A Peddler’s Chanukah Latkes

Posted on Thursday, 7, December, 2023Thursday, 7, December, 2023 by Rabbi

Avraham was far from home as er carried his heavy bag filled with wares he sold. Avraham der Sukher was a peddler. He was very much alone, cold, and making his way down a road towards a village on the first night of Chanukah.

Avraham der Sukher saw the light of a Chanukah menorah in the window of a house and knocked on the door. The door opened, and Avraham heard the sound of two women arguing over whose latke recipe was better and which one they should make.

Yossel, a little embarrassed, explained that his wife, Chana, and his daughter-in-law, Rivka, couldn’t agree on how to make the latkes for Chanukah. Avraham saw the sad faces of 3 children as the two women continued to argue.

“Who needs recipes?” said Avraham der Sukher the peddler. “I’ll show you how to make potato latkes from ingredients found in his bag and the simple kitchen.”

First, Avraham der Sukher brought out a bag of matzah meal, some potatoes, and a bowl from his sack and carefully grated the potatoes into the bowl. Avraham der Sukher added a little water and slowly added some matzah meal. Avraham tasted the batter and noted that maybe the family might want to add some salt and pepper. Yossel, the father, added the seasoning to the bowl.

As he looked around, Avraham der Sukher noticed a chicken looking in the window. “I think this chicken is trying to tell me something, but what could a chicken say?”

“I know!” shouted an excited child. “The chicken is telling you to add eggs.”

“I have heard of that,” agreed the peddler. And so he cracked and added six eggs to the batter, but it looked too watery. Another child chimed in, “add more matzah meal.”

“He comes into my kitchen and takes advice from chickens,” Chana said angrily.

“What else do you think we might want to add’ he asked her politely.

“Zal ir vaxn vi a tsibele mitn kaf in der erd (May you grow like an onion with your head in the ground)!’ she shouted.

“Ah, tsibelach (onions), that’s a good idea,” said Avraham der Sukher.

So Yossel’s son hurried to chop some onions.

Avraham added the onions and stirred the batter until it looked just right. Then Avraham pulled a big black frying pan from his sack and asked for some oil and they spooned the batter into the hot oil and fried the latkes until they were golden brown and crispy.

Rivka pulled from the shelf a jar of homemade applesauce and noted latkes are good with applesauce, but I wish we had something to sprinkle on them. Avraham der Sukher opened his sack and brought out some sugar and a special ingredient, cinnamon. Rivka mixed the cinnamon and sugar together and now had something to sprinkle on the latkes.

The plate was stacked high with potato latkes, and the whole family, including Avraham der Sukher the peddler, sat down at the table to eat. from were the best they ever tasted. They sang Chanukah songs and the children fell asleep listening to Avraham tell Chanukah stories.

Chanukah Latkes

Chanukah Potato Latkes

INGREDIENTS

1-2 lb. potatoes		½-1 tsp. pepper
1 small-medium onion		1 tbsp. Kosher salt, divided
2 large eggs, beaten		oil for frying
¾ c. matzo meal		Sour cream and/or Applesauce, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Grate potatoes and onions in a large bowl

Working with a bit of the potatoes and onions at a time, add the vegetables to the center of a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible over a bowl. Repeat this until all of the shreds are dry.

Take the bowl of potato and onion juice and carefully pour out the liquid. This should reveal some paste-like potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. Reserve the potato starch.

In a large bowl, toss together the reserved potato starch, salt and the dried, shredded vegetables. Then gradually add the egg and matzo meal, alternating adding a bit of each at a time, until you are able to form the latkes into patties but the mixture isn’t too dry.

In a large frying pan or skillet heat about 1/4” oil until shimmering. To test if oil is hot enough, use a bit of latke batter and make sure it sizzles and begins to brown.

Form as many latkes that will fit into your skillet without overcrowding and into the hot oil. Fry until crispy and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then sprinkle with a bit more salt. Repeat with the remaining latke batter.

Serve with applesauce, and/or sour cream.

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

A Special Chanukah Gift

Posted on Sunday, 13, December, 2020Tuesday, 20, September, 2022 by Rabbi

For this child I prayed; and the L-rd has granted me the petition that I made to him. (I Samuel 1:27)

Chanukah is a time to celebrate the freedom of faith. A war was fought to defend the right just to remain true to Judaism over 2100 years ago. Today we accept the basic story of Chanukah, but have forgotten the many miracles. The wonders and beauty of faith are many times overlooked, but they are present at all times.

On the third day of Hanukkah, there was a bris (circumcision) in the small wooden shul. The rabbi was the sandak—being honored to hold the baby on his lap—and he told a story at the bris:

A woman who was married for fifteen years and was not blessed with children. She went from rabbi to rabbi, from tzaddik to tzaddik, from one to the other to ask for a blessing, for them to pray for her, but still she had no child. She did not know what to do with herself.

She was very careful to light the Shabbos candles every week, welcoming the holiness of the day into her house. There was always food in her kitchen for those less fortunate. Her bright smile hid the pain and sadness that was deep in her heart.

Without children, she had a lot of time, and so she helped wherever she could. One day she discovered a woman who was sick and all alone, who had nobody in the world. She started to visit the sick woman, prepared food for her and talked to her for hours.

After two years, the sick woman left this world, and the woman without children was with her when she died. The dying woman said to her, “There’s no way for me to thank you in this lifetime for all the kindness and love you showed me. I promise you, the moment I go up to heaven and stand before the Holy One Blessed be He, I pray on your behalf that Heaven bless you with a baby.”

“That was almost a year ago and today we are gathered here for such a happy and holy occasion”, the rabbi continued, “The baby we just welcomed into the community is that baby. He is a gift from that woman.”

Al haNissim - Miracles

Al hanissim, v’al hapurkan, v’al hag’vurot v’al hat’tshuot v’al hamilchamot sh’asita lavoteinu bayamim hahem baz’man hazeh.

We thank You for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the saving acts, and for the wonders which You have wrought for our fathers (ancestors) in the days of old, at this time.

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 Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown on November 28, 2021. Most people in the Jewish communities throughout the world can rattle off a list of Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah each night; playing dreidel games; eating foods cooked in oil (latkes and Sufganiot); and exchanging gifts.

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

Women and Chanukah

Posted on Friday, 11, December, 2020Tuesday, 20, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Many girls and women ask questions about everything about Jewish women and seek answers that are sometimes very elusive. They become frustrated over the apparent the double standards of many religious people. They feel it is hard to assert their individuality in a society with so many demands (how to dress, how to eat, how to communicate, etc.).

Who carried the Jewish tradition from generation to generation? Whose unwritten wisdom upholds it? An automatic first response might be “the Rabbis.” A more complete, more thoughtful answer would be “the women.”

It is hard to define aspects of Jewish tradition—the feel of it, the smells of a special foods and meals, the warmth of a gentle touch, the part that cannot be captured in words, that remain unwritten but enduring —were for generations the domain of Jewish women. Their wisdom finely guided and molded the character of Jewish life. We find this in food, stories and memories.

Women are special in the Jewish community, but many times the girls and women counter that all there is, is chauvinism and foolish limitations. It seems that the prevailing attitudes in our culture have replaced the long history of learning and teaching.

Chanukah is a holiday that is celebrated due to the sacrifices and deeds of women. Many don’t realize that Jewish law establishes that so long as the Chanukah lights burn, woman are exempt from work.

Jewish Women

As we eat the sizzling latkes let us realize that their wisdom has molded and defined the character of Jewish life. We find this throughout our history and teachings. We also find it in the Chanukah story, in the remarkable characters of Chana and Yehudis.

One of the major victories over the Syrian-Greeks came about through the heroism of a woman. Yehudis, daughter of Yochanan the High Priest, spoke to the people in her besieged city to have faith in the Holy One, blessed be H, but the people weakened by starvation and fear wanted to surrender the city. Yehudis left the city under the cover of night and went to the commanding general, Holofrenes, and first fed him cheese dishes which made him thirsty (the source for eating dairy foods on Chanukah). She then brought him wine to quench his thirst. When he became drunk and fell asleep, she beheaded him and hung it from the city walls. When the enemy soldiers saw the head of their decapitated leader, they fled.

The Syrian-Greeks and their supporters, tried to destroy the Jewish way of life by forcing people to abandon their Judaism. Chana had seven sons each were brought before Antiochus and told to bow to him and recognize his god. Each son refused. As the last of her sons was taken to be executed she told him, “My son, go and tell your father Abraham: You bound one son upon the altar; I bound seven children on seven altars.”

The legacy Jewish women represent continues wherever the Jewish tradition is guided, enriched, and uplifted by her daughters, the bearers of Judaism’s enduring legacy.

May your Chanukah lights burn bright and may all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Potato Latke Recipe

1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (3 to 4 potatoes)		1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered		1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg		1 egg, beaten
1 cup oil or chicken shmaltz, or a combination of both		2 tablespoons matzo meal
Applesauce and sour cream, for serving

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes well, but do not peel. Cut each potato in half crosswise.
Grate potatoes and onion with a food processor. Grate the potatoes and onion using the shredding disk of a food processor.
Make a cheesecloth tourniquet and squeeze liquid from potato and onion. Transfer the grated potato and onion onto a large triple layer of cheesecloth. Gather the corners and tie around the handle of a wooden spoon. Dangle the bundle over a large bowl, then twist and squeeze the potatoes and onion as hard as you can until no more liquid comes out of the potatoes and onion shreds.
Pour off the liquid, but keep the potato starch. Give the liquid a few minutes to allow the potato starch to settle and then pour off and discard the liquid but leave the potato starch.
Toss the latke ingredients together with your fingers. Add the potatoes, onion, eggs, matzo meal, salt, and pepper to the bowl of starch. Mix with your fingers, making sure that the potato starch breaks up and is evenly distributed with the rest of the ingredients. Set batter aside for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil. Place the oil or schmaltz (or a combination of the two) in a large skillet so that when melted there is a depth of 1/4 inch (for a 10-inch skillet you’ll need 1 cup of melted oil/schmaltz). Heat over medium-high heat until a piece of the latke mixture sizzles immediately.
Form latkes one at a time into a 2-4 inch patty. Using a spoon, slide the latkes into the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is full but the latkes aren’t crowded. Cook until deeply golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if necessary.
Drain the latkes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain for 2 minutes.
Serve with applesauce if using schmaltz or with sour cream and apple sauce if using just oil.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more Jewish stories with recipes

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 Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown on November 28, 2021. Most people in the Jewish communities throughout the world can rattle off a list of Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah each night; playing dreidel games; eating foods cooked in oil (latkes and Sufganiot); and exchanging gifts.

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

The Mystery of the Vanishing Flame

Posted on Wednesday, 9, December, 2020Tuesday, 20, September, 2022 by Rabbi

It was the first night of Chanukah. Outside a snowstorm raged, but inside it was tranquil and warm. The holy rabbi stood in front of the menorah, surrounded by a crowd of his students. He recited the blessings with great devotion, lit the single candle, placed the shammash (“attendant candle”) in its designated place, and began to sing HaNairos Halalu. His face radiated holiness and joy; the amazed students watch his every move.

The flame of the candle was burning bright and strong. The rabbi and his students sat nearby and sang Ma’oz Tzur and other Chanukah songs. All of a sudden, the flame began to flicker and leap wildly, even though there was no breeze in the house. It was as if it were dancing to the lively songs, and then it just disappeared,

It didn’t blow out, there was no smoke, it just was gone without a trace. The holy rabbi seemed lost in thought. One of the students went to re-light the wick on the candle, but the rabbi waved him off.

He reminded the students that Chanukah was a happy holiday and to continue their singing. Between the songs, the rabbi spoke such words of Torah that it seemed everyone was in a higher realm. The students were so caught up in celebrating Chanukah, they had all but forgotten about the disappearing flame.

It was almost midnight when they heard the sounds of a carriage stop at the house, the door burst open and in came a student who came from a distant village. His clothes were ripped and muddy, and his face was puffy and bleeding. Yet, his eyes were sparkling and his features shone with joy.

He sat down at the table, and with all eyes upon him, began to speak excitedly. “This isn’t the first time I came to visit the rabbi by traveling through the forest, and I know the way very well. But there was a terrible snow storm this week, which greatly slowed me down. I began to worry that I wouldn’t get here in time to be with the rabbi for the first night of Chanukah. The thought disturbed me so much, I decided not to wait out the storm and started out immediately.

“That was a foolish idea, I must admit, but I didn’t realize that until too late. Last night, I ran into a gang of bandits, who thought if I was out in this weather, at night, alone, I must be a wealthy merchant whose business could not be delayed. They demanded that I surrender to them all of my money.

“I pleaded with them and tried to explain that I was a student travelling to see my holy teacher. They absolutely refused to believe me. They wanted money or my blood. They took me to their leader so he could decide my fate.

“While they waited for the bandit chief to arrive, they questioned me in great detail, searched me and the wagon, and beat me, trying to get the secret of where I had hidden my money. I had nothing to tell them except the truth, and that they didn’t want to hear it.

“After hours of punishment, they tied me up and threw me into a dark cellar. I was hurt and bleeding, and my whole body ached in pain. I lay there for a long time, when the bandit chief came to speak with me.

“I tried to the best of my ability to describe to him the great joy of being in the rabbi’s presence, and how it was so important to me to get to the rabbi by the start of Chanukah and that it was worth it to endanger myself by traveling at night.

“It seems my words made an impression on him, and he untied and released me, saying:

“I sense that your faith in Holy One, blessed be He is strong and your wish to be with your teacher is genuine. Now we shall see if this is the truth. I am going to let you go, but you should know that the way is extremely dangerous. Even the most rugged people never venture into the heart of the forest alone, only in groups, and especially not in a storm and at night. You can leave and try your luck. I am telling you, if you get through the forest and the other terrible conditions safely, unharmed by the ferocious wild beasts or anything else, then I will break up my gang and reform my ways.

“If you actually reach the outskirts of the city, then throw your handkerchief into the ditch next to the road, behind the signpost there. One of my men will be waiting, and that is how I will know that you made it.

“I was very afraid of what might be ahead of me on my journey, but when I thought about how wonderful it is to be to watch my teacher, the holy rabbi light the menorah lighting, my fear seemed to fade away. I was determined to proceed without delay. My horse and carriage were returned to me and I set off on my way.

Chanukah

“There forest was dark and forbidding and I could hear the sounds of the night creatures. I feared that I might be surrounded by a pack of vicious wolves.

“I crouched down over my horse’s neck and spurred him on, but he wouldn’t move. He refused to move in the pitch blackness. I tried to get him to move with kind words, but he wouldn’t budge.

“I had no idea what to do. At that moment, a small light flickered in front of the carriage. The horse stepped eagerly towards it. The light moved and the horse followed. All along the way, the wild animals fled from us, as if the tiny dancing flame was driving them away.

“We followed that flame all the way here. I kept my end of the bargain and threw my handkerchief at the designated place. Who knows? Perhaps those cruel bandits will change their ways, all in the merit of that little light.”

It was only then that the students noticed that the holy rabbi’s Chanukah light had returned. There it was, burning in the simple menorah, its flame strong and pure as if it had just been lit.

As the students marveled at the small flame in all its brightness, the holy rabbi mysteriously commented, “The light of a candle is serviceable only when it precedes man on his way, useless when it trails behind.” (Kad haKemach 37, 14^th century)

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 Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown

on November 28, 2021. Most people in the Jewish communities throughout the world can rattle off a list of Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah each night; playing dreidel games; eating foods cooked in oil (latkes and Sufganiot); and exchanging gifts.

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

Shalom Bayis, Torah and the Menorah of Peace

Posted on Sunday, 6, December, 2015Tuesday, 12, December, 2023 by Rabbi

The RaMBaM (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon – Maimonides) makes the following fascinating observation upon his conclusion of the halachos of Chanukah, in his Mishneh Torah.

If one has insufficient funds for both Shabbos candles and for Chanukah candles, or for Shabbos candles and wine for Kiddush, Shabbos candles take precedence, because of Shalom Bayis— peace and domestic tranquility within the home and family, which the Shabbos candles bring into the home. The peace within the home is so important that only in the case of a Sota (Trial of the Bitter Waters – Numbers 5: 18-27) the holy name of G-d is erased, in order to foster peace between a man and his wife.

At which point, the RaMBaM concludes with the following beautiful words:

Peace is exceedingly great, for the entire Torah was given in order to foster peace in the world. As it says:

Her ways are ways of beauty, and all her paths are peace. (Proverbs 3:17)

One Chanukah eve, a holy rabbi waited a long time in lighting his Menorah, even though the preferable time for lighting the Menorah had already passed. His students became impatient and wondered why was there such a delay.

It was not until his wife arrived that the holy rabbi lit his Menorah with great joy and happiness.

Later, the holy rabbi was asked why he had waited for his wife, since, according to the Halacha (Jewish law), a man can light the Menorah on behalf of his wife, even in her absence. The holy rabbi explained to his anxious students that he was aware of that halacha. However, he knew that his wife always looked forward eagerly to this mitzvah, and she would be deeply hurt if he kindled the Menorah without her. Afterall was not Chanukah miracles brought about by the greatness of women? He therefore waited for her to return.

The ways of Torah are, indeed, ways of beauty and of peace.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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

Can One Fix a Spirit on Chanukah

Posted on Tuesday, 8, December, 2009Sunday, 10, December, 2023 by Rabbi

“Kol z’man she’ha-ner dolek, efshar l’takain”

“As long as the candle is still lit, it is possible to fix…”

Chanukah, the celebration of lights iscelebrated by ;ighting the chanukah menoah and watching the flames. The chanukah story is often told and the hope for peace and blessing is shared. The conflict for religious freedom and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem are remembered. Some may ask if amongst the many physical aspects (Chanukah menorahs, dreidels, latkes and Chanukah gelt) if there is a personal, internal meaning.

It was a cold, dark evening. Not a star glittered in the sky, nor did the moon light up with even the tiniest flicker. Clouds hung over the dusky sky, and a chill wind sliced through the thin walls of the simple houses. Men hurried home from Ma’ariv (evening prayer), their coats clutched about them.

The Rebbe in his long black coat, walked alone. He passed his students by hurrying out of shul through a side door before they realized it. He was lost in deep thought, and did not wish to be distracted.

“Ribono Shel Olam,” he sighed to himself. “I am getting older, yet there is still so much I have yet to accomplish. People come to me for advice, considering me a complete saint, but only You, Merciful One can clearly see my lackings – I am far from complete. What will be? There is so little time. So little time. It is said that it can take a lifetime to change a habit, and it is late. Oh, Ribono shel Olam, it is so late!”

Suddenly, a small flicker of light caught his attention. As if in a trance, he walked slowly toward the glow. He found himself before the shop of Yossele the tailor. The Rebbe entered slowly, not quite sure why he was driven to pursue the tiny ray of light that had penetrated his introspection.

Light of Hope

He stood in the doorway, fascinated. Yossele sat hunched over a tiny candle; a half finished garment in one hand and an almost invisible threaded needle in the other. In a gentle, rhythmic motion, he pushed the needle through the garment, and pulled it, drawing the thread tight. The small flame flickered to and fro as Yossele pushed the needle, and pulled it tight.

Push the needle and pull it tight…

The Rebbe stood silently for a moment, watching Yossele’s eyes squinting in concentration by the light of the candle stub.

Push the needle and pull it tight…

“Yossele,” the Rebbe spoke softly. “Yossele, why don’t you stop now? It is dark, and the night is cold.”

Yossele looked up at the Rebbe. His eyes seemed to glow with a gentle intensity that outshown the glow of the candle.

“But Rebbe,” he almost whispered, his hands never ceasing to push the needle through and pull it tight, “There is much to fix…”

The Rebbe’s eyes swept over the room, taking in the piles of clothing waiting to be mended.

“Rebbe,” the tailor repeated almost reproachfully, “As long as the candle is burning, one can sill fix . . .”

Push the needle and pull it tight…

The Rebbe’s eyes widened, He felt an all-encompassing lightness overtake him. He was free of his burden.

“Ribono shel Olam! Now I understand! As long as the candle is still burning, one can fix . . . and mend . . . his soul . . .

one . . .stitch . . .at a time…”

Push the needle and pull it tight…

Kol z’man she’haner dolek, efshar l’takain.

As lomg as the lights of the Chanukah menorh flicker and burn, a person can can fix, mend and repair their soul, Each person who sees the flames of the Chanukah menorah can rededicate and rediscover the beauty and wonder of faith.

May the lights of the Chanukah menorah burn bright and may the hope for peace warm the souls of everyone.

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

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

The Mystery of the Dreidel

Posted on Sunday, 28, December, 2008Tuesday, 5, December, 2023 by Rabbi

A 14-year-old in a religious school class was curious and asked about the dreidel, and the teacher merely explained it as a game played on Chanukah. The teacher went on to explain the letters nun, gimel, hay, shin were to remind us that Nes Gadol Haya Sham – A great miracle happened there. A remembrance of the miracles of the small army that turned over the massive, well-trained Syrian-Greek armies.

The student looked and asked, “What does this have to do with being Jewish?” He was truly looking for a spiritual meaning to the dreidel. He could not accept that this gambling game had anything to do with Yiddishkeit – Judaism.

Perhaps if the teacher had explained that the dreidel represents each Jewish person and the letters teach that though life spins about that all parts of a person must grow also. The nun is for nefesh – the soul – which strives for high and higher meaning, the gimmel is for guf – the body – which needs to be kept healthy and strong, the shin is for sechel – mind – that seeks and learns, and the hay is for Hakol – everything – together makes up each person.

Some rabbis connected the four letters with the four exiles of the Jewish people — Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome.

The Babylonians came and destroyed the Beis haMikdah (the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) and exiled the Jewish people. The Beis haMikdash represents a unique channel between Hashem (G-d) and Man. When it was destroyed, this flow of spiritual energy was severed. The level of this connection is linked to the word “nefesh” – soul (“When a soul will bring an offering”…Leviticus 2:1). Nefesh begins with the letter nun, and nun represents the kingdom of Babylon.

We learn from the story of Esther, that Haman wanted to physically destroy the Jewish people. The exile of Persia and Media represents the threat to the “guf” – the body of the Jewish People, the physical threat of annihilation. Guf begins with gimel which stands for the kingdom of Persia and Media.

Greece, on the other hand, represents the attack on the Torah itself – the sechel – the wisdom of Israel. The Syrian-Greeks weren’t interested in the physical destruction of the Jewish People; rather they wanted to destroy the spiritual basis of Judaism – the Torah – and leave a Hellenized shell that would agree with the Greek norms of aesthetics – drama, philosophy, and art. Sechel begins with the letter shin – that’s the letter of the kingdom of Greece.

The fourth kingdom, Rome, is a summation of all the other exiles. At the beginning of their domination, the Romans, like the Babylonians, stopped the bringing of offerings in the Temple. Then, they destroyed the second Holy Temple and inflicted unthinkable bloodshed on the “guf”, the body of Jewish People. Rome is all the exiles rolled into one and thus it is represented by the Hebrew word “HaKol which begins with hay” meaning “all”.

Let us all grow in wisdom, strong in spirit, and healthy in body.

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 Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown On December 18, 2022.

Most people in the Jewish communities throughout the world can rattle off a list of Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah each night; playing dreidel games; eating foods cooked in oil (latkes and Sufganiot); and exchanging gifts.

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

20th Century Miracle – An Article from 1981

Posted on Sunday, 21, December, 2008Wednesday, 13, December, 2023 by shana

My father wrote this article in 1981 for a Jewish Newspaper

20th Century Miracle

by Rachmiel Tobesman

The excitement of Chanukah with its songs, gifts, and sizzling latkes, warms many Jewish hearts. The joy and happiness goes beyond the beauty of flickering lights and songs. A triumphant joy is felt each time the story of Yehudah haMaccabee is told, the fight and victory of the Jewish rebels over the paganistic Syrian-Greeks showed how they fought for what they believed.

The Nazi hordes descended upon Poland and conquered it in a very short time. The Jewish population of Poland had to be dealt with. In answer to the “judenfrage”, the Jewish question, the Nazis established pits of starvation and disease called ghettos.

In the capital city of Poland, Warsaw, the largest Jewish ghetto was established. The Nazi plan was not only to starve the Jewish people of food, but also their right to worship Hashem. The Jewish communities of Poland were known to be stubborn, and many did not follow the Nazi laws.

The Judenrat, Jewish Council, often collaborated with the Nazis claiming to save lives. The Judenrat tried to ban the holding of Chanukah parties without a permit from a special office set up for that purpose. The parties were held without permits, and the Judenrat did not make any profit for their Nazi masters.

Chaim Kaplan kept a diary in the Warsaw Ghetto. His diary was written in Hebrew. The entry about Chanukah 5701 was made on December 26, 1940. In it Chaim Kaplan relates: “Never before in Jewish Warsaw were there as many Chanukah celebrations as in the year of the wall….After 16 months of Nazi occupation we came to life again.“

The joy of Chanukah was not only felt in the ghettos but also in the Nazi concentration camps. In Nieder-Orschel, part of the Buchenwald industrial/death complex, a 17 year old Jewish student from Bratislava, Simche Unsdorfer, with others set out to bring Chanukah to the camp.

In the concentration camp many people suffered from severe spiritual and physical distress. Simche Unsdorfer and a few friends thought that they could somehow light a Chanukah menorah to raise the morale and restore faith to the many men in the barracks.

With Chanukah just a few days away, a plan of action was adopted. The group drew lots. The first name…Grunwald…would have to somehow obtain oil for the “menorah.” The third name would have to hide the oil and be responsible for it until Chanukah. The fifth…Simche Unsdorfer…would light the menorah under his bunk.

The “menorah“ was made from an old shoe polish tin with wicks made from blankets and oil for fuel. Finally Chanukah came.

December 11, 1944, was the first night of Chanukah. Simche Unsdorfer lit the menorah under his bunk and recited the three traditional blessings and all began to sing Ma’oz Tzur.

An unterstrumfuhrer (lieutenant) happened to smell the burning oil and burst into the barracks to find out who was burning it. As the unterstrumfuhrer was about to find the menorah the menorah under Simche Unsdorfer‘s bunk, an air raid siren blared and the unterstrumfuhrer ran for shelter.

That night in Nieder-Orschel a Ness Gadol Haya Sham (A Great Miracle Happened There). Many of the men with their faith restored in Hashem looked to the liberation from the Nazi terror and paganism.

THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE

(Atlanta, GA)

December 18, 1981

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

Please share these gifts of wonderful stories with others and start or join a discussion on the Story Tour Blog about the stories.

The Story Tour Blog has grown to almost 700 short stories about faith. Many visitors to the Story Tour Blog have requested that the stories be gathered together into a book. 72 of these special tales are now available in the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins that would make a special gift for the holiday season.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

Avraham was far from home as er carried his heavy bag filled with wares he sold. Avraham der Sukher was a peddler. He was very much alone, cold, and making his way down a road towards a village on the first night of Chanukah.

Avraham der Sukher saw the light of a Chanukah menorah in the window of a house and knocked on the door. The door opened, and Avraham heard the sound of two women arguing over whose latke recipe was better and which one they should make.

Yossel, a little embarrassed, explained that his wife, Chana, and his daughter-in-law, Rivka, couldn’t agree on how to make the latkes for Chanukah. Avraham saw the sad faces of 3 children as the two women continued to argue.

“Who needs recipes?” said Avraham der Sukher the peddler. “I’ll show you how to make potato latkes from ingredients found in his bag and the simple kitchen.”

As he looked around, Avraham der Sukher noticed a chicken looking in the window. “I think this chicken is trying to tell me something, but what could a chicken say?”

“I know!” shouted an excited child. “The chicken is telling you to add eggs.”

“I have heard of that,” agreed the peddler. And so he cracked and added six eggs to the batter, but it looked too watery. Another child chimed in, “add more matzah meal.”

“He comes into my kitchen and takes advice from chickens,” Chana said angrily.

“What else do you think we might want to add’ he asked her politely.

“Zal ir vaxn vi a tsibele mitn kaf in der erd (May you grow like an onion with your head in the ground)!’ she shouted.

“Ah, tsibelach (onions), that’s a good idea,” said Avraham der Sukher.

So Yossel’s son hurried to chop some onions.

Avraham added the onions and stirred the batter until it looked just right. Then Avraham pulled a big black frying pan from his sack and asked for some oil and they spooned the batter into the hot oil and fried the latkes until they were golden brown and crispy.

The plate was stacked high with potato latkes, and the whole family, including Avraham der Sukher the peddler, sat down at the table to eat. from were the best they ever tasted. They sang Chanukah songs and the children fell asleep listening to Avraham tell Chanukah stories.

Chanukah Potato Latkes

1-2 lb. potatoes

½-1 tsp. pepper

1 small-medium onion

1 tbsp. Kosher salt, divided

2 large eggs, beaten

oil for frying

¾ c. matzo meal

Sour cream and/or Applesauce, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Grate potatoes and onions in a large bowl

Working with a bit of the potatoes and onions at a time, add the vegetables to the center of a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible over a bowl. Repeat this until all of the shreds are dry.

Take the bowl of potato and onion juice and carefully pour out the liquid. This should reveal some paste-like potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. Reserve the potato starch.

In a large bowl, toss together the reserved potato starch, salt and the dried, shredded vegetables. Then gradually add the egg and matzo meal, alternating adding a bit of each at a time, until you are able to form the latkes into patties but the mixture isn’t too dry.

In a large frying pan or skillet heat about 1/4” oil until shimmering. To test if oil is hot enough, use a bit of latke batter and make sure it sizzles and begins to brown.

Form as many latkes that will fit into your skillet without overcrowding and into the hot oil. Fry until crispy and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then sprinkle with a bit more salt. Repeat with the remaining latke batter.

Serve with applesauce, and/or sour cream.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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

For this child I prayed; and the L-rd has granted me the petition that I made to him. (I Samuel 1:27)

On the third day of Hanukkah, there was a bris (circumcision) in the small wooden shul. The rabbi was the sandak—being honored to hold the baby on his lap—and he told a story at the bris:

A woman who was married for fifteen years and was not blessed with children. She went from rabbi to rabbi, from tzaddik to tzaddik, from one to the other to ask for a blessing, for them to pray for her, but still she had no child. She did not know what to do with herself.

She was very careful to light the Shabbos candles every week, welcoming the holiness of the day into her house. There was always food in her kitchen for those less fortunate. Her bright smile hid the pain and sadness that was deep in her heart.

Without children, she had a lot of time, and so she helped wherever she could. One day she discovered a woman who was sick and all alone, who had nobody in the world. She started to visit the sick woman, prepared food for her and talked to her for hours.

“That was almost a year ago and today we are gathered here for such a happy and holy occasion”, the rabbi continued, “The baby we just welcomed into the community is that baby. He is a gift from that woman.”

Al hanissim, v’al hapurkan, v’al hag’vurot v’al hat’tshuot v’al hamilchamot sh’asita lavoteinu bayamim hahem baz’man hazeh.

We thank You for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the saving acts, and for the wonders which You have wrought for our fathers (ancestors) in the days of old, at this time.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

Who carried the Jewish tradition from generation to generation? Whose unwritten wisdom upholds it? An automatic first response might be “the Rabbis.” A more complete, more thoughtful answer would be “the women.”

Women are special in the Jewish community, but many times the girls and women counter that all there is, is chauvinism and foolish limitations. It seems that the prevailing attitudes in our culture have replaced the long history of learning and teaching.

Chanukah is a holiday that is celebrated due to the sacrifices and deeds of women. Many don’t realize that Jewish law establishes that so long as the Chanukah lights burn, woman are exempt from work.

As we eat the sizzling latkes let us realize that their wisdom has molded and defined the character of Jewish life. We find this throughout our history and teachings. We also find it in the Chanukah story, in the remarkable characters of Chana and Yehudis.

The legacy Jewish women represent continues wherever the Jewish tradition is guided, enriched, and uplifted by her daughters, the bearers of Judaism’s enduring legacy.

May your Chanukah lights burn bright and may all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Potato Latke Recipe

1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (3 to 4 potatoes)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg

1 egg, beaten

1 cup oil or chicken shmaltz, or a combination of both

2 tablespoons matzo meal

Applesauce and sour cream, for serving

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes well, but do not peel. Cut each potato in half crosswise.

Grate potatoes and onion with a food processor. Grate the potatoes and onion using the shredding disk of a food processor.

Pour off the liquid, but keep the potato starch. Give the liquid a few minutes to allow the potato starch to settle and then pour off and discard the liquid but leave the potato starch.

Toss the latke ingredients together with your fingers. Add the potatoes, onion, eggs, matzo meal, salt, and pepper to the bowl of starch. Mix with your fingers, making sure that the potato starch breaks up and is evenly distributed with the rest of the ingredients. Set batter aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil. Place the oil or schmaltz (or a combination of the two) in a large skillet so that when melted there is a depth of 1/4 inch (for a 10-inch skillet you’ll need 1 cup of melted oil/schmaltz). Heat over medium-high heat until a piece of the latke mixture sizzles immediately.

Form latkes one at a time into a 2-4 inch patty. Using a spoon, slide the latkes into the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is full but the latkes aren’t crowded. Cook until deeply golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if necessary.

Drain the latkes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain for 2 minutes.