Are We There Yet

Posted on Thursday, 8, October, 2015Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Each day we pray, “Redeem us speedily for the sake of Your Name.” (Shemonah Esrai) Every day we await the time when “every man will sit under his vine and beneath his fig tree and no one will make him afraid.” (Micah 4:4)

The Jewish people prays, waits and hopes for the Messiah to come and redeem the world from fear and pain, from hunger and sickness, and the devastating conflicts between the wealthy and the poor. The long and difficult exile filled with pain and suffering will come to an end.

A young man was studying the end of the Book of Daniel tried to unravel the mysterious verses predicting the “end of days.” He came to the holy rabbi of the village with the age old question, “When is the Messiah going to come? Will it be soon?”

The holy rabbi sat in deep thought for some time. He was keenly aware that many of his colleagues were very critical of predicting a date, mentioning that the Talmud pronounces a curse on those who attempt to compute the day of the redemption.

The closed his eyes and seemed to drift between thoughts, took a deep breath and began:

“A merchant set out on a long journey with his young son to a market in the big city. In those days, the trip by horse and buggy took many days, and after a few hours, the child would ask, “Papa, how far is it to the big city?” The father looked at his son who quickly understood that his father was displeased with the question. His father changed the subject and they talked and learned together. The young boy soon understood he was not to ask about how long the trip was taking.”

“After several days travel the boy heard his father ask the driver, “Do we still have much to go until we get to the big city?” Puzzled, he then asked why he had been reprimanded when he had presented the same question.”

“The father responded, “Earlier in the trip, when I knew we were still very far from our destination, I did not wish to tell you how distant we were, because I knew you would become impatient and cause me problems. Now that I sense we are approaching the area, I feel free to ask just how close we are.’ ”

The holy rabbi took a deep breath and continued, “The Talmud was written two-thousand years ago, and the sages knew we were destined for a long stay in exile. Now that we are obviously so close to the redemption, however, it is permissible and even natural to ask, ‘How far is it to the big city? ‘ “

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) Please share this story with others

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

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The Faithful Woman

Posted on Sunday, 6, September, 2015Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Once there were two brothers, one brother was very rich and the other brother was painfully poor. The wealthy brother had a fine house which he filled with beautiful things while the poor brother had a very beautiful wife and filled his house with faith and love.

One day the poor brother came to wealthy brother to ask him for a loan, but the rich man refused to help him. Even when neighbors tried to persuade the rich man to help his poor brother saying, “If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.” (Leviticus 25:35), 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 nearby.

“That is your brother’s wife,” he was told. He immediately fell in love with the woman and desired her greatly. His every thought was about the beautiful wife of his brother and soon he began to plan how he would capture her heart. After sometime he decided that if he could not convince her to come with him, he would take her by force.

One day the rich man sent for his poor brother. He gave him money and said to him: “Why do you not ask me for anything?” And he flattered his poor brother and invited him and his wife to his house, and did them many favours. After some time he gave his brother goods to trade in a faraway land, to earn some 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 pester 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, and tried to speak to him. She reminded him that she was his brother’s wife and his actions appeared improper. She asked him, “ You have established yourself as a leader but ‘What is the essence of leadership? To rule oneself well, and not be led astray by wealth or fame.’ ” (Apocrypha, Aristeas: 211) The wealthy man seemed not to hear her words and so she abruptly rose and left the house. The wealthy man was outraged and felt he was disrespected by this woman who he saw as beggar refusing his charity. In his 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 house I will show you.” Needless to say, this house was none 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 house 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. The rich man had ordered the poor man to say, in return for the money that he had given him.

The men believed the poor man, and they beat the unfaithful woman and drove her out of the town. Sadly, no one spoke in favor of the poor woman.

All the woman’s pleadings were in vain. 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. Instead they slandered and shunned her so she had no choice but to leave the town. When she was some distance from the town, she fell, overcome with emotion and exhaustion. She cried silently prayed as she fell to the ground.

Just at that time, a rabbi and his wife were approaching the town. They were childless. They heard the sound of crying and set out to find out the cause. After a short time they found the poor woman lying on the ground with bleeding wounds.

They comforted her, bound her wounds and asked her to travel with them. In their hearts they thought: “Perhaps we have done a good deed today and in reward we would be blessed with a child.”

The prayers of the faithful woman and the childless couple were heard and after some time, the couple was blessed with a child and they asked the woman they had saved 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 married but did not wish to reveal her secret. The student decided to avenge himself on her. What did he do? He rose in the middle of the night, killed the infant in her care, and immediately afterwards he ran away.

In the morning the parents were very angry with the ungrateful woman, but the rabbi who was very wise decided, “she should not be punished, all that has happened is the will of G-d. We must let her go, taking with her the dead child.”

The woman herself was sad and hopeless. She had been driven from every place because of false accusations. Who knew better than she how false the accusations were?

She set out 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,

“We are taught ‘the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor.’ (Psalm 140:12) You have nothing to fear, I bring you two gifts.” He offered her a potion to give to the child and, as the liquid passed his lips, his eyes fluttered and he began to breathe. The old man then gave a sack of golden coins and another potion to her and he explained that it could cure all ills. Before leaving, he gave her some advice: she must disguise herself as a man, establish a rest stop where she could cure all the sick who came to her. The woman took the advice of the old man, put on men’s clothes and opened an inn at the edge of the desert. The inn became very popular, for all sorts of conditions were cured there. The rabbi’s son, who had been restored to life, was educated and studied the Torah and wisdom.

All that the old man with the long beard and flowing robes had told her came to pass. Some of ‘the sick who came to the inn were well-known to the woman. Among them was her wicked brother-in-law who suffered greatly from leprosy, and her husband who became sick in the heart, body and soul after he had been told what his wife had been unfaithful. There was the poor man who had stood in the hall of the woman’s house and who had made the false accusations against her; and the rabbi and his wife also came. Then too, there was the student who had wanted to marry her and whom she had refused.

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 done to his brother’s wife. Then the poor man who was nearby told his story. The husband heard that was said and he was very angry with those who had slandered his wife, but, above all, he was angry with himself for having believed the terrible things that had been told to him. 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 regard to their nurse.

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 her brother-in law because it is written, “Sinners are enemies to their own life” (Apocrypha, Tobit 12:10) and the poor man who so easily spoke falsely about the woman could not be healed as the teaching says, “Do not let the slanderer be established in the land’ (Psalm 140:11) and ‘There is no cure for a slanderer.’ ” (Derech Eretz 1:13) The Torah teaches, “And you shall not wrong one another” (Leviticus 25:17)and so the three who plotted, slandered and sinned remained sickly to the end of their days.

The rabbi blessed the woman and her husband, but could not bless them more that the old man with the long beard and flowing robes. For Eliyahu haNovi (Elijah the Prophet) only comes to the aid of the truly righteous.

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) Please share this story with others

Its Not Always What It Appears to Be

Posted on Saturday, 9, May, 2015Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

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?

There once was a young man who studied Torah every day and with each new lesson he challenged himself farther. 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!”

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 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)

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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) If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

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Two Merchants, Silver and the Witness of the Tree

Posted on Sunday, 22, February, 2015Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

There were once two merchants whose names were Tam and Chacham. Now Tam was a very simple and hard-working man who was always saying Psalms and greeted everyone with a good word and a smile. Chacham was very knowledgeable in the ways of buying and selling and was always trying to get more wealth. Tam and Chacham were friends and frequently traveled together and often shared space at the markets.

One day, after the market closed, the two merchants took to the road. When they stopped for the night they counted their profits and discovered they had between them over 1000 silver coins. When they arrived at the next market Tam suggested they divide the profits equally. Chacham thought for a moment and answered his friend, “there are many in the market who would try to take our money and then we will have nothing. Let us hide the money under a tree and if we need money we can get it and divide it equally.”

The two merchants found a large oak tree, dug a hole and buried their bag of silver coins. The very next day, while Tam was in the marketplace Chacham came and took the money from the hiding place.

A few days past and Tam decided that it was time to divide the money. He found Chacham the two of them went to the oak tree in the forest. They dug beneath the tree and found nothing.

Chacham became very angry and said, “is this the way friends treat one another? Return the money and we will go our separate ways and never speak of this again.”

Tam was shocked and confused. “I have not been to this place since we buried our profits.”

Chacham became even angrier and demanded they go to the holy rabbi of the village for justice. The holy rabbi listened to Chacham as he presented his account of the situation and asked, “are there any witnesses to the truth of what you are saying?”

Chacham thought for a moment and entered the holy rabbi, “the oak tree under which we buried the silver shall be the witness.” Chacham looking very serious continued, “let us ask the old oak tree who stole the silver.”

The holy rabbi was surprised that the words of Chacham, but agreed to go with the two merchants to the old oak tree in the forest.

That night Chacham went to see one of his close friends and persuaded him to hide in a hollow of the oak tree. “When the rabbi asks, who stole the money?” He told his friend to respond, “you must say that Tam took it.”

The next day the two merchants in the holy rabbi went into the forest. They went to the old oak tree where they had hidden the money. The rabbi walked around the tree three times then asked, “tell us if you can, who stole the bag of silver coins?”

A voice came from inside the tree, “Tam came in the night and took the money.”

The holy rabbi was wise and asked Chacham if there were any other witnesses. Chacham thought for a moment and answered the moon is also a witness for no case can be determined without two witnesses let us ask the moon when it had seen. The holy rabbi was again surprised by Chacham’s answer.

The holy rabbi lifted his arms toward the moon and said, It is written, “The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment” (Isa. 51:6). I remind you that before asking for justice from you, we should ask for justice for ourselves, for it is said, “The moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed” (Isa. 24:23). Tell us if you can, who stole the bag of silver coins.”

The holy rabbi and the two merchants waited quietly for the moon to bear witness of what happened that night to the silver coins hidden beneath the old oak tree. The wind whispered, but the moon remained silent.

The rabbi saw some men who were working in the forest and ask them to set the tree on fire. The flames began to climb up the trunk of the tree when a voice cried out, “let me out! Let me out! I don’t want to burn to death!”

They dragged a man out of the hollow of the old oak tree. He was singed and very afraid, but he confessed that it was his friend Chacham who had stolen the money.

Tam was given all of the money and Chacham was punished by his own words, his own trickery and the judgment of the holy rabbi.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

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

Please share this story with others

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

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

for more information about this special book, please see the Story Tour: The Journey Begins page

A Woman of Valour Saves From Death

Posted on Sunday, 31, August, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Eishes chayil mi yimtza, A Woman of Valor, who can find? (Proverbs 31:10)

There was a holy rabbi who had a beautiful daughter and many wanted to marry her. The rabbi had raised his daughter in all the ways of holiness and wanted her marry a student of holiness. He wished to know who would be his future son-in-law, so he fasted for three days and then went to the mikvah and on the night of rosh chodesh, Elul, he prayed and asked the Holy One, blessed be He to reveal the young man to him. Eliyahu haNovi (Elijah the Prophet) appeared to him and told him that his son-in-law would be a student of holiness who was destined to die on the first anniversary of his wedding. His wife would remain a widow, and she would have no children, for such was the decree of Heaven.

In the morning the holy rabbi’s heart was full of grief but he kept what had been revealed to him a secret and decided that he would journey to the Holy Land, to the resting places of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Rachel, to have the decree annulled.

The rabbi with his wife and daughter set out on their long journey. They traveled for a long time and at twilight on the third day, they came to a great forest. They sat down by a shady tree, next to which a spring bubbled forth. After they had eaten they lay down to rest from their strenuous journey.

The holy rabbi rose at midnight to say tikun chatzos, he heard the sound of a weak voice, coming from some distance away. He decided to follow the sound and soon a small light shining through the trees about a bowshot away. The rabbi walked towards the light and found a hut made of woven branches and leaves, lit up within by two lights. The rabbi peered through the branches and saw two men -one a blind old man who lived in eternal darkness, and the other a young man of about twenty, who was very handsome to look at. Both of them were saying the tikun chatzos.

The rabbi stood and watched in awe the two hermits for a short time, before he gathered up his courage and entered the hut.

“Shalom Aleichem (Peace be unto you), my masters,’’ he said.

“Aleichem Shalom (Upon you be peace), our master and teacher,” they answered.

The three of them joined together saying tikun chatzos, and then studied the torah until the morning star rose.

Then the old man asked the rabbi: “How did you come to be in this forest?”

The rabbi told him that he was traveling to the Holy Land, with his wife and daughter.

The rabbi returned to his wife and daughter and brought them to the hut, and the three of them remained there. The rabbi and the old man studied the torah, the woman cooked and baked, the daughter drew water, and the young man cut wood. Each day the heart and soul of the young man melted as he looked at the holy rabbi’s daughter.

One day the old blind man asked the holy rabbi: “Let your daughter be the bride of my son and it shall be guaranteed that both of us will see our grandchildren after us.”

The rabbi did not wish to reveal his secret to the old man, and a few days later the young couple were married according to the laws of Moses and Israel.

For a whole year the young couple lived happily in the lonely hut in the forest. A few days before the year was out the rabbi revealed to his daughter the dream he had had. He told her that the death of her husband was about to happen and made her swear that she would not reveal the secret to any man.

After she had heard about her father’s dream, the young woman fasted and prayed for three days. “Ribono shel olam, Master of the Universe” she said. “If you have decreed that my husband must die take my life too, for I would rather have death than a life without him.”

On the first anniversary of his marriage the husband went out to the forest, as was his way, to cut wood, but this time his wife followed him. On that day the sun was dark in the heavens and no living thing was to be seen. The winds did not whisper and the birds were silent. At noon, the Angel of Death appeared with a large slaughterer’s knife in his hand. He wielded the knife over the head of the husband who sank dead to the ground.

When the woman saw that her husband was dead, she turned to the Angel and said: “Angel! I insist in the name of the one who sent you that you tell me why you have robbed me of my husband. ‘The days of our years are three score and ten’ (Psalm 90:10), and my husband is only twenty-one.’ “

The Angel of Death replied: “Poor foolish woman! It is the decree of the Creator, and I cannot disobey it. Be it known that ‘he that goes down to the grave shall come up no more’ (Job 7:9)”

“If that is so,” said the woman, “then I will ask you to fulfil my only wish.”

“Whatever you ask me to do, I will do,” said the Angel. “But I cannot restore your husband to life.”

“I do not ask you to restore my husband to life,” said the woman. “But I will ask you to restore the sight of the eyes of my father-in-law.”

“It sall be so,” promised the Angel of Death.

Then she addressed the Angel of Death again: “Promise me, I beg you, that it shall be granted my father-in-law to see a grandson or great-grandson playing by his side.

“It shall be so!” the Angel of Death promised again

Then said the woman: “I am the wife of the son of my father in-law. I am the only one who is capable of giving birth to sons and daughters who will carry on his seed. If you indeed wish to honour your promise then you must restore my husband to life, for my husband had no children, and without his children my father-in-law will have no grandchildren or great-grandchildren. ‘Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world’ (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9). If you rob me of my husband, you rob me and my husband of my children, and my father-in-law of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You will break your promise and in one stroke you will destroy whole worlds.’ “

The Angel of Death was at a loss as to what he should do. He had no choice but to restore the woman’s husband to life. “Let it be know to all the you are indeed an Eishes Chayil, a woman of noble character and wisdom” as he prepared to leave. The moment the Angel of Death rose into the heavens the woman’s husband stood once again on his feet.

The woman and her husband returned to their hut and found the old man reciting the benediction: “Blessed be he who opens the eyes of the blind.” They all rejoiced at the miracles that had been wrought for them and recited the blessing: “Baruch atah Adoshem, m’chaiyay hameisim. (Blessed are You G-d who revives the dead.)”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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The Trap, Loshon haRa and the Wealthy Merchant

Posted on Sunday, 17, August, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

There was once a very wealthy merchant who liked to feel important, and so he made it a practice inform the authorities about the doings of other people within the community. He often talk badly of others just so he could be seen as important and wise. Everyone was afraid of him and no one dared to cross him, lest he report them to those in power. One day he seemed to have just disappeared.

A group of students gathered together to study with their holy teacher, when he said to them: “Did you know Lavan the merchant?” The students became silent and then one answered the holy rabbi: “It is like what is taught about those who are like him, “May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.” (Psalms 69:28) Then the holy rabbi told his students: “Bring me a trap!” They brought him a trap, and the holy rabbi placed it in a corner of the room and a mouse was caught in it at once.

Then the holy rabbi spoke to the mouse as his students watched, asking: “What did you think when you used to inform on people and betray them causing the wealth of so many good and upright people to be lost? One’s words must be words of honor and not words of shame, as it is said: ‘On that day you shall not be put to shame because of all your deeds…’ (Zepaniah 3:11) We are taught shaming another in public is like shedding blood. (Bava Metzia 58b)’ ” The mouse cried before him and begged him to pray to the Holy One, blessed be He so that he might be delivered from his sufferings and enter Gehenna. “Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away (Proverbs 6:33) One who says evil things about others has no portion in the World to Come. Go away, for you are not worthy even to enter Gehenna.” answered the rabbi. With that said, he opened the trap, and the mouse fled.

And when the students saw this, they were amazed.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

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The Rabbi, the Cook and the Garden of Eden

Posted on Tuesday, 11, February, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

It is not study that is so important as much as deeds done.

It is told that Rabbi Shimon once prayed that the Holy One, blessed be He show him his place in Eden. One night in a dream he saw that he would be seated next to a cook. This surprised him, and he thought to himself, “I have occupied myself in the study of Torah day and night, yet my place is beside a cook.” After the dream, he decided: “I will go and find this cook and ask him what he has done so special.”

He searched for some time and found that the cook was a very wealthy man. He became a guest of the cook and stayed with him for eight days, and the cook showed him great honor. Rabbi Shimon asked the cook to walk with him in the field outside of the village and asked him: “Please tell me what you have been doing that is so special.”

The cook thought for a moment and then slowly answered, “Rabbi, I am just a simple man who by reason of my many sins have studied very little Torah. All my life I have been a cook. At one time I was very poor but by the blessings of Heaven, I have grown wealthy. Every Friday since I began cooking, I have distributed meat, challah and wine to the poor at my expense and I give a great deal in charity. I try to follow the teaching of ‘Sanctifying the Sabbath with food, drink, clean clothes and pleasure. (Deuteronomy Rabbah 3:1)’ “Rabbi Shimon listened and then asked, “Please tell me whether you have done anything more than that.”

Then the cook thought for a moment and reluctantly shared: “Please understand that I am the tax collector for this city. When a ship comes, I collect a tax on any goods in the hold of the ship. Once a ship came here, and I collected the tax.”

“After the captain paid the tax, he came to me and said: ‘If you wish to purchase what is in the hold on my ship, I’ll sell it to you.’ “

“Tell me what it is” I said to him.

“I shall not tell you,” the captain answered, “until you have bought it and paid for it. And if you do not buy it, I shall not sell it at all.”

“In that case,” I replied, “tell me how much it is, and I shall decide.”

“Ten thousand in gold,” the captain told me; and I told him: “Show me the goods, and I shall pay it.”

“I shall only give it,” the captain answered “if you give me twenty thousand in gold.”

“Show me your merchandise and I shall pay.”

“I shall not give it to you unless I you pay me forty thousand in gold.”

“When I saw that he was raising the price all the time, I decided that it must be something very, very valuable, so I agreed to pay him the gold. The captain ordered, ‘you must pay me in full before I will show you what is in the hold of my ship.’ I paid him in good gold.’ “

“Immediately he brought out from the ship’s lower hold two hundred Jewish souls whom he had captured, and said to me: ‘If you had not purchased them today, I would have slain them and flung them into the sea.’ Now he handed them over to me, and I brought them to my home. I fed them and gave them to drink and provided them clean clothes. I also assisted those who were single to wed one another.”

Among the refugees was a very beautiful young girl, and I took pity on her and gave her to my son, and he was betrothed to her. I invited all my townsfolk to the wedding feast. When the guests sat down to eat, I stood among them and saw that a young man who had been among the captives was crying. ‘Why are you crying?’ I asked, but he did not wish to tell me. Finally, I led him to a room away from everyone else, and there he told me that the day they had been taken captive was the very day on which he should have wedded that beautiful young girl. ‘If you are prepared to divorce her,’ said I to him, ‘I shall pay you a hundred pieces of silver.’ ‘My lord,’ said he to me, ‘I desire her more than all the silver and gold in the world, but what can I do if your son stands under the bridal canopy with her.’ “

“At this, I went to my son and told him: ‘Divorce her.’ My son looked at me and said, ‘Father I understand not your reasons, but I respect your wisdom and I shall do as you ask.’ I gave her to that young man and I made them wealthy according to the way of our people that ‘when you let him go free, you shall not let him go empty, and you shall furnish them liberally.’ (Deuteronomy 15:13). This is the thing I have done.’ “

Then Rabbi Shimon said to him: “Blessed be the One who sees all hidden things who has favored me to be seated beside you in Eden!”

So let a man engage in Torah (Scripture) and good deeds at all times, and practice charity. For money is not his but belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He, as the Prophet Haggai said: “The silver is Mine, the gold is Mine, says the Lord” (2:8). And it is also written in the Book of Psalms: “For God judges; this one He brings down, and that one He lifts up” (75:8).

Happy is he who performs a good deed, that may tip the scale for him and the world. (Kiddushin 40b)

(based on Tanchuma, Mavo 68)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Laughter and Love for Shabbos

Posted on Monday, 3, February, 2014Friday, 6, October, 2023 by Rabbi

If you refrain from violating the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the L-rd honorable, (Isaiah 58:13)

Once, the students of a holy rabbi decided to prepare him a special Shabbos meal. They worked for days to make sure that everything would be just as it should be, so that the spirit of the Shabbos would descend as it never had before.

The students and the rabbi came in from shul (synagogue) and began to sing Shalom Aleichem and an atmosphere of holiness surrounded the holy rabbi and his students. As they sang, the Holy rabbi began to laugh and laugh, as though he could not contain himself.

All was silent as the holy rabbi stood to make Kiddush, a student lifted the Kiddush cup and placed it in his holy teacher’s hand. Suddenly the holy rabbi began to laugh loudly, and all the students looked around to see what had made their teacher laugh — if there was something out of sorts — but everything was as it should be.

They began the Shabbos meal, hoping everything would meet their teacher’s approval. They served the holy rabbi the first bowl of the soup that they had worked so long over….He tasted it, and then he laughed so hard he almost spilled the soup.

The students were shocked. They rushed to taste the soup, but there was nothing in it that tasted…funny.

Still later, they were singing the Shabbos songs, listening to the holy rabbi’s lessons on the weekly Torah portion and stories. The holy rabbi smiled several times and was in a very joyful mood.

It was the custom of the students that as soon as the stars came out after the spirit of the Shabbos had departed, they would choose one question between them, and present it to the Holy rabbi. This Saturday night, there was no debate as to what question they would ask. “Holy master, why did you laugh three times during the Shabbos?”

In answer, the holy rabbi said, “Come with me,” and with that the students crowded into the holy rabbi’s carriage. Several hours later, the carriage stopped in a small village. The holy rabbi was greeted by the village leaders and he asked about Anschel the bookbinder.

Anschel the bookbinder lived on the edge of town, and several students went to bring him to the holy rabbi. When Anschel the bookbinder entered the old wooden village shul (Synagogue) and saw the holy rabbi he began to cry. “Oh, Holy Master, I know I have committed a great sin. Please tell me what I must do to be forgiven.”

“Anschel, tell us how you spent your Shabbos.”

“Do I have to? I’m so ashamed.”

“Yes, tell us everything and leave nothing out.”

“Rabbi, holy rabbi, I’ll never do it again. Please don’t make me confess my sins in public.”

The holy rabbi softly comforted: “Anschel, do not fear and have no shame, but please tell us how you spent your Shabbos.”

Fearfully, the Anschel glanced around the room and began his account: “I am an old bookbinder. In my youth, I could earn enough that my wife and I had what we needed during the week, and always had something special to greet the Shabbos. But as I have grown older, my hands can no longer work fast and we have suffered terribly.”

“Sadly, this Shabbos — for the first time — we had no Shabbos candles — and nothing for a Shabbos meal. So I went to shul and stayed late as there was nothing to go home to, but as I walked down the road I saw light shining from my house. I became very angry at my wife for taking charity, but for the sake of Shalom Bayis (peace in the home) I decided to hold my anger.”

“I entered the house and saw the table set with everything fine, there were golden challahs and wine. My wife was determined that we would observe the Shabbos as well as we were able. I could hold my anger no longer and asked my wife why she accepted charity. She answered me:

“Anschel, my beloved husband do you remember the black dress with the fancy buttons you bought me when we were first married?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with now?”

“Well, I was cleaning for Shabbos and was very sad. I found that black dress and tried it on and my heart skipped a beat as I remembered you told me when I wore that dress I looked like the Shabbos Malka (Sabbath Queen) and that I’d always be your Shabbos Kallah (Sabbath Bride). Then I had an idea. I took the buttons off my dress and took them to the jeweler and he gave me 5 gold coins for them. So I bought all we needed for Shabbos.”

“As she finished telling me this, I saw a wonderful light. I sang Shalom Aleichem, and I understood for the first time that the light that I had thought came only from the candles was also coming from her. I grabbed my wife and we danced around the table and with tears in my eyes I knew I loved more today than any other time.”

“I got control of myself, and went back to observing the Shabbos with due respect.”

“I stood at the head of the table and raised the Kiddush cup to make the blessing, when my wife smiled at me and my heart melted. I felted twenty years younger and rushed through the blessing and then danced around the Shabbos table with my wife.

“We finally sat down to eat and my wife served me chicken soup. At that moment, I realized that the nourishment — which all these years I had thought came only from the soup — actually came also from her, from our being together through so many Shabboses. (Sabbaths)

“And before I realized what I was doing, I jumped up, pulled her to me and kissed her. We danced as though we were teenagers.”

“Shocked at my own behavior, I sat back down. I stayed in my seat properly until later, when we sang the Shabbos songs and shared stories. Throughout Shabbos I kept looking at my wife lovingly”

“Suddenly, I knew that, in spite of our great poverty, while I had her in my life, I lacked for nothing.

“Rabbi, holy rabbi, I know I have defiled the Shabbos. Please, tell me what I must do to be forgiven.”

“The Holy rabbi looked at his students. ”When Anschel and his wife spent their Shabbos in such deep and holy love, I was there with them, and I shared in their joy.”

“When he spoke his love for his wife, not only I but the angels in heaven heard — and they smiled. And when he got up and kissed his wife, acting on that deep love — the angels in heaven saw them, and they laughed.

“And when the two of them joined their hands and sang and danced their joy, the angels themselves began to sing and to dance. And the Eternal Heart itself heard them, and it was warmed.

“On a Shabbos of such perfect joy, who wouldn’t laugh?”

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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To Give Tzedakah or Loans

Posted on Tuesday, 7, January, 2014Wednesday, 21, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Once there was a holy rabbi who had many, many students. His students learned much from their teacher, but could not understand why their beloved teacher disappeared every Thursday night. No matter how many people wanted to see him, he was nowhere to be found. None of his students or other rabbis in the community had any idea where he had gone.

One Thursday afternoon some of his students decided to try to find out what was going on and what their holy teacher was doing. The students hid in some bushes outside of the synagogue hoping to see their holy teacher. When he left on his secret business, after waiting for several hours, they saw the holy rabbi come out and hurried away. The curious students followed him.

The holy rabbi moved quickly through the streets and the students were always not far behind. Soon he entered one of the poorest areas of the town. He was immediately surrounded by so many needy people asking for tzedakah (charity). The students watched the holy rabbi’s actions and noticed that he didn’t just give some money to a better and then walk on, he stopped by each poor person and said: “my friend I would be so happy to help you, but I really can’t give you any charity. I can only give you this money as a loan.”

The beggar looked at him in surprise. “Alone? Rabbi, holy rabbi you would really give me alone?”

The holy rabbi would look at the poor man in front of him and smile as he answered: “yes, of course. Would you accept a loan for me? I have so much faith in you, I know you’ll be able to pay me back.”

With a peaceful face each beggar would happily accept some rubles as a loan, and the holy rabbi would go on his way.

After watching the holy rabbi do this for a while, the students decided they had seen enough. They went back to the synagogue and gathered around the table where they learned holy lessons from the rabbi and waited for him. When the holy rabbi finally returned very late that night, they confronted him with what they have learned:

“Holy teacher, we have to admit we followed you tonight and saw that you were doing. But really, how could you tell all those poor people. You were giving them loans? You know full well they’ll never be able to repay you. Why didn’t you just give them some tzedakah (charity) and let it go at that.”

“Why? I’ll tell you why! It’s not just that those beggars don’t have any money. They’ve also lost all of their hope, all of their faith that their lives can ever be better. They’re so broken, and too many are in despair.”

“Do you know what that means to them. When I, the holy rabbi, offer them a loan? It means that I believe in them… Even though they fallen to the lowest place, I have faith that they can get back on their feet again”

“Listen to me! I’ve taught you a lot of Torah. But this is the most important thing I’ll ever tell you. It’s not enough to hand a beggar a few coins. You have to give them back their self-respect, to show them that you believe in them, even if-especially if-they no longer believe in themselves.”

The holy rabbi paused for a moment or two and then continued: “Are we not taught: ‘who gives the poor money is blessed six-fold, who gives him morale is blessed seven-fold.’ (Baba Basra 9b) May each and every person who gives the poor a means to strengthen themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually be blessed.’ ”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Money, Listening and Justice

Posted on Monday, 6, January, 2014Friday, 21, March, 2025 by Rabbi

Two men came before the holy rabbi seeking justice in resolving a monetary dispute. The non-Jewish man claimed that the Jewish man had borrowed money from him, but the Jewish man denied that he owed the other man anything. The holy rabbi sensed that the non-Jewish man was truthful.

The holy rabbi listened to both men. After hearing the arguments of both sides, he told them that he had to leave for a little while and asked them to discuss the matter between themselves in the meantime.

The arbitration was held in the local synagogue, and the two men thought that the rabbi they asked to judge the merits of their dispute had left the synagogue.

The holy rabbi had not left; he had gone up to the women’s section and was listening to every word the two men were saying.

A heated argument erupted between them, and the holy rabbi heard the non-Jewish man talking at the Jewish man as ‘He fixed his gaze and stared at him until he was ashamed.’ (2 Kings 8:11) “Aren’t you ashamed? You know very well that you borrowed money from me, and how can you claim that you don’t owe me anything?”

“It’s true that I borrowed money from you, “the Jewish man responded, “but I’m under a lot of financial stress right now, and I don’t have the money to pay back.”

Hearing this, the holy rabbi went back down into the synagogue and ruled in favor of the non-Jewish man, reprimanding the Jewish man for his shameful behavior, he said: “To rob a non-Jewish person is more dreadful than to rob a Jewish person, for such actions cloud justice and also involves the desecration of G-d’s Holy Name.”

Later, he explained that he had derived this strategy of leaving the two men alone and listening in to their conversation from the verse,

“Listen among your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger who is with him” (Deuteronomy 1:16) which implies that in order to judge fairly, a judge has to listen to what the litigants say to each other.

As the men were leaving the holy rabbi and the synagogue, the non-Jewish man remarked:

“Happy are those who maintain justice, and he who does righteousness at all times. (Psalm 106: 3) and let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream (Amos 5:24).” in such holy places through such holy people.”

The simple meaning of the verse is that a judge, to fairly dispense justice, has to listen to both sides equally and not give preferential treatment to one side.

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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