The grandson of a holy rabbi suddenly fell ill and was in danger of dying. The young man’s family members were all beside themselves with worry and sadness. They rushed to the holy rabbi and told him, “Zadie (Grandfather), your grandson is very sick and growing weaker by the minute.” Shocked by the news, the holy rabbi locked himself into his study and began praying with all his strength, begging the Holy One, blessed be He, to please heal his grandson.
The sick boy’s condition grew worse. The family members became terribly upset and wanted to tell the holy rabbi what was happening, but they were afraid to disturb his prayers. At first, they couldn’t figure out what to do, but then they decided to send in the holy rabbi’s youngest grandson to disturb the holy rabbi with the bad news about the sad state of his grandson.
The young boy knocked on his grandfather’s door and was welcomed into his Zadie’s study. However, the boy didn’t deliver the bad news as he had been instructed. Instead, he told his grandfather this way: “Zadie, you should know that your other grandson is doing a lot better now. So please pray to our Heavenly Healer that he be granted a full and speedy recovery.”
Upon hearing this, the holy rabbi jumped straight out of his chair and also out of his gloomy mood. With a great smile on his face, the holy rabbi rushed to his cupboard, grabbed a box of tea leaves, a few cinnamon sticks, ginger, peppercorns, and a small jar of honey, and handed it to his young grandson. “Give the patient this tea,” he said. “Once he drinks it, everything will be all right.”
A few hours later, the patient was able to take a few sips of the tea, and the family noticed that, at last, color returned to his face. Ever so slowly, he began to improve. But his recovery was not steady, and a few days later, he suffered a setback. This time the adults in the family went straight to talk to the holy rabbi themselves. “Zadie, he’s gotten worse;’ they told him, their voices all very distressed. “He’s taken a step backward. Whatever can we do?”
The holy rabbi sat listening to them, shaking his head the whole time. “Listen.” he told them, “You shouldn’t have let me know like this. It would be best if you told me in a more joyful way. Heaven forbid this should ever happen again, if it does, please take a lesson from my youngest grandson. Instead of putting me in a place of hopelessness and melancholy, he made me feel hopeful about the situation. Because of him, I prayed to G-d with a lighter, more joyful heart, and therefore I was able to bring about a blessing that was both greater and faster.”
Curing Tea
Ingredients:
4 cups water2 cinnamon sticks2 tablespoons of loose black tea or 2 black tea bags4 cloves4 black peppercorns1-inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced1-2 Tablespoons Honey
Directions
In a medium-sized pot, bring the water to a boil.
Add the black tea bags or loose black tea to the boiling water.
Reduce the heat to low and add the ginger, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, and black peppercorns to the pot.
Simmer the mixture uncovered for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
Turn off the heat and let the tea steep for 3-5 minutes
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)
