Listen to the short story
The Half Friend
An old father teaches his son a valuable lesson about true friendship. A friend will stand by and help you during trying times and also celebrate.
ST16 The Half Friend
A Bag of Coins
A poor man was walking along the road, miserable and sad. It had been years since his wife had smiled. G‑d had blessed them with a houseful of girls, beautiful, wise and resourceful — each one a gem. From the moment his eldest had come of age, matchmakers began knocking on their door with suggestions of fine young men, Torah scholars.
Sadly, when the young men heard that there was no money for a dowry, they turned away. “Your daughters are wonderful,” they would say, “but how can we expect a young man to join a family that cannot even contribute a few coins toward the wedding celebration and settling the young couple in a new home?”
As a last resort, he set out to beg, hopeful that people would contribute to the special mitzvah of Hachnosas Kallah (charity to helping poor brides get married) After all the Jewish people who are filled with kindness and mercy would have pity on his family and help him in his time of need.
Alas, he was unsuccessful in collecting the necessary funds. It wasn’t that they were stingy or uncaring. It was just that they too were very poor and had barely enough to support their own families. Those who were wealthy were overwhelmed by the many requests from far and near for help.
The poor man walked into a field, his mind was on his empty pockets and his wife’s disappointment. He barely noticed his surroundings, he leaned against a large tree, massaging his back against its ample trunk.
“Hey, you!” he heard. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know that you’re trespassing on my land?”
Looking up, he suddenly realized that he had apparently wandered into a grove of trees on the grounds of a grand manor. He saw coming towards him the poritz, the powerful landowner who had almost unlimited power.
“Oh, I am so sorry, good sir,” he was quick to say. “I was simply wandering around, feeling so alone and sad about my sorry state of affairs, and I stopped to comfort my aching back against your tree. Please forgive me for taking that simple pleasure, and I will be on my way.”
“Wait a moment,” said the poritz, not unkindly. “You look like a man who has suffered in life. Please tell me more. Perhaps I can help you. . .”
“Oh, sir you please forgive me for intruding on your land,” said the down-and-out man. “I was feeling so alone. I am a father of daughters, and I desperately seek means with which to help them get married, but why should you care about a poor old Jewish father and his problems?”
“Dear man,” said the poritz, “don’t we learn that the Holy One, Bless be He ‘created a man and for him he made him a wife (Eve) as a helper and support. From the two of them the human race sprung. He said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.’ (Genesis 2:18) (see Tobit 8:6) We are kindred to one another as established from the earliest of times as it is written “So G-d created man in his image, in the image of G-d he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
The poor man looked at the poritz in a strange way and slowly said, “I guess we are similar in some ways.”
The poritz continued. “Please take this purse of coins, and marry your daughters in gladness. I am an old man and have all the money I would ever need — t’s the joy of giving that I could use in life. Now go in peace.”
The poor man smile and said as he left, “May you live long and may you only know peace.”
Still wondering if it had all been a dream, the poor man stumbled home. It was not long before word of the miraculous chain of events spread through the village.
“What good fortune,” said one man to another. “Here’s our chance to get rich. Let’s go to poritz’s grove and try our luck.”
Making their way to the grove, they promptly located a well-suited tree and began to rub with vigor.
Sure enough, the poritz soon came to question them.
“Oh, dear sir,” they said, “Please have pity! We were feeling so sad, so alone and so hopeless that we decided to lean against your tree for a while, taking advantage of the opportunity to massage our backs.”
The senseless have vain and false hopes, and dreams give wings to fools. (Sirach 34:1)
“You’re charlatans, both of you,” thundered the poritz, who had once been a captain in the army and still knew how to bark an order. “You dare speak in such a way. You, who claim to be sincere, yet flagrantly violate what is written: ‘You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another.’ (Leviticus 19:11) Leave this grove at once!”
As they humbly left the garden, one of them summoned up the nerve to question the poritz. “How is it,” he queried, “that when our friend was here, you greeted him so kindly, but when we came and told you a similar story, you became angry?”
“It’s very simple. When a man is truly alone and he needs to scratch his back, he has no choice but to lean against a tree trunk. But there are two of you. You could have rubbed each other’s backs. That told me that you weren’t really as needy as you made yourselves out to be.”
As long as one has faith and a friend, no situation is ever hopeless.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Charity and Support From Near
Tam watched one of his students sitting around the table learning. Both Tam and Chacham knew the student well enough to realize that something was terribly wrong. The student always seemed to be cheerful and enthusiastic, but now seemed to be carrying a weight on his shoulders that was too heavy for him to bear.
Tam and Chacham noticed that the student continued to come on time to learn. He continued to ask his probing questions and to come up with deep, penetrating answers. The learning must calm him and lighten his burdens.
The rabbis observed that the gloominess would cloak their student as soon as he closed his holy text to go back home. It was then that his wonder and excitement seemed to leave him.
The rabbis were afraid to mention anything because he didn’t want the student to think their questions were intrusive. After all, maybe this was just a passing thing. So for the time being, Tam and Chacham decided to keep their concerns to themselves.
As the classes continued, however, the heaviness surrounding the student seemed to overwhelm him completely, and Tam and Chacham could no longer keep their concerns to themselves.
One day as class came to end, Tam and Chacham invited the student to sit with them and with great concern spoke to the student. Chacham began, “You are a fine student and one day you will be a teacher and leader in the community. Please tell us what’s bothering you. We can’t bear to watch you go on like this any longer.
The student looked at his teachers and then dropped his eyes to the table in front of him for a few long moments until he finally gathered his thoughts.
“You know how much I love learning and how my greatest desire is to be fully involved in Torah for the rest of my life,” began the student, baring his heart. “Well, the small stipend I receive just doesn’t meet my growing expenses, even though my wife is working long, hard hours. After careful consideration, my wife and I have come to the difficult conclusion that this season will be my last one learning full-time. As you can tell, I’m heartbroken.” At those words, the student burst into uncontrollable sobs, and the rabbis stood up and hugged the student tightly in the middle of the beis midrash (house of learning).
Tam and Chacham had no words to comfort the broken student. What could they possibly tell him? About the loss it was to the entire class? About the loss it was to the world at large? That would just make him feel even worse.
After a meek attempt to reassure the student, Tam and Chacham silently left the beis medrash, deep in thought. That night, the rabbis felt so sorry for their student who wanted nothing more than to sit and learn but whose dreams and aspirations would be dashed due to finances. Why does everything in this world have to revolve around money? They thought in frustration.
Tam and Chacham thought for a long time about their student. They saw their student every day, but he was unable to study or concentrate on the lessons as he had in the past. The rabbis wondered if there was a way to help their student.
A week later, Tam came into the beis medrash, in high spirits. “You’ll never believe this!” he said loudly as soon as his eyes met his student. When he realized that many people in the beis medrash could hear him, he lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Last night, I was speaking to an old student of mine who lives far away. Explained Tam, “and he mentioned to me that he was interested in forming a Yissachar-Zevulun partnership (The relationship between the tribes of Yissachar and Zevulun whereby Zevulun deals in business and Yissachar in study of the Torah/Scriptures and holy writings.)
with someone. He has a large sum of money he’d like to invest in this arrangement and he wants to find a serious student to support so that he can share in the reward of his learning.
“I told him all about you,” continued Tam, “and he was very excited for you to be his Yissachar. What do you say? Is this something you’d be interested in?”
“I can’t believe it!” the student lightened up. “This is the best news I could possibly hope for! Of course I’d love to do that! How can I thank you for putting this together?”
“By sitting down and learning to the best of your ability,” answered Tam with a mysterious twinkle in his eye.
“Do you mind if I go out for a minute to call my wife to tell her the good news?” asked the happy student.
“Do we not learn, ‘enjoy life with the life you love’? (Ecclesiastes/Koheles 9:9) By all means share your good news with her,” agreed Tam.
The arrangement worked out beautifully, with Tam serving as the middleman. On the first of each month, Tam would present his student with a sizable sum of money, and the student was very appreciative.
One month, the student approached his teacher Tam, “I know that my benefactor wishes to remain anonymous. Still, it would mean so much to me to be able to express my appreciation to him. Do you think it would be appropriate for me to write him a letter?”
“It would be very appropriate,” encouraged Tam.
A couple of days later the student’s letter was finished, he put it in envelope, and handed it to Tam.
“Please address the envelope and send it out as soon as you can,” urged the student. “I want it to get to my benefactor as quickly as possible.”
Tam took the letter from his student and left the beis medrash. Instead of depositing the letter in the mailbox, however, he inserted it into his own pocket and went to share it with Chacham — because that’s where it truly belonged.
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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ST15 The Students Who Wanted to See Moshiach (Messiah)
Listen to the short story, The Students Who Wanted to See Moshiach (Messiah), about how words and pride can prevent the coming of the Messiah
There are many meanings to this spiritual story. Please share your thoughts and comments here or on the new Spiritual Storytelling Reddit Page
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The Students Who Wanted to See Moshiach (Messiah)
To See the King
The two men were invited to the palace to see the king. Each prepared for the special meeting.
When the special day came, the first man came to the palace; but as soon as he entered the hall outside of the throne room he froze, amazed. A wealthy man himself, he truly appreciated the fine artwork, sculptures and tapestries which surrounded him. For hours the wealthy man stood, marveling at the beautiful paintings, statues and fine wall hangings. All the beauty and wonders filled the rich-man’s soul with a sense of awe. For hours he stood, and the king… he never did quite see the king.
The second man also arrived at the same entrance hall, but he was a simple farmer unaccustomed to wealth and finery. His impoverished taste failed to appreciate what so fascinated the wealthy man. Much to the wealthy man’s disappointment, the poor man met the king right away.
Every day people have the opportunity to approach the King. Many try, but few succeed as many are distracted by the finery and sophistication. A great man once said: “I pray with the mind of a child.” A child’s perception of the Holy One, blessed be He is in a way, truer and purer than the accomplished scholar’s or mystic’s deepest understanding of the Divine attributes and manifestations.
The person who approaches G‑d through prayer with an eye to the “experience” of this or spirituality, can lose sight of what the point of it all is. Only by recognizing our basic spiritual illiteracy can we truly relate to the all-encompassing concept of the Holy One, blessed be He,
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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ST14 The Wedding Dress
Listen to a short story
The Wedding Dress
about the wisdom, kindness and generosity of a wealthy woman
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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The rabbi has tried to add at least one or two new stories and a podcast each week, with the hope of strengthening faith and understanding through the many readers and communities. Due to rising expenses and the need to work longer hours and harder, his stories have slowed down a bit.
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Memories, Teshuvah and Chicken Soup
The sun was setting and Rivka looked out the window at the different colours on the horizon, but to her it was all muted. She reluctantly looked at the shiva candle that she set on the table wondering what to do next.
Slowly she mumbled a prayer that the rabbi recommended:
L-rd of spirit and flesh, we have turned to You for comfort in these days of grief.
When the cup of sorrow passed into our hands, your presence consoled us. Now we rise up to face the tasks of life once more. There will be moments of woe and hours of loneliness, for a loved one has passed from our sight.
In our times of weakness may her (his) memory strengthen our spirit.
Teach us, O G-d, to give thanks for all that was deathless in the life of our dear companion and friend, and which now is revealed to us in all its beauty.
Be our support when our own strength fails us.
For the love that death cannot sever; for the friendship we shared along life’s path; for those gifts of heart and mind which now become a precious heritage; for all these and more, we are grateful.
Now help us L-rd, not to dwell on sorrow and pain, but to honor our beloved by the quality of our lives.
Gray light entered through the faded curtains of the wooden house as Rivka slowly got up. Sadly, she looked at the empty bed beside her – Yosef Simcha was gone.
She put on her warm robe, and then passed by the yahrzeit candle still burning from the night before on the dining room table next to Yosef Simcha’s siddur and tefillin. The flame gave off such a cold light in the small glass. The rabbi had said she could let the candle burn out by itself. Rivka felt like she was as burnt out as the candle.
Slowly she made her way to the kitchen and set a kettle up to boil on the stove. A nice cup of instant coffee like she used only on Shabbos was fine for every day now. Nothing tasted good these days, not even coffee.
Yesterday, shiva over, the rabbi had said, “It’s time for you to go out.” Time was so unforgiving; Rivka was not ready. Especially not ready to see her face in the mirror: her hair grayer, the skin underneath her green eyes darker, face color nonexistent.
Today being Friday, she had to buy food for Shabbos. That’s if she wanted to eat. Rivka forced herself to eat a boiled egg and bagel after the funeral. Then everyone else could eat. For the next few days, she’d eaten to keep up her strength for the visitors.
Today, coffee was all she wanted. Then Rivka put on her black raincoat with a hood. It was only last year Yosef Simcha had said, “Great—a hood, in case of rain.” He put down the paper to admire Rivka as she showed off her new raincoat.
Rivka wondered, had he started to look pale then?
Pulling the hood over her head, Rivka forced herself out the door. Once outside, she was not sure if raindrops or tears were sliding down her cheeks.
No need to get eggless challahs, fresh fish and vegetables which was all Yosef Simcha could eat after his heart surgery. The rain matched Rivka’s mood as she walked up the street, busy with other shoppers scurrying to get what they needed for Shabbos.
she took off her hood and grabbed a small cart as she entered the market. As soon as she entered the first aisle, someone shoved into her with a large wagon.
“Pardon me,” Rivka said, then turned to see Shira, Yosef Simcha’s first wife, surrounded by potatoes, onions and carrots.
Shira whined, “You could at least say hello.”
“Hello.” Picking up some celery, Rivka smelled them. They reminded her of spring, and fresh air, and her mother’s chicken soup bubbling on the stove before Shabbos.
Since Shira had not shown up for the funeral, Rivka hadn’t minded the twin boys standing together, yet apart from everyone else at the graveside. They stood by as Yosef Simcha was lowered into the ground, then escaped without saying a word to Rivka.
How she wished they had said some word of kindness, or an acknowledgment that Rivka existed. How she wished they acted like Yosef Simcha, not just looked like him.
Was it her fault, what happened between Yosef Simcha and Shira? Rivka never really wanted to know. She had such wonderful memories of her husband.
It was still painful that she and Yosef Simcha had no children. No one to whom she could pass on his precious siddur and tefillin. No one to help her through the mourning process.
“I didn’t come to the funeral, because I thought it would bother you.” Shira flung her thick finger, adorned with a huge flashy diamond, into Rivka’s face. “I’m happy now, as you can see.”
Happy was not a word Rivka could even imagine using now. Looking down at her own tastefully small ring, she never would have worn such a flashy piece of jewelry.
Cart filled with chicken and other special food, Shira said, “I told my boys to go, out of respect for their father.”
“It would also have been respectful if they paid their condolences to me.”
“They never forgave their father for abandoning them.”
Abandoning them! After all the weekends we invited the boys and Shira had said no. Shira had no case.
Yosef Simcha was heartbroken so many times, Rivka suspected it added to his strain.
She bought candles to bring in Shabbos by herself.
Thinking about which kind of frozen dinner she should buy, Rivka heard Shira brag about her ring to someone else.
When would Rivka be happy? She pictured her mother lighting candles, white lace scarf covering her head, small hands circling the warm orange flames reflecting off her round face.
Rivka ran around the store, buying chicken, onions and spices, her mother’s secret ingredients to add to the celery hearts and carrots for soup. Smelling the aroma while the soup was bubbling will make a sweet Shabbos.
Looking out the large window, the sun inched out through the clouds, as if it forgave them.
She noticed Shira by the checkout counter. Maybe Rivka should forgive Shira for all her bad behavior. “After all,” the rabbi had said, “not forgiving someone is bad for your heart.”
She stepped over to Susan and said, “A gut’n Shabbos to you and your family.”
Rivka left the store with a heart that felt less heavy. Tonight, when lighting the candles, she would thank G-d for all she had.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Grief and Mourning resources for adults and children including thoughts and meditations, stories, and crafts
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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ST13 A Journey to the Tree of Life
Listen to a short story
A Journey to the Tree of Life
The spiritual journey is filled with wonder and mysteries. Not every one who begins the journey follows the path to the very end. Some get lost along the way and never find their way back.
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A Journey to the Tree of Life
The Patriarchs – Admire or Aspire
Tam and Chacham were in the forest where they were learning together. A young man sat down by a tree and listened to them hoping to ask them a question. Everyday the young man would pray, but did not understand the beginning of the Shemonah Esrei:
My L-rd, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.
Blessed. are You L-rd our G-d:
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac and G-d of Jacob, the great, mighty and awesome G-d, exalted G-d, who bestows bountiful kindness, who creates all things, who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs, and who, in love, brings a redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His Name.
O King, (You are) a helper, a savior and a shield. Blessed are You L-rd, Shield of Abraham.
The young man approached them and asked, “I see that you are indeed wise and know all manor of knowledge can you explain why we begin the ShemonahEsrei do we speak of the forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?”
Chacham invited the young man to come closer and then explained:
“The reason we use the Forefathers as the basis for the first blessing in given in Genesis 12:2. When the Holy One, blessed be He said to Abraham (then still called Abram), “I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”
We learn that “Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said with regard to G-d’s blessing of Avraham: says that “I will make you a great nation” corresponds to the phrase “G-d of Abraham,” “I will bless you” corresponds to “G-d of Isaac,” and “I will make your name great” corresponds to “and G-d of Jacob.” One might think that all three of the Forefathers should be mentioned in the blessing’s conclusion, therefore the Torah says, “and you (that is, Abraham) will be a blessing.” For this reason, the blessing concludes “shield of Abraham,” naming him alone.” (Pesachim 117b)
The young man looked confused, so Tam asked him to take a deep breath and not get discouraged and gently began:
“We mention the Patriarchs at the beginning of the Shemoneh Esrai not only to praise their merits but also to challenge ourselves to try to be like them.
You see there once was a holy rabbi learning with his students in the study hall just before the time for afternoon prayers. Suddenly a stranger appeared. From the way he was dressed, it was obvious that he was a very wealthy merchant. After sitting down, he asked one of the students to point out their teacher, the holy rabbi. When the student did so, the merchant’s face suddenly went pale.
After the prayers were over, the man approached the holy rabbi and greeted him. The holy rabbi politely returned the greeting, assuming the man was a stranger. The merchant became very sad and looked straight into the holy rabbi’s eyes and asked him “Don’t you recognize me? I am your chavrusa (study partner) from thirty years ago.”
The holy rabbi looked at him closely and said, “Of course I do. And I am eternally grateful to you, because you are the one who helped me develop my potential in learning.”
After they chatted for a while, the merchant said, “I feel devastated. Look at you, you are now a holy rabbi, respected by all and held in high esteem as a talmid chacham – a great scholar. Yet we both know that when we were students, I was the one who helped you and explained the finer points of the lessons in the school we attended. How can you explain why you developed so much in learning, while I just fell behind?”
The holy rabbi thought for a few moments and replied, “Do you remember that when we were students, there was a reading room next to the study hall? In that reading room was a biography of the MaHaRal of Prague. When you read that biography, I remember how impressed you were. You came out of the reading room with your eyes shining and declared, `He was so far ahead of his time and a brilliant rabbi!’ When I finished reading that biography, however, I said to myself that the life of this man was proof of the great heights a person can reach. I decided right then and there that I, too, would aspire to emulate him and try to become a illuy (Jewish scholar of extraordinary ability). This strong drive helped me to realize my potential and develop beyond my greatest expectations. That is the difference between us. I was not satisfied to simply acknowledge that he was an illuy, but I wanted to become one myself.”
Similarly, when we come to the point in our prayers when we mention the merits of our Patriarchs, it is not enough to simply acknowledge their greatness. We must also take upon ourselves the challenge and try to emulate them. For this reason we say, “When will my deeds reach the level of the Avos?” Even though we may not ever reach their level, we can consider it a great accomplishment to at least try to follow in their footsteps.
The young man smiled and thanked Tam and Chacham and followed a new path out of the forest and in his everyday prayer and studies.
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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The King’s Messengers
The king’s messenger summoned a person to come to the palace at once. When the man saw that the messenger was wearing black garments and had an angry look on his face, he was immediately gripped by a feeling of terror, for perhaps he was destined to receive a harsh punishment from the king.
There was a wise man standing nearby who soothed the man’s anxiety “What do you have to fear from the messenger?” he said. “He cannot do anything to you without a direct command from the king. Therefore, instead of being fearful and worrying, examine your deeds. If you know that you are free of any transgression, you would do well to hurry to the palace as the king commanded and hear what he has to say”
On another occasion, the king’s messenger summoned a different person to appear before the king. This time, however, the messenger was dressed in bright-colored clothes and was very happy as well as smiling. The man was overjoyed and he began to dance.
A wise man turned to him and said, “What do you have to dance about? Who really knows if this messenger is the bearer of good news or not? Do not be misled by the happy expression on his face; rather, think about whether you are truly loyal to the king. If you are, then the messenger is bringing you good tidings, but if you have sinned against the king, Heaven forbid, then evil has been determined against you…”
A person should not judge himself according to whether an event which befalls him is good or bad. Rather, he must constantly examine himself in order to know whether he is loyal to the King or, Heaven forbid, has sinned against 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)