The Passover Haggadah Says Whoever Elaborates on the Story is Praised

Posted on Friday, 2, April, 2010Sunday, 25, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Every year at Passover time we are reminded that “whoever tells at length about the leaving from Egypt, increases his own praise. Because the more one recognizes and appreciates the great miracles performed on his behalf, the more his own worth becomes apparent.”

It once happened that….

A ship transported many merchants to a distant land to sell their wares. The ship’s passengers included all sorts of merchants, each with his own merchandise: flour, fabrics, art objects, and precious stones.

Out at sea, a pirate vessel approached the ship. The pirates commanded the ship’s captain to veer from his course and follow their vessel, as a captive ship.

Fear descended upon all the ship’s passengers, for the pirates were infamous for their cruelty.

The fearless captain immediately gathered his crew together and told them how to behave at this difficult time. The sailors obeyed his orders. Some climbed up the main mast and stretched out the sails. Some stood on the deck, swords and boarding hooks in hand, and some descended to the belly of the ship and fired cannons at the pirate’s ship.

When the pirates saw the captain’s and the sailors’ courage, heard the sound of cannons, they turned around and hastily sailed away.

Although all of the merchants felt great happiness. This was not felt equally by each and every one of them. The relief of a merchant whose sacks of flour have been saved cannot be compared to the rejoicing of one whose precious jewels have been saved.

Without knowing which merchant had the most valuable cargo, one could guess it by seeing which merchant expressed his relief more than others that the ship had been saved. The more elaborate the merchant’s appreciation of the rescue, the more valuable his wares.

When the haggadah says, “and whoever elaborates on the story is praised” it speaks about the person who elaborately recounts the story of the leaving from Egypt, he reveals true faith. “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” (Psalm 95:2)

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 King and the Wall

Posted on Thursday, 1, April, 2010Tuesday, 25, July, 2023 by Rabbi

The hagaddah says:

“…even if we were all wise, all of us clever, all elders of our people, all fully versed in the Torah, we would still be obligated to recall the leaving from Egypt.”

It is the retelling of the story and the strengthening of faith that will bring us closer to the time when we will no longer be slaves.

There was once a city that was very well fortified. It was enclosed by a thick stone wall, thought to be impenetrable.

A wise king decided to conquer this fortified city. After inspecting the fortifications, he sent his mightiest soldiers to bring down the wall and attack the city. These soldiers fell.

He next sent a second wave of less mighty soldiers, and then a third wave, and so on. Before long, his entire army had been depleted, and the wall had not come down.

But the king did not give up. Once again, he circled the city, inspecting its walls “How can you expect to capture this city if all your mighty soldiers are gone?” he was asked. The wise king smiled. “If you look closely, you will see that though the soldiers could not breach the wall, they did succeed in cracking and weakening it. It is no longer strong and impenetrable. Now, with even the weak and wounded I can bring down the wall.” The king then sent his few remaining and weakest soldiers into battle and conquered the city.

Though the armies of the King did not succeed in bringing the Mashiach (Messiah), all the great Tzaddikim (Saints and holy people) of the previous generations did succeed in cracking the wall.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

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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A Rabbi’s Holy and Simple Seders

Posted on Monday, 29, March, 2010Sunday, 25, September, 2022 by Rabbi

One Passover, a rabbi conducted his first Seder with great spiritual inspiration. He carried out each of the Kabbalistic intentions and felt as if he were soaring through the heavens. He never remembered carrying out such an exhilarating Seder.

On the following night, he rabbi lay down to rest after the evening prayers to gather his strength. Suddenly, he was overcome by a deep sleep. Without realizing, he slept for several hours, waking only a half hour before midnight.

The rabbi was accustomed to finish the afikoman before midnight on the second night as well and, therefore, had to rush through the entire Seder. He had no time for mystic thoughts. With little more than the simple meanings of the words in mind, he read the Haggadah and ate the matzah, maror, and afikoman.

He felt crushed, How could he have conducted such a Seder, particular after yesterday’s heights?

After Pesach, the rabbi went to visit his master and teacher in a faraway city. When the rabbi greeted his teacher, his teacher replied:

“I watched your Seders, my student. The first night, shockingly low, soaring through the heavens, pheh…

“The second night, wonderful. The simple meaning of the Haggadah, the earnest desire to fulfill G-d’s command. How could anyone conduct a holier Seder!”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

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

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If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

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The Simple Seder is the Greater Seder

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

One Passover, after the conclusion of the Seder, the holy Rebbe of Berditchev felt very satisfied. He had fulfilled all the Passover mitzvos carefully and carried out all the mystic intentions associated with them. As he reviewed his behavior, his thoughts were interrupted by a heavenly voice:

“Don’t be so proud of your Seder. In your city, there is a poor Jewish water carrier whose Seder far surpassed yours.”

Disturbed and curious, the Rebbe dispatched some of his students to bring the water carrier to him. Despite the lateness of the hour, the students set out to fulfill their teacher’s request. Unfortunately, the water carrier was not a known person in the village and none of the students were sure where he lived.

After a considerable search, the students located the water carrier’s home and knocked at the door. Somewhat astonished to see the Rebbe’s attendants arrive at her home so late at night, the water carrier’s wife opened the door.

When the students asked to see her husband, she shyly answered “He can’t speak to you now.”

“But the Rebbe wants to see him,” they insisted.

Realizing that they would not take no for an answer, she pointed to their bedroom. “There he is, lying on the bed. He’s stone drunk. What could the Rebbe want from him?”

Without pausing to answer, the students approached the sleeping water carrier and tried to wake him. Unable to rouse him, they were forced to carry him to the Rebbe. In the holy rabbi’s presence, the water carrier began to come to his senses. When the Rebbe looked him in the eye, he began to cry continuously.

With soothing words, the Rebbe gently calmed his guest. When he regained his composure, the holy rabbi asked him: “Tell me about your Seder.”

Stuttering, his words interrupted by occasional sobs, the water carrier began to tell his story:

“There’s one custom which I have adopted that I follow loyally. Each morning after prayers, I take a little vodka and say l’chayim to to the Holy One, blessed be He.

“This morning, after following my daily custom, it occurred to me that since I wouldn’t be able to drink alcohol for the next eight days, I should say I’chayim for the entire holiday. Without thinking much longer, I downed eight more l’chayims. My head became groggy and I went to sleep.

“I slept very soundly without realizing how the hours passed by. At nightfall, my wife tried to wake me to go to shul, but I couldn’t get out of bed. When everybody was coming home, she tried to wake me again, but I just turned to the other side.

“She waited a little longer, then, came to wake me a third time. Shaking me with all her strength, she cried: “Husband! It’s Pesach! What about the seder? All the Jewish people are celebrating the holiday. What about us?'”

“I felt terrible. She was almost crying. Summoning whatever strength I could, I stumbled to the table and began to speak: “I am a simple person and my father was a simple person. I can’t read Hebrew and don’t know what we’re supposed to say now, but I know one thing about Passover. Our ancestors were slaves to the Egyptians and God took them out of exile. We’re in exile again now. May G-d redeem us very soon.”

“Afterwards, I noticed that my wife had prepared matzos, wine, eggs, and some vegetables on the table. I drank the wine, ate the food, and went back to bed. That was my Seder.”

The holy Rebbe of Berditchev again assured the water carrier that his Seder had been accepted by G-d and asked his students to take him home. When they returned, he told them: “The few words he said, he said with all his heart, and therefore. G-d appreciated his Seder.”

This year, we are slaves…

Posted on Friday, 26, March, 2010Sunday, 25, September, 2022 by Rabbi

The haggadah says, “This year, we are here; next year, in the Land of Israel. This year, we are slaves; next year, free men!”

We are still in exile today. The exile of Egypt was a difficult one, with bricks, mortar, and back breaking work. While today’s is one of abundance and wealth, so much so that sadly, people often do not realize that they are still in bitter Exile. It is like:

A prince rebelled against his father. The irate king exiled his son to a place far from the palace, decreeing that the rebellious prince must do hard labor and working with is hands.

Now the prince had never done any work at all, and he was completely unaccustomed to hard labor and working with is hands. He immediately sent his father a letter, begging for forgiveness and promising faithfully that he would never again do anything to challenge or disrespect him.

The letter touched the king’s heart, and he granted to the prince’s request and returned him to the palace as before.

Sadly, after a while, the prince forgot all that had happened and again rebelled against his father. The angry king exiled the prince once again, to the same land and to the same hard physical work.

When the king’s son saw that he was truly in a terrible situation, he wrote to his father once more, begging for mercy and forgiveness, and promising that he would never repeat his wicked actions.

The king received this letter and thought to himself, “My son writes to me now only because he finds himself in great distress, and not because he truly wishes to he close to me. If I forgive him and return him to the palace, he will once again sin against me.

“So instead, I will release him from the hard physical work in his exile—but not return him to the palace. Instead, I will support him there, in his exile, bountifully and pleasantly. Now, if my son truly wishes to return to my home, he will send me a letter with that request. But if he does not send me such a letter, I will know that he is not really devoted to me, and that all of his requests to return stemmed only from the hardships that he suffered there.”

When the Jewish people were in Egypt, the Egyptians burdened them with hard labor and working with is hands. The Jewish people cried out to Hashem, Who hurried to redeem them and take them out of Egypt. Sadly, after the Jewish people returned to the Land of Israel, they sinned against Him. As a result, the Holy One, blessed be He exiled them among the nations, where today many of them enjoy pleasant and easy lives.

If, from this comfortable exile, the Jewish people still cry out to Hashem and beg to return, this is a clear sign of their sincere, desire for Hashem’s love, But if they do not ask to return from this exile, it is a sign that they seek only a life of ease and comfort.

Hasty Words and Impulsive Actions

Posted on Wednesday, 10, February, 2010Tuesday, 18, October, 2011 by Rabbi

Many times we speak before we think. Faith teaches man patience and belief, but in our haste we too often act without tghought as to the outcome of our actions.

They say that there was a certain city in the isles of the sea where the people were good and upright, and in it dwelt a good and G-d-fearing man. This man had a barren wife who dwelt with him for a very long time until at length she conceived. The Man rejoiced exceedingly and said to her: “Be glad, for know that you will give birth to a son who will restore our soul and be a gladness to our hearts. I shall give him a good name and instruct him well and G-d will make my name great through him and he will leave me a good memorial after my death.” But the woman said: “Woe to you, do not say what you do not know and the things you are not entitled to say. For how can you know whether I shall give birth or not? Or whether it will be a son or a daughter? Or if the babe will live? Or what his character and deeds will be? Let this be and put your trust in G-d who has given you this gift. And as the wise man does not speak of things he does not know, neither should he judge the deeds of G-d, since there are many thoughts in the human heart, but the counsel of the Lord will be achieved. For whoever wishes to speak as you do will suffer the mishap of the religious beggar.” “And what was that?” said he. His wife said to him:

They say that there was once a religious beggar with a certain king who gave him a meal every day made of a griddlecake and a honey dish. He ate the cake and placed the honey in the vessel he hung around his neck until it was full. Now honey was expensive in those days. One day he lay on his bed and looked at the dish containing the honey and remembered how much honey cost, and said to himself: “When the dish is full, I shall sell it for a gold piece with which I shall buy ten ewes and each of them will give birth to a lamb, and I shall have twenty. After that, I shall let them continue to bear together with their rams and ewes among their offspring, and within four years I shall have four hundred sheep. Then I shall buy a cow and a bull, and by the time I buy land the cows will have calves. I shall take the oxen for plowing and I shall sow the land I buy and plow with them, quite apart from what I shall earn on the cows and the milk and the wool. Before another five years are over they will have increased so much that I shall be very wealthy through them and their offspring; and I shall purchase a large fine building and buy slaves and women-slaves, and everybody will talk about my great wealth. And how pleasant it will be for me if people everywhere should do me honor. I shall take a good and beautiful wife of fine stock and when I come to her she will conceive, and when it is her time to give birth she will bear me a good and pleasant son under a favorable star and at an hour of good will, and he will be blessed and prosper and will leave me a good name after my death. And I shall give him a good name and shall instruct him every day. But if he does not listen to my instruction, I shall thrash him with this stick.” And he raised the stick to thrash his son and hit the vessel with the honey, and it broke and the honey poured down over his head and mouth.

“Now I have told you this story so that you should not talk about the things you do not know, and the Book of Proverbs (27:1) said long ago: ‘Do not praise your deeds of the morrow, for you do not know what the day will bring forth.’

When the Man heard her words, he became silent and learned his lesson. But when her time came to give birth, she bore him a delightful, pleasant, and precious child in whom he rejoiced exceedingly. After her time for purification was over, she said: “Stay with your son, and I shall go to the bathhouse to purify myself.” The father sat at the child’s head for a while, but the king’s messenger came for him and he closed up the house and went away.

Now there was a dog in the house, and a snake came out of a hole to bite the baby. When the dog saw it, he seized it and killed it and his mouth was covered with blood. As for the Man, he returned swiftly from the royal palace. When he opened the door, the dog came out to him. The Man looked at him and saw that his mouth was bloody and thought that he had slain the baby. He hit the dog with his staff and killed him without thinking twice. Then he entered the house and, saw that his son was alive and the snake was slain. He repented and sorrowed and grieved for what he had done and said: “If only this child had not been born for then I would not have slain the dog and betrayed him, for these deeds are mine. Who would not be grateful for a kindness that is done to him?”

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When the wife returned, she saw that the snake and the dog were slain. She asked her husband and he told her, saying:

“This is the fruit of all who act hastily without considering things as they really are. Whoever does such a deed will repent and regret when his regret does not help, and grief will not leave his heart.”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Is Knowledge, Wisdom?

Posted on Monday, 4, January, 2010Tuesday, 18, October, 2011 by Rabbi

In a time when science and technology are touted as knowledge, there is a true lack of wisdom. The ancients defined the world in the terms of mathematics and their five senses. Times have not changed since it was taught in Pirke Avos: “Who is wise? He who learns from everybody.” (4:1) One must take the time to see and understand what is around them, for knowledge is not wisdom.

Woe to them that see and know not what they see, that stand and know not where they stand. (Chagigah 12a )

The stories told by the maggid (storytelling rabbi) touched many to the heart, mind and soul in the community. People began to see hope and return to the ways of Torah (Scriptures). Suddenly the maggid was confronted by a leader of the community, a clean-shaven man who not only refused to show the maggid any respect, but also sharply criticized him for the stories he told the people.The maggid now realized that his sermon had been on target and that this man’s disrespect was defensive.

The maggid answered the man’s biting words, “As I came into this village, I was greeted by an ox. ‘What reason do you have to greet me?’ I asked. ‘I have no reason to relate to you.’ The ox answered, ‘Yes, you do, you eat of my meat.’

“I was then greeted by a cow, and when I asked what relationship she had to me, the cow said, ‘You drink my milk.’ I was then greeted by a goat, who said, ‘We share a common feature, because you have a beard and I too have a beard.’

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“But then I was greeted by a hog. ‘This is too much,’ I said. ‘You give me nothing. I don’t eat your meat and I don’t drink your milk. You don’t have a beard like I do. Why should I relate to you?’ “

Let us all hope we can rise above the science and popular philosophies of society to gain true knowledge and wisdom.

“All the streams run into the sea” (Eccles. 1:7). All of man’s wisdom is nowhere other than in the heart. “Yet the sea is not full” (ibid.)–the heart is never filled to capacity. You might suppose that when a man lets his wisdom go forth from his heart, it will never flow back to him. For this reason Scripture says, “Yet the streams flow back again” (Eccles. R. 1:7)

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True Friends Are A Gift

Posted on Tuesday, 1, September, 2009Monday, 3, October, 2011 by Rabbi

Is there a blessing greater than good friends? “Either friends or death,” ringingly declares the Talmud (Ta’anis, 23a). The sages insist that isolation is a betrayal of G-d’s design. People need one another to thrive.

The Bible is a book of deep friendships: Jonathan and David’s, Ruth and Naomi’s. Each illustrates the depth of true friendship, which involves not only love but also the willingness of one to make sacrifices for the interests of the other. True friendship is not selfish and does not disappear when the friend is in trouble. Who does not understand the sadness of false friends as they eat with you, celibrate and share your happiness and good times, but are absent when you are in need. When you fall, where are your friends?

True friends don’t leave.

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Deep friendship is mysterious. It is not always based on a community of interests or a similarity of goals. If love depends on something temporary, once the temporary thing passes away, love also passes away; but if love does not depend on something short-lived, it will never pass away. What love depends on something temporary? The love of Amnon for Tamar. (2 Samuel 13) And what love did not depend on something short-lived? The love of David and Jonathan. (2 Samuel 1:26. Pirke Avos 5:16)

Among the glorious gifts celebrated by our tradition is this peculiar and lasting love, the true friend.

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The Island

Posted on Friday, 10, July, 2009Monday, 25, June, 2018 by Rabbi

A ship was sailing across the seas to distant lands. The sailors and merchants had lost their way and were wandering aimlessly at sea, tired, hungry and thirsty, confined to the ship. Every so often, they caught sight of a large island there in the middle of the sea. It was the season when the everything comes alive, and all kinds of good trees and grasses and flowers, including roses and violets were seen on the island. Sweet water was found on the beautiful and well-shaded island.

The ship’s captain, crew and passengers approached the island and went ashore to delight in its trees and rest in their shade. They ate from the fruit of the trees, drank the sweet water, and delighted in the sweet fragrance. They then left and returned to the ship to continue the voyage and find their way at sea.

One man among them decided not to leave even though the others strongly pleaded with him, he thought, “Where, anywhere else in the world, could I find such a place of delight, a paradise the likes of which even kings do not possess?” When they saw that he absolutely refused to leave, they continued on without him, and found their way home.

That one man remained there, eating of the island’s fruits, drinking of the sweet water, and delighting in the marvelous fragrance of the spices. But when winter approached, the leaves of all the trees fell to the ground, as did their fruits and similarly all the spices. The springs also dried up. Only bare trees remained, affording him neither shade nor protection from either the dry hot days or the night frost. And he died there, hungry and empty-handed, having found nothing but untold distress.

So are we in this world like that ship sailing on the high seas. Like a lost ship at sea, we are unsure of our direction and know not to whom to turn or where we are going. In this world, which resembles such a sea, we discover a large island with all kinds of delights and pleasures, more than one can ever count.

There are those who — knowing the awe of G-d — partake of these pleasures in a limited way but then immediately return to G-d in repentance. They continue along their way, fulfilling G-d’s will, even suffering the distresses of this world, which are like the agonies of being at sea, in order to proceed toward their place of rest. And, then, there are fools like that man who, so drawn to physical delights, remained to enjoy them until the season approached in which those delights ceased and in their place he found only bare trees and had neither food nor shade but only affliction and torment. This is the case with all those who follow the dictates of their eves and the false desires of their hearts without considering what tomorrow will bring.

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

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

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The Philmont Maggid

Posted on Monday, 25, May, 2009Tuesday, 16, November, 2010 by Rabbi

Its a new season and Philmont is being staffed for the adventures that follow. Some will discover that the stories of the Philmont Rebbe, a maggid of day gone by will guide them on their treks.

People of all ages enjoy stories more than any other form of entertainment. They laugh, cry, smile, and sigh as they enjoy age-old lessons and tales of communities throughout the world. They can travel through time with but a whisper.

The Jewish storytelling rabbi (maggid), in days gone by, would travel from community to community to strengthen the heart and soul of Jewish people. The stories told of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

One such maggid is Rabbi Rachmiel (Rock) Tobesman who has shared and taught people from childhood through the golden years in many areas of the United States. He has been invited to teach educators and community leaders how to use the power of storytelling to improve the quality of services to the people of all backgrounds. As a traditional spiritual storyteller, Rachmiel Tobesman touches the heart and soul with stories long forgotten.

This maggid shares stories that contain wondrous, lofty, and healing messages that each person understands in their own way. The stories told by this maggid will arouse the heart and elevate spirituality so one can see the holy Sparks in every day deeds. If a person looks at the maggid and his stories with an open mind and heart, they will understand their messages and begin the process of healing on their spiritual journey.

The plain, simple meaning of the maggid’s stories strongly motivates a person toward the Holy One, Blessed be He. All the stories consist of mysteries, wonder, beauty, honor and spirituality, aside from their secret meanings, they have a great power to uplift everyone and help them on their spiritual journey

The Palm Beach Sun Times observed that

“Rabbi Tobesman weaves stories and spreads magic as the medieval wizard cast spells…. Everyone felt the wonder and excitement as he told stories long forgotten…. His stories kept everyone spell bound from young to old.”

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He is the former Storyteller-in-Residence at the Walter’s Art Museum and was one of the featured storytellers at the CAJE (Coalition for Advancements in Jewish Education) conferences in Maryland, Georgia, Washington, Ohio and New York. He has presented at the annual conferences of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), in Florida, Missouri and Washington, DC. He combines the skills of educator and maggid (spiritual storyteller) to touch the heart of all who listen. The St. Louis Jewish Times reported that

“Rabbi. Tobesman teaches through stories and tells Jewish stories in the tradition of the Breslover Chasidim. He stirs the memory and sparks the heart and soul of everyone.”

The plain, simple meaning of the spiritual storyteller’s stories strongly motivate a person toward the Holy One, blessed be He. All the stories consist of mysteries, wonder, beauty, honor and spirituality, aside from their secret meanings, they have a great power to uplift everyone and help them on their spiritual journey.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Every year at Passover time we are reminded that “whoever tells at length about the leaving from Egypt, increases his own praise. Because the more one recognizes and appreciates the great miracles performed on his behalf, the more his own worth becomes apparent.”

It once happened that….

A ship transported many merchants to a distant land to sell their wares. The ship’s passengers included all sorts of merchants, each with his own merchandise: flour, fabrics, art objects, and precious stones.

Out at sea, a pirate vessel approached the ship. The pirates commanded the ship’s captain to veer from his course and fol­low their vessel, as a captive ship.

Fear descended upon all the ship’s passengers, for the pirates were infamous for their cruelty.

When the pirates saw the captain’s and the sailors’ courage, heard the sound of cannons, they turned around and hastily sailed away.

Although all of the mer­chants felt great happiness. This was not felt equally by each and every one of them. The relief of a merchant whose sacks of flour have been saved cannot be compared to the rejoicing of one whose precious jew­els have been saved.

Without knowing which merchant had the most valuable cargo, one could guess it by seeing which merchant expressed his relief more than others that the ship had been saved. The more elaborate the merchant’s appreciation of the rescue, the more valuable his wares.

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)

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

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 hagaddah says:

“…even if we were all wise, all of us clever, all elders of our people, all fully versed in the Torah, we would still be obligated to recall the leaving from Egypt.”

It is the retelling of the story and the strengthening of faith that will bring us closer to the time when we will no longer be slaves.

There was once a city that was very well fortified. It was enclosed by a thick stone wall, thought to be impenetrable.

A wise king decided to conquer this fortified city. After inspecting the fortifications, he sent his mightiest soldiers to bring down the wall and attack the city. These soldiers fell.

He next sent a second wave of less mighty soldiers, and then a third wave, and so on. Before long, his entire army had been depleted, and the wall had not come down.

Though the armies of the King did not succeed in bringing the Mashiach (Messiah), all the great Tzaddikim (Saints and holy people) of the previous generations did succeed in cracking the wall.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

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One Passover, a rabbi conducted his first Seder with great spiritual inspiration. He carried out each of the Kabbalistic intentions and felt as if he were soaring through the heavens. He never remembered carrying out such an exhilarating Seder.

On the following night, he rabbi lay down to rest after the evening prayers to gather his strength. Suddenly, he was overcome by a deep sleep. Without realizing, he slept for several hours, waking only a half hour before midnight.

He felt crushed, How could he have conducted such a Seder, particular after yesterday’s heights?

After Pesach, the rabbi went to visit his master and teacher in a faraway city. When the rabbi greeted his teacher, his teacher replied:

“I watched your Seders, my student. The first night, shockingly low, soaring through the heavens, pheh…

“The second night, wonderful. The simple meaning of the Haggadah, the earnest desire to fulfill G-d’s command. How could anyone conduct a holier Seder!”

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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One Passover, after the conclusion of the Seder, the holy Rebbe of Berditchev felt very satisfied. He had fulfilled all the Passover mitzvos carefully and carried out all the mystic intentions associated with them. As he reviewed his behavior, his thoughts were interrupted by a heavenly voice:

“Don’t be so proud of your Seder. In your city, there is a poor Jewish water carrier whose Seder far surpassed yours.”

After a considerable search, the students located the water carrier’s home and knocked at the door. Somewhat astonished to see the Rebbe’s attendants arrive at her home so late at night, the water carrier’s wife opened the door.

When the students asked to see her husband, she shyly answered “He can’t speak to you now.”

“But the Rebbe wants to see him,” they insisted.

Realizing that they would not take no for an answer, she pointed to their bedroom. “There he is, lying on the bed. He’s stone drunk. What could the Rebbe want from him?”

With soothing words, the Rebbe gently calmed his guest. When he regained his composure, the holy rabbi asked him: “Tell me about your Seder.”

Stuttering, his words interrupted by occasional sobs, the water carrier began to tell his story:

“There’s one custom which I have adopted that I follow loyally. Each morning after prayers, I take a little vodka and say l’chayim to to the Holy One, blessed be He.

“This morning, after following my daily custom, it occurred to me that since I wouldn’t be able to drink alcohol for the next eight days, I should say I’chayim for the entire holiday. Without thinking much longer, I downed eight more l’chayims. My head became groggy and I went to sleep.

“I slept very soundly without realizing how the hours passed by. At nightfall, my wife tried to wake me to go to shul, but I couldn’t get out of bed. When everybody was coming home, she tried to wake me again, but I just turned to the other side.

“She waited a little longer, then, came to wake me a third time. Shaking me with all her strength, she cried: “Husband! It’s Pesach! What about the seder? All the Jewish people are celebrating the holiday. What about us?'”

“Afterwards, I noticed that my wife had prepared matzos, wine, eggs, and some vegetables on the table. I drank the wine, ate the food, and went back to bed. That was my Seder.”

The holy Rebbe of Berditchev again assured the water carrier that his Seder had been accepted by G-d and asked his students to take him home. When they returned, he told them: “The few words he said, he said with all his heart, and therefore. G-d appreciated his Seder.”

The haggadah says, “This year, we are here; next year, in the Land of Israel. This year, we are slaves; next year, free men!”

We are still in exile today. The exile of Egypt was a difficult one, with bricks, mortar, and back breaking work. While today’s is one of abundance and wealth, so much so that sadly, people often do not realize that they are still in bitter Exile. It is like:

A prince rebelled against his father. The irate king exiled his son to a place far from the palace, decreeing that the rebellious prince must do hard labor and working with is hands.

Now the prince had never done any work at all, and he was completely unaccustomed to hard labor and working with is hands. He imme­diately sent his father a letter, begging for forgiveness and promising faithfully that he would never again do anything to challenge or disrespect him.

The letter touched the king’s heart, and he granted to the prince’s request and returned him to the palace as before.

Sadly, after a while, the prince forgot all that had hap­pened and again rebelled against his father. The angry king exiled the prince once again, to the same land and to the same hard physical work.

When the king’s son saw that he was truly in a terrible situation, he wrote to his father once more, begging for mercy and forgiveness, and promising that he would never repeat his wicked actions.

The king received this letter and thought to himself, “My son writes to me now only because he finds himself in great distress, and not because he truly wishes to he close to me. If I forgive him and return him to the palace, he will once again sin against me.

If, from this comfortable exile, the Jewish people still cry out to Hashem and beg to return, this is a clear sign of their sincere, desire for Hashem’s love, But if they do not ask to return from this exile, it is a sign that they seek only a life of ease and comfort.

Many times we speak before we think. Faith teaches man patience and belief, but in our haste we too often act without tghought as to the outcome of our actions.

“Now I have told you this story so that you should not talk about the things you do not know, and the Book of Proverbs (27:1) said long ago: ‘Do not praise your deeds of the morrow, for you do not know what the day will bring forth.’

When the wife returned, she saw that the snake and the dog were slain. She asked her husband and he told her, saying:

“This is the fruit of all who act hastily without considering things as they really are. Whoever does such a deed will repent and regret when his regret does not help, and grief will not leave his heart.”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Woe to them that see and know not what they see, that stand and know not where they stand. (Chagigah 12a )

The maggid answered the man’s biting words, “As I came into this village, I was greeted by an ox. ‘What reason do you have to greet me?’ I asked. ‘I have no reason to relate to you.’ The ox answered, ‘Yes, you do, you eat of my meat.’

“I was then greeted by a cow, and when I asked what relationship she had to me, the cow said, ‘You drink my milk.’ I was then greeted by a goat, who said, ‘We share a common feature, because you have a beard and I too have a beard.’

“But then I was greeted by a hog. ‘This is too much,’ I said. ‘You give me nothing. I don’t eat your meat and I don’t drink your milk. You don’t have a beard like I do. Why should I relate to you?’ “

Let us all hope we can rise above the science and popular philosophies of society to gain true knowledge and wisdom.

Is there a blessing greater than good friends? “Either friends or death,” ringingly declares the Talmud (Ta’anis, 23a). The sages insist that isolation is a betrayal of G-d’s design. People need one another to thrive.

True friends don’t leave.

Among the glorious gifts celebrated by our tradition is this peculiar and lasting love, the true friend.

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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Out at sea, a pirate vessel approached the ship. The pirates commanded the ship’s captain to veer from his course and follow their vessel, as a captive ship.

Although all of the merchants felt great happiness. This was not felt equally by each and every one of them. The relief of a merchant whose sacks of flour have been saved cannot be compared to the rejoicing of one whose precious jewels have been saved.

Now the prince had never done any work at all, and he was completely unaccustomed to hard labor and working with is hands. He immediately sent his father a letter, begging for forgiveness and promising faithfully that he would never again do anything to challenge or disrespect him.

Sadly, after a while, the prince forgot all that had happened and again rebelled against his father. The angry king exiled the prince once again, to the same land and to the same hard physical work.