Tag: Stories of faith
According to the Exertion Is the Reward
A king wished to build a magnificent palace for himself, the likes of which had never before been seen. The king’s officers therefore hired a world-renowned architect who was known to be an expert in his field.
The architect was brought before the king and, shortly thereafter, presented him an extraordinary blueprint for a palace that would be both enormous and awe-inspiring.
The blueprint found favor in the eyes of the king, and he gave orders to commence construction at once. He had but one request to make of the architect, however: He desired that the palace be completed on the anniversary of his ascension to the throne. He would then stage a gala celebration, during which the new palace would be dedicated.
The builders expended much effort and, indeed, a glorious new palace, whose beauty was unmatched by any other edifice, stood completed one month before the designated time.
In order to paint the palace walls, the king hired four expert painters. Each one was assigned one wall and was instructed to paint it with vibrant and cheerful colors.
Three out of the four painters began working immediately. They mixed colors together and decorated the walls with many wonderful designs and patterns. One of the painters, however, sat carelessly by and did not begin painting.
“Why have you not begun working?” asked one of the painters. “If you do not start now, you will be unable to finish in time!”
“Don’t worry,” responded the painter. “I will have plenty of time to finish.”
Nearly one month later, the three painters had produced walls of sheer beauty; a fantastic kaleidoscope of colors blended harmoniously into matching patterns that were amazing to behold. The fourth wall, however, stood embarrassingly empty of any color or magnificence whatsoever.
One day before the king’s anniversary, the painter went to the palace and hung large mirrors on the fourth wall that reflected the other three walls. Now the fourth wall appeared to be painted as well, and it looked quite splendid.
When the king entered the palace and beheld its sheer beauty, he was ecstatic. Wishing to show his appreciation for his workers’ efforts, the king ordered his servants to bring in three bags filled with gold coins and jewelry.
He then instructed them to hang the bags on the three painted walls.
“Here you go,” said the king to the painters. “Your reward is hanging on the wall that you painted.”
“But what about my reward?” asked the clever fourth painter. “Your reward,” answered the king, “is reflected in the mirror that you hung on the wall…”’
The lesson of this story is quite clear – “the reward is in proportion to the exertion” (Pirkei Avos 5:26)
May the L-rd reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the L-rd, (Ruth 2:12)
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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Rags to Riches
A king’s son was once walking along the way when he reached a fork in the road. Suddenly, a band of thieves attacked him, intent on murdering him. Much to his good fortune, however, a poor man dressed in rags happened to be walking along the road at that very moment. When he saw the thieves, he gathered up his courage and in a display of great strength, set upon the thieves with his walking stick and saved the king’s son.
Upon hearing of the poor man’s brave deeds, the king had him summoned before him. When the poor man arrived, the king thanked him and exclaimed, “As a reward for having saved my son, I hereby permit you to spend an entire day in the royal treasury; you may take anything that your heart desires.”
When the gates of the royal treasury were opened for the poor man, he joyously fell upon the massive piles of gold and diamonds and began to gather all that he could.
When evening settled in and the poor man left the royal treasury, he had completely changed. In one day, he had gone from being a destitute beggar to a very wealthy man. The next day, this former poor man went into business, and in a short while he became extremely successful. He now became one of the wealthiest men in the land, and he completely forgot about his former life of poverty.
Every year, the former poor man staged a huge feast on the day that he had been blessed with the good fortune of entering the royal treasury. He invited all of his friends and relatives to the feast, and it was a custom that lasted for many years.
One year in the middle of the feast, the wealthy man turned to his friends and asked, “Which day of my life do you think was the happiest of all for me?”
“It must be this very day,” responded the guests. “This day on which you have made a feast for all of your friends must be the happiest day of your life! After all, on this day your palace is decorated, your servants surround you, and all of the distinguished individuals in the land accord you great honor!”
“You are mistaken,” said the wealthy man. “While this day is certainly one of great joy, it is but a remembrance of the day on which I was remade, literally transformed from a lowly beggar in ragged clothing to a man possessing enormous wealth. That day was the happiest of my life:
“I spent that entire day,” he continued, “inside the royal treasury. I felt neither hunger nor weariness; rather, it was as if my complete being was focused on only one goal — amassing the valuables that lay inside the treasury. The more valuables I amassed, the more joy I reaped. I have yet to experience a happier day than that one.”
So it is with us, the Holy One, blessed be He grants a person life as a gift. Throughout his life, man has the ability to amass as many good deeds and acts of kindness as his heart desires.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us
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Shavuous: Seasonal Torah
We tell stories of yesteryear of the assault of the maskillim (the “enlightened” ones) on the more traditional Orthodox Jewish communities. They frowned upon faith, but adopted a national culture to better to better “fit in”. Someone once suggested to one of the Torah authorities that modifications in halachah (Jewish law) are needed because the Torah was given thousands of years ago and is not relevant to modern times.
The rabbi replied calmly, “A while back I had to litigate a case. A merchant had ordered goods from a supplier, and specified that he wanted them delivered by November 1, in time for a special sale. That fall there were very heavy rains, and the roads were impassable, with the result that the order was not delivered when it should have been. The merchant sued the supplier, claiming that he had lost a great deal of money due to his failure to deliver on time. After studying all the facts, I ruled in favor of the merchant.
“The supplier protested, but I told him that I must apply the rules of the Torah, according to which the judgment was in favor of the merchant. Realizing the case was about to be closed, he made one final attempt to sway me.
“‘The Torah was given on Shavuos, wasn’t it?’ he pointed out. ‘Yes, of course’ I responded, eager to hear what argument he could have contrived.
‘There you have it!’ he exulted. ‘Shavuos does not occur in autumn, and that’s why the Torah law favors my opponent. If the Torah would have been given during the rainy season, the halachah would have favored my side.'”
After allowing the message to sink in for a second, the Rabbi added, “Don’t you recognize the simple truth that it is as absurd to restrict the Torah (Scriptures) to any one era as it is to make it seasonal?!”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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One Small Tafetta
There was peace between Sultan Muhammad, king of the Turks, and his father-in-law Demetrius, king of the Morea. Sultan Muhammad sent many gifts of precious stones and pearls aplenty as befits a king to Demetrius his father-in-law because of his love for his daughter. Then Demetrius sent back to his son-in-law a certain fine golden chest that was closed and doubly sealed with his seals. And he ordered his messenger that nobody was to open the chest except the king himself. And he sent him a certain letter, saying, “Thank you, indeed. Your kindness and goodness have reached me and restore my soul; and now let my lord receive this blessing from your servant. So says Demetrius, who seeks your peace and well-being.”
The sultan was astonished at this closed and sealed golden chest and said to himself, “Maybe it contains precious stones and jewels which are few in number but of high quality and value.” So he opened the chest and in it he found one little taffeta.
The sultan was infuriated at this gift and said to his people, “Do you see how this unbelieving wretch repays me, mocking me and sending me this single herb!” And he showed the taffeta to all his ministers and attendants. They were astonished but feared to say anything; and the king instructed his people, “Prepare food and swords, for in seven days’ time we shall go to war against him, since he considers that I am worthless.”
Now the following day the holy Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi was seated and learning, as was his custom. And the sultan sent for him and told him what had happened and showed him the herb. The sage inspected it with his wondrous wisdom and saw that this matter was of Hashem. And he said unto the sultan, “My lord sultan, listen to me, for you are a wise man and a mighty ruler. He has not sent you this without reason. What have your ministers and attendants said of it?”
“They did not say anything,” said the king.
Then the rabbi explained, “This small amount here is worth more than all the silver and gold and precious stones and pearls in the world. For my lord the sultan has sent him money, but he has sent my lord something that can deliver you from evil. For when my lord goes to hunt or in some place where there are wild and savage beasts, take the taffeta with you. As soon as any evil beast smells it, they will fall apart limb from limb. And the way to test it is to take it to a place where there are evil beasts.”
So a man whom the king held to be his enemy went and slept with it beneath him in a dangerous place. When he and the others who were with him woke up in the morning, they found that the wild beasts were scattered limb from limb.
And when the sultan saw the wisdom of the rabbi, he gave praises to the Holy One, blessed be He. And it was a sign and a wonder.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Matzah and Shalom Bayis (Peace in the Family)
Pesach with all of its many preparations, is a holiday of peace. The seder conducted with shalom bayis (peace in the family) is the goal of every Jewish family.
The rabbi’s wife was busy in the kitchen with all the last-minute preparations for the Seder, when there was a knock at the door. A young girl who was helping prepare for the seder at the Holy Rabbi’s house answered the knock at the door. Someone had come to the home of the holy rabbi with a request for matzah for the seder. Seeing a stack of matzos wrapped up in a napkin, the young girl who opened the door innocently gave them away and hurried back to work.
A short time later, the rabbi’s wife realized the matzahs were none other than the special ones that which had been baked that same day with holy intentions. The matzahs were prepared with all manner of careful precautions against chometz. They were baked for the holy rabbi’s Seder. There was no way to get the special matzahs back. She felt her heart sag within her. How could she tell her husband of the mishap and cause him spiritual anguish? There was only one thing to do. She took a bundle of plain, ordinary matzos, deftly wrapped them up in the very same napkin, and pretended to know nothing of the whole affair. And that same evening, her husband conducted the Seder with the ordinary matzos.
Soon after Pesach (Passover) was over, a young couple visited the holy rabbi seeking a divorce.
“What makes you want to divorce your wife?” he asked the husband.
The young man answered that his wife had refused his request to cook for him during Pesach in separate utensils without shruyah — for it is the custom of certain pious folk to avoid allowing even baked matzah to come in contact with water throughout the festival.
Hearing this, the holy rabbi called for his wife and said, “Tell me the whole truth, please. What kind of matzos were placed before me at the Seder table?”
The rabbi’s wife was afraid to speak up, so she held her peace.
“Do tell me, please,” he reassured her; “have no fear.”
The rabbi’s wife mumbled the truth: “Ordinary matzos …” And she proceeded to to tell her husband the whole story.
The tzaddik now turned to the over-zealous young husband standing before him, “Look here, my son,” he said. “On the first night of Pesach I ate plain, ordinary matzah not the special ones that were prepared for the seder.” The holy rabbi continued, “I pretended not to know nor sense the difference, in order that I should not be brought to expressing hard feelings or harsh words to my beloved wife – G-d forbid — and you want to divorce your wife because of shruyah?!”
The holy rabbi then restored harmony between them, and they left him in peace.
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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Creating a Prayer – Shema and Pesach
One prayer unites Jewish people around the world – the Shema. The words of the Shema – Hear O Israel, the L-rd is Our G-d, the Lord is One – are said everyday.
Many rabbis and many more people have thought about the first sentence of the Shema. The Shema is a declaration of the Jewish people. It is an affirmation of faith, a vital part of the prayer service, and a meditation.
Every Jewish person can have a relationship with G-d as it says in the Shema “our G-d”. Pesach is a time when Jewish people come together to read the Haggadah and celebrate this joyous holiday.
One year, before beginning his own Seder, the holy rabbi of the village wandered through the village. He listened as people conducted their own Seders. As he walked down the cobble stoned alleys he heard the voices of simple Jewish families singing and reciting the narrative of the Haggadah. He stopped near the wooden shutters of one of the cottages and heard a voice reading aloud:
The Torah speaks of four sons: one wise son, one wicked son, one simple son, and one who does not know how to ask questions.”
Every time the reader came to the word for “one” — echad — he would cry it out aloud with prolonged concentration, just as people do when they say Shema Yisrael.
The holy rabbi was delighted at this approach. He commented later that this simple villager made out of the Four Sons of the Haggadah — including even the wicked son — a beautiful prayer. A sacred prayer as the Shema Yisrael.
Every year we read the words of the Haggadah: “All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are needy, let them come and celebrate the Passover with us.”
Let all of our prayers come together so that all Jewish people can unite as one and say the Shema and bring peace so that we can all celebrate Pesach in the Holy City of Jerusalem next year.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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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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The Rasha, the Chacham and the Snake
In one of the towns of Morocco there lived a wealthy Jewish merchant who was very wicked and had an evil heart. He did not want beggars and poor people to come to his house, so he built it outside the city. Around it he erected a high wall and at the only gate he placed wild dogs, who were as evil and wicked as their master. Without the walls he stationed two strong slaves who prevented the entry into the house of people whom the rich man did not like. Jewish people of the town said, “Since Haman haRasha there has been no one so wicked as he. Haman was not Jewish and this wealthy wicked man is Jewish.
One day a great chacham came to the town. He was a wandering messenger who collected money for the scholars in Eretz Yisrael who engaged in the study of the torah by day and by night. The chacham heard of the town and of the wealthy man who lived in it. However, when he came to the town he could only collect a small sum of money there. He was greatly astonished, and the people of the town told him, “It is true, among us lives a very rich Jewish merchant, but his house is surrounded by a wall and guarded by dogs and armed slaves, so that the owner of the house need not give alms to any man.”
“What is the name of this evil man?” asked the chacham. When he heard the name, he learned that sentence of death had been passed on the rich man and only he, the chacham, could save him.
The chacham told the people of the town nothing of what he had learned and went to the home of the wealthy Jewish merchant. By uttering Hashem’s holy name the road was shortened for him. When he reached the wealthy merchant’s home, he noted that together with him had come a giant snake, which was trying hard to out-distance him. What did the chacham do? He uttered Hashem’s holy name and the snake lay motionless, unable to move backwards or forwards.
The chacham from Eretz Israel came to the home of the wicked man, but the armed slaves tried to drive him away.
“I wish only to ask the master of the house one single question,” he said to them. But the guards refused to listen to him. Then once again the chacham uttered Hashem’s holy name and immediately he was within the house without the dogs even sensing that he had entered.
The wealthy man saw the chacham standing before him in the room and he uttered a cry, “Why have you entered this room in such plain and dirty clothes?” and he called to his dogs to set them on to the visitor. But the chacham seated himself on the floor and refused to move. He sat there unconcerned, while the dogs had been stricken with deafness and could not hear the call of their master. What could the rich man do? He was already weary of his own cries and he allowed the visitor to remain in the room and did not look at him.
Evening came. Out of his pocket the chacham took a prayer book and began to recite the mincha service. Just then the rich man’s servants began to set the table for the evening meal. The rich man, his wife and his children sat down at the table to eat. The holy man requested a piece of bread (of course he only pretended to be hungry for he was satisfied without eating), the size of what the rich man would give to his dogs. But the cruel rich man refused. The rich man’s family finished their meal and the chacham remained seated on the floor, his hand stretched out to ask for some morsel to eat. But the rich man forbade even his wife and children to give the chacham anything to eat.
When the remnants of the meal were gathered up from the table, the chacham once again asked for a piece of bread. The rich man threw some crumbs to the floor and said with contempt: “Take it before the dog gets it!” But the chacham persisted: “I shall accept it only from your hand.”
The woman and the children pleaded with the evil man until at last he gave the chacham a slice of bread.
The chacham rose to his feet, washed his hands, made the blessing over the bread, placed a morsel the size of an olive into his mouth and said to the rich man: “There is something I wish to reveal to you.”
The rich man became alarmed and the chacham said to him, “Send your wife and your children quickly away to a distant place, for they are in great danger tonight. And you, too, are not to sleep tonight. You must be awake throughout the night and you must not open the door.”
The frightened man did all that the chacham commanded him to do. The chacham remained seated on the floor reciting Psalms.
The giant snake began to crawl closer and closer to the house. Suddenly the rich man came up to the chacham and said: “My wife is crying out, asking me to open the door, for someone wishes to kill her.”
“Go back to your room,” the chacham commanded him. “Do not open the door.”
The rich man did as he was bidden. In a few minutes, however, he was back again, saying: “My children are crying out, ‘have mercy upon us for bandits wish to slay us!’ I shall open the door.”
“Do not open the door! Stay where you are!” commanded the chacham. The rich man obeyed, but soon he was back again. “My mother and all my other relatives have come and are pleading for mercy. I shall open the door.”
The chacham uttered a great shout and the rich man desisted, weeping all the time and asking for permission to open the door, otherwise they would all be killed.
And thus he pleaded throughout the night.
Dawn came at last. Then the chacham turned to the rich man and said, “Come and see what awaited you outside the house!”
The rich man looked upon a huge snake whose head was as big as a cask and which was as long as the entire wall encircling the house. But the snake was dead. Then the chacham told him: “The voices that you heard during the night were uttered by the snake. He spoke in the voice of your wife and he spoke in the voice of your children, for he had come to kill you all. But I foresaw all this and came here to save you. Had you not given me the piece of bread with your own hand then your end would have been bitter indeed, and the end of the members of your house would have been likewise.”
The rich man sent his slaves to bring back his wife and his children. When they returned he showed them the snake cut into pieces and told all that had come to pass during the night. The woman and the children had been so far away, that they could not know what had happened in the night.
From that night the wealthy rich man was a changed man. He gave alms generously to the poor and contributed large sums of money for Eretz Israel and for the scholars who engaged in the study of the torah.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Wisdom and Partnership
Three close friends lived in a particular city. Together they decided that each one of them would travel to a different land and study a particular wisdom of that land. They agreed that they would reunite and demonstrate what they had learned upon concluding their studies.
They did exactly that. Each one traveled to a distant land and pursued a different field of study.
After several years, the designated time arrived, and the three friends came to the appointed meeting place. They were ecstatic to see each other once again, and once the initial joy had passed, they began to show off what they had learned.
“In the land that I was in,” said one of the friends, “I met an expert craftsman who taught me how to fashion powerful binoculars that enable one to see extremely far distances…”
“I,” said the second friend, “met a remarkable coachman who taught me how to construct a wagon capable of traveling at great speeds. It can travel the lengthy distance of several parsaos in the blink of an eye!”
“And I,” said the third friend, “met an elderly doctor who taught me how to concoct an amazing medication capable of healing every type of illness!”
As they admired each other’s wisdom, the first friend displayed the binoculars he had made.
The friends took turns gazing through the powerful binoculars. Amazingly, they could see the capital city, which was a very long distance away. Looking inside the city, they observed a great commotion taking place. People were running through the streets in a panic, expressions of anguish and suffering etched upon their faces.
Adjusting the binoculars slightly, the friends were able to discern the reason behind the commotion: The king’s daughter had taken ill, and the doctors had given up hope of finding a remedy. A proclamation, therefore, went out calling upon anyone capable of lending assistance. In addition, whoever succeeded in curing the king’s daughter would receive an enormous sum of money as a reward.
“It is a pity that I am not in the capital right now,” said the friend who had been taught the art of healing. “Had I been there, I would have presented the king’s daughter with a remedy that would cure her instantly. However, I am too far away…”
“That is not a problem in the least,” remarked the second friend. “Why, the coach that I built could get you to the capital in a matter of minutes.”
The three friends boarded the remarkable coach, and, indeed, they arrived in the capital in the blink of an eye. They stopped at the palace gates and immediately presented the king’s daughter with the amazing remedy.
Lo and behold, upon tasting the medicine, her condition improved considerably. Before long, she underwent a total recovery!
At that point, however, the friends began to argue as to which one of them was entitled to the hefty reward that the king had offered.
“If not for my binoculars,” said the first friend, “you would never have known that the king’s daughter was sick.”
“So what?” answered the second friend. “If not for my coach, it would have taken you a month to get to the capital city.”
“You are both correct,” said the third friend. “But what good would it have done you to know that the king’s daughter was sick? And once you would have gotten to the capital — what would you have done then? Truthfully, it was only my medication that made all the difference!”
The king listened to their claims and, after consulting with his sagacious advisors, turned to the men and exclaimed, “It is certainly true that if we are to judge based on what transpired in the past, it would be rather difficult to determine which one of you deserves the reward. But if we take the future into account…Let us see,” continued the king, “From now on, we will have absolutely no use for your wondrous binoculars. The same thing applies to the spectacular coach. We may very well require more of this unique medicine, however. Therefore, the reward shall be granted to the provider of the medicine!”
From this story, one can gain a very powerful insight. There are three partners in the creation of a person: G-d, a father, and a mother. Yet when one wants to know which one of the three a man must obey and respect the most, one must realize that once a child is born, his parents have fulfilled their part of the partnership. Yet one is forever dependent on G-d, as He continuously to provides us with life!
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
The Holy Water Carrier
The first friendly rays of sunlight would sneak through a missing slat in the faded shutters to announce a new day to the rugged boards that lined his tumbledown cottage — and Itzik the water-carrier knew it was time to be up. First, he would settle down next to his simple table and study a page or two of Torah. He said his morning prayers with all his heart and would then leave his simple home to go down to the bank of the river that twisted and turned through the fields surrounding his village. He would fill his two homemade pails, hoist them up to the long bar borne on his broad shoulders, trek uphill, and then down again. He did this for hours on end, bringing a day’s supply to his regular customers. He was not a wealthy man, but at least he earned enough to feed his family. He was content with his life, and loved by almost everyone.
Then one day, quite suddenly, everything changed. Itzik, the self-respecting water-carrier, was asking for tzedakah (charity) in his spare time. The quiet village quickly filled with whispers and curious looks. This did not prevent those same generous people from filling his little charity box — except for one very angry merchant. That someone who could support himself by his own efforts should decide one fine morning to grow fat at the expense of the hard work of others, was nothing less than shameful. He would inform the local rabbi in person!
A few days later, sure enough, a messenger of the rabbi sternly tapped his cane three times on Itzik”s creaking door, and summoned him to appear before the rabbi. Itzik set out at once, and was greeted warmly.
“Tell me, Itzik,” asked the rabbi, “are you managing to make a living?”
“Thanks be to G-d, day by day,” said Itzik, echoing the words of the Psalmist, “I’m happy with my lot, and manage with what I have.”
“Then why, may I ask, do you collect donations?”
Silence.
“Why don’t you answer my question?” The rabbi asked irritated; Itzik remained silent.
“Listen to me,” said the rabbi. “I must ask you to give me your word that you will stop collecting donations in the marketplace.”
Silence still.
The rabbi’s patience ran out and he raised his voice: “Has it occurred to you that it is disrespectful for you not to answer the questions of the rabbi of this village?”
Itzik blurted out three quiet words: “I can’t promise,” and looked at the floor in silence.
Now Itzik was not the only person in town to visit the rabbi that day. While their tense conversation was taking place, the richest man in town — “Moshe the Nagid,” the locals called him affectionately — calmly took a seat in the waiting room. He wanted to consult the rabbi on some important business matter. Surprised to hear the rabbi raising his voice, and what he overheard made him very upset. He became sick to his stomach and began to tremble until he was driven by his emotions and he burst uninvited into the rabbi’s study.
“Rebbe!” he exclaimed. “This man here is taddik nistar (hidden saint)!”