Tag: Jewish Faith
Rags to Riches
A king’s son was once walking along the way when he reached a fork in the road. Suddenly, a band of thieves attacked him, intent on murdering him. Much to his good fortune, however, a poor man dressed in rags happened to be walking along the road at that very moment. When he saw the thieves, he gathered up his courage and in a display of great strength, set upon the thieves with his walking stick and saved the king’s son.
Upon hearing of the poor man’s brave deeds, the king had him summoned before him. When the poor man arrived, the king thanked him and exclaimed, “As a reward for having saved my son, I hereby permit you to spend an entire day in the royal treasury; you may take anything that your heart desires.”
When the gates of the royal treasury were opened for the poor man, he joyously fell upon the massive piles of gold and diamonds and began to gather all that he could.
When evening settled in and the poor man left the royal treasury, he had completely changed. In one day, he had gone from being a destitute beggar to a very wealthy man. The next day, this former poor man went into business, and in a short while he became extremely successful. He now became one of the wealthiest men in the land, and he completely forgot about his former life of poverty.
Every year, the former poor man staged a huge feast on the day that he had been blessed with the good fortune of entering the royal treasury. He invited all of his friends and relatives to the feast, and it was a custom that lasted for many years.
One year in the middle of the feast, the wealthy man turned to his friends and asked, “Which day of my life do you think was the happiest of all for me?”
“It must be this very day,” responded the guests. “This day on which you have made a feast for all of your friends must be the happiest day of your life! After all, on this day your palace is decorated, your servants surround you, and all of the distinguished individuals in the land accord you great honor!”
“You are mistaken,” said the wealthy man. “While this day is certainly one of great joy, it is but a remembrance of the day on which I was remade, literally transformed from a lowly beggar in ragged clothing to a man possessing enormous wealth. That day was the happiest of my life:
“I spent that entire day,” he continued, “inside the royal treasury. I felt neither hunger nor weariness; rather, it was as if my complete being was focused on only one goal — amassing the valuables that lay inside the treasury. The more valuables I amassed, the more joy I reaped. I have yet to experience a happier day than that one.”
So it is with us, the Holy One, blessed be He grants a person life as a gift. Throughout his life, man has the ability to amass as many good deeds and acts of kindness as his heart desires.
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)
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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Shavuous: Seasonal Torah
We tell stories of yesteryear of the assault of the maskillim (the “enlightened” ones) on the more traditional Orthodox Jewish communities. They frowned upon faith, but adopted a national culture to better to better “fit in”. Someone once suggested to one of the Torah authorities that modifications in halachah (Jewish law) are needed because the Torah was given thousands of years ago and is not relevant to modern times.
The rabbi replied calmly, “A while back I had to litigate a case. A merchant had ordered goods from a supplier, and specified that he wanted them delivered by November 1, in time for a special sale. That fall there were very heavy rains, and the roads were impassable, with the result that the order was not delivered when it should have been. The merchant sued the supplier, claiming that he had lost a great deal of money due to his failure to deliver on time. After studying all the facts, I ruled in favor of the merchant.
“The supplier protested, but I told him that I must apply the rules of the Torah, according to which the judgment was in favor of the merchant. Realizing the case was about to be closed, he made one final attempt to sway me.
“‘The Torah was given on Shavuos, wasn’t it?’ he pointed out. ‘Yes, of course’ I responded, eager to hear what argument he could have contrived.
‘There you have it!’ he exulted. ‘Shavuos does not occur in autumn, and that’s why the Torah law favors my opponent. If the Torah would have been given during the rainy season, the halachah would have favored my side.'”
After allowing the message to sink in for a second, the Rabbi added, “Don’t you recognize the simple truth that it is as absurd to restrict the Torah (Scriptures) to any one era as it is to make it seasonal?!”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Wisdom and Partnership
Three close friends lived in a particular city. Together they decided that each one of them would travel to a different land and study a particular wisdom of that land. They agreed that they would reunite and demonstrate what they had learned upon concluding their studies.
They did exactly that. Each one traveled to a distant land and pursued a different field of study.
After several years, the designated time arrived, and the three friends came to the appointed meeting place. They were ecstatic to see each other once again, and once the initial joy had passed, they began to show off what they had learned.
“In the land that I was in,” said one of the friends, “I met an expert craftsman who taught me how to fashion powerful binoculars that enable one to see extremely far distances…”
“I,” said the second friend, “met a remarkable coachman who taught me how to construct a wagon capable of traveling at great speeds. It can travel the lengthy distance of several parsaos in the blink of an eye!”
“And I,” said the third friend, “met an elderly doctor who taught me how to concoct an amazing medication capable of healing every type of illness!”
As they admired each other’s wisdom, the first friend displayed the binoculars he had made.
The friends took turns gazing through the powerful binoculars. Amazingly, they could see the capital city, which was a very long distance away. Looking inside the city, they observed a great commotion taking place. People were running through the streets in a panic, expressions of anguish and suffering etched upon their faces.
Adjusting the binoculars slightly, the friends were able to discern the reason behind the commotion: The king’s daughter had taken ill, and the doctors had given up hope of finding a remedy. A proclamation, therefore, went out calling upon anyone capable of lending assistance. In addition, whoever succeeded in curing the king’s daughter would receive an enormous sum of money as a reward.
“It is a pity that I am not in the capital right now,” said the friend who had been taught the art of healing. “Had I been there, I would have presented the king’s daughter with a remedy that would cure her instantly. However, I am too far away…”
“That is not a problem in the least,” remarked the second friend. “Why, the coach that I built could get you to the capital in a matter of minutes.”
The three friends boarded the remarkable coach, and, indeed, they arrived in the capital in the blink of an eye. They stopped at the palace gates and immediately presented the king’s daughter with the amazing remedy.
Lo and behold, upon tasting the medicine, her condition improved considerably. Before long, she underwent a total recovery!
At that point, however, the friends began to argue as to which one of them was entitled to the hefty reward that the king had offered.
“If not for my binoculars,” said the first friend, “you would never have known that the king’s daughter was sick.”
“So what?” answered the second friend. “If not for my coach, it would have taken you a month to get to the capital city.”
“You are both correct,” said the third friend. “But what good would it have done you to know that the king’s daughter was sick? And once you would have gotten to the capital — what would you have done then? Truthfully, it was only my medication that made all the difference!”
The king listened to their claims and, after consulting with his sagacious advisors, turned to the men and exclaimed, “It is certainly true that if we are to judge based on what transpired in the past, it would be rather difficult to determine which one of you deserves the reward. But if we take the future into account…Let us see,” continued the king, “From now on, we will have absolutely no use for your wondrous binoculars. The same thing applies to the spectacular coach. We may very well require more of this unique medicine, however. Therefore, the reward shall be granted to the provider of the medicine!”
From this story, one can gain a very powerful insight. There are three partners in the creation of a person: G-d, a father, and a mother. Yet when one wants to know which one of the three a man must obey and respect the most, one must realize that once a child is born, his parents have fulfilled their part of the partnership. Yet one is forever dependent on G-d, as He continuously to provides us with life!
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
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The Holy Water Carrier
The first friendly rays of sunlight would sneak through a missing slat in the faded shutters to announce a new day to the rugged boards that lined his tumbledown cottage — and Itzik the water-carrier knew it was time to be up. First, he would settle down next to his simple table and study a page or two of Torah. He said his morning prayers with all his heart and would then leave his simple home to go down to the bank of the river that twisted and turned through the fields surrounding his village. He would fill his two homemade pails, hoist them up to the long bar borne on his broad shoulders, trek uphill, and then down again. He did this for hours on end, bringing a day’s supply to his regular customers. He was not a wealthy man, but at least he earned enough to feed his family. He was content with his life, and loved by almost everyone.
Then one day, quite suddenly, everything changed. Itzik, the self-respecting water-carrier, was asking for tzedakah (charity) in his spare time. The quiet village quickly filled with whispers and curious looks. This did not prevent those same generous people from filling his little charity box — except for one very angry merchant. That someone who could support himself by his own efforts should decide one fine morning to grow fat at the expense of the hard work of others, was nothing less than shameful. He would inform the local rabbi in person!
A few days later, sure enough, a messenger of the rabbi sternly tapped his cane three times on Itzik”s creaking door, and summoned him to appear before the rabbi. Itzik set out at once, and was greeted warmly.
“Tell me, Itzik,” asked the rabbi, “are you managing to make a living?”
“Thanks be to G-d, day by day,” said Itzik, echoing the words of the Psalmist, “I’m happy with my lot, and manage with what I have.”
“Then why, may I ask, do you collect donations?”
Silence.
“Why don’t you answer my question?” The rabbi asked irritated; Itzik remained silent.
“Listen to me,” said the rabbi. “I must ask you to give me your word that you will stop collecting donations in the marketplace.”
Silence still.
The rabbi’s patience ran out and he raised his voice: “Has it occurred to you that it is disrespectful for you not to answer the questions of the rabbi of this village?”
Itzik blurted out three quiet words: “I can’t promise,” and looked at the floor in silence.
Now Itzik was not the only person in town to visit the rabbi that day. While their tense conversation was taking place, the richest man in town — “Moshe the Nagid,” the locals called him affectionately — calmly took a seat in the waiting room. He wanted to consult the rabbi on some important business matter. Surprised to hear the rabbi raising his voice, and what he overheard made him very upset. He became sick to his stomach and began to tremble until he was driven by his emotions and he burst uninvited into the rabbi’s study.
“Rebbe!” he exclaimed. “This man here is taddik nistar (hidden saint)!”
For a moment, the three stood in amazed silence. The rabbi, confused, looked first at the one, then at the other. This tightlipped water- carrier — a tzaddik nistar?
Moshe burst into bitter tears.
“Itzik,” he sobbed, “you’ve got nothing to hide. Tell the rabbi the whole story.” And with that, he slipped out of the room, leaving the rabbi the task of ordering Itzik to speak up.
Itzik took a deep breath. “I suppose you know,” he said, “that every day I visit the houses of all those who can afford the luxury; and bring them water right to the door. One of my old customers is Moshe the Nagid. One day, unexpectedly, he stops paying me, and says that when the account reaches a sizeable sum, he’ll pay me all at once. That’s fine by me — except that for two whole months he didn’t give me as much as one little kopek. Then one day Moshe wasn’t at home. So his good wife, begging your pardon, takes me aside and says: ‘Itzik,’ she says, ‘I want to tell you something, but on condition that you don’t breathe a word to a soul.’
“Okay, I won’t tell anyone”, I answered, and she told me her story.
“‘You know our big fancy business?’ she says.”Well, the bottom’s suddenly fallen out of it, and now we’re as poor as the poorest paupers in town. My husband is too ashamed to speak of it, but I can’t hide the truth any more. Our debt to you is growing, and I don’t know what’s going to come of us.’
“The tears of that poor soul broke my heart, and I decided there and then that I would do whatever I could to help them out — though without giving away their secret, of course. The next day I started collecting donations. Let people talk behind my back! Let people make fun of me! I wasn’t going to let that family go hungry!”
Itzik paused for breath, then added bashfully, “So I ask you
now, Rebbe, could I possibly have promised you to stop collecting:
The rabbi was in a daze. Before him stood the familiar brawny frame of a simple water-carrier who could barely translate the daily prayers or a simple chapter of Torah. Through the rabbi’s tears, he saw before him, in all his glory, the true love of a neighbour. Here was a man who had always held his head erect, yet was prepared to lower it in humiliation — so long as his fellow’s honor would be spared!
He sprang out of his chair, and embraced the embarrassed water-carrier.
“Would that there were many like you among Israel!” he exclaimed. “I pray to G-d that in the World of Truth I be allowed to share your lot in the inheritance that awaits the righteous!”
And with warm tears he kissed that suntanned brow.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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A Woman of Valor Who can Find?
Once there were two brothers, one of them rich and the other poor. The poor man was married to a very beautiful wife.
One day the poor brother came to his brother to ask him for a loan. The rich man refused to help him. Even when strangers tried to persuade the rich man to help his poor brother, he would say that he had no brother.
One day the rich man went out for a walk in the town, and in the course of his wanderings came to the poor quarter of the town. Through the window of one of the buildings he saw the face of a beautiful woman. “Whose wife is that?” he asked the people there.
“That is your brother’s wife,” he was told.
And the rich man fell in love with the woman and desired her greatly. By day and by night he thought of how he could get her.
One day the rich man sent for his poor brother. He gave him money and said to him: “Why do you not ask rue for anything?” And he flattered his poor brother and invited him and his wife to his house, and did them many favours. After sonic time he gave his brother goods to trade with in a far country, to earn sonic money. At first the poor man refused to leave his wife, but the rich brother promised him that she would remain under his protection. And so the poor brother set out on his journey with a quiet heart.
On the following day the rich man sent his sister-in-law vegetables, fruit and meat and told her that he would come to eat dinner at her house. She could not tell him not to come, but while he was in the house she conducted herself in the most proper manner. Every day the rich man used to bother her and send her gifts but she remained unimpressed. One day the woman decided to end matters with the rich man. She invited him to her house, but left before he came. He waited for her for a long time and then rose and left the house in anger. He nursed the insult in his heart and decided that he would revenge himself on the woman who had offended him.
One day, early in the morning, the rich man left his house and on his way met a poor man. He gave him money and said to him: “In return for the money that I have given you I want you to steal into the hall of such and such a house and remain there.” Needless to say, this house was no other than the house of his sister-in-law. Then the rich man went to one of the synagogues in the city and invited the men he found there to a bris milah which, he said, was taking place in that same building. The men opened the door and there in the hall they saw a man standing. “What are you doing here?” they asked him. “Since the departure of this woman’s husband I have always been here,” the poor man answered. For this was what the rich man had ordered him to say, in return for the money that he had given him.
The men believed the poor man, and they dragged the woman and drove her out of the town to be stoned. The townspeople showered her with curses, taunts and stones.
All the woman’s pleadings were in vain as she was pelted with stones. She wished to explain to the men and her rich brother-in-law that she was not guilty of what they suspected, but they refused to listen to her stoned her. She was a righteous woman and out of the depths she cried[2] to the heaven for help. She stood tall as she was indeed innocent of the shameful deed she was accused of. Her brother-in-law asked: “are you so brazen that you stand before us with pride?” The woman looked at the people around her with tears in her eyes and answered: “All my life I wondered when I could love G-d “with all my soul”[3], even if He take my life. Now the opportunity has come and I will fulfill it with joy.”[4] Her brother-in-law and the people buried her with the stones they threw.
Sometime later, a rabbi and his wife were traveling towards the town. They were childless. They heard the sound of moaning from beneath the pile of stones and began to dig until they found the poor woman lying on the ground with bleeding wounds.
They helped her up, bandaged her wounds and decided to take her with them. In their hearts they thought: “Perhaps the deed we did today will merit our prayers for a child to be answered.
After some time the couple was blessed with a child and they asked the woman to be the child’s nurse. The woman, of course, was very grateful to the couple, for they had rescued her and she was a faithful nurse.
In the house of this rabbi there was a student who fell in love with the beautiful woman. He asked her to marry him but she refused, for she was faithful to her husband. The student became angry at her refusal to marry him and decided to punish her. He killed the baby while everyone was asleep, and then ran away.
In the morning the parents were very angry with the woman they had trusted. The rabbi who drew his strength from Heaven, told his wife that the woman should not be punished. “It is the will of G-d,” he said. “We must let her go, bearing the dead child.”
The woman was sad and hopeless. She had been driven from every place because of false accusations. She wandered into the desert, hungry and thirsty, and in her arms she carried the dead child. Suddenly she saw an old man with a long beard and flowing robes, who told her that he was the Prophet Elijah, may his memory be a blessing, and that she had nothing to fear. He gave her a vial water that revived the child, for the water was from the Garden of Eden and, indeed, the child came stirred and again breathed as life renewed in him. He gave her another potion that could cure all ills. He also gave her some advice: she must disguise herself as a man, establish a big place for travelers to rest and cure the sick who came to her. She asked when she could return to living a normal and proper life, and the prophet told her that woman was endowed with more intelligence than men[5] and she would know the right time when it came.
The woman took the advice of the Prophet Elijah, may his memory be a blessing, and put on men’s clothes and set up a rest stop for travelers. Soon, travelers with all sorts of problems were cured at the rest stop and they paid her well and she became very wealthy. The rabbi’s son, helped the woman with all she did. The woman made sure that the young man studied all the Hoy Writings.
Some of the sick who came to her she knew, but never once did she let anyone see through her disguise. One day, she was surprised at who came to the rest stop. One was her wicked brother-in-law, another was her husband who had become heartsick after he had been told that his wife had died. He never believed the tales of her being unfaithful. There was the poor man who had stood in the hall of the woman’s house and who falsely about her, and the rabbi and his wife also came, and lastly, there was the student who had wanted to marry her and whom she had refused. All were stricken with different sicknesses and hope that she could heal them.
The woman placed these patients in different rooms so that they should not see each other but they could hear each other. One condition the woman laid down to all those who came to be treated by her was that before receiving treatment they must confess and reveal all their sins.
First among those who confessed was her rich brother-in-law who told what he had not been honest in his business dealings. She looked at him and reminded him that unless he was completely honest, he could not be cured. He then admitted to his evil scheme. Then the poor man who had stood in the hall told his story admitted he was paid by the rich man to falsely testify against her. The husband heard these things and he was very angry with those who had slandered his wife. The couple who had driven out the woman after the death of their only child, and the student who had killed the child, all confessed their actions. The rabbi and his wife, when they heard the tale of the student, deeply regretted their hasty action in blaming their nurse who was really blameless.
When they had all confessed, the woman made herself known to them. She cured her husband who had returned to her, and to the old couple she restored their son who had in the meantime grown up and was a promising scholar.
She did not cure the three others for it is written: “Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate”[6] and they remained sickly to the end of their days.
[1] A Woman of Valor Who can Find? Proverbs 31:10
[2] Psalm 130:1
[3] Deuteronomy 6:5
[4] T.Berachos 61b
[5] T. Niddah 45b
[6] Psalm 101:5
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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The Three Beloved Companions of the King
A king had three loyal advisors who were very close to his heart. One day, the king was told that his trusted friends were plotting to rebel against him. He was further told that his friends made fun of him behind closed doors, and that the king had misjudged them and believed them to be true.
The king summoned his three friends and commanded each, one of them to take control of a dog from the royal kennels and to care for it for three months. After three months had passed, they were to return to the palace.
The king then instructed that any money that was needed to care for the dogs would be provided from the royal treasury to the three men.
The first man took the money but did not use any of it to care for the dog. Instead, he fed the dog his own leftover food and used the money to have a beautiful gold crown fashioned as a gift for the king.
The second man gave the dog just enough food in order for it to remain alive.
The third man, on the other hand, spent all of the money on food for the dog, and the dog grew so fat that it was unrecognizable. When the three months had passed, the friends came before the king.
The first man presented the king with the beautiful gift that he had purchased. The king was delighted and, in return, gave the man a reward from his treasury that was worth many times more than the crown.
The second man showed the king the weak and emaciated dog; the king sent him home without any reward whatsoever.
When the third man displayed the overweight dog, the king —furious over the fact that the man had wasted the money by spending it so unwisely snatched the dog away from him.
There are three types of individuals in the world: The first are the righteous, who do not derive any pleasure whatsoever from materialism and employ all of their powers in the service of Hashem. With the good deeds they perform, they fashion a beautiful crown for their Creator how great is their reward!
The second group consists of those individuals who derive just enough benefit from the world in order to sustain their bodies, not a drop more or less.
The third group consists of those who waste away all of their days, pursuing the delights of this world. In the next world they will be punished for investing all of their powers in order to feed their bodies.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Emperor Hadrian and His Desire to be Worshiped as a God
The Emperor Hadrian was a great warrior who conquered many lands and rule the vast Roman Empire. Having achieved such power, he ordered his servants to worship him as a god. The wise men among his servants said to him that he had no power over Jerusalem and the temple.
He said, Is it not written: “The L-rd is King (Is. 33: 22)
He traveled to Jerusalem and gathered his armies outside the walls of the Holy City. He called upon the people of Jerusalem to worship him as a god. Three wise men of Jerusalem came before him. One of them said: “Will you rebel against your master in His own house? Go out of His house and I will worship you as a god. For His house is heaven and earth and you are within His house. As long as you are within it I cannot worship you as a god.” The second said: “You say that you are god? G-d created heaven and earth and you too. You are nothing.” The third said: “Wait awhile, I have a message to send; after that I will worship you as a god.” Hadrian said: “What is it that you must do?” The wise man replied: “A ship of mine is now on the high seas and is about to sink.” Thereupon the king said: “I will send my ships at once to rescue yours.” The sage replied: “By the time your ship arrives, mine will have sunk. Do me the kindness and send a little wind to carry it forward.” The king replied: “Where shall I get the wind?” The sage said: “If you cannot command the wind, you are not a god, for it is written that G-d:
…created heaven and earth and the people upon it’ ” (Is. 42.5).
The king went home and told his wife all that had happened to him, and asked her to worship him as a god. She replied: “I will do it gladly, but you have a deposit which has been entrusted to you. Give up the deposit and I will do your will and worship you as a G-d.” Then the king asked: “What is the deposit?” His wife replied: “The soul which G-d gave you. Return it to the owner.” The king said: “If I give back my soul, what can I do without a soul?” The wife replied: “If you have no power over yourself, how can you have power over others and be a god?” When the emperor heard this, he felt ashamed and gave up his evil intention.
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 Worthless Assistant
“Fear not, Abram, I am a shield for you, your reward is very great.” (Gen. 15:1).
As a young student wished to meet a holy rabbi who was looked upon as one of the gadolei hador (leaders of the generation), and learn from him.
The journey for the young student was very long and expensive, far beyond his ability to pay. Since he could not afford to travel as a passenger, he hired himself out as a Wagoner’s assistant. The driver needed someone to accompany him on the long, long trip and he welcomed the offer.
Everything was fine until the young student took a turn at the reins. Sensing a new, inexperienced driver, the horses bolted. They galloped full speed ahead. The wagon and its passengers pitched from side to side. When the wagoner had regained control of the horses, he turned furiously on his assistant:
“Don’t you know the first thing about horses? Don’t you even have enough sense to hold on to the reins, you good-for-nothing?”
And, for good measure, he gave his young assistant a number of resounding blows.
At long last, the journey was over and they had reached the village where the holy rabbi lived. And when the young man left his employer, the wagoner barely said good-bye. He was glad to be rid of his worthless assistant.
The young student made his way at once to the home of the holy rabbi lived where a different welcome awaited him. The young man’s reputation had gone before him. The more the holy rabbi spoke with him, the more impressed he became and he begged the young gaon (genius) to honor the people of the village with a lesson that Shabbos.
The news flew through the city. Everyone in the village gathered in the small wooden shul (synagogue) to hear the genius speak. And the wagoner was present, too.
When the young student walked up to the platform, the wagoner nearly fainted. He recognized the inefficient young helper who had earned his anger on the long trip. He remembered how he had scolded him, shouted at him, and even struck him! He grew flushed and pale with embarrassment as he recalled his behavior.
He trembled like a leaf throughout the lesson. After an eternity, when it was finally over, the wagoner dragged himself up to the front of the synagogue and threw himself at the feet of the young man, weeping, “Please forgive me!”
“You have nothing to feel bad about, my dear man,” the young student comforted him. “Had you scolded me about my Torah scholarship, had you struck me for being an am haaretz (ignorant boor), you would, perhaps, have been guilty of disrespect for the Torah. But you rebuked me for being a poor driver. On that account, you were perfectly justified. In truth, I know nothing about horses.”
May all your Tales end with Shalom
Rosh haHashanah: Forgiving A Debt
In a certain city lived an very wealthy merchant who sold a lot of goods to the merchants living near his home town.
When it was time for the fair to be held, the merchant let everyone know that he wanted to travel to the fair so he could buy new and outstanding goods. For that reason the wealthy merchant urged all who owed him money to come and pay their debts.
Among those who owed him money was a merchant whose home had unfortunately burned down. All of his property had been consumed in the flames as well, leaving him penniless.
He was utterly distressed and ashamed at the thought of having to face the wealthy man. “How can I have the nerve to come before him empty-handed?” he asked.
“Just go to him and tell him the truth. There is nothing better than that!” advised his friends.
The merchant listened their advice and set out to see the wealthy man.
Sitting in the wealthy man’s waiting room, the poor merchant was unable to control himself and began to cry bitterly. The sound of the crying touched the wealthy man’s heart, and he asked to know why the poor man was crying. Soon after, the merchant’ s sad story was told to him.
The wealthy man felt pity for the unfortunate merchant; when the man was brought in to him he embraced him and and lovingly explained:
“Do not feel the least bit distressed. I hereby completely forgive you of your debt.” He then tore the bill of debt into shreds.
The merchant abundantly thanked the wealthy man and went on his way. The matter soon became known to the members of the community and. eventually spread to the public at large as well.
Among those who heard about it was a crook who decided to swindle the wealthy man.
He traveled to the wealthy man’s home, and upon taking a seat in the waiting room, began to wail loudly.
“What are you crying about?” shouted the wealthy man.
“I desperately need two thousand rubles,” he cried. “I beg of you, please give me the entire sum.”
“I am very sorry,” answered the wealthy man, “but I am simply unable to give you such a large amount of money.”
“But you forgave the other merchant from a debt of an equal amount,” insisted the disappointed crook.
“You fool,” said the wealthy man. “That individual owed me a great deal of money, and I knew that he did not have a penny to his name with which to repay me — what would I have gained had I not absolved his debt? Will I get my money back? That is why I forgave his debt. But as for you, I have absolutely no business with you – why should I acquiesce to giving you a sum of two thousand rubles? Should I give it to you simply because you are crying?”
The prayer, Unsaneh Tokef, speaks of many dire situations one may face during the year but concludes with the verse:
“But Repentance, Prayer and Tzedakah (charity) avert the severe decree.”
When a person repents honestly, he regrets his misdeeds, and cries to the Holy One, blessed be He that He forgive him for his sins — G-d immediately forgives him. But if a foolish individual thinks to himself, “I will sin, repent, sin again, repent once again, and even cry over my sins afterwards” — his repentance will not be accepted!
May you all be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the Book of Life
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)