people and lands of the kingdom.
The king went into battle with his sons to stop this powerful enemy. His two sons were commanders in the army. Each son led his soldiers into battle and 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 enemy commander ordered, “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him on reduced rations of bread and water.” (1 Kings 22:27) The king’s son suffered in the enemy prison, starving and deprived. He asked many times, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison?“ (Jeremiah 37:18) But he never received an answer. After being in the enemy prison for a full year, he finally succeeded in digging a tunnel so that he could escape.
The prince journeyed at night, 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 they rediscover and explore their faith in our Father in Heaven. A person’s joy is ten times greater than one who has never questioned their beliefs and faith, for only once a person has returned and strengthens themselves in faith can they truly perceive the taste of “captivity.”
The RaMbaM (Rabbeinu Mosheh ben Maimon – Maimonides) wrote, “The Children of Israel believed in our teacher Moses not because of the miracles he performed. If one believes in something because of miracles, he may suspect that they were performed through sleight of hand or sorcery. All the miracles that Moses did in the desert were performed for the needs of the moment, not in order to prove his prophecy to them” (Yesodei HaTorah 8:1).
The question ““Where are you?” is not only the first question; it is also the eternal question. At each moment in our lives, this question is addressed to us: Where are you? Where are you spiritually? Where are you morally? What have you done with your life, and what are you doing with it now? Are you proud of your conduct in the garden?
We say at the beginning of the Seder:
This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat.
As we become more and more involved with the trends of society, we are afflicted by the urges to abandon our traditions and beliefs. Too many have been lost and enslaved by the impulse to blindly follow others or assimilation. Let’s invite those at the Seder who are hungry for spirituality and searching for meaning to their beliefs to “come and eat” because “today we are slaves” to all types of distractions and confusion, but “next year may we be free men” able to grow in faith.
The first question is a single word, whose echoes are endless. “Ayecha?”
Where are you?
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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Burning the Chametz
Holy Rabbi once asked, “how do you burn the chametz? With the fire of your heart, with the fire of serving the Holy One, blessed be He.” And the fire goes one burning all through Pesach.
The holy Rabbi continued, “I once learned how to serve Holy One, blessed be He from the knights that serve the king, especially in the cold winter. I was once passing by a training camp filled with squires and young knights when I saw a number of the young knights beating one of their own as a punishment. I asked them, ‘what terrible thing did this knight do that he deserved such punishment?’ One of the young knights stepped forward and answered, ‘last night he was standing guard, and in the morning we found him half frozen.’ I thought this was strange and said that the knight who stood guard should be given honor and respect, since despite the cold he stood by his post. The young knights laughed and said, ‘you don’t understand! If you’re really serving the king, everything you do gets done with so much fire, it keeps you warm.’ “
We learn that “The soul of man is a lamp of G‑d” (Proverbs 20:27). In today’s society that is dominated by science and technology it is easy to forget that man is a very complex mixture of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, fire and wick. Like the lamp, man, too, is comprised of three elements which determine the direction of his actions. The candle’s wick, flame and oil resemble man – mind body and soul – the very source of Torah and its mitzvos.
As we prepare for Pesach/Passover would look forward to conducting the Seder. Just as Passover represents freedom – of body and soul – so it is today that we must remember that slavery is more than just physical bondage. The lessons and messages we share at the Passover Seder remind us of yesterday and today and prepares us for tomorrow. The stories eternal, just as the Jewish spirit has endured through the ages.
As we look into the holiday candles and see the flames dance as we recite the story of the leaving of Egypt we become the everlasting light. We know this because it is written in the Torah, “A continuous fire shall remain on the altar; it shall not be extinguished” (Lev. 6:9).
As we gather around the Seder table that is filled with meaning and holiness let us allow it to fill our hearts to strive to the beauty and wonder that happened so many years ago and is still happening today to give us the strength to turn away from the glowing screens of cell phones and computers and focus when the fires of our souls there ignited during the Passover Seder. Let us allow ourselves to remember the miracles that brought us from Egypt to this very day and remember that the “… Fire will renew the righteous….(Saadia Gaon, Emmunos v’Deos 9:3)
So on Pesach we are really serving the Holy One, blessed be He, once we found the chametz and burned it in our hearts on fire.
Chag Kasher V’Sameach
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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Oil, Wicks and the Cave of Matisyahu
In a nearby village there was a merchant who would carefully select olives and press them into oil and bring it to the holy rabbi, and the rabbi would use it to light his menorah. The merchant did this for many years.
One year the winter was hard, the snow blew everywhere, and travel was just about impossible. The eve of Chanukah arrived and the merchant was still planning to deliver the fresh pressed oil. His family pleaded with him not to go, but he was determined, and in the end he set out across the deep snow.
That morning he entered the forest that separated his village from the village where the holy rabbi lived, and the moment he did, it began to snowheavily. The wind blew strong and the snow fell so fast that it covered every landmark, and when at last it stopped, the merchant found that he was lost. The whole world was covered with snow
Now the merchant began to regret not listening to his family. Surely the holy rabbi would have forgiven his absence. Meanwhile, it had become so cold that he began to fear he might freeze. He realized that if he were to die there in the forest, he might not even be buried in a Jewish way. That is when he remembered the oil he was carrying. In order to save his life, he would have to use it. There was no other choice.
As quickly as his numb fingers could move, he tore some of the lining out of his coat and fashioned it into a wick, and he put that wick into the snow. Then he poured oil on it and prayed with great intensity. Finally, he lit the first light of Chanukah, and the flame seemed to light up the whole forest. It seemed that even the wolves saw that light and lifted their heads in song..
After this the exhausted Merchant lay down on the snow and fell asleep. He dreamed he was walking in a warm land, and before him he saw a great mountain, and next to that mountain stood a palm tree. At the foot of the mountain was the opening of a cave. In the dream, the merchant entered the cave and found a lamp burning there. He picked up that lamp, and it lit the way for him until he came to a large cavern, where an old man with a very long beard was seated. There was a sword on his thigh, and his hands were busy making wicks. All of that cavern was piled high with bundles of wicks. The old man looked up when the merchant entered and said: “Shalom Aleichem (Peace be unto you).”
The merchant answered, ”Aleichem Shalom (Unto you peace).” and asked him who he was. He answered: “I am Matisyahu, father of the Maccabees. During my lifetime I lit a big torch. I hoped that all of Israel would join me, but only a few answered my call. Now heaven has sent me to watch for the little lamps in the houses of Israel to come together to form a very big flame will announce the Time of Peace that we are all waiting for.”
“Meanwhile, I prepare the wicks for the day when everyone will contribute his light to this great flame. And now, there is something you must do for me. When you reach the holy rabbi, tell him that the wicks are ready, and he should do whatever he can to light the flame that we have awaited so long.”
Amazed at all he had heard, the merchant promised to give the message to the rabbi. As he turned to leave the cave, he awoke and found himself standing in front of the holy rabbi’s house. Just then the rabbi himself opened the door, and his face was glowing. He said: “The power of lighting the Chanukah menorah is very great. Whoever dedicates his soul to this deed brings the Time of Peace that much closer.” (Shabbos 21b)
May your oil burn clean, warm your soul and shine bright with the light of 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) Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook
The Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown
on November 28, 2021. Most people in the Jewish communities throughout the world can rattle off a list of Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah each night; playing dreidel games; eating foods cooked in oil (latkes and Sufganiot); and exchanging gifts.
An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.
The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.
The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.
Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon
To Build a Succah of Peace
Tam knew it was hard for the poor among the Jewish community found it hard to gather the materials needed to build the walls of their succahs and it was always a problem. So every year as the month of Elul would come to a close, he would speak to his friend Chacham and they would both set out to help the poor. Chacham would have lulavim and esrogim for the poor while Tam would have a supply of boards and lumber for succahs.
One year, on the very eve of Succos, the town water carrier with his bent back and pain wracked body, made his way up to the door of Tam’s house. In a voice as broken with shame, the poor water carrier asked, “Could I please maybe get just a few planks for my succah?” Tam went and looked, but there were none left.
Tam watched from his window and he saw the poor ragged water carrier trudge from house to house, still in search of a few boards. He his heart was so broken that he burst into tears.
“Ribbono shel Olam, Master of the Universe!” he cried. “Just look how Your Children cherish the mitzvah of living in a succah! See with what self-sacrifice they are determined to fulfill it! It’s raining outside. The roads are full of mud and mire. Yet there he tramps, that ragged bent water carrier wearing torn shoes – looking for boards for a succah! Look down, then, Master of the Universe, from Your holy dwelling-place in heavens. Bless Your People, Ufros Aleinu Succas Shlomecha – and spread out over them Your Succah of peace.
Tam then went into his study a took an old bookcase apart and handed the boards to one of his students telling him that he should run after the water carrier, and he should help him to build his succah.
That night there was whispering around the table in the candlelit succah and students waiting for Tam to burst out in song or a lesson. Tam came into his succah, smiled at his students, and sat down. He began,
“Succos’s is a truly blessed time. It is time to realize the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He and the true gifts that he is given to the whole world. Every day we say in the Hashkiveinu prayer, “Cause us, O L-rd our G-d, to lie down in peace, and raise us up, O our King, to life. – Ufros Aleinu Succas Shlomecha – and Spread over us the succah the of Your peace.” We should become intensely aware that we are spinning with our words and faith a protective covering of warmth and love around ourselves as a means of protecting our souls from the world around us.”
“In Hebrew the word succas or shelter, also refers to a succah (a temporary structure that we construct for the holiday). We build the succah, eat and sleep in it as a reminder of how the world is ever changing and many conditions are temporary. The succah reminds us of the importance of faith. In other words, almost everything in life is temporary. We remember that our ancestors traveled in the desert for 40 years and then when they came to the holy land and would harvest their crops, they lived in succahs, they were not made to be permanent but very portable.”
“A shelter of peace is created in many ways through a safe home, loving friends, and a connected community. The root of the Hebrew word “shalom” refers to wholeness or completeness; once you have wholeness, peace is possible. We ask that the master of the universe bless us with peace, but we forget that peace is a proactive process. We must work every day that we can attain wholeness by bringing spirituality and holiness to our family, community and the world at large. Each and every one of us must begin the process of constructing a Succas Shlomecha (shelter of peace) within ourselves before we can begin the holy work of creating sense of shalom (peace) for others.”
Tam closed his eyes and began to hum a melody that touched each and every person in the succah that night and they seem to be aglow that no one could explain. When Tam opened his eyes, he smiled and said,
“May we all be messengers of our merciful father in heaven and create ways to ‘Ufros Aleinu Succas Shlomecha – spread over us Your shelter of peace’.
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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If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
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Horses and Rosh haShanah
On Rosh Hashanah we are very aware that the Book of Life is opened and that it is a time of justice, mercy and faith. I was recently at a ceremony at a farm and was struck by the beauty and majesty of the horses when I remembered a story about the inter-relationship of man and horse that taught a very important lesson.
At first G-d thought to create the world through the quality of judgment (din), but realizing that the world could not endure at this level. G-d added on the quality of compassion (rachamim).
—Midrash Bereishis Raba 12:15
One Friday morning a group of students set out to spend the Sabbath with their teacher, a holy rabbi. Dovid, whose deep love for animals earned him a reputation as a gifted horse whisperer, was among this group of students. After encountering several obstacles and delays on their journey, the group arrived just as the sun was about to set Friday afternoon. Fearing they would be late for Sabbath prayers and miss the holy rabbi’s teachings, the group hastily abandoned their horse and carriage and ran off to the synagogue everyone that is, except Dovid. When the holy rabbi realized that Dovid was missing, he sent the some of the students to look for him. Where did they find him? In the barn, feeding and brushing the horses. When they asked him what he was doing there, he responded that all the others had run off without thinking to feed and water the horses, who were weary from the demanding journey, and so he had stayed behind to do just that.
Dovid was a holy soul in the truest way, a lover of the Divine, and his love for G-d was expressed through his deep compassion for all creatures and all living things. It was absolutely clear to Dovid that by observing the mitzvah of tzaar ba’alei chaim, the commandment to prevent the suffering of animals, he would obtain more closeness to G-d than by seeking spiritual satisfaction in the synagogue. Dovid understood that it is in the expression of compassion, the love and care we extend to all living things that we find the Divine presence; for ultimately compassion, or rachamim, as it is called in Hebrew, is G-d’s very essence.
Jewish mysticism teaches that we come close to G-d only when we “walk in G-d’s ways” – that is, when we embody the divine quality of compassion. In the following, the thirteen attributes of Divine mercy revealed to Moses at Mount Sinai form the template for the practice of compassion:
“Walking in all His ways. (Deuteronomy 5:22). What are the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He? “A G-d compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6).
This means that just as G-d is gracious and compassionate, we too must be gracious and compassionate. . . Just as G-d gives freely to all, we too must give freely to all. Just as G-d is loving, we too must be loving.
Spiritual development, according to the teachings of the rabbis, is measured by how much compassion and mercy we show to one another everyday.
May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a sweet year and blessings
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Flame, Clay, Glass and Breath
Once upon a time there was a man who lived in the ancient city of Tzipori whose son had died. A man of no belief sat by his side. Rabbi Jose ben Chalafta came to visit the grieving father. The man of no belief saw that he was smiling and heard him greet the grieving father “Baruch dayan ha-emes” (Blessed is the True Judge.) The man of no belief asked, “Rabbi, How can you be so insensitive and why are you smiling?”
The rabbi replied, “I trust in G-d and believe that the man will see his son again in the World to Come.”
The man of no belief then said, “Is not his sorrow enough for the man that you should come and sadden him even more? Can broken shards be made to fit together again? Is it not written, “you will dash them to pieces like pottery (Psalms 2:9) And further it is not taught in your books, “just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead” (Jeremiah 19:11)?
The rabbi replied, “Earthen vessels are made by water and perfected by fire. Vessels of glass are both made by fire and perfected by fire. Earthen ones, if broken, cannot be repaired, but glass ones, if broken, can be repaired.”
The man of no belief accused, “How silly are you. Everyone knows that once glass is broken it shatters into thousands of shards, never to be repaired. What you say is impossible.”
The rabbi replied, “Glass vessels are made by blowing. If the glass vessel that is made by the blowing air, and when shattered can be heated by fire and again blown with air and be repaired. Then a soul and life can be blown into a mortal person by the Holy One, blessed be He. For are we not taught ‘Then G-d formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul’ (Genesis 2:7)
The man of no belief replied, “your thoughts are not the way of the world and your ways are strange for you choose not to see or believe the wisdom of the world.”
The rabbi looked upon the man of no belief and sadly shook his head and answered, “The wonders of creation and all that is in this world and the next are gifts from G-d. We learn about people like you where it is written, ‘Fools mock at sin, but the upright enjoy God’s favor.’ (Proverbs 14:9)”
Based on Bereishis Rabbah 14:7
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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Mottel the Vassertreyger
Mottel the Vassertreyger worked all day carrying water to all his customers. He was not very learned and tried to study the holy books, but he just couldn’t understand the words. He had a big heart and tried to live according to the traditions of the Jewish people. Sadly, there were those who made fun of him because he didn’t know a lot of Torah, he stumbled through his prayers and never learned Talmud.
If anyone needed water for Shabbos, Yom Tov or for any holy purpose, Mottel would bring them all they needed without charge. There was alte Chaya Sora who always had her fill of water and Mottel refused to accept even the smallest coin from her. Mottel always made sure the two barrels at the shul were always full.
Rarely was he called up to the Torah on Shabbos as he would stumble through the blessings. But when a strong person would be needed for hagbah, he’d open the holy Torah on the bimah (reading table), spread his arms and lift the Sacred Scroll as high as he could. When he would hold the wooden handles and the congregation would sing “Ve-zos ha-torah asher sam mosheh lifnei benei yisrael, al pi Adoshem b’yad mosheh” (And this is the Torah which Moses set before the children of Israel, according to the commandment of the L-rd by the hand of Moses.) the words would wrap around his heart. A tear would form in his eye as he felt the parchment feel his joy and Mottel could almost see each word, sometimes each letter of the Law rise off the holy Torah scroll to dance around him.
Mottel came to the shul for Leil Tikkun Shavuous (the custom of engaging in all-night Torah study the first night of Shavuous) but could not understand the studies, but waited patiently for the stories and songs of the night. Each story and song touched Mottel’s heart. He knew that the words to the Torah song “etz chayim hi lamachazikim ba, Vesomecheha me’ushar. Deracheha – darechei noam, Vechol nesivosecha shalom (It is a tree of life to them that grasp it, and of them that uphold it every one is rendered happy. (Proverbs 3:18) Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.) was about him.
The Ten Commandments were read from the Torah on Shavuous and Mottel felt the holy words deep inside. Then someone called him for hagbah, he was chosen to hold the Torah high so everyone could see it, just like Moshe did on Mount Sinai.
Mottel the Vassertreyger can feel the fire of G-d’s Word. Mottel didn’t know a lot of Torah, he stumbled through his prayers and never learned Talmud. Mottel doesn’t need to. The words know him.
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)