The Shepherd’s Flute

Posted on Tuesday, 30, August, 2011Saturday, 24, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Many times we ask: “What is prayer?” It is indeed a difficult question to answer, but are we not taught: Only that man’s prayer is answered who lifts his hands with his heart in them. Taanis 8a

Another thought: Every word of your prayer is like a rose which you pick from its bush. You continue until you have formed a bouquet of blessings until you have pleated a wreath of beauty and glory to G-d.

A shepherd once grappled with the question of payer:

There once was a Jewish shepherd who was very simple and had very little understanding of Jewish prayer and traditions. Everyday he would go out to the fields with the sheep and as he watched the flock, he would sit on a rock and play upon his flute.

As the Jewish Holidays neared he saw many people traveling on the road going to the nearby city. Each day more and more people traveled down the road. The shepherd asked the travelers what was so special that they were going to the city for.

“We are on the way to a holy rabbi, to spend the holidays with the tzaddik,(a pious and righteous man), and pray that the Holy One, blessed be He answer our prayers with goodness, mercy and health.”

“Why is this so important?” asked the shepherd.

“Come with us and see how special the holy rabbi is”

The boy was uncomfortable, for you see he did not know how to pray. He only knew that he was Jewish and that there is a G-d who provides for all our needs. Not knowing what to do, the boy went into the woods with his flute to think and play a soulful melody. He thought and thought for a long time and decided to go with the people to meet this special rabbi.

The shepherd left the woods and the fields behind him as he walked down the road to the city. He did not know what to expect. He felt everyone knew more than him. He could not pray and did not even know the language of prayer.

He slowly made his way to the old wooden shul (synagogue) and saw that everyone was deep in prayer. The holy rabbi looked so sad. The shepherd carefully watched the holy rabbi who stood under his large tallis (prayer shawl) in front of the shul. It covered his head and body, and the boy saw him swaying gently back and forth. The shepherd began to sway as he thought to himself, “the grain in the field moves with the wind out of respect for the Creator of all things and this is how everything in the world is holy.”

The shepherd sat when everyone else sat he stood up when they stood up, but the holy rabbi was different. He seemed to be shivering and standing most of the time. The young boy felt that each person in the old wooden shul (synagogue) was able to pray to G-d but not him. At one point, every one was standing up and it was so quiet in the shul that the shepherd could actually hear his very own heart beating. He looked at the holy rabbi and saw on the floor a wet spot, the rabbi was crying. He felt an urge to do something, but what could he do? He could not read Hebrew, he knew no prayer. With streams of his own tears, he pulled out his flute and played a soulful tune to the holy One, blessed be He.

As he began his melody, the people in the shul (synagogue) were shocked. They turned in anger to look at this terrible violation of the holy prayer service. As they shouted at him to stop this terrible thing, the boy looked terrified. The holy rabbi, ran up to the boy and said, “Sha shtil (quiet, be still) no one is to say anything harsh to this boy for it is because of him that the blessings of Heaven are possible this day.”

The people were awed of the tzaddik’s words, as he explained “All day we have prayed, but not one prayer ascended to the heavens. The gates of the heaven were closing as the holiday was ending when suddenly, this boy in his innocence and pure heart and tears began to play his flute. He prayed with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his might and the doors of heaven opened up and our prayers were accepted.”

“We should learn from this simple shepherd and his prayer.” He took the young boy by the hand and led him to the front of the shul (synagogue) and together under the holy rabbi’s tallis they finished their prayers.

Everyone can pray with true devotion. Let us just open ourselves up and let our prayers and thoughts rise to G-d, for He hears all prayers.

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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Wisdom and Partnership

Posted on Wednesday, 9, March, 2011Wednesday, 26, July, 2023 by Rabbi

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)

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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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A Woman of Valor Who can Find?

Posted on Friday, 21, January, 2011Saturday, 24, September, 2022 by Rabbi

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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A Bird Shall Carry the Voice

Posted on Monday, 27, December, 2010Saturday, 24, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Once a Jewish merchant was traveling through a strange land and as he traveled the road through a mountain pass, he was attacked by a robber, who took away everything he had. After the robber striped him of everything, he told the merchant: “Now I am going to take your life, for if I let you live, you will tell the sheriff about me and if caught, I will be hanged. For that reason I will kill you, and then I shall feel safe.” The Jewish merchant begged with weeping eyes: “Let me live and I will not report you. If you kill me, the birds will betray you and you will lose your life.”

The robber laughed and said: “Birds, report me? I see that you are making fun of me.” Sadly the Jewish merchant replied : “No, I am not making fun of you, but it says in our Scriptures:

`The birds which fly between heaven and earth will reveal the secret’ (Eccl. 10:20).

You see the bird on that tree over there? He will report your crime.” Then the robber grew angry and said: “You are surely making fun of me,” and he killed the hapless merchant.

The robber went his way and came to an inn, where he asked for food and drink. The innkeeper brought him a plate of roasted birds. When the robber saw the birds, he began to laugh. The innkeeper, who stood near the table, seeing that the guest was laughing, asked him: “Why are you laughing? Since you are laughing to yourself, it must be something clever, so tell me what it is about.” The robber, thinking that no one would concern himself about the death of the Jewish merchant, told the innkeeper the experience he had with the Jewish merchant, and how he had made fun of him and told him that the birds of heaven would report him. That’s why, seeing the birds on the plate, he laughed. The innkeeper thought that the Jewish merchant had spoken the truth and said to himself: “As he killed a Jewish merchant, he no doubt did other things too, and is surely a murderer. For that reason it is my duty to report him.”

The innkeeper went to the mayor and told him that there was a man in his inn who had committed a murder. The mayor said to him: “Go home and I will be there soon.” The innkeeper returned home and sat down by his guest. In a quarter of an hour the mayor came in with three men and said to the murderer: “You are under arrest.” The robber was very much frightened and almost died for fear. He was thrown into prison and tortured until he confessed to the murder of the Jewish merchant and other murders besides. Then he was broken on the wheel, and in this way the words of the Jewish merchant that the birds would report him, came true.

Based on Shalsheles haKabalah 56b-57a

No One Understood

Posted on Sunday, 12, December, 2010Saturday, 24, September, 2022 by Rabbi

The greatest gift that the Holy One, blessed be He gave to man was the ability to speak and communicate. Yet it is also the undoing of many, though we may speak the same language and believe that certain things need no explanation we still do not understand one another. It is so common in today’s world for people to talk at one another instead of to one another.

No One Understood

A shepherd was once strolling through a meadow behind his meandering sheep. As he walked, he played a merry tune on his flute. In an adjoining field, a harvester was cutting sweet clover and loading it upon a wagon to take home for cattle feed. The harvester and the shepherd did not know one another, nor could they communicate, since they spoke different languages. And so each tended to his own business, while casting curious glances at the other from time to time.

Noon came and the sun was at its blazing zenith. The shepherd looked longingly in the distance to see if his daughter was approaching with his lunch pail, as she did each day at this time. But there was no one in sight. A long time passed and he began worrying. “I must go home and see if everything is all right,” he said to himself.

He walked towards the harvester in the adjacent field. “Listen here, my friend,” he said, accompanying his words with elaborate gestures to make sure the other understood, “I must go home for a short while and leave the sheep here. I cannot take them with me because it would take too much time to herd them together and get them moving. If I go, I will run both ways and be back in a hurry. Please keep an eye on the sheep. Don’t let them run away. They are resting now. I am sure they will give you no trouble. They are easy creatures to handle.”

The harvester heard the words but did not understand a single one. He interpreted the shepherd’s gestures in a far different manner than intended: “You are harvesting all that hay that grows so plentifully in the field while my sheep lie here where the grass is scant. Won’t you cut some down for them, too?”

This aroused the harvester’s anger. “That is very impudent of you! You sit at your leisure under the tree and expect others to do your work for you under the blazing sun? Go! Begone with you!” and with that, he gave a wave of his hand.

This sign of dismissal was clear to the shepherd. He interpreted it to mean: “Go home, if you must. I will keep an eye on your sheep, since I am here anyway.”

His heart set at ease, the shepherd went home, stayed a while and returned a short while later. How happy he was to see the sheep grazing quietly and contentedly as if he had been there all the while.

“How decent it was of the harvester to look after them,” he thought to himself. “I must give him something in appreciation.” He looked about him and wondered what would be suitable.

His eyes fell upon a little lamb that limped a bit. If he sold it, it would not fetch much. But as a gift…

He tied a rope about its neck and began leading it to the adjoining field.

“Good day, my friend,” he said. “I wanted to thank you for the favor you did to me. Here, take this lamb as a sign of my gratitude.” He held the string out to the harvester.

The harvester did not understand a word, as before, and misconstrued the shepherd’s meaning. He thought he meant: “I asked you to watch my sheep and look what happened! This lamb became lame, thanks to you!”

The harvester was understandably insulted and turned to the shepherd. “How dare you come to me with complaints? Am Ito blame? You are the one who left the sheep untended. What do you want from me?”

The shepherd thought that the harvester was dissatisfied with the gift.

He picked up the lamb to show him that it was really a decent gift, indeed. `See,” he gestured, “it is fat and healthy. The only thing wrong with it is its leg. It will make a tasty meal, I am sure!” He again pointed to the broken foot as if to say that that was its only defect.

Seeing the shepherd harping on the broken foot convinced the harvester that the shepherd was again accusing him of being negligent. Fuming, he shouted, “Leave me be, idiot! What business is it of mine?” And he shoved the shepherd backwards.

Shocked by such coarse behavior, the shepherd stepped forward and pushed the harvester. Before long, the two were pummeling one another with heavy blows.

Along came a traveler, hot and dusty from the road. Noticing a horse wandering in the field untethered, he was curious to see if it belonged to anyone, since he wished to ride it a bit. Seeing no one about, he decided to climb on its back for the time being, and ask questions later. He rode on until he came upon the two quarreling men. When they saw the stranger, they ran up to him, grabbed hold of the reins, and asked him to dismount, so that he could resolve their dispute.

The rider, who did not understand either of the two, was sure that they were the owners of the horse demanding an explanation for his having appropriated their animal. Afraid of punishment, he leaped off and ran away.

The remaining two were sure that he had gone off to get help and were afraid of getting into trouble. Both fled as well; the shepherd urging his sheep forward and the harvester shouldering his tools.

The scene returned to its pastoral serenity, with only the horse left to graze upon the delicious clover.

As for the three men, each ran off in different directions, feeling disappointed and frustrated.

The shepherd could not understand why the harvester had been so insulted at the gift he had offered. Had he owed him anything to begin with?

The harvester did not understand why the shepherd blamed him for the sheep’s broken leg, when he had not been to blame.

And the traveler wondered why the two men had attacked him for taking a ride on an untethered horse. He had not meant to steal it!

Each of the three was convinced that he was right. How, then, had such a misunderstanding resulted?

The reason is very simple: Each one interpreted the other’s actions according to his own way of thinking. No one tried to understand what the other was saying. Lack of communication was to blame for this argument.

We do speak the same language as our friends and acquaintances. Nevertheless, we still misinterpret one another’s true meaning and intent. These misunderstandings can often lead to ill feelings, quarrels and even blows.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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The Three Daughters and the Evil of Tale Bearing

Posted on Sunday, 28, November, 2010Sunday, 25, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Once upon a time there lived a pious man, who had three daughters. The first one was a thief, the second was lazy and the third was a liar, who never spoke the truth and who slandered people whenever she had an opportunity.

One day a religious man, who had three sons, came to the city and said : “You have three daughters and I have three sons. Let us make a match between them.” But the father of the girls said: “Let me alone. My daughters are not good enough for your sons, for each one has a bad habit.” The father of the boys asked: “What are their bad habits?” The father of the girls replied: “One is a thief, the second is lazy, and the third is a lair.” The father of the boys asked: “Have they no other bad habits than these? If so I will cure them. Leave it to me.” So they were betrothed, and he took the girls with him and married them to his sons.

As soon as the weddings were over, he gave to the thief the keys to all his money and satisfied her greed so that she had no reason to steal. To the second he gave many servants so that she should have nothing to do. And as to the third, he fulfilled all her wishes, so that she should not tell lies or slander anybody. And whenever the father-in-law left her house, he embraced and kissed her, for he hoped that by being good to her he would cure her of her evil quality and she would not slander any more.

One day the father came to see how his daughters were getting on. So he went to the first one and asked her how she was getting along with her husband, and how she was treated by her parents-in-law. She replied: “I thank you so much, father, for having given me in marriage to this man, for I have everything that my heart desires. And moreover, I have all the keys in my hand so that I do not have to steal.”

Then he went to his lazy daughter and asked her how she was getting on. And she also said: “I am so thankful to you, father, for having brought me here, for I need not lift a hand, I have many servants to tend to my every need, and my husband and parents-in-law all treat me very well.”

Then he came to the daughter who told lies to ask her how she was getting along, and she said: “You are a fine father! I thought you gave me one husband but it seems you gave me two, the father and the son. For no sooner does my husband leave the house than my father-in-law comes in and kisses me and hugs me and wants me to do his will. Dear father, if you do not believe it, come tomorrow morning and you will see it is true.”

Speech Lashon Hara

Next morning the father came and she put him in a room where he could see what was going on. Her father-in-law came as usual and kissed her and embraced her and said to her: “My dear daughter-in-law, how are you getting on? Is there anything you want?” He did all this with the good intention of curing her of her bad habit, but her father who saw it, grew furious and rushed out of his chamber and killed him. Then he tried to get away, but when her two brothers-in-law came home and found their father lying dead, they killed their father-in-law.

Then the slanderer began to shout: “Murder! Murder!” and they understood it was through her that the tragedy had occurred. So they killed her too, and thus through slander three persons lost their lives.

You can see what an evil thing it is to go tale bearing and slandering and telling lies. The rabbis of old taught: Why is the evil tongue called a thrice-slaying tongue? Because it slays three persons: the person speaking, the person spoken to, and the person spoken of. And the proof? (Gen. R. 98:19; Y. Pesachim 1:1, 16a)

Listen well and learn how vicious is slander! It is more vicious than murder, adultery, and idolatry put together. In Scripture, each of these three transgressions is termed “great,” but slander is spoken of in the plural as “great things.” Thus, Cain said of murder, “My punishment is more great than I can bear” (Gen. 4:13); Joseph exclaimed of adultery, “How then can I do this great wickedness?” (Gen. 39:9); Moses said of idolatry, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin” (Exod. 32:31). But of slander it is written, “The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things” (Ps. 12:4), to tell you that slander is more vicious than the other three transgres sions. (MekiltaTehillim 52:2; B. Arachnin 15b)

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 King, the Thief the True Penitant

Posted on Sunday, 12, September, 2010Sunday, 25, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Chazal state (Berachos 34b), “R’ Ahahu said: In the place where ba’alei teshuvah (a true penitent) stand, tzaddikim gemurim (the purely righteous who have been untainted by sin) do not stand.”

There was a king who reigned over his entire kingdom with justice and wisdom. On one occasion, the king wished to discover his subjects’ true feelings regarding his rule, and so he disguised himself as a beggar, and went out in the streets.

As he roamed the alleyways, he was attacked by a band of cruel thieves. They wished to harm him, but one of the thieves, a spark of mercy for the beggar having flickered in his heart, fiercely defended him against his attackers, even helping him escape to safety.

The king returned to his palace and, some time later, arranged a lavish seudas hada’ah (lit., a feast of thanksgiving.), to which he invited all of the ministers and distinguished members of the kingdom. He also invited the thief who had saved him from the clutches of his partners.

The thief sat there in his simple attire and felt rather uncomfortable in the presence of the ministers who were dressed so elegantly. The ministers as well stared at the thief in utter bewilderment:

what place did this lowly individual have at the king’s feast?

The king noticed the puzzled expressions on the faces of the ministers. He therefore called over the thief and sat him down alongside him in a display of great honor. He then related to his guests what had transpired and how this thief had saved his life.

So too, it is in relation to repentance. The Torah states (Hoshea 14:2), “Return, Israel, unto Hashem your G-d.” When an individual repents and becomes a ba’al teshuvah, he draws closer to Hashem like the thief who, through saving the king, repented and in effect anointed the king over the entire land. In a similar vein, when a ba’al teshuvah overcomes his yetzer hara, he annoints Hashem King of the world as a result. The prophet Joel taught that one should “Rend your heart, not your garments and turn to the L-rd” (Joel 2:13) In this world “a king of flesh and blood insists upon having his decrees carried out. Hashem, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not act so, for He desires one’s repentance, so that He can have any excuse to annul His decrees” (Rosh haShanah 57a). It is good when one thinks about repentance and follows it with action and deed.

For the sake of one true penitent, the whole world is pardoned. (Yoma 86b)

l’Shana Tova May Everyone Be Blessed with a Good and Sweet Year

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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Rosh haHashanah: Forgiving A Debt

Posted on Tuesday, 7, September, 2010Monday, 19, September, 2022 by Rabbi

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)

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Repentance and the Captive Prince

Posted on Sunday, 5, September, 2010Tuesday, 19, September, 2023 by Rabbi

The rabbis of old taught that:

“In the place where those who return and truly repent stand, the purely righteous who have never sinned can not stand.” Berachos 34b

Rosh Hashanah

The Captive Prince

A king had two mighty and courageous sons. One day, the king went out to battle his enemies, and his two sons went with him as commanders in his army. Each son led his soldiers into battle. The sons fought with much strength and bravery, but the enemy was able to surround one of the sons. The battle raged on, but at the end he was taken captive by the enemy. The king’s son suffered in the enemy prison, starving and deprived, and after a full year, he finally succeeded in digging a tunnel so that he could escape from the dismal prison. The prince ran away, crossing over rivers and lakes, and trekking through forests and over mountains. After a while, he finally returned to his father’s home. How great was the happiness and joy in the king’s palace upon the prince’s return. Large celebrations were held in his honor, and the king sat him to his right and showered him with gifts. Without a doubt, this son’s joy is ten times greater than a son who had never left his father’s home.

This is the identical happiness that a person feels when he returns in complete repentance to his Father in Heaven. His joy is ten times greater than one who has never sinned, for only once a person has saved himself from sin can he truly perceive the taste of “captivity.”

L’Shana Tova May Everyone Be Blessed with a Good and Sweet Year

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

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Prayer – A Matter of Life and Death

Posted on Tuesday, 24, August, 2010Sunday, 25, September, 2022 by Rabbi

A group of wealthy merchants went into an inn located near the crossroads. They asked the innkeeper to serve them food and drink, and knowing that his guests had the ability to pay, he hastened to set the table for them.

“What would you like to eat?” asked the innkeeper.

One of them answered, “I would like a good, thick meat broth.” “I would like to eat fresh fish,” said another.

One by one, the merchants proceeded to order tasty delicacies, each one requesting the dish that he craved.

A weak voice was suddenly heard coming from one corner of the inn, “Please serve me bread, for I am starving!”

The guest who had made the request was a beggar who had happened to enter the inn at the same time.

The innkeeper left the group of merchants and quickly placed bread before the beggar.

“Should this beggar be served before us?” asked the merchants. “Why, we are ordering a massive feast, yet you prefer to serve him first?”

“You,” responded the innkeeper, “are ordering delicacies for yourselves. This beggar, is asking for bread in order to survive. Who knows how long it has been since he has last had something to eat.”

There are times when individuals who pursue their cravings and desires stand in prayer and make various requests in order to increase their assets and prestige in the eyes of the world.

Then there is the individual who tearfully requests bread for his young children.

The Holy One, blessed be He will most certainly give his prayer preference and answer it immediately, for the man is pleading for his life and the lives of his children!

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Many times we ask: “What is prayer?” It is indeed a difficult question to answer, but are we not taught: Only that man’s prayer is answered who lifts his hands with his heart in them. Taanis 8a

Another thought: Every word of your prayer is like a rose which you pick from its bush. You continue until you have formed a bouquet of blessings until you have pleated a wreath of beauty and glory to G-d.

A shepherd once grappled with the question of payer:

There once was a Jewish shepherd who was very simple and had very little understanding of Jewish prayer and traditions. Everyday he would go out to the fields with the sheep and as he watched the flock, he would sit on a rock and play upon his flute.

As the Jewish Holidays neared he saw many people traveling on the road going to the nearby city. Each day more and more people traveled down the road. The shepherd asked the travelers what was so special that they were going to the city for.

“We are on the way to a holy rabbi, to spend the holidays with the tzaddik,(a pious and righteous man), and pray that the Holy One, blessed be He answer our prayers with goodness, mercy and health.”

“Why is this so important?” asked the shepherd.

“Come with us and see how special the holy rabbi is”

The shepherd left the woods and the fields behind him as he walked down the road to the city. He did not know what to expect. He felt everyone knew more than him. He could not pray and did not even know the language of prayer.

“We should learn from this simple shepherd and his prayer.” He took the young boy by the hand and led him to the front of the shul (synagogue) and together under the holy rabbi’s tallis they finished their prayers.

Everyone can pray with true devotion. Let us just open ourselves up and let our prayers and thoughts rise to G-d, for He hears all prayers.

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)

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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.

“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!”

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

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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.

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.

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 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 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.

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)

The robber laughed and said: “Birds, report me? I see that you are making fun of me.” Sadly the Jewish merchant replied : “No, I am not making fun of you, but it says in our Scriptures:

`The birds which fly between heaven and earth will reveal the secret’ (Eccl. 10:20).

You see the bird on that tree over there? He will report your crime.” Then the robber grew angry and said: “You are surely making fun of me,” and he killed the hapless merchant.

Based on Shalsheles haKabalah 56b-57a

No One Understood

This aroused the harvester’s anger. “That is very impudent of you! You sit at your leisure under the tree and expect others to do your work for you under the blazing sun? Go! Begone with you!” and with that, he gave a wave of his hand.

This sign of dismissal was clear to the shepherd. He interpreted it to mean: “Go home, if you must. I will keep an eye on your sheep, since I am here anyway.”

His heart set at ease, the shepherd went home, stayed a while and returned a short while later. How happy he was to see the sheep grazing quietly and contentedly as if he had been there all the while.

“How decent it was of the harvester to look after them,” he thought to himself. “I must give him something in apprecia­tion.” He looked about him and wondered what would be suitable.

His eyes fell upon a little lamb that limped a bit. If he sold it, it would not fetch much. But as a gift…

He tied a rope about its neck and began leading it to the adjoining field.

“Good day, my friend,” he said. “I wanted to thank you for the favor you did to me. Here, take this lamb as a sign of my gratitude.” He held the string out to the harvester.

The harvester did not understand a word, as before, and misconstrued the shepherd’s meaning. He thought he meant: “I asked you to watch my sheep and look what happened! This lamb became lame, thanks to you!”

The harvester was understandably insulted and turned to the shepherd. “How dare you come to me with complaints? Am Ito blame? You are the one who left the sheep untended. What do you want from me?”

The shepherd thought that the harvester was dissatisfied with the gift.

He picked up the lamb to show him that it was really a decent gift, indeed. `See,” he gestured, “it is fat and healthy. The only thing wrong with it is its leg. It will make a tasty meal, I am sure!” He again pointed to the broken foot as if to say that that was its only defect.

Seeing the shepherd harping on the broken foot convinced the harvester that the shepherd was again accusing him of being negligent. Fuming, he shouted, “Leave me be, idiot! What business is it of mine?” And he shoved the shepherd backwards.

Shocked by such coarse behavior, the shepherd stepped forward and pushed the harvester. Before long, the two were pummeling one another with heavy blows.

The rider, who did not understand either of the two, was sure that they were the owners of the horse demanding an explanation for his having appropriated their animal. Afraid of punishment, he leaped off and ran away.

The remaining two were sure that he had gone off to get help and were afraid of getting into trouble. Both fled as well; the shepherd urging his sheep forward and the harvester shouldering his tools.

The scene returned to its pastoral serenity, with only the horse left to graze upon the delicious clover.

As for the three men, each ran off in different directions, feeling disappointed and frustrated.

The shepherd could not understand why the harvester had been so insulted at the gift he had offered. Had he owed him anything to begin with?

“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…”

As they admired each other’s wisdom, the first friend displayed the binoculars he had made.

Lo and behold, upon tasting the medicine, her condition improved considerably. Before long, she underwent a total recovery!

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.

“How decent it was of the harvester to look after them,” he thought to himself. “I must give him something in appreciation.” He looked about him and wondered what would be suitable.

The reason is very simple: Each one interpreted the other’s actions according to his own way of thinking. No one tried to understand what the other was saying. Lack of communication was to blame for this argument.

Once upon a time there lived a pious man, who had three daughters. The first one was a thief, the second was lazy and the third was a liar, who never spoke the truth and who slandered people whenever she had an opportunity.

There was a king who reigned over his entire kingdom with justice and wisdom. On one occasion, the king wished to discover his subjects’ true feelings regarding his rule, and so he disguised himself as a beggar, and went out in the streets.

As he roamed the alleyways, he was attacked by a band of cruel thieves. They wished to harm him, but one of the thieves, a spark of mercy for the beggar having flickered in his heart, fiercely defended him against his attackers, even helping him escape to safety.

The king returned to his palace and, some time later, arranged a lavish seudas hada’ah (lit., a feast of thanksgiving.), to which he invited all of the ministers and distinguished members of the kingdom. He also invited the thief who had saved him from the clutches of his partners.

The thief sat there in his simple attire and felt rather uncomfortable in the presence of the ministers who were dressed so elegantly. The ministers as well stared at the thief in utter bewilderment: