Listen to a Jewish story from from Kurdistan – The Rabbi and the Blacksmith – Who is stronger in faith? The rabbi who always studies or the blacksmith who welcomes strangers?
Category: Uncategorized
The Shabbat Lion
A widow and her four children lived in the city of Fez. Every day was a struggle to care for her children and she worked very hard in the market. Her oldest son, Shelomo, tried to help his mother by doing odd jobs, but there is only so much a young boy can do. His mother insisted that whatever he did, he was not to neglect his Torah studies.
Every week the widow would gather her children around the table on erev Shabbat and they would welcome the Shabbat Malka. There was always special food and such a feeling of peace throughout Shabbat.
Shelomo prayed and wished that the day would come that his mother did not have to work so hard. He tried real hard to keep the house neat and his brothers and sisters from arguing. One day a merchant came to the house with a letter from Fustat. Shelomo wondered who in faraway Mitzrayim (Egypt) knew his family.
He ran to the market carrying the mysterious letter to give to his mother. She took it, opened it and read it as tears trickled down her cheeks. Shelomo got angry that someone in a far off place made his mother cry.
The widow dried her tears and explained. It happened that they had a relative in Fustat who was very wealthy and left a fortune to them. She was glad about the wealth that could benefit her children, but was sad when she realized that she could not travel across the aṣ-ṣaḥrāʼ al-kubrá (the Great Desert) with her children. She would not be able to go to Fustat to retrieve the fortune.
Shelomo offered to go for his mother. The widow looked at her 12 year old son and admired his willingness, but he was still a boy. She felt that a boy could not survive a journey across the Great Desert and back. Shelomo reminded her that in a few short months he would be bar mitzvah and be considered a man in the Jewish community. The widow agreed to send her son to get the fortune in Fustat and bring it back.
The widow sold some of her jewelry and wrapped up food for her son’s journey and gave him directions and much advice. She approached a caravan leader for a ride and was assured that the caravan would stop for Shabbat, so Shelomo joined the group.
On Friday afternoon, after traveling many days through the Great Desert, Shelomo saw that the sun would be setting in an hour and the leader of the caravan was not stopping. “Excuse me sir, but are we not stopping?” he asked. The caravan leader answered, “Boy, I know this part of the desert and this is too dangerous of a place to stop.”
The sun was moving lower on the afternoon horizon. The caravan was still in the dry desert wilderness, yet Shelomo got down off of his camel, and announced that he would remain in the desert for the next day so that he would not be m’chalel Shabbat – in violation of the Sabbath Day.
“What? Are you insane?” cried his fellow travelers. “The desert is no place for a boy to remain alone. The sun is hot, the wind is harsh, the land is dry, and there are wild beasts that will tear you to pieces. There are lions in the wilderness, which will gobble you up in one bite,” the caravan members said. “Not even a camel would want to stay.”
Shelomo put his faith in the Holy One, blessed be He and stayed. The caravan members stopped arguing and continued on their way to Fustat, leaving the boy to spend Shabbat alone in the Great Desert.
Minutes before Shabbat would begin, Shelomo took a stick and drew a circle in the sand around himself. There he said his evening prayers and ate his Shabbat seudah (Sabbath Meal). He thought about his mother blessing his brothers and sisters in the glow of the Shabbat candles.
As he completed his seudah (meal), he saw a lion running toward him from a distance. He carefully watched the lion, but he was not afraid. He began his Grace after Meals, and as the lion approached the circle drawn around the boy, it simply stopped, crouched, and laid down. This lion did not come to eat the boy. The huge lion came to watch over him.
In the morning, Shelomo awoke, prayed the Shacharit prayers, ate his meal and sang Shabbat songs. The lion kept watch throughout the day. After Shabbat, the lion approached the boy and crouched down. Shelomo understood that the lion was hinting that he should sit on its back. He placed his bags on the lion’s back, mounted the lion, and the lion galloped off with the boy across the desert.
Soon Shelomo and his bags caught up with the caravan. The members of the caravan were shocked and frightened, and many ran and hid behind their camels. They were not only surprised to see that the boy Shelomo had survived the desert, but he was riding on a lion and was able to overtake them in their journey across the desert.
“Come join us as we continue on to Fustat and we will definitely stop on Shabbat,” the caravan leader told Shelomo. He soon came to Fustat and returned to his mother in Fez under the watchful eye of the lion.
The widow was overjoyed at the return of he son and with the fortune they provided for many needs of the poor of Fez. Everyone came to celebrate the bar mitzvah of Shelomo and his mother said – “my son is a man.”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
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
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two.
Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
ST7 Blessings and the Cracked Bucket
The Shabbos Blessings and Special Guest
Once, there lived a young couple named Ora Chaya and Avigdor. Avigdor was a peddler. Six days a week he would travel on foot from town to town, selling his merchandise. Ora Chaya stayed home and looked after their little cottage. On market days, she would go into town and sell vegetables from their garden. But on Friday afternoon, no matter how far he had traveled, no matter how little he had sold, Avigdor always made his way home, so that he and Ora Chaya could be together to celebrate Shabbos – the holy Sabbath Day.
As the sun inched down, Ora Chaya would recite the blessing and kindle the Shabbos candles. Together, they would welcome the Shabbos Kallah (Sabbath Bride) into their humble home, singing:
“Lecha dodi, likras kaloh penei shabbos nekabeloh… Boi vesholom ateres ba-alah, gam besimchoh uv’tzoholoh toch emunei am seguloh, boi kalah, boi, kalah; toch emunei am segulah, boi chalah, boi chalah.”
Come, my Beloved, to meet the Bride; let us welcome the Shabbos… Come in peace, O crown of her Husband, both with songs and gladness; among the faithful, the beloved people, come, O Bride, come, O Bride.
In the glowing light, they would bless each other in the ancient words:
May the L-rd bless you and keep you;
May the L-rd make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; and
May the L-rd turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24)
Avigdor would then sing the ancient tribute to his wife:
Eishes chayil mi yimtza ve-rachok mi-peninim michrah
Batach bah leiv ba’alah ve-shalal lo yech’sar…
Piha pas’echah ve-chachma ve-soras chesed al leshona.
Tzofiyah halichos beisa ve-lechem atzlus lo socheil.
A woman of valor, who can find? Far her value is far above that of rubies. Her husband’s heart trusts in her and he shall lack no fortune… She opens her mouth with wisdom and a lesson of kindness is on her tongue. She looks after the conduct of her household and never tastes the bread of laziness. (Proverbs 31: 10-11, 26-27)
Only then would Avigdor recite the Kiddush over the wine, recalling the Seventh Day, the Creation of the World and how G-d blessed it. Only then would they break open the warm challah that Ora Chaya had baked. They would join hands across the wooden table, smiling at each other, they knew that no matter how hard life might be, they would always have this holy day to share for all their years together.
Often on a Friday afternoon, Ora Chaya would see Avigdor walking down the road with a friend, or some poor stranger who had nowhere to go for Shabbos. “We may be poor,” they would say to each other, “but we always have enough to welcome travelers or people in need to our home. There is always enough flour for the challah. There are always enough coins to buy the wine and the candles. We always have enough to welcome the Shabbos Kallah to our home. “
One year, the winter was colder than usual. A heavy snow had fallen, and for weeks the roads were covered with high drifts. Then the snow melted, and the mud made the roads impassable. It was hard for Avigdor to go on his usual rounds. Ora Chaya too, could not make her way to the marketplace. Little by little, the money they had saved for hard times had to be spent, until one week, they had almost nothing left. Finally, the roads began to dry. A warm and gentle spring sunlight began to shine on the frozen hills and valleys, and one day, old Avigdor threw his sack on his shoulder and set off to earn what he could for the week.
Ora Chaya bent over their patch of land and began to weed and hoe for the spring planting. On Friday morning, she set off for town to buy what little she could with their last coin. On the way, she met the town melamed (schoolteacher). He stopped her and said, “Good morning, Froy Ora Chaya. Over the winter, many of our books were damaged by the cold and melting frost. Could you give something for their repair?” Without a moment’s hesitation, Ora Chaya dropped her last coin into the melamed’s outstretched hand — for what could be more important than the learning of children?
Then she turned and made her way home. Surely, she thought to herself, there will be enough at home for our Sabbath meal. Sadly, when Ora Chaya reached home, there was little to be found. She searched in every corner. High up in the cupboard, she found an old bottle of wine, and two white candles. But search though she might, she could not find a speck of flour anywhere in the house. Soon Avigdor would be coming home, and there would be no challah in the house for the Sabbath! Never before had such a thing happened to them. Ora Chaya thought of running to a neighbor, but it was too late. In all the time she had spent in her search, the sun had been setting. It was almost sunset and she saw Avigdor coming up the road and with him was a guest. He must have met some poor traveler on his way, and now, she had nothing to offer them. No food had been prepared, and there was no challah!
Quickly, Ora Chaya set the table for three. She set the candlesticks in the middle, along with the Kiddush cup and the bottle of wine. The challah plate sat on the table. Oh, how empty it looked! Ora Chaya said a quick prayer to herself. “Somehow,” she whispered, “Ribbono shel olam (Master of the Universe) will provide.” Right outside the doorway, she spied two round stones. In a flash, Ora Chaya picked them up and put them on the challah plate, covering them with the embroidered cloth they always used. At least when Avigdor and their guest entered, it would feel like Shabbos!
Avigdor opened the door. With him was an old woman, her head covered with a broad kerchief. “See Ora Chayaleh, this poor woman was lost on the road. I have brought her here to spend the Sabbath with us.” Ora Chaya could not speak. She could not bring herself to tell Avigdor the truth: that their one pride and joy, their lovely Sabbath ceremony, would be flawed and lacking. She closed her eyes and recited the blessing over the candles. They sang the ancient prayers to each other and welcomed in the Sabbath Queen. Avigdor recited the Kiddush. All the while, their guest, the old woman, sat with her head down, not speaking a word, only whispering “Amen” after each blessing.
Then Avigdor reached out his hand to uncover the challah loaves. Filled with shame, Ora Chaya put one hand over her mouth and reached out to stop him. “No Avigdor! They are only — ” when, quick as the wind, the old woman lifted off the cover herself. And there, on the plate, sat two golden, sweet-smelling loaves of challah, warm and shining on the table.
Ora Chaya stammered, “But, they were only stones, just a moment ago!”
The old woman let her kerchief fall. As she raised her eyes, she seemed to grow taller and younger. Avigdor and Ora Chaya stared at her in awe. Her hair shone brighter than the light from any candles, and a garland of flowers wreathed her head. It was the Shabbos Kallah, the Sabbath Queen herself, who had come to visit them!
She spoke to them, and her voice was sweet as a nightingale’s singing in the morning. “How often have you welcomed me into your house, with joy and gladness. Each Sabbath, you bless each other and the Creator of the World with love and peace in your hearts. How often have I longed to reward your faithfulness, and your kindness to others. Now I have a blessing for you:
May the Holy One, blessed be He watch over you both and keep you well, to perform many mitzvos (religious deeds). And when your days on earth have ended, may you celebrate Shabbos, together in Gan Eden (Garden of Eden, paradise), for all time to come.” And with that, she touched their bowed heads, waved her hands once over the candles, and vanished into the spring night.
Avigdor and Ora Chaya clasped their hands together. As they stood across from each other, gazing at one another in wonder, it seemed that the light of a thousand stars shone in each other’s eyes, and the peace of Shabbos surrounded them.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
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
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two.
Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
ST6 The Treasure
Listen to the short story, The Treasure, There are many treasures in the world and to many times faith is discounted. In serving the Holy One, Blessed be He, treasure, but in order to find it, they must travel to a teacher or guide.
To read this story visit
The Treasure
The Staff Of Elijah
Long ago there was an old man who had once been very wealthy and had given charity willingly, but in his old age found himself impoverished. His neighbors remembered how generous he had been when he had been rich, so they often invited him to their homes and saw to it that his needs were met.
Once, when the Sabbath was over, the old man returned home, lit a candle, and was startled to find a holy man sitting on his bed. The old man was taken aback and said,
“Who are you?”
The stranger did not answer directly, but instead asked a question of his own, “Tell me, may I remain in your home for a few days? I have been traveling far and wide, and I need a place to rest.”
The old man replied, “Certainly you may stay, but what shall you eat, for I myself am dependent on the kindness of others?” The stranger said, “No matter,” and remained as the guest of the old man. The two shared the old man’s food, meager as it was, and the stranger accompanied the old man to the synagogue.
After three days the stranger prepared to depart, but before he set out, he said to the old man, “You have been so kind to me, and I wish to repay you, but all I have is this staff. Take it. It will help you, but someday you will have to return it to its place.” Now these were strange words, which the old man did not understand. “Where is its place?” he asked. The stranger replied, “On Mount Carmel.” This confused the old man even more, for Mount Carmel is in the Holy Land, far away from where the old man made his home. “Who are you?” he asked. And the stranger revealed that he was none other than Elijah the Prophet. Then the old man was afraid, overcome and thrilled all at once. He accepted the staff from Elijah with many thanks, and accompanied him to the door and saw him off. When Elijah had taken but a few steps, he disappeared from the old man’s sight, and the old man realized that this had truly been the prophet of old.
The old man soon discovered the powers of the staff. Once, when he had walked a long distance and was feeling faint, he sat down at the edge of the road and placed his staff so that only his feet touched it. At once he felt his strength renewed, as though he had become much younger. He was able to stand up easily and returned home full of life. After that he used the staff to revive himself whenever he began to feel the burden of his age, and his spirits always lifted at the very instant his feet touched the wondrous staff.
The next day the old man took the staff with him when he went to the market. While he was walking, the staff suddenly became stuck in a crack between the stones. The old man bent down to pull it out, and when he did he found several silver pieces in the shadow of the staff. What a blessing, he thought, for now he would be able to support himself again, and even have enough to give charity.
One night the old man was awakened by the sound of screams and cries. He ran outside with the staff in his hand to see what was happening, and discovered that the Jewish quarter had been invaded by a mob who were trying to set it afire. Suddenly the old man felt filled with a great strength, and he ran directly into the mob, swinging the staff. The other Jewish npeople marveled at the old man’s courage and took heart, and they too joined the fight. In this way the rioters were quickly defeated, and never again did they dare to attack the Jewish quarter.
After this, the old man became a hero in the Jewish community, and they decided to collect enough money for him to fulfill his lifelong wish of going to the Holy Land. So it was that he was able to make the journey after all, despite his age. After many months his ship arrived in Jaffa and the old man disembarked. His wish was to travel to the Kossel haMa’aravi (Western Wall) in the holy city of Jerusalem. Somehow he ended up in a wagon bound for Safed.
When the wagon was crossing Mount Carmel, one of its wheels broke off. There was nothing that could be done until the wheel was repaired, which would take some time. To pass the time the old man took a walk on the mountain, and along the way he spotted a tree from which a branch had been cut off. He came closer, and marveled that the wood of the tree was so similar to that of his staff. He raised up the staff against that place in the tree to compare it, and at the instant it touched the tree it fused to it and turned into one of its branches. While the old man watched in complete amazement, the branch began to bud and bear leaves, so that it soon resembled every other branch of that tree.
It was then that the old man recalled the words of Elijah, and understood that his mission was complete: the staff of Elijah had been returned to its place of origin. With a wonderful feeling the old man returned to the wagon just as the wheel was ready for travel, and he continued on his journey.
After visiting the holy city of Safed, he traveled to the holy city of Jerusalem, and before long reached the Kossel haMa’aravi (Western Wall). As he stood and prayed before the Wall, a gust of wind carried a leaf to his feet. When the old man bent down and picked it up, he somehow knew for certain it was a leaf from the tree from which his staff had been taken. The old man kept that leaf, and it remained green all the years of his life. He lived many more years in the Holy Land, the happiest he had ever known.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
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 think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
The Widow’s Apples
“Rabbi, holy rabbi, have mercy on me! Please, give me some money so I can have something to eat for myself and my children on Shabbos!” With these words, the woman who had burst into the rabbi’s house broke out into tears. “I don’t have a penny to buy food for my orphan children!”
“Why didn’t you come yesterday,” said the holy rabbi, “when I was giving tzedakah (charity) to all the poor people for Shabbos? Today, I don’t have even a copper coin to give you!”
”I’ve never taken money from anybody,” the woman said, “but today I had to come to you. I have a stand in the marketplace, not far from here, where I sell apples. With the money I make, I’m barely able to support myself and my children. Yesterday morning, with the little money I had, I bought a basket of apples from a peasant. I was hoping to earn enough money to buy something to eat for Shabbos. But rabbi, no one bought my apples. They say they’re no good!”
“No good!” cried the rabbi.” Chas v’chalila (Heaven forbid) someone would say that Hashem’s apples are no good? What do they mean?”
“Rabbi,” she pleaded, “I call out: ‘Apples, apples, delicious apples that have a taste like the Garden of Eden.’ But they say the apples are bad!”
The rabbi asked the poor woman where her stand was in the marketplace and told her to go back there, promising her that she would have money for what she needed for Shabbos.
A few minutes later, the buyers in the market saw that the holy rabbi was at the widow’s apple stand calling out loudly, “kum’t arein geshmak sheynim epls far Shabbos koidesh! Epls far farkoyf! kumen aun koyfn!” (Come around Delicious, beautiful apples for the holy Shabbos! Apples for sale! Come and buy!)”
When people heard that the holy rabbi of the town was selling apples, a crowd quickly gathered at the widow’s stand. Everyone wanted to buy apples from the rabbi. In only a few minutes, all the apples were sold.
“Do you see?” said the rabbi to the woman, as he gave her the profits, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11) the rabbi continued, “May you be blessed with gold and silver from the apples you sell and may your children grow strong like apple trees and always act with kindness and sweetness.”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
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
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
ST4 The L-rd Provides
Wisdom or Wealth?
There once lived a holy man who was very poor in a small shack in the forest. There was not a morsel of food, firewood, or a drop of oil to be found in the holy man’s shack. He prayed and studied the holy words day and night. When it grew dark, he would recite his prayers and lessons by heart in soft, reverent words.
One midnight, while wrapped in study and prayer, he suddenly noticed a light coming from a hole in the wall. As he moved closer, the light brightened. He got up from his little cot, went close to the wall, and he found a large precious stone, glowing with light which flooded the room. The good man did not understand where it had come from or to whom it belonged, and he was greatly surprised.
That night he dreamed that Eliyahu haNovi (Elijah the Prophet), who it is always good to remember, appeared and said: “There are two ways before you. Either the stone which you found may remain in your possession, and you and your family will become very wealthy; or you may leave it where it is, and the Holy One blessed be He will grant you children and grandchildren who will be devoted to the Torah, and whose wisdom will enlighten all mankind.” The holy man, without hesitation answered: “Neither gold nor silver nor precious stones shall be my portion, but the Torah revealed and hidden, which I dearly love.”
And he awakened from his sleep and saw streams of light issuing from the hole, and when he came near to it, the precious stone was no longer there.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
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
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two.
Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
The Right Medicine – Doctor or Faith
Once there was a Jewish merchant who was very prosperous. He had always enjoyed good health, but one day he suddenly fell sick. He did not know what was wrong with him and even with the different remedies he took, he became worse from day to day. He saw a doctor, who prescribed a certain medicine, but that did not help him either: Finally, he decided to see the greatest doctor in town, who was known as the Specialist, he was known as the greatest doctor in the whole region.
The Specialist gave the patient a very thorough examination, asked him many questions, and then told him he was sorry he could not help him. “Only G-d can help you,” he said gravely.
The poor Jewish merchant was very upset with the doctor’s findings.
Then he remembered hearing that in the nearby small town, there was a holy rabbi who had helped many people. So he set off to visit the holy rabbi, hoping that he could help.
Arriving at the rabbi’s house he found many other Jewish people waiting to see him. Luckily (perhaps because he looked so worried), he was admitted to see the rabbi almost immediately.
When he came into the presence of the holy rabbi, he could not hold back his tears, and poured out his heart describing his desperate condition, begging the rabbi to help him for the sake of his wife and children.
The rabbi replied: “A doctor’s job is to heal, and not to make his patient feel worse. Actually your condition is not at all serious; it is just a kind of fever and will pass.”
Astonished, the Jewish merchant asked, “But rabbi, holy rabbi if it is a fever, shouldn’t I be shivering?”
“So you will shiver,” answered the rabbi, reassuringly.
The Jewish merchant could hardly believe what he had heard and was, of course, overjoyed.
No sooner had he left the holy rabbi than he felt cold, and began to shiver slightly. And, as he continued on his way home, the shivering increased. As soon as he got home, he went straight to bed, feeling hot and cold all over, and shivering without a stop.
He stayed in bed for a few days, then suddenly the shivering stopped. He felt so much better that he was soon able to get out of bed, feeling like a new man!
Some time later, as the Jewish merchant was walking down the street, he came face to face with the Specialist, who recognized him at once. “Aren’t you the patient who came to see me some time ago, critically ill?” the Specialist asked him.
“Yes, sir,” answered the man.
“I am certainly delighted to see you looking so well,” the Specialist continued. “Tell me, my friend, what happened to bring about such an unexpected recovery, and what medicine did you take?”
The Jewish merchant told him that after the Specialist had given him up, he went to see a holy rabbi, who told him that his illness was nothing but a kind of fever.
“That I also knew,” said the doctor. “But a fever can be extremely dangerous unless it develops into hot and cold shivering. For that is the way the body can rid itself of the sickness. The trouble with you was that you showed no signs of shivering. I knew of no medicine that could bring about such shivering. That is why I told you I could not help you.”
“As a matter of fact, when the rabbi told me I had a fever, I asked him, ‘if I have a fever, would I not be shivering:’, to which he replied, ‘So you will shiver.’ And sure enough, no sooner did I leave the holy rabbi’s presence than I began to shiver, and the shivering steadily increased and became violent. I got into bed and shivered hot and cold for several days. Then, with G-d’s help, I recovered completely from my illness.”
“`With G-d’s help’ you said. Wasn’t that what I also told you, `I cannot help you, only G-d can help you !”‘ the Specialist exclaimed happily.
All smiles, the Specialist and the Jewish merchant shook hands, wishing each other good health.
Added the Specialist: “Some day I hope to see this holy rabbi, but not in a professional capacity. No doubt he can do more for me than I for him.”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)