Tag: Jewish Faith
The Simple Seder is the Greater Seder
One Passover, after the conclusion of the Seder, the holy Rebbe of Berditchev felt very satisfied. He had fulfilled all the Passover mitzvos carefully and carried out all the mystic intentions associated with them. As he reviewed his behavior, his thoughts were interrupted by a heavenly voice:
“Don’t be so proud of your Seder. In your city, there is a poor Jewish water carrier whose Seder far surpassed yours.”
Disturbed and curious, the Rebbe dispatched some of his students to bring the water carrier to him. Despite the lateness of the hour, the students set out to fulfill their teacher’s request. Unfortunately, the water carrier was not a known person in the village and none of the students were sure where he lived.
After a considerable search, the students located the water carrier’s home and knocked at the door. Somewhat astonished to see the Rebbe’s attendants arrive at her home so late at night, the water carrier’s wife opened the door.
When the students asked to see her husband, she shyly answered “He can’t speak to you now.”
“But the Rebbe wants to see him,” they insisted.
Realizing that they would not take no for an answer, she pointed to their bedroom. “There he is, lying on the bed. He’s stone drunk. What could the Rebbe want from him?”
Without pausing to answer, the students approached the sleeping water carrier and tried to wake him. Unable to rouse him, they were forced to carry him to the Rebbe. In the holy rabbi’s presence, the water carrier began to come to his senses. When the Rebbe looked him in the eye, he began to cry continuously.
With soothing words, the Rebbe gently calmed his guest. When he regained his composure, the holy rabbi asked him: “Tell me about your Seder.”
Again the water carrier burst into tears. After calming him once more, the Rebbe assured him there was no need to worry. His Seder had found favor in G-d’s eyes and he, the holy rabbi, wanted to learn from it.
Stuttering, his words interrupted by occasional sobs, the water carrier began to tell his story:
“There’s one custom which I have adopted that I follow loyally. Each morning after prayers, I take a little vodka and say l’chayim to to the Holy One, blessed be He.
“This morning, after following my daily custom, it occurred to me that since I wouldn’t be able to drink alcohol for the next eight days, I should say I’chayim for the entire holiday. Without thinking much longer, I downed eight more l’chayims. My head became groggy and I went to sleep.
“I slept very soundly without realizing how the hours passed by. At nightfall, my wife tried to wake me to go to shul, but I couldn’t get out of bed. When everybody was coming home, she tried to wake me again, but I just turned to the other side.
“She waited a little longer, then, came to wake me a third time. Shaking me with all her strength, she cried: “Husband! It’s Pesach! What about the seder? All the Jewish people are celebrating the holiday. What about us?'”
“I felt terrible. She was almost crying. Summoning whatever strength I could, I stumbled to the table and began to speak: “I am a simple person and my father was a simple person. I can’t read Hebrew and don’t know what we’re supposed to say now, but I know one thing about Passover. Our ancestors were slaves to the Egyptians and G-d took them out of exile. We’re in exile again now. May G-d redeem us very soon.”
“Afterwards, I noticed that my wife had prepared matzos, wine, eggs, and some vegetables on the table. I drank the wine, ate the food, and went back to bed. That was my Seder.”
The holy Rebbe of Berditchev again assured the water carrier that his Seder had been accepted by G-d and asked his students to take him home. When they returned, he told them: “The few words he said, he said with all his heart, and therefore. G-d appreciated his Seder.”
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) Please share this story with family and friends and leave us a comment or two.
The Story Tour Blog has grown to over 250 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
This special book of stories would be a nice Pesach/Afikomen Gift Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Click here for the the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins filled with 72 stories from the Story Tour Blog
Passover, Smugglers and Guards
This story was originally posted in 2009, so we dusted it off and polished it just a little.
Passover is one of the most celebrated holidays among the Jewish people. Every year they clean their homes and remove unleavened products, chometz. As they celebrate the Seder, the story of the leaving of Egypt and slavery is told as family and friends enjoy fellowship, prayer and good food in the service of the Holy One, blessed be He.
It was late in the afternoon before the beginning of Passover, and the holy rabbi was wandering through the streets of the Jewish quarter when he came upon some smugglers. From one he quietly asked how much for some tobacco, from another he inquired about the availability of smuggled brocades and imported embroideries. No matter what item he wanted, it was available for the right price.
When he asked if the smugglers could get him some bread or whiskey, they became upset and one stepped forward and said: “Rabbi, are you trying to insult me? The Passover Seder will be starting in just a few hours and no Jewish person would have even a speck of chametz left in his home or business.”
Not one merchant was able to come up with even a crumb of bread or drop of alcohol. No matter the price offered, not one merchant was willing or able to come up with even a crumb of bread or drop of alcohol. The town had removed its chometz and was ready to fullfill the religious requirements of the Seder meals and the Passover holiday.
Thrilled with the results of his failed quest, the rabbi looked up to heaven and declared: “Ribbono shel olam (Master of the Universe), look down with pride at Your people! The Czar has border guards and tax-commissioners dedicated to his commands. The law-enforcement and justice systems are devoted to tracking down and punishing smugglers and black-marketers and yet anything one could possibly want is freely available. Compare this with the faith and devotion of Your children. It has been over 3000 years since you commanded us to observe Passover. No police, no guards, no soldiers, no jail-and yet every Jewish person keeps your laws to the utmost!
“Mi K’amcha Yisrael – Who is like Your nation, Israel?”
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) Please share this story with family and friends and leave us a comment or two.
The Story Tour Blog has grown to over 250 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
This special book of stories would be a nice Pesach/Afikomen Gift Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Click here for the the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins filled with 72 stories from the Story Tour Blog
Shema and Pesach
This was originally posted in April 2011, this is based on that post with some changes.
One prayer unites Jewish people around the world, the Shema. Everyday in every Jewish community the words of the Shema are said: Hear O Israel, the L-rd is Our G-d, the Lord is One.
Many rabbis and many more people have pondered over the first sentence of the Shema. The Shema has become a declaration of the Jewish people, an affirmation of faith, a vital part of the prayer service, and meditation.
Every Jewish person can have a relationship with G-d as it says in the Shema “our G-d” Pesach is a time when Jewish people come together to read the Haggadah and celebrate this joyous holiday.
Before beginning his own Seder, the holy rabbi of the village would wander about the cottages of the local people to see how they conducted their Seders, As he walked down the cobblestoned alleys he could hear from all sides the voices of simple Jewish families singing and reciting the narrative of the Haggadah. He once stopped near the wooden shutters of one of the cottages and heard a voice reading aloud:
The Torah speaks of four sons: one wise son, one wicked son, one simple son, and one who does not know how to ask questions.”
And every time the reader came to the word for “one” — echad — he would cry it out aloud with prolonged concentration, just as people do when they say Shema Yisrael.
The holy rabbi was delighted, and commented later that this simple villager had made out of the Four Sons of the Haggadah — including even the wicked son — a sublime prayer, a prayer as sacred as the Shema.
There are always the scholars and learned in the community, but too many people drift away, and some never learned much, others search for meaning in Judaism, while a few corrupt or even ridicule Jewish teachings to their own purposes. No matter where one looks they will always find in the Jewish community the wise who follow the ways of Judaism, the wicked who deny their Jewishness, the simple who know they are Jewish and have limited understanding and those who do not even know how to ask questions to begin their search.
Every year we read the words of the Haggadah: “All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are needy, let them come and celebrate the Passover with us.” Let all of our prayers come together so that all Jewish people can unite as one and say the Shema and bring peace so that we can all celebrate Pesach in the Holy City of Jerusalem next year.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Prayers and True Gratitude
We learn in the Torah/Scriptures that after Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, they returned to their father, Jacob, in Canaan and told him that Joseph was still alive, and then began describing his important position as a viceroy and advisor to the Pharaoh in Egypt. Jacob was stunned and exclaimed, “Enough! My son Joseph yet lives” (Genesis 45:28).
It once happened that a woman was walking on the beach with her little son picking up seashells when the sky grew dark, the wind blew fiercely and the ocean churned as a violent storm broke out. Without warning, a huge wave crashed into the shore and swept the child out to the sea. The panic-stricken mother fell to her knees and began a tearful prayer to G-d:
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O L-rd, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) Please bring my son back to me safely.”
Moments later, another wave crashed into the beach and placed the young child, unharmed, at her feet.
The grateful woman, at first overwhelmed, held her beloved child close for some time, unable to utter a word. Then, in joy, she turned her tearful eyes toward heaven and cried:
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1) Oh, thank You Merciful One, thank You for Your kindness. My gratitude to You is eternal.”
Suddenly, she took a good look at the child, then lifted her eyes again upward, and in a demanding tone called out:
“But You forgot that he was wearing a hat!”
When the brothers wished to tell him “Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt (genesis 45: 26),” Jacob interrupted, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. (Genesis 45: 28) Everything else is unnecessary.”
We often receive many gifts and blessings from the Holy One, blessed be He, and may even express some level of thanks, yet we still remain dissatisfied, because things are not exactly the way we would like them to be. We could all use a lesson in true gratitude.
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) Please share this story with friends, family and others. Feel free to leave us a comment or two.
Anger, Business and Charity
“Rachman? You collect money from him?”
The holy rabbi nodded. “He’s one of my most generous contributors.”
The holy rabbi had taken upon himself the difficult task of collecting money for those in need. From village to village, from house to house, he hiked, asking for donations. Now he was sitting, enjoying a rare moment of rest in the home of Simcha, a prominent merchant in the Jewish community.
Simcha asked the holy rabbi, “Do you know that Rachman is not Jewish?”
The holy rabbi stared at the merchant. He knew that Rachman was a well-to-do businessman who often gave him large sums of money for charity, was not a religious Jewish person. That was no problem, indeed the holy rabbi rejoiced in the opportunity to give a non-observant Jewish person the merit of such a great mitzvah. Involving a non-Jewish merchant and collecting charity was entirely different, raising many questions and problems into an already very sensitive and complicated community.
Holy rabbi had no idea that Rachman was not Jewish. Now that he’d found out, he decided he would no longer stop at the wealthy merchant’s shop. Better to stay away then to become involved in some type of misunderstanding or worse scandal.
Some weeks went by since the holy rabbi’s visit, when there was a rapping on Simcha’s door. The angry words of Rachman and the pounding on the door echoed throughout the house.
The feeling of uneasiness, Simcha slowly open the door. His neighbor, Rachman, stood in front of him, his face red and his eyes flashing.
“I will not have it, I will tell you!” He shouted. “What right did you have to interfere in my business?”
Startled, puzzled, and very frightened, Simcha stared at his angry neighbor. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“The holy rabbi! Why did you tell him to stop taking my money don’t you believe that ‘almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness? (Tobit 4:10)”
His face tuning red from anger, Rachman gave Simcha an ultimatum: “Man is worthy of being called man only if he is charitable. (Genesis Rabbah 8:15) get the holy rabbi to come back, or else!”
When the holy rabbi came the Simcha’s house a short time later, the frightened Simcha told him about the strange meeting with Rachman and begged him to return to Rachman’s shop. Realizing that not visiting the non-Jewish merchant would create more problems than going to him, the holy rabbi agreed, and once again Rachman became a regular donor.
Many months later, when peace had been restored between the two neighbors, Simcha found the courage to ask Rachman why he’s been so angry that the holy rabbi was not visiting. “Why is it so important to you to give money to Jewish charities?”
“Is it not written in your holy books that when the Master of All Blessings told Abraham to take his only son to a holy place that he answered: “Both are only sons – Isaac is the only son I have from his mother, and Ishmael is the only son I have from her who is his mother.”
G-d answered him: “The son whom you love,”
Abraham: “Master of the Universe, are there separate compartments in one’s innermost self for love? I love both of them.” (Sanhedrin 89b, Tanhuma, Va-yera, 22)
You denied me a special privilege and holy deed,” Rachman replied. “Divided as we may be by religion, we are united by charity (Rashi). From the time I began giving money to the holy rabbi my business prospered, and once he stopped coming. Blessings upon my house and business stopped. If matters in my house and business are to succeed,” he explained, “I need the holy rabbi to help by accepting the charity I can give.”
As the neighbors parted, Rachman said a prayer:
Merciful G-d, you deal charitably with everyone. Be charitable to me and let me be numbered among those who give charity. Remove the evil from my heart, let me give charity joyously and with a kindly expression. Let me have no bad feelings when I hand my gifts to those in need. Let me open my hands and give them sufficient for all of their needs. That my heart go out to the hungry, needy and let me close those who are naked.
The merit of my charity, bless me, O Merciful One, to help me express myself to you perfectly in all of my prayers. Let my prayers be pure and acceptable. Let me have no outside thoughts when I pray, so that no barrier will intervene between my prayers and you.
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) Please share this story with others
What Is the True Value?
Life was very difficult in the village where people worked hard. Sadly sometimes food was not plentiful and people went hungry. They may have had a roof over their head, but it frequently leaked. So was life.
Yossele’s life was hard. He’d wake up at dawn run to the old wooden shul say prayers (that he knew) and listen to a lesson from the holy rabbi. He’d rush off to his stall in the marketplace and sell vegetables, but success never smiled on him. He fell behind on his rent for the stall and the farmers were asking for more money for the vegetables he sold, He didn’t want to lose his business and so he borrowed a hundred gold coins from Mordechai haGibor the wealthy merchant in order to keep his stall in the marketplace.
Each day Yossele had fewer and fewer customers and business got worse. “What will I do?” he asked his wife, Bracha Sarah. “I owe a hundred gold coins to Mordechai haGibor and I don’t even have two copper coins to rub together. How will I pay him back?”
Bracha Sarah was very wise. She sat down with her husband and thought for a time and then advised him, “It’s very clear what you need to do. Go talk to the holy rabbi. He will surely give you good advice.”
People came to the holy rabbi every day with questions about halachah and everyday sort of things to receive his wise advice.
The next morning Yossele waited until everyone had left the shul and then went to the holy rabbi, and told him his problem. ”Yes, your problem is very difficult,” The holy rabbi said as he stroked his long beard. “But I will see what I can to help you.”
That same afternoon, after Minchah, the holy rabbi went to visit the wealthy merchant, Mordechai haGibor. “Rabbi, holy rabbi. What a wonderful surprise!” exclaimed Mordechai haGibor as he answered the door. “I am so honored and happy that you have come to visit me.” The wealthy merchant had his wife bring out fresh pastries and drinks for the holy rabbi. ”Your visit is worth more to me than you know,” Mordechai haGibor with a wide smile on his face continued. “Why, your visit is worth even a thousand gold coins.”
The holy rabbi laughed and said. “Businessmen have a way of exaggerating. I am sure you do not really mean that. How could my visit be worth that much to you? I don’t bring you business or even customers.”
“I mean it,” replied Mordechai haGibor. “The wonderful feeling I have from your visit is really worth that much to me.”
“Then I believe your kind words,” said the holy rabbi. “Take a moment and listen to what I have to say. There is a poor vegetable seller in the market named Yossele, who owes you a hundred gold coins. Instead of the thousand gold coins that this visit is worth, just forgive Yossele the hundred gold coins he owes you. This way, you save nine hundred gold coins, and you will help Yossele more than you can imagine.”
“Consider it done,” said Mordechai haGibor, ripping up Yossele’s loan contract and freeing him from his debt. “Do we not learn ‘do not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, (Ezekiel 18:7) So I’ll tell you what I’ll do. All the vegetables I need for my kitchen I will buy from Yossele so that he shall have steady business.” Finished the wealthy mearchant
“This guarantees you a special place in the World to Come,” the holy rabbi told him as he left.
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)
Please share this story with others and leave us a comment or two.
What Do We Know?
We rely so much on how we see and understand the world. We trust our senses to define the world and understand what is around us by our limited knowledge and wisdom. Therefore we often feel we know who other people are and what the events of our lives are about forgetting “If you wish to be pure in mind, guard your senses. (Apocrypha, Patriarchs, Reuben 6:1)
Sadly, the truth is, we can only understand a very little about the world and people around us. With our limited understanding can we really be aware of the depth, gifts and beauty of another person? Can we begin to fathom the Divine Wisdom and Purpose hidden in everything around us? “Without understanding no knowledge; without knowledge no understanding. “ (Mishnah Avos 3:17)
There once was a young man who studied Torah (Scriptures) every day and with each new lesson he challenged himself farther. He followed the instruction, “This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.” (Joshua 1:8)
After a time he became known as a genius of the revealed and hidden Torah. When the time came, he married the daughter of a holy rabbi. There was much joy in the home of the young rabbi and his wife. Together they learned and built a home based on Torah.
A year went by and everything seemed to go well when one day the young rabbi grew very sick. The best doctors were called, but sadly, not one of them could do anything to help him. So the father of the young rabbi went to the holy rabbi, (the young rabbi’s father-in-law) and begged him, “Rabbi, I’m afraid for my son he became sick and no one seems to be able to help him. Please pray for my son. You know how much he is learned, how devoted he is to Torah. Surely if someone as holy as you reminds heaven of his greatness, he will be found worthy, and he will live!”
But the holy rabbi only answered, “you call him learned? You call him devoted? What he’s done is nothing. Nothing at all!”
The father was shocked. “Rabbi, what are you saying? My son is young, yet he already knows the revealed and hidden Torah by heart! Are we not taught, “A house where Torah is studied at night will not be ruined.” (Eruvin 18b)
The holy rabbi looked at the troubled father and shook his head, murmuring under his breath, “he’s done nothing. Nothing at all.” No matter how much the troubled father praised his son and tried to convince the rabbi how accomplished the young man was, the holy rabbi’s did nothing but to criticize him. The poor father just couldn’t understand what was going on.
The holy rabbi went into his study and locked the door. He placed two candles on his reading table, wrapped himself in his tallis (prayer shawl) and began to pray:
Compassionate and Merciful G-d, show us Your love and heal us. Send complete healing to all Your holy people who are sick. In particular to Yitzchak Yaakov ben (the son of) Sarah.
Master of the Universe! You are “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 103:8) I humbly ask, has this child completed his holy task, is his purpose in this life yet fulfilled? May we remember and realize as it is written: “For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and saves in time of distress. (Sirach 2:11) Master of the World who is Most Compassionate and Merciful. Please remember these tender children and lengthen their days with benevolence and their years with pleasantness, in order that they toil in Your Torah and its commandments all their days. Amen
A few days later, the most wonderful thing happened. The young man got up out of bed, his appeared to be completely healed. His father was overjoyed, but he was still troubled about his meeting with the holy rabbi. He spoke to his son, “I know your father-in-law is a great rabbi in a very holy man, but to tell you the truth, I really don’t understand him. I went with him with so much respect for to ask him to pray for you. And I praised you so much I was sure that if he reminded the Heavenly Court of your learning and knowledge you would be found worthy of the greatest miracles. Yet he wouldn’t even listen to me. No matter what I said he just replied, “you call that learning? It’s nothing, nothing at all.”
The looked at his father and smiled, “Wonders of Wonders, father, is he not a truly holy rabbi. Such wisdom, you thought that by praising you would help me. But really the opposite was true. You see, every person comes into this world to accomplish one special task. To make one special fixing or change in the world, and once he has done this, there is no longer any need for him to stay here in olam hazeh – this world.
“My father-in-law knew that I had only come into this world to learn Torah, and that if Heaven thought that I already learned everything I needed to know, there was no way to save my life. So when he kept answering, ‘what, you call this learning? It’s nothing!’ he was actually saying to Heaven, This young man has only begun to accomplish his task. His work isn’t finished yet – there is no more he needs to learn. Heavenly court you have to give him more time
And this is what saved my life….
And so you see — what do we know? You never know….
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) Please share this story with others and leave us a comment or two.
Shalom Bayis, Torah and the Menorah of Peace
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
The Honest and Dishonest Student
One of the men who studied at the yeshiva of the learned The MaHaRaL, (Moreinu Ha-Rav Loew – Our Teacher, Rabbi Loew) in Prague was very poor. So poor was he that in his distress he decided to go around by night and see whether any door was open, so that he might go in and steal whatever he found. He made the rounds in this fashion from place to place throughout the night.
Early in the morning when most people were just waking up he would enter the house of study to hear the expositions of the sage. Indeed, he was the first to enter. He once heard the sage expound on the rule that no man should touch what has been prepared for his fellowmen:
“Even if you see that thieves steal the money of their fellows, the Holy One, blessed be He returns to them what they lost in principle and interest. It is true that those who have taken money dishonestly would have obtained the same amount honestly and not by robbery if they had had confidence and faith. Sometimes, if they had been prepared to wait and not to take the money unlawfully, they would have benefited from it lawfully and with peace of mind. It is only the effect of their evil inclination that makes it seem to them as if they must steal in order not to perish from hunger.”