Kosher With Good Reason
There are those who argue that the many aspects of keeping kosher are archaic and from a bygone era. Others claim that it’s just too difficult to keep kosher. Many Jewish people today view keeping kosher as an outdated aspect of ancient biblical Jewish practice and complicated by rabbis through the generations. A great number of Jewish people argue that keeping kosher is no longer relevant to modern day life. Modern society has rendered obsolete many of the laws, traditions and customs of kosher.
It happened many many years ago that a wealthy merchant sent someone to buy him a cow in a nearby village. The man bought the cow but the knot it was tied with came undone. The cow ran into the forest. The man was afraid to go into the forest because of the wild animals. He was also ashamed to return home without the animal fearing someone would accuse him and say: “He did not buy the animal and has kept the money!” The man took a great deal of trouble and searched all night until he found the cow in a herd to which it had fled.
Being real careful, he brought the animal back with him and it was slaughtered. After the meat had been salted and soaked (kashered), a dog ate some of it. The rest rest of the meat was cooked in the pot. Then the dog came and took the meat from the hot pot and broke the pot and ate the meat. The wise merchant said that this did not happen by chance. Then they told him what had happened, and he said: “Bless the L-rd who prevented me from eating the food which was brought to my home with so much risk and danger.”
Keeping kosher is more than the food we eat, it is the lifestyle we accept upon ourselves. The many aspects of keeping kosher reminds us again and again that Jewish spirituality is inseparable from what one might term “physical.” It teaches us that Jewish spiritual practice is about taking the most ordinary of experiences — in all aspects of our lives — and transforming them into moments of meaning, moments of connection.
Simply said, keeping kosher connects people to tradition, to other holy people, and to the Holy One, blessed be He.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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The Dark Forest and the Unknown Wilderness
It happened that when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness (Deuteronomy 5:23)
A holy rabbi lived near the forest outside of the village. He would teach and pray with his students every day. The forest was dark and foreboding. The night, filled with sounds from the forest that frightened many. No one dared to travel far into the forest.
One Friday the holy rabbi began walking towards the forest. in the cold of the afternoon and the wail of the wind through the trees. The sun slowly set as the eerie shadows of the trees grew long, yet the holy rabbi and his students walked on into the forest. He stopped at a clearing and asked his students to recite the verses of Kabbalas Shabbos (service to welcome the Sabbath Day) with him.
The students were surprised, many wondering, why did their teacher the holy rabbi want them to say the Kabbalas Shabbos prayers in such a dark and fearful place?
The holy rabbi answered that he was fulfilling of the verse, “The voice of Hashem convulses the wilderness (Tehillim 29:8). He explained that even the wilderness is waiting from the days of Creation to hear Hashem’s (G-d’s) voice, and he wished to use the opportunity to bring Hashem’s voice to the wilderness.
The students were astounded by the holy rabbi’s faith and efforts to bring a renewed holiness to the forest, for even amid the suffering and darkness he was experiencing, he remembered the explanation of this verse and wished to implement it.
We see from here how holy people are able to remain serene and detach themselves from their surroundings, even under dire conditions. Indeed, a person who carries the Torah (Scriptures) in his heart can create an island of serenity that no one can take away from him, no matter what circumstances he finds himself in.
Although the students were well meaning, they could not overcome their fear and the cold winds, and they slipped away one by one and returned to their homes in the village. Only one student remained with the holy rabbi until he completed Kabbalas Shabbos prayer.
Years later the student met the holy rabbi on the street in a large city, and he reminded his teacher the holy rabbi of the time when they had said the verses of Kabbalas Shabbos together in the dark forest. The holy rabbi’s face lit up, and he said, “Don’t think that the verse, the voice of Hashem convulses the wilderness, applies only to the dark cold forest. The principle is true and exists everywhere. In every place, there are people who are living in a spiritually desolate wilderness and are waiting to hear the voice of Hashem!”
How many people today are indeed living in spiritual desolation! It is incumbent on us to bring the voice of Hashem (G-d) into the dark forest of their lives and save them from their spiritual wilderness.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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The Security of Friendship
There were two men who very close friends, and their souls were intertwined together. Sadly, a great war separated them and they had to live in two different kingdoms. Once one of them came to his friend’s city and the king was informed by his friends and advisors and believed the visiting man was a spy because he came from the kingdom of his enemy.
The king ordered that the man be arrested and brought before him. Since the king’s advisors and friends accused the man of being a spy, he was condemned to death. When he saw that there was no escape from the king’s sentence, he fell before him and asked for one act of mercy. “What is it?” asked the king, and the man answered: “Your majesty, I was a great merchant and I gave all my goods to men on trust and never wrote any documents; and my wife and children do not know who they are. If I die without informing them who my customers are and do not write documents with them, my children will be paupers. Now permit me to go and do this, and I shall return.” “Who will believe that you will return?” said the king. “Your majesty,” he answered, “my friend and companion who lives in this city will be security for me.” So the king asked his friend: “Will you be security that if he does not return by the time I set for him, you will die?” “Yes, your majesty,” said he. “I offer my life as security for the life of my friend and companion.” “Upon my soul,” said the king, “I don’t believe that such a friendship can be so strong. I must see whether this great thing can be.” He gave the merchant a month’s time to leave and return.
On the last day of the month the king waited all day to see whether the man would come. The sun was setting and the merchant had not yet returned, so the king ordered that his friend should be brought from prison to have his head cut off. They took him out into the main street, walked him up to the block, forced him to his kness and the sword was at his neck when there suddenly came a noise in the city: “See, the merchant has returned.”
The merchant came and saw his friend about to be slain. He helped his companion rise from his knees and placed the sword on his own neck, but his friend also took hold of it. The two friends began to argue as one said: “I must die.” Then the other said: “I must die for you!” The king saw that this final deed was more astounding than the earlier one. He and his friends and advisors were greatly amazed. He ordered the sword to be taken away from both of them and pardoned them and rewarded them very much for he had learned a great lesson from them. That “there are friends that one has to his own hurt; but there is a friend that sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.” (Proverbs 18:24). The king stood up and asked them: “I have a request of you, since there is so great love and friendship between you, let me join you as a third. Your friendship is more valuable than all the gold in the royal treasury, besides ‘he who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure’ (Sirach 6:14) ‘” From that day forward they were the king’s companions.
And it was in this spirit that our sages of blessed memory said in Pirke Avos (1.6): “Acquire yourself a friend.”
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 Maggid and Purim
A maggid (storytelling preacher) once (or perhaps more than once) observed that a number of the listeners fell asleep as he told wondrous stories to strengthen the faith of people and touch their hearts. In order to make light of it, the maggid announced, “This tendency to doze off when hearing words of ma’asios tovos (good stories) and mussar (ethics) is not a new occurrence. The Talmud tells us that when the great Rabbi Akiva preached, the people also fell asleep.
“The Talmud goes on to relate that in order to arouse the crowd, Rabbi Akiva would begin talking about the Megillas Esther (Book of Esther). Why did Rabbi Akiva choose that particular subject for this purpose?
“I guess it was because there is evidence in the Megillah that there were once no maggidim (spiritual storytellers). How so? The Megillah reveals that “the king could not sleep, and he gave orders to bring the Book of Records, the Annals, and they were read to the king.” (Esther 6:1)
“Now had there been any maggidim around at that time, he would certainly not have had to do so. He could simply have called the maggid to deliver a brilliantly moving and relevant story, which would promptly have sent him into the bliss of dreamland.”
A Freilichen Purim!
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The Power of Prayer and Holy Names
There was once a very educated man who studied the sciences and the art of debate. He believed that science held the answers to everything that could be asked. Many times he would make fun of religious people. He felt their belief in something that could not be defined by numbers of the laws of science were foolish and superstitious. He felt prayer was a waste of breath and amounted to nothing. It was very clear that he doubted the value of prayer and Holy Names, and many thought he did not believe in them at all.
Now it came about toward the end of his life that a certain man from a faraway land was possessed by a daemon. This very educated man mocked at those who alleged that a daemon had possessed that man, and thought them superstitious fools who would believe anything. He declared: “This is a natural illness, a form of a medical disorder of the brain.”
In order to make the truth clear to him, he was told: “Indeed, you will see a remarkable thing.” This man was lying on his bed without any sensation and in his hand people placed many things and various written documents; and he did not move or feel anything at all.
Then they placed in his hand a certain paper on which the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He was written. This is a Name which is not known to those who interpret the Bible text literally, since they recognize only the ten divine Names that are found there. As soon as this paper was placed in his hand the man cried aloud and flung the paper away with great force, though his eyes were closed and he could see nothing.
Then they placed in his hand an herb which is called
the beauty of the mountain
No sooner did the herb touch his hand, he flung away forcibly, and a voice could be heard, but not like the first time. They placed the paper on which the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He was written and the herb in the hand of the possessed man as they constantly prayed many times during the next 6 days, on the eve of the seventh day which was the Holy Sabbath Day, the man opened his eyes and asked for the blessed wine and hallowed bread. The daemon that possessed him was gone.
The very educated man could not respond at all, and he admitted that none of his knowledge of science could explain what had happened. Then the very educated man admitted the power of prayer and Holy Names and was not ashamed to do so.
A Medieval Tale from Lombardi
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The Carpenter
When Jewish people come together a special connection takes place as people from across the Jewish spectrum share in prayer, observance, food, and camaraderie. The question invariably is raised how can so many different Jewish people come together and have fun and develop special friendships. How can we get past the, sometimes insurmountable, differences and share in our beautiful and holy traditions.
So many questions are asked and the answers are not so difficult as one listens to those around. In an old story, one remembers…
In a certain city lived a carpenter who was well-known for his fine craftsmanship. Merchants, noblemen and other wealthy people visited him regularly, asking him to build fine furniture for them. The carpenter never disappointed anyone. Time and time again, he consistently created beautiful cabinets and graceful bookcases that were amazing to look at. His fame as a craftsman spread throughout the land, until word of his skills reached the king.
The king had the carpenter summoned and told him that from then on he would be employed in the king’s palace. He would be personally responsible for building furniture for the royal family. The king invited him to live in special quarters, and assured the carpenter that he would provide for both him and his family. In addition, he would pay the carpenter handsomely, guaranteeing him a generous monthly salary.
Excited, the carpenter packed up his tools, family and belongings and moved into his new home palace grounds.
Some time afterwards, the carpenter became sick and lost his eyesight, leaving him unable to work. He went to many doctors and they gave him all kinds of medicines. The treatments slowly took effect, but after spending so much money on the doctors, he was in time left penniless.
The carpenter needed more medication but was unable to pay for them, his wife suggested that he sell his tools, in order to buy the medicines that he needed.
“Absolutely not!” shouted the carpenter. “I may not presently be able to work, but the king, nonetheless, acts kindly towards me and displays understanding for my situation, as he realizes that I will soon be able to work again. However, if I sell my tools, it is a sign that I am no longer a carpenter.., What will I do then?”
The same thing applies to the Jewish people. While we may no longer serve Hashem (G-d) in the ways that the earlier generations did, we nevertheless, trust in Him with all our hearts – for the Name of G-d is within each of us, and we remain servants of the King of all Kings!
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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The Palace and the Pigeons
Once there was a king who was loved by all the people in his kingdom. There was peace and the people lived well. Then one terrible day the dark skies and fury of war came to the kingdom, even to the capital city. The palace was destroyed and ransacked by enemies.
The king walked through the ruins of the palace. For the wood and stone of the palace he had no tears. But for the loss of the crown jewels and family heirlooms, passed down for many generations, there was no way to comfort the king.
The king gathered his wise men, but not any of them could offer advice to comfort the king. The jewels were scattered to the farthest points of the kingdom and to many other lands. The most precious of jewels and family heirlooms were taken across the seas to the farthest reaches of the world. Now the king’s daughter was very dear to him. In her wisdom she set about to gather all that was lost to the king.
So the king and his daughter gathered and trained pigeons to return to the palace, to recognize the crown jewels and carry them back on their journey. Each day they would release the pigeons in the vast fields surrounding the palace, and some would discover the jewels and family heirlooms scattered about and return them to their home. The king was glad and smiled at his daughter.
Then the king’s daughter sent them further away, and again they returned, carrying a few more of the precious things that her father had lost. As far away as they were sent, the pigeons quickly returned.
Now the most valuable jewels, those in the most distant lands and most hidden places had not yet been recovered. The pigeons did not venture far enough to find them—they were too eager to return home.
The king’s daughter knew what must be done, but she could not tell her father, for it was too hard, too dangerous, too awful. The king looked into her eyes and he knew. He destroyed his palace once again, leveling it to the ground, removing its every trace. When the pigeons attempted to return, they found nothing. Just an empty pasture with scattered stones and smoldering wood. They were hungry for their food and sick for their home.
Until the most adventurous of the pigeons traveled to the farthest lands and found other palaces, did they find hidden the king’s most precious jewels, They gathered them and polished them and kept them in their wings. And at night they cried, for they knew this was not their home.
They patiently wait for the day they can return to their beloved home.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Why the People Screamed When They Prayed
Two men were good friends from the time they were children. When they grew older, one became a Rosh Yeshiva (headmaster/rabbi at a Jewish school) and the other became a very successful merchant. At one point, the Rosh Yeshiva had to go on a trip to collect money for his yeshiva. During his trip, he visited the city where his friend the merchant lived. The merchant was delighted to see his old friend, and he invited him to spend Shabbos at his house.
The Rosh Yeshiva gladly accepted the invitation. Before Shabbos, he gave his friend the money he had collected during his travels so far, asking him to safeguard it until his departure.
Friday night, the two friends went to pray in the local shul (synagogue). The Rosh Yeshiva was surprised to see that the people in the shul screamed loudly when they prayed.
Later, when they were eating the Friday-night meal, the merchant asked his guest what he thought of the community. “I am very impressed with the community,” the Rosh Yeshiva responded, “but can you explain to me why the people here shout so loudly when they pray? Where does this custom come from?”
The merchant declined to give an answer as his wife brought out the Shabbos food. The question was soon forgotten as the two friends began discussing Torah matters and remembering things from their childhood.
In shul the next morning, the strange behavior of people screaming loudly when they prayed repeated itself, and the Rosh Yeshiva was very bothered by the loud shouting of the congregants.
At the day meal, he again asked his friend for an explanation of this unusual custom, but again the merchant avoided the question. The same thing happened at shalosh seudos, after the two returned from a noisy Minchah.
Immediately after Havdalah that night, the Rosh Yeshiva got ready to leave, and he parted warmly from his friend who had hosted him so graciously. As he was about to leave the house, he asked his friend to return the money he had given him for safekeep¬ing on Friday.
“What money?” the merchant asked in surprise.
“The money that I collected on this trip,” the Rosh Yeshiva replied. “I gave it to you before Shabbos, don’t you remember?”
“I’m sorry,” the merchant said, “but I don’t remember you giving me anything for safekeeping.”
“What?” the Rosh Yeshiva sputtered. “How can you not remember? I gave you a thick wad of money!”
“I don’t recall anything of the sort,” the merchant said calmly.
The Rosh Yeshiva realized that he was in deep trouble. He had given his friend tens of thousands of crowns, all of the money he had worked so hard to raise during his trip, thinking that his friend would hide it away in his safe until Shabbos was over. It hadn’t occurred to him to ask his old friend to sign a paper stating that he had received the money. Who would have ever thought that his friend would dream of taking the money for himself?
But now, to his dismay, he realized that he had been naïve in trusting his friend, for his friend valued money far more than friendship.
Seeing that his friend had no intention of returning the money, he raised his voice and shouted at him, “You rasha (wicked man)! Where’s all the money I gave you? How can you dare to do such a thing? This is money that was collected for the yeshiva!”
The Rosh Yeshiva’s shouts were loud enough to be heard out¬side on the street, but the host just listened impassively.
“Excuse me,” he said, “why are you shouting? Can’t you talk calmly and quietly?”
“How can I talk quietly after you hurt me so deeply?” the Rosh Yeshiva continued to yell.
Suddenly, a broad smile spread over the host’s face. He walked over to his safe, removed the money, and handed it to his stunned friend the Rosh Yeshiva.
“Listen to what you are saying,” he told him. “When someone is in pain, troubled or upset, they raise their voice and scream. Is has been this way since ancient times when Samuel wrote: ‘In my distress I called upon the L-rd, and cried to my G-d; and he heard my voice from his temple, and my cry entered into his ears.’ (II Samuel 22:7) So why are you so surprised that the members of our community raised their voices and shout when they pray? They are in pain, and they know that through prayer they can be healed from all of their pain and suffering. And that’s why they scream!”
This is how every Jewish person should approach prayer. He should feel that he has the opportunity to pour out his heart to his Father in Heaven, tell him everything that is hurting him, and ask him to take pity on him and save him.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Two Merchants, Silver and the Witness of the Tree
There were once two merchants whose names were Yosef and Chanan. Now Yosef was a very simple and hard-working man who was always saying Psalms and greeted everyone with a good word and a smile. Chanan was very knowledgeable in the ways of buying and selling and was always trying to get more wealth. Yosef and Chanan were friends and frequently traveled together and often shared space at the markets.
One day, after the market closed, the two merchants took to the road. When they stopped for the night they counted their profits and discovered they had between them over 1000 silver coins. When they arrived at the next market Yosef suggested they divide the profits equally.
Chanan thought for a moment and answered his friend, “there are many in the market who would try to take our money and then we will have nothing. Let us hide the money under a tree and if we need money we can get it and divide it equally.”
The two merchants found a large oak tree, dug a hole and buried their bag of silver coins. The very next day, while Yosef was in the marketplace Chanan came and took the money from the hiding place.
A few days past and Yosef decided that it was time to divide the money. He found Chanan the two of them went to the oak tree in the forest. They dug beneath the tree and found nothing.
Chanan became very angry and said, “is this the way friends treat one another? Return the money and we will go our separate ways and never speak of this again.”
Yosef was shocked and confused. “I have not been to this place since we buried our profits.”
Chanan became even angrier and demanded they go to the holy rabbi of the village for justice. The holy rabbi listened to Chanan as he presented his account of the situation and asked, “are there any witnesses to the truth of what you are saying?”
Chanan thought for a moment and answered the holy rabbi, “the oak tree under which we buried the silver shall be the witness.” Chanan looking very serious continued, “let us ask the old oak tree who stole the silver.”
The holy rabbi was surprised at the words of Chanan, but agreed to go with the two merchants to the old oak tree in the forest.
That night Chanan went to see one of his close friends and persuaded him to hide in a hollow of the oak tree. “When the rabbi asks, who stole the money?” He told his friend to respond, “Yosef took it in the darkness of night.”
The next day the two merchants and the holy rabbi went into the forest. They went to the old oak tree where they had hidden the money. The rabbi walked around the tree three times then asked, “tell us if you can, who stole the bag of silver coins?”
A voice came from inside the tree, “Yosef came in the night and took the money.”
The holy rabbi was wise and asked Chanan if there were any other witnesses. Chanan thought for a moment and answered the moon is also a witness for no case can be determined without two witnesses let us ask the moon what it had seen. The holy rabbi was again surprised by Chanan’s answer.
The holy rabbi lifted his arms toward the moon and said, It is written, “The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment” (Isa. 51:6). I remind you that before asking for justice from you, we should ask for justice for ourselves, for it is said, “The moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed” (Isa. 24:23). Tell us if you can, who stole the bag of silver coins.”
The holy rabbi and the two merchants waited quietly for the moon to bear witness of what happened that night to the silver coins hidden beneath the old oak tree. The wind whispered, but the moon remained silent.
The rabbi saw some men who were working in the forest and asked them to set the tree on fire. The flames began to climb up the trunk of the tree when a voice cried out, “let me out! Let me out! I don’t want to burn to death!”
They dragged a man out of the hollow of the old oak tree. He was singed and very afraid, but he confessed that it was his friend Chanan who had stolen the money.
Yosef was given all of the money and Chanan was punished by his own words, his own trickery and the judgment of the holy rabbi.
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)