A man once came to the holy rabbi of the village and asked whether it is permissible to fulfill the mitzvah of the four cups at the Seder by drinking milk instead of wine. The Holy rabbi asked if this was for health reasons, and the man stated that he simply could not afford wine. The Holy rabbi told him that milk was not satisfactory and gave him an especially large amount of money for his Passover needs.

The Holy rabbi’s wife, who had witnessed this exchange, commented, “I understand you gave him money because he could not afford the wine, but why so much? He really does not need all that money just to buy wine.”

The Holy rabbi answered his wife, “Knowing the all the Jewish laws and practices of Passover is not enough one must temper their knowledge with compassion and common sense.”

“Since the Passover meals are usually fleishig (containing meat), how could this man possibly have considered using milk for the four cups? The only reasonable conclusion is that he could not afford to buy meat and other necessary food for the festival either. It is therefore not enough to give him money just for wine for the Seder. He needs enough money to buy meat and food for his entire family for all of Passover!”

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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