Holy Books and Holy Study

Posted on Tuesday, 2, February, 2021Tuesday, 26, December, 2023 by Rabbi

The holy man was preparing to teach a Bible study. He used many books so that his lesson could be understood by everyone, but he also wove into his lesson deep spiritual messages. He reached over to the shelf at his side for a book he needed, and then remembered that he had left it downstairs in the living room. His little daughter was playing in her bedroom, and he called her. She came, running, eager and delighted at the thought that her father needed her. He carefully explained where she could find the book. She ran off so happy she could help her father. She quickly returned with a book which the holy man saw at a glance was the wrong one.

Psalms 144:12

He hardly looked at the book as he took it and laid it on the table. He looked only at the excited face of his daughter, and her bright smile. Gathering her close to his heart, he kissed her and said, ”Thank you, my little angel.” When she had gone back happy and very content to her play he went quietly for the book he needed.

Such a holy man could teach magnificent and wonderful things to all who would watch and listen.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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A Mother’s Journey

Posted on Tuesday, 12, January, 2021Friday, 24, November, 2023 by Rabbi

The young mother began her journey on the path of life. “Is the way long?”, she asked.

“Yes,” answered her Guide, “and the way is hard. You will be old before you reach the end of it. But—” He stopped to smile warmly. “The end will be better than the beginning.

The young mother was so happy, though, that she could not believe anything could be better than these early years. She played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and swam with them in the clear streams. The sun shone on them and life was good, and the young mother cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.

Then the darkness of night came, and the storm’s fury with its howling winds, thunder and lightning, and the path was dark and forbidding. The children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close to her, covering them with her mantle. Her children said, “Oh, Mother, we are not afraid when you are near.” The mother said, “This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage.

Then the morning came, and there was a steep hill before them. The children climbed and grew tired. The mother was exhausted, but she kept encouraging her children, “Just a little farther and we will be there.” So the children kept on climbing. When they reached the top, they said, “We could not have done it without you, Mother.” And the mother, when she lay down that night, looked past the stars and said, “This is a better day than the last. My children have learned determination in the face of difficulty. Yesterday I taught them courage, today I have taught them about strength.

With the next day came strange clouds that darkened the earth—clouds of war, discrimination, hatred and fear. The children cast about in the confusion and stumbled every so often. The mother said, “Look up. Lift your eyes past the blackness to the Light.” The children looked up and saw an Everlasting Glory above the strange clouds. It guided them and brought them through the darkness and evil. Their mother always encouraged them to be “be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed,” (Joshua 1:9). That night the mother said, “This is the best day of all, for I have helped my children learn about the Holy One, blessed be He.”

The days went by, the weeks turned to months and the months passed to years. The mother grew old, until she was very little and bent. Her children had grown tall and strong, and they walked with courage. They remembered the teaching “do not despise your mother when she is old. (Proverbs 23:22)

When the way was hard, they helped their mother; when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather. At last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and magnificent gate open on top of the hill.

The mother said, “l have reached the end of my journey. Now I know that the end really is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and they will teach their children after them.

The children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.

They stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates slowly closed after her. They said, “We can’t see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than just a memory.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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A Father’s Burden

Posted on Tuesday, 5, January, 2021Tuesday, 20, September, 2022 by Rabbi

It is an honour for children and fathers to be with one another (Exodus Rabbah 34:3)

A young boy was helping his father move some books out of room to a large bookshelf downstairs. It was important to this little boy that he was helping his father, even though he was probably getting in the way and slowing things down more than he was really helping. That boy had a wise and patient father who knew it was much more important to work together with his young son than it was to move a pile of books efficiently.

Among the many books, there were some very large heavy books, and it was a hard for the boy to get them down the stairs. As a matter of fact, on one particular load, the boy dropped his pile of books several times. Finally, he sat down on the stairs and cried because he was ashamed and disappointed in himself. He wasn’t doing well at all. He just wasn’t strong enough to carry the big books down the steps. It hurt him to think he couldn’t do this for his father. All he wanted to do was help his father and make him proud.

Without a word, the father picked up the dropped load of books, put them into the boy’s arms, and scooped up both the boy and the books into his arms and carried them down the stairs. They continued doing this for load after load, both enjoying each other’s company very much. The boy carrying the books, the father carrying the boy.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Justice, Love and Mercy

Posted on Tuesday, 29, December, 2020Tuesday, 5, September, 2023 by Rabbi

Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue. (Deuteronomy 16:20)

Justice is not necessarily the law, but the spirit of what is right and wrong, but let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24) Justice evolves and changes as it is applied with faith, values, and passion. True justice is tempered with mercy and love.

Centuries ago, it was known far and wide that a certain leader was the greatest in all the tribes. When power was measured by proving superior physical strength, the most powerful tribe of all was the one that had the strongest leader who defined justice for the people.

But this tribal leader was also known for his wisdom. In order to help his people live safely and peacefully, he carefully put laws and a system of justice into place guiding every aspect of tribal life. The leader enforced those laws strictly and had long ago acquired a reputation for uncompromising justice.

In spite of the laws, there were problems. One day it came to the leader’s attention that someone in the tribe was stealing. He called the people together.

“You know that the laws are for your protection, to help you live safely and in peace,” he reminded them, his eyes heavy with sadness because of his love for them. “This stealing must stop. We all have what we need. The penalty has been increased from ten to twenty lashes from the whip for the person caught stealing.

Then again the thief continued to take things that didn’t belong to him, so the leader called all the people together again.

“Please hear me,” he pled with them. “This must stop. It hurts us all and makes us feel bad about each other. The penalty has been increased to thirty lashes.

Still, the stealing continued. The leader gathered the people together once more.

“Please, I’m begging you. For your sake, this has to stop. The pain it is causing among us is too great. The penalty has been increased to forty lashes from the whip.” The people knew of their leader’s great love for them, but only those closest to him saw the single tear make its way slowly down his face as he dismissed the gathering.

Finally, a man came to say the thief had been caught. The word had spread. Everyone had gathered to see who it was, and the thief was dragged through the crowd.

A single gasp raced through the crowd as the thief emerged between two guards. The tribal leader’s face fell in shock and grief.The thief was his very own mother, old and frail.

What will he do? the people wondered aloud, a hushed murmur fanning out. Would he uphold the law or would his love for his mother win over it? The people waited, talking quietly collectively holding their breath.

Finally their leader spoke. “My beloved people.” His voice broke. In little more than a whisper he continued, “It is for our safety and our peace. There must be forty lashes; the pain this crime has caused is too great.” With his nod, the guards led his mother forward. One gently removed her robe to expose a bony and crooked back. The appointed man stepped forward and began to unwind the whip.

At the same moment, the leader stepped forward and removed his robe as well, exposing his broad shoulders, seasoned and solid. Tenderly, he wrapped his arms around his dear mother, shielding her with his own body.

He whispered gently against her cheek as his tears blended with hers. He nodded once more, and the whip came down again and again.

A single moment, yet in that moment, love and justice found an eternal harmony.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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A Gift of Love

Posted on Tuesday, 15, December, 2020Tuesday, 5, December, 2023 by Rabbi

A young father punished his three-year old daughter for wasting a whole roll of holiday wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became angry when the child tried to decorate a box for a Chanukah gift. Still, the little girl proudly brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty.

He yelled at her, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of the box?”

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses in the box. I filled it with my love. All for you, Daddy.”

The young father was crushed. He put his arms around his little daughter, and he begged her for forgiveness.

It has been some years and the little girl has grown up. That father kept that gold box from that Chanukah many years ago. Whenever he was sad or discouraged, he would take out one of the kisses and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

Each child carries its own blessing into the world

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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The Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown On December 7, 2023.

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

A Glass of Water

Posted on Wednesday, 14, October, 2020Tuesday, 16, January, 2024 by Rabbi

It is taught that the reward for fulfilling the mitzvah, a religious deed, of honoring one’s parents “so that your days may be long” (Exodus 20: 12)

The rabbi of the village was loved and respected by everyone. He had many students who not only learned from his words but also his actions. His mother lived in the same village, and he visited her once a week to fulfill the commandment to honor one’s mother. His father had already passed away and she was a widow, but she looked forward to her son’s weekly visits.

Whenever he went to visit his mother, he would sit at the table with her on Shabbos kodesh (the holy Sabbath day). During one visit, he was sitting together with his mother, and the many students who had gathered to be with him crowded around the table. His mother asked him, “Zin kenen ir bite brengen mir a glaz fun vaser (Son, could you please bring me some water)?”

Immediately, a student jumped up to bring the water. The student wanted to help his teacher and did not want him to interrupt his lesson since it is taught that serving a holy teacher does more to elevate a person spiritually than even learning his teachings.

But the rabbi’s mother did not drink the water; she left the glass untouched in front of her on the table. She said, “Zin, ich hab gebet’n az ir zalt nemen mir das vaser, (Son, I asked you to get me the water.)”

The holy rabbi got up and went quickly to bring his mother the water.

She then said, “der emes iz, ich bin nisht darshtik. ich hob dir nor gebet’n, men zol nemen mir dos vaser, k’di di zechus zoln zayn di mitzvah un geveynen a lange lebn. (The truth is, I’m not thirsty. I only asked you to get me the water so you could have the merit of doing the mitzvah and gaining long life.)”

Then she turned to the students around the table and said, “Ir ton nisht zechus tzu hobn kinder vi meyn zin durch makhn a goldene yoich mit knaidelach (You don’t merit to have sons like my Yitzhak by making golden chicken soup)!”

The rabbi fulfilled the commandment to honor one’s mother — by visiting her. His pious mother, wanted to give him a further opportunity to earn the mitzvah — by personally serving her. Just as there is a spiritual reward for personally serving one’s rabbi, there is a reward for serving one’s parents. The Torah (Scriptures) specifies that the reward for honoring our parents is long life.

Loving service to a parent by even the least act, such as bringing a glass of water, extends the parent’s life. A parent lives longer when loved and honored by their children. A child also lives longer when they honors their parents — because their vital energies are being properly channeled.

We are taught that the Torah’s reward of “length of days” for honoring parents in still another way, saying it means that each day will be long because we will live so fully. We are only really alive when we are in touch with our soul. We are so much our parents that only someone who honors his parents can be truly in touch with themself; if you despise your parents, you are despising yourself. For a person who becomes more spiritually “whole” by honoring their parents, each day becomes “long” because it is full of real life; they are more in touch with their spiritual well-being. The rabbi’s mother gave him a chance to honor her because she wanted him to live long both physically and spiritually.

In her final words, the rabbi’s mother wanted to explain to her son’s students her peculiar action in asking for water and not drinking it. She expressed herself humorously, but she wanted them to realize that all of her actions concerning her holy son, when he was a child or now, were intentional and deep, to seek his good in every possible way.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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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 Miser Who Wanted a Divorce

Posted on Tuesday, 7, July, 2020Monday, 29, January, 2024 by Rabbi

A man who was known to be a miser pleaded with his rabbi for help. His wife had been tormenting him for years, and he simply could not tolerate living with her any longer. However, she refused to accept a divorce.

The rabbi reminded the miser, “you know a woman may not be divorced except by her own consent.” (Takkana of Rabbeinu Gershom c.1000) The miser answered, “I don’t want to be married to her any longer. She constantly annoys me and I don’t even like her.”

“I think have a solution for you,” the rabbi advised. “The Talmud warns that it a person fails to honor his promises, he will be punished with the death of his wife (Shabbos 32b). So the next time the tzedakah (charity) collectors come to you, make a commitment and then refuse to pay it.”

The man followed the rabbi’s instructions, and pledged a huge sum, but then threw the collectors out the door. Weeks later he complained to the rabbi that his advice was not working, because his wife was as healthy as ever.

The rabbi thought for a few moments and then smiled, saying, “this is supposed to be a punishment, not a reward. Listen to me and do this. Buy your wife a gift each day, speak lovingly to her, try to soothe her, and then when she becomes compatible, the curse will certainly take effect.”

The miser went and did as he was told. Slowly things changed in his home, his wife began to be kind and caring, and their relationship improved day by day. Weeks later the man came to the rabbi and said, “Rabbi, it is a miracle! We are in love now as though we were newlyweds.”

The rabbi responded, “we are taught that ‘A person must always be careful about sustaining the honor of his wife, as blessing is found in a person’s house only because of his wife’ (Bava Metzia 59a) as it is written ‘He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the L-rd.’ (Proverbs 18:22)”

The rabbi frowned and a look of deep concern came over him as he ordered. “Hurry then and fulfill your promise because the punishment can now take effect any moment!”

Some days later, the rabbi met the miser and his wife and blessed them. He told them that they would live long. “Can you bless my husband with long life?” asked the wife. “It is already done,” answered the rabbi “as it is written, ‘Enjoy happiness with a woman you love all the fleeting days of life that have been granted to you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For that alone is what you can get out of life and out of the means you acquire under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 9:9)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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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 Cries and Blessings of Trees

Posted on Thursday, 19, March, 2020Thursday, 18, January, 2024 by Rabbi

One day the holy rabbi set out on a journey. His students asked where he was going, all he would say was, “Someone needs our help.”

The holy rabbi invited three of his devoted students to join him. They walked down the road discussing Torah and were quite unaware of where they were going. When the sun began to set, the students wondered where they would spend the night. At last one of them asked the holy rabbi, and all he would say was “Der Eybishter vet tsushteln (The One above will provide.)”

Then, just as darkness was falling, the holy rabbi and his students arrived at an inn. The students had never been to this inn before, so they were delighted to find that it was run by a Jewish man and his wife. Now the innkeeper was honored that the holy rabbi was a guest at his inn, and he treated him with great respect.

The holy rabbi and his students joined the other guests for ma’ariv (evening prayers). All together there were ten men, just enough to make a minyan. After that the innkeeper’s wife served a fine meal, and the guests stayed up for many hours discussing the Torah. It was late when the innkeeper showed the students to their rooms. Before the innkeeper left the holy rabbi, he asked, “Rabbi, could I speak to you in private?”

“Surely,” answered the holy rabbi, and he offered the innkeeper a chair. When the man was seated, he told holy rabbi his story:

The holy rabbi answered, “It is late and I am tired. Let me think about this overnight, and in the morning I’ll let you know if there is anything I can do.” The innkeeper was pleased with this reply and took his leave of the holy rabbi. Soon the holy rabbi and his students were all sound asleep, but in the middle of the night, the holy rabbi began to cry out, waking everyone in the inn. They came running to see what had happened.

When they came in, they found Holy rabbi sitting up in bed, with a dazed look. He ignored all those who had gathered there. Instead, he took a book out of his bag, closed his eyes, and opened it, pointing to a passage. Then he opened his eyes, read what was written there, nodded, closed the book, and put it away. Then he turned to everyone gathered there and said, “Everyone can go back to sleep. I will be all right. Goodnight.” Then everyone went back to sleep, except for the innkeeper and his wife, who didn’t get a wink of sleep, for they were very curious to know what the rabbi would tell them.

The next day, after morning prayers, Holy rabbi signaled for the innkeeper and his wife to join him. When they were alone he said, “Tell me, were the walls of this inn built out of saplings that were cut down before their time?” The innkeeper and his wife looked at each other, and the innkeeper said, “Yes, rabbi, it is true. But how did you know?”

The holy rabbi said, “All night I dreamed I was surrounded by the bodies of the dead. I was very frightened. When I awoke and opened that book, the words I read there were ‘Cutting down a tree before its time is the same as killing a soul.’ That is how I learned that it was the souls of the trees crying out to me. So too did I learn why you and your wife can’t have children.”

“Rabbi,” cried the innkeeper, “What possible connection could there be?”

Holy rabbi said, “There is an angel named Lailah, who is the angel of conception. It is Lailah who delivers the soul of the unborn child. But each time Lailah approaches your inn to bring you the blessing of a child, she is driven back by the sighs and moans and cries of the souls of the trees that were cut down too soon.”

“Oh, Rabbi, that is terrible,” said the innkeeper. “Is there anything we can do about it?”

“Yes,” said Holy rabbi. “You must plant trees. Plant twice as many trees as you cut down. Take good care of them and see that none are cut down. If you do this for three years, you will be blessed with a child.”

The couple was overjoyed to hear this and the innkeeper thanked the holy rabbi for revealing this mystery to them. And that very day, even before Holy rabbi and his students took their leave, they began planting trees.

All the trees that the couple planted grew tall and strong. And after three years, Lailah returned to their home. Then the lullaby of the living trees soothed the cries of the trees that had been cut down, so that Lailah was able to reach the couple’s house, tap on their window three times, and bless them with a child. And every year after that the innkeeper’s wife gave birth to another child, until they had seven children, and all of them were as tall and straight and strong as a fine tree.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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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 Red Slipper: A Jewish Cinderella Story

Posted on Sunday, 5, January, 2020Tuesday, 20, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Raizel Feige was a sweet little girl, with beautiful green eyes, soft pink cheeks and glorious dark copper hair. Her mother died the day she was born, but her grandmother looked after her with such tender care that Raizel Feige regarded her as her mother. She was very happy. All day long she sang, whether in the house or the forest that surrounded it. Her voice was so sweet that the birds gathered on the trees to listen to her and to encourage her to continue, by daintily chirruping whenever she stopped singing.

Cheerfully Raizel Feige performed all the little duties her grandmother called upon her to do, and on Shabbos and holidays she was allowed to wear a beautiful pair of red leather slippers, her father’s gift to her on her first birthday. Neither she nor her father knew it, but the slippers were truly blessed and grew to fit her feet as she grew.

Raizel Feige was only a child and so did not know that slippers don’t usually grow. Her grandmother knew the secret of the slippers, but she did not tell, and her father had become too moody and too deeply absorbed in his own thoughts and affairs to notice anything.

One day, Raizel Feige returned from the woods to find her grandmother gone and three strange women in the house. She stopped suddenly in the midst of her singing and her cheeks turned pale, for she did not like the appearance of the strangers.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I am your new mother,” answered the eldest of the three, “and these are my daughters, your two new sisters.”

Raizel Feige trembled with fear. They were all three so unpleasant, she missed her grandmother and so she began to cry.

Her new sisters laughed and made fun of her and would have beaten her had not her father appeared. He spoke kindly, telling her he had married again, because he was lonely and that her step-mother and step-sisters would be good to her. Sadly, Raizel Feige knew different. She quickly went to her own little room and hid her slippers that were very special to her..

“They forced my grandmother go away and they will take from me my beautiful slippers,” she cried.

After that, Raizel Feige stopped singing. She became very quiet and no longer smiled. The birds could not understand. They followed her through the woods, but she was silent, as if she had been stricken dumb, and she always looked like she was about to cry.

She was forced to collect firewood, to draw water from the well. Everyday she struggled with the heavy bucket whose weight made her arms and her back hurt. Her arms were covered with bruises because her cruel and selfish step-sisters did not hesitate to beat her. Often they went out to parties, or to dances, and on these occasions she had to act as their maid and help them to dress. Raizel Feige did not mind; she was only happy when they were out of the house. Then only did she sing softly to herself, and the birds came to listen.

In this way many unhappy years passed.

Once, when her father was away from home, her step-sisters went off to a wedding. They told her not to forget to draw water from the well, and warned her that if she forgot, as she did the last time, they would beat her without mercy when they returned.

Even though she was tired, Raizel Feige went out in the darkness to the well to draw water. She lowered the bucket, but the cord broke and the pail fell to the bottom of the well. She ran back home for a long stick with a hook at the end of it to recover the bucket, and as she put it into the water she sang:

Now it so happened that a sleeping spirit was at the bottom of the well. He could only be awakened by an invitation, and although Raizel Feige did not know it, the words she uttered, which she had once heard her grandmother use, were the right words.

The spirit awoke, and he was so delighted with the sweet voice that he promptly decided to help the girl whom he saw peering down into the water. He fastened the bucket to the stick and, taking some jewels from a treasure that he was the guarding, he put them inside.

“Oh, how beautiful,” cried Raizel Feige when she saw the glittering gems. “They are ever so much nicer than those my sisters put on to go to the ball.”

Then she sat thinking for a while and a bright idea came into her head.

“I will give these jewels to my sisters,” she said. “Perhaps they will be kinder to me.”

She waited impatiently until the sisters returned from the wedding and immediately told them. For a moment they were too dazed to speak when they saw the sparkling precious stones. Then they looked at one another and asked how she came by them. Raizel Feige told them of the words she had sung.

“Ah, we thought so,” said the sisters, to her horror. “The jewels are ours. We hid them in the well for safety. You have stolen them.”

In vain Raizel Feige protested. Her sisters would not listen. They beat her severely, told her to hurry off to bed, and then, snatching the bucket, they hurried off to the well. They lowered the bucket and sang the words that Raizel Feige had sung. At least they thought they sang; but their voices were harsh. The sleeping spirit awoke again, but he did not like the croaking sound the sisters made.

“Ha, ha!” he laughed. “I will teach you to disturb my sleep with hideous noises and shall punish such pranks played on me. Here are some more croakers,” and he filled the bucket with slimy toads and frogs.

The sisters were so enraged that they ran back home and dragged poor Raizel Feige from her bed.

“You brat, you thief,” screamed one.

“You cheat,” exclaimed the other. “Off you go. Get out, you don’t deserve to stay in this house.”

Raizel Feige was too much taken by surprise to say anything. It was an outrage to turn her out of her father’s house while he was away on a journey, but the thought came to her that she could hardly be less happy living alone in the woods.

She had only time to snatch her pretty red slippers, and as soon as she was out of sight of the house she put them on. It made her feel less miserable. The sun was now rising and when its rays shone on her she began to sing. With her old friends, the birds, twittering all about her, she felt quite happy.

She walked much farther into the forest than ever before. When she grew tired there was always a pleasant shady nook where she could rest; when she became hungry, there were fruit trees in abundance; and when she was thirsty she always came to a spring of clear, fresh water. The blessed slippers guided her. All day long she wandered, and when toward evening she noticed her slippers were muddy she took them off to clean. And then darkness fell. It began to rain and she grew frightened. She crouched under a tree until she noticed a light some short distance away. She got up and walked toward it.

When quite close, she saw that the light came from a cave dwelling. An old woman came out to meet her. It was her grandmother, but so many years had passed that Raizel Feige did not recognize her. Her grandmother, however, at once knew her. “Come in, my child, and take shelter from the rain,” she said kindly, and Raizel Feige was only too glad to accept the invitation.

The inside of the cave was quite cozy, and Raizel Feige, who was almost completely exhausted, quickly fell fast asleep. She awoke with a start.

“My pretty red slippers,” she cried. “Where are they?”

She put her hand in the pocket of her tattered dress, but could only find one.

“I must have lost the other,” she sobbed. “I must go out and look for it.”

“No, no,” said her grandmother. “You cannot do that. A storm is raging.”

Raizel Feige peered out through the door of the cave and drew back in fear as she saw the lightning flash and heard the thunder roar. She cried herself to sleep again, and this time was awakened by voices. She feared it might be her sisters who had discovered her hiding place and had come to drag her forcibly back home again. So she crept into a corner of the cave and listened intently.

A man was speaking.

“Do you know to whom this red slipper belongs?” he asked. “I found it in the forest.”

Raizel Feige was on the point of rushing out to regain her lost slipper when her grandmother’s loud voice restrained her.

“No, no, I know not,” she repeated again and again, and at length the man left.

Her grandmother came back into the cave and said, “I am sorry, Raizel Feige, but for all I knew, he might be a messenger from your cruel sisters; and, of course, I cannot let anyone take you back to them.”

Next day, the man called again, this time with several attendants. Again, Raizel Feige concealed herself.

“I am a holy man’s son, and wealthy,” said the man. “I must find the wearer of this shoe. Only a graceful and beautiful girl can wear such a wonderful slipper.”

Raizel Feige did not know whether to be more frightened or pleased, when her grandmother told her the man was very handsome and of noble bearing.

He came every day, each time with more retainers, and, finally, he arrived mounted on a horse with a hundred and one followers, all mounted as he was.

“The girl I seek is here,” he said. “Deny it no longer. My servants have searched the forest and the whole region. One is prepared to swear he heard a young girl singing yesterday.”

Raizel Feige saw that concealment was no longer possible. She liked the man’s voice, and she stepped out bravely, wearing her one slipper.

The stranger, bowing low before her, held out the other, and Raizel Feige took it and put it on. It fitted perfectly.

“Many girls have tried to put on that shoe,” said the young man. “but all have failed. ‘Grace is false, Beauty is vain; but a G-d fearing woman should be praised’ (Proverbs 31:30) I have searched long and hard for a woman of strng faith and beauty. And I have sworn to make the wearer of this wonderous shoe my bride. I am a holy man’s son, and you shall be a princess in my home.”

So Raizel Feige left the cave with her grandmother, and mounting a horse was led through the forest to her new home where she knew nothing but happiness and the days of her sufferings were quite forgotten. And always she wore her blessed red slippers.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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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 Beshert’s Forest: Part II The Underground Kingdom

Posted on Monday, 11, November, 2019Tuesday, 20, September, 2022 by Rabbi

When the robbers awoke in the morning, Chaim Dovid watched them drink the wine. Then, one after another, they began to choke from the poison, and soon they all lay dead.

Now Chaim Dovid carefully lowered himself from the tree and checked every one of the robbers and they were all dead. Then he looked for something to eat. In one of the robbers’ bags he found a loaf of bread, but the others were crammed with stolen riches of every kind. Chaim Dovid emptied bag after bag onto the ground and was amazed at all they had carried away. But when he shook out the last bag, he found it had a false bottom. He took a knife and cut it open, and a shining object came tumbling out—a round, glowing jewel. He held it up and turned it around, but try as he might, Chaim Dovid could not see the source of the light inside it. Surely, he thought, that was a priceless treasure. He recognized that such a precious object could only be owned by a king.

Now this student cared little for material goods. His concerns were those of the spirit. He would not have minded leaving all the gold and silver behind, but he could not abandon that glowing jewel, so he put it into his own bag. Then he buried the robbers and said a prayer over their souls, for surely they had found terrible punishments for their evil deeds. He then packed his bag and went on his way, going in the direction the robbers had come from, in the hope that he would find a city or town of some kind. He prayed and thanked to G-d for letting him survive that dangerous night.

Little by little, the faint path he followed became well worn, and that, in turn, led him to a wide road. Soon he reached the gates of that underground city.

There Chaim Dovid saw that the people of the city were dressed for mourning, and he asked a young man passing by what had happened. “Two tragedies have struck our kingdom at the same time. First, our king died without leaving any heir except for his daughter, the princess. And second, the king’s enchanted jewel was stolen by thieves. Now this glow¬ing jewel has always revealed who will succeed the king. But now no one knows where it is. Even so, the princess has declared that she will marry whoever brings that glowing jewel to her, for the jewel has always suc¬ceeded in reaching the one who was destined to be king. For it is guided by the hand of fate.”

Now Chaim Dovid shivered when he heard this, for he was carrying the glowing jewel in his pack. He took his leave of the young man and set off for the palace. when he reached the royal palace, he asked to see the princess, saying that he had news of the glowing jewel.

When the guards heard this, they took him to the princess at once, and he was overwhelmed by her great beauty and by the wisdom and radiance of her eyes. “Tell me,” she said, “what you know about the jewel?” Chaim Dovid was speechless, but he pulled the jewel out of his pack and gave it to her. The princess looked at him with amazement and said, “Then it is you who is destined to be my husband, and you who are destined to rule. But how did you come into possession of the jewel?”

So, the young man told her of his night in the forest and all that he had witnessed. He offered to lead guards to that very place, to confirm his account and to recover the other items the robbers had stolen. This was done, and the guards confirmed everything he had said. So it was that the wedding soon took place, and the young man, who had been a poor student, now found himself a great king in that underground country.

Now the young man ruled using the principles of the rabbis, as he had learned in his studies of the Talmud, and the kingdom flourished. So too did the young man fall in love with the princess, now his queen. Together they had three children, two boys and a girl, and he loved all of them as much as life itself.

Then one day there was a sudden storm that grew into a great tor¬rent. A great wave washed through the palace and carried the king out an open window and away from that world forever. The current carried him further and further downstream, and suddenly thrust him into a great whirlpool. As he was pulled down, the young man was certain that his life had come to an end. Then, all at once, he found himself standing in a mikveh. Then he recalled having descended the stairs in search of the mikveh just before reaching the underground forest. Now he looked up and saw a short stairway nearby, with no more than ten steps. He climbed out, greatly confused, and stumbled back to the home of the holy rabbi. The moment the rabbi opened the door, Chaim Dovid burst into tears and asked the rabbi how long he had been gone. “Why, no more than an hour,” holy rabbi answered. Then Chaim Dovid told the rabbi of all the years that he had lived through since he had gone into the mikveh, and he poured out his heart and begged the rabbi to explain how such things had happened to him. For it seemed to him that the world had been turned upside down.

The holy rabbi said, “Let me first introduce you to my daughter, and then I will explain.” He called forth his daughter, and when Chaim Dovid saw her, he almost fainted. For she was the very princess he had wed in the underground city! The rabbi saw that the young man was overwhelmed, and he quickly said: “Listen carefully to what I tell you. I learned from a heavenly voice that it was you who were destined to marry my daughter. And when you arrived here, I recognized you at once. That is why I sent you to the mikveh, for in this way you traveled the path of your own des-tiny, and now you can understand that you are indeed destined for my daughter.”

So it was that the young man married the daughter of the holy rabbi, and they loved each other as if they had already been married in another life. They had three children, two boys and a girl, who were identical to the children he had when he was king. Chaim Dovid loved all of them with all his heart and thanked G-d for restoring his family to him. He always held them dear to him, for he remembered well how quickly they had been lost.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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