Counting the Omer: Simple Math

Posted on Friday, 9, April, 2010Sunday, 25, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Knowledge of the physical sciences was never considered to be a deterrent from the study of Torah (Scriptures). Some of our greatest sages, from the Talmudic era to our own generation, were extremely well versed in mathematics and the sciences. Works on these subjects by ibn Ezra, Maimonides (RaMbaM), Zacuto, and the Gaon of Vilna are consulted to this day and demonstrate their vast knowledge.

The haskalah (Enlightenment) movement tried to undermine traditional Judaism and the study of Torah by introducing secular studies in all Jewish educational institutions, and they tried to use mathematics as a way of getting a foot in the door. The rabbis were against the education as presented by the maskilim. While they had no problem with the study of mathematics, they knew this was only a trick to destroy the traditional religious cheder (classroom).

One member of the haskalah movement argued with the rabbis, saying that the knowledge of mathematics would not affect anyone’s Jewishness in the least. One of the rabbis challenged him: “Then let me ask you a simple arithmetic question. How many days is it today in the counting of the Omer (days between Pesach and Shavuos)?”

When the maskil was unable to answer, the rabbi said, “See, with all your enlightenment, you don’t even know simple Jewish arithmetic.”

haYom sh’loshah v’arbaim yom sh’heim shisha shavuous v’yom echad l’omer (Today is the forty-third day, making six weeks and one day of the Omer.)

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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How to be Forgiven of Sin

Posted on Monday, 21, December, 2009Thursday, 6, September, 2018 by Rabbi

You shall seek G-d and you shall find Him, but you must search for Him wholeheartedly” (Deuteronomy 4:29). Even after you have found G-d, you must continue to search for Him wholeheartedly. G-d is infinite, and you should not be so complacent as to think that you have already found Him. Keep searching, because there is so much more (Kotzker Rebbe).

A man who had drifted away from religion came to a holy rabbi and gave him a long list of sins he had committed over the years, and told the holy rabbi that he had hoped by fasting frequently and punishing himself by sleeping on the ground and putting pebbles inside his shoes, he could be forgiven for his terrible deeds. He wondered whether all of his actions were sufficient to attain forgiveness for his sins.

The holy rabbi listened closely and studied the list of sins carefully. Then he remarked, “It appears that you have done a complete job. Truly a complete job.”

The young man was pleased that the rabbi appeared to have approved of his penance. “Then I am forgiven?” he asked.

“Not quite,” the holy rabbi said. “You began by committing sins to ruin your neshamah (soul). Having done that, you then directed your attention toward ruining your body as well. That is a complete job.”

According to many great rabbis, atonement does not require self-torment and punishment. Rather, one should understand the gravity of transgressing the Divine will, appreciate how injurious this is to oneself, and make a concerted effort to refine his character so that he is no longer likely to repeat the improper behavior. Self-punishment can mislead one to think that he has achieved atonement, whereas nothing in his character may have changed.

An old Jewish teaching tells us that “great is repentance: it brings healing to the world.” (Yoma 86a) Let us all hope that we can bring about a healing in the world.

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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Can One Fix a Spirit on Chanukah

Posted on Tuesday, 8, December, 2009Sunday, 10, December, 2023 by Rabbi

“Kol z’man she’ha-ner dolek, efshar l’takain”

“As long as the candle is still lit, it is possible to fix…”

Chanukah, the celebration of lights iscelebrated by ;ighting the chanukah menoah and watching the flames. The chanukah story is often told and the hope for peace and blessing is shared. The conflict for religious freedom and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem are remembered. Some may ask if amongst the many physical aspects (Chanukah menorahs, dreidels, latkes and Chanukah gelt) if there is a personal, internal meaning.

It was a cold, dark evening. Not a star glittered in the sky, nor did the moon light up with even the tiniest flicker. Clouds hung over the dusky sky, and a chill wind sliced through the thin walls of the simple houses. Men hurried home from Ma’ariv (evening prayer), their coats clutched about them.

The Rebbe in his long black coat, walked alone. He passed his students by hurrying out of shul through a side door before they realized it. He was lost in deep thought, and did not wish to be distracted.

“Ribono Shel Olam,” he sighed to himself. “I am getting older, yet there is still so much I have yet to accomplish. People come to me for advice, considering me a complete saint, but only You, Merciful One can clearly see my lackings – I am far from complete. What will be? There is so little time. So little time. It is said that it can take a lifetime to change a habit, and it is late. Oh, Ribono shel Olam, it is so late!”

Suddenly, a small flicker of light caught his attention. As if in a trance, he walked slowly toward the glow. He found himself before the shop of Yossele the tailor. The Rebbe entered slowly, not quite sure why he was driven to pursue the tiny ray of light that had penetrated his introspection.

Light of Hope

He stood in the doorway, fascinated. Yossele sat hunched over a tiny candle; a half finished garment in one hand and an almost invisible threaded needle in the other. In a gentle, rhythmic motion, he pushed the needle through the garment, and pulled it, drawing the thread tight. The small flame flickered to and fro as Yossele pushed the needle, and pulled it tight.

Push the needle and pull it tight…

The Rebbe stood silently for a moment, watching Yossele’s eyes squinting in concentration by the light of the candle stub.

Push the needle and pull it tight…

“Yossele,” the Rebbe spoke softly. “Yossele, why don’t you stop now? It is dark, and the night is cold.”

Yossele looked up at the Rebbe. His eyes seemed to glow with a gentle intensity that outshown the glow of the candle.

“But Rebbe,” he almost whispered, his hands never ceasing to push the needle through and pull it tight, “There is much to fix…”

The Rebbe’s eyes swept over the room, taking in the piles of clothing waiting to be mended.

“Rebbe,” the tailor repeated almost reproachfully, “As long as the candle is burning, one can sill fix . . .”

Push the needle and pull it tight…

The Rebbe’s eyes widened, He felt an all-encompassing lightness overtake him. He was free of his burden.

“Ribono shel Olam! Now I understand! As long as the candle is still burning, one can fix . . . and mend . . . his soul . . .

one . . .stitch . . .at a time…”

Push the needle and pull it tight…

Kol z’man she’haner dolek, efshar l’takain.

As lomg as the lights of the Chanukah menorh flicker and burn, a person can can fix, mend and repair their soul, Each person who sees the flames of the Chanukah menorah can rededicate and rediscover the beauty and wonder of faith.

May the lights of the Chanukah menorah burn bright and may the hope for peace warm the souls of everyone.

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

An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

The Flawed Stone

Posted on Saturday, 5, December, 2009Wednesday, 5, September, 2018 by Rabbi

The tales and stories of faith are filled with treasures that are becoming lost in a world where science, technology and mass media capture the attention of people. The storytellers of the sacred stories are lost in a society that looks for entertainment and not “lessons”, not many have the “gift” and few want to learn the art.

When one looks for spiritual guidance they are often directed almost exclusively to the Scriptures or House of Worship, but the beauty and wonder become lost in a deluge of religious facts and things to memorize. One’s beliefs are like a fine gem. When one looks at a gem, they don’t look at just one facet, but the whole stone.

THE FLAWED STONE

In a long forgotten kingdom, many, many years ago, there lived a very wise king who was loved by all in his kingdom. But, alas, the king had one fault, he was at times selfish.

Every night he would enter his bedchamber and lock the door. Under his bed, he kept a wooden chest and in that chest there was a magnificent stone. Every night he would take the stone out and he would look at it and as he turned it around, it caught the light in its many different sides. It was perfect.

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One night the king was distracted for but the briefest of moments and the stone fell from his hand to the ground. When the king picked up the stone, it was no longer beautiful and perfect. As he lifted the stone, he saw a crack that ran from one end to the other. The stone was flawed.

The king called for all the jewelers and gem setters within the kingdom to repair the stone, but, alas, they could do nothing. The king called for the stone and gem cutters and after looking at it they said the only way the stone could be saved was to cleave it in two along the crack and have two small beautiful stones.

The king would not hear of it, for the king was wise.

The King had a pedestal built in his throne room, and upon the stand he set the stone with a sign above it that said:

LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL WITHIN AND WITHOUT MY KINGDOM THAT JUST AS THIS STONE IS FLAWED, SO IS THE KING. LET NO ONE BE SELFISH.

The stone sat upon the stand in the throne room for seven years. In the seventh year there came a rabbi, an old and ancient rabbi, who looked upon the stone and said: “I can fix the stone. I can make it more beautiful than it was before it was flawed.”

The guards laughed as they thought the sage was old and without skill nor reason, and asked: “How long will it take old man? A year? Five years? A life time? You don’t have many more years in this world.” The king heard what was going on and invited the ancient rabbi to look at the stone. The rabbi took the stone and carefully looked at it and said he needed but three days to work upon the stone. Then the rabbi covered stone with a black cloth and took it into a chamber which was provided for him. He closed and bolted the chamber door.

The ancient rabbi lifted his hands towards the heavens and he began, “Ribbono shel Olam, Master the universe, give me the strength and the skill to complete the task before me.” For a day and a half the rabbi prayed, and for a day and a half scratching, scraping, and sounds of broken glass was heard from that chamber.

When the third day came everyone who was anybody gathered in the throne room. Every eye watched as the black cloth was slowly removed from the stone and there were oo’s and ah’s for the stone was indeed more beautiful than it was before it was flawed.

For you see from the crack the old and ancient rabbi had etched leaves and out of the top of the stone the rabbi had carved a perfect thirteen petalled rose.

When the king saw the stone he admired its magnificence and realized that it was indeed more beautiful than it was before it was flawed. He walked slowly through his palace marveling at the stone and realized that anyone might want the stone and would become jealous and selfish. He finally came to the courtyard and took the stone from his left hand and put in his right hand, reached back and threw it with all his might into the heavens. The stone went higher and higher until it was seen no more, for it disappeared into the heavens.

But this is not the end of the tale. For you see that that stone sits in the Crown of Glory. When one looks at a gem stone, one does not look at each facet as an individual, but at the whole stone. If one facet is flawed then the whole stone is flawed.

Each person of faith is a facet in the stone and that sits in the Crown of Glory, and the day is fast approaching when every person of faith shall join hands. On that day they will be so strong that no force shall be able to separate them.

Let us all pray for that speedy day to arrive.

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)

New – Listen to the stories every Wednesday evening on the Story Tour Podcast on

Google Play or ITunes

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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Healing Words for a Sick Person

Posted on Sunday, 29, November, 2009Tuesday, 16, November, 2010 by Rabbi

A student once asked his teacher, “Is there anything a person can do to lessen his desire for revenge, since the Torah forbids acting vengefully?” The teacher thought for a moment and answered, “Do something to improve yourself. When you become a better person, it will torment your enemies to no end.”

It is well known that a sick person’s attitude can have a major effect on the course of their illness. Optimism improves recovery, whereas depression contributes to a decline in health. So many times have people recovered from very serious illnesses by just having a positive attitude and cheerful disposition.

In a study that was published in 2013, younger men with impotence or repeated penile failure issue are seen to be more likely to smoke or use recreational medicine compared to their levitra without prescription older counterparts. If you have interstitial cystitis, you may have daytime and night time urinary frequency, urgency and pelvic pain of unknown etiology. order generic viagra raindogscine.com Impotent men lose all the interest in the life and career might get collapsed. levitra tablets The nerves in the cialis no prescription mastercard penis need to store more blood than it could previously, helping to produce a strong erection that is required for sexual intercourse. The holy Noda B’Yehudah (Rabbi Yechezkel Landau) knew this well. He did not believe in the popular belief of curing sickness with amulets. Other tzaddikim (holy rabbis) would write amulets whose mystical contents were considered healing, he would not accept the practice.

One time a father pleaded with him to give his daughter an amulet because she had been diagnosed as having a very serious and incurable disease. He was not able to refuse the request of the worried father. So Rabbi Landau took a blank piece of parchment, sealed it in a leather container, and told the father that his daughter should wear the amulet continually for one week and then open it. If the letters had disappeared, that would be a sign that she would recover.

How thrilled everyone was to see the parchment blank at the end of the week! Convinced that she would recover, the young woman indeed did.

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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 Treasure

Posted on Saturday, 22, August, 2009Monday, 11, January, 2021 by Rabbi

There are many paths people walk. Along the way there are many wonders and adventures. Many will discover treasures that they did not know they had….

There once was a poor man. He worked everyday from sun up to sun down, but no matter how hard he worked, he could not earn enough to support his family. One night he dreamed that there was a great treasure under a bridge in a faraway village. In the morning he told his wife of his dream and she said that maybe this was a good sign and that he should travel to the faraway village.

He traveled to the faraway village and stood near the bridge, and watched as people walked across the bridge. Towards evening the traffic on the bridge had slowed to nothing. So the poor man decided to go and get the treasure.

As he stepped onto the bridge he saw an officer coming from the opposite side. The poor man decided that no matter what he would tell the truth. The officer passed by and asked,

“I see that you are a stranger here, What is your business?”

The man decided that it would be best to tell the whole story and ask for help, hoping that [the officer] would share the treasure with him. He told the officer the entire story.

The officer replied,

“A poor person is only concerned with dreams! I also had a dream. In my dream I saw an old house with a red door and the window on the right was cracked. Inside the house was a woman and children crying because they had no food. Now in this house is an old iron stove and on the stove was a beat up copper kettle and behind the stove there is a hole in the wall. In that hole there is a treasure.”

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In relating his dream, the officer accurately described the poor man’s house. He rushed home, and tried to push the iron stove, but he couldn’t. He called his wife and they both pushed and pushed and were only able to push the stove a little. The children joined and soon the stove was pushed away from the wall and sure enough there was a hole in the wall and they found a treasure of golden coins.

The poor man noted, “Now I know that I had the treasure all along. But in order to find it, I had to travel to the faraway village.”

The same is true in serving the Holy One, Blessed be He. Each person has the treasure, but in order to find it, he must travel to a teacher or guide.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

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

Please share this story with family and friends and 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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Shavuous: How Do We Ignite a Mind?

Posted on Thursday, 28, May, 2009Monday, 31, July, 2023 by Rabbi

Shavuous is coming tonight. We celebrate the receiving of the Torah and the Ten Commandments, and many will learn throughout the night in preparation for this awesome holiday. On Shavuous we read the Megillas Ruth, which tells the beautiful story of the conversion of the Moabite princess to Judaism.

Learning carries its own seduction. Ruth learned from her mother-in-law and found beauty in the Jewish way of life that when asked to leave by her mother-in-law, Naomi, she responded:

“Do not ask me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; where you live, I shall live; your people are my people; and your G-d is my G-d; where you die, I will die, and there be buried. In this way, may G-d do to me – and more! – if anything but death separates me from you.”

Ruth 1:16-18

There was another convert many years later, Onkelos, who became famous for his learning; his translation of the Torah into Aramaic is found in many printed texts of the Torah to this day. Converting to Judaism was considered an insult to the Roman authorities, and soldiers were sent to carry Onkelos back to Rome. Upon hearing his reasons for changing his life and becoming Jewish. Each group of soldiers, after speaking to Onkelos, decided to stay and study the tradition.

One of the great frustrations of modern Jewish education is that it is often so academic, so dry and without feeling, that it fails to ignite the minds and imaginations of our children. Unlike the soldiers sent after Onkelos, our children come upon an unexciting, predigested Judaism, and it fails to inspire them.

The obstacles are many: Parents do not always support Jewish education, teachers are ill trained and lacking deep subject matter knowledge, students looking for answers find only set uninspiring lessons. But we should let nothing stand in the way of igniting our minds and the minds of our children with an education of depth and texture. Judaism is not merely a religion, it is a way of life, full of wonder, mystery and warmth. It is an ancient, multifaceted, deep, anguished, joyous encounter with G-d. It embraces religion, culture, community, land, and history. Only if we teach it as such will it be worth learning.

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.

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Too Many Jewish Laws?

Posted on Monday, 11, May, 2009Thursday, 29, October, 2020 by Rabbi

There are too many Jewish laws for me to be religious. This is heard very frequently. Is it true or is there a misunderstanding about the true nature of Judaism?

Once a Roman soldier came to Rabbi Shammai and said to him,”How many Laws (Torahs) do the Jewish people have?” Rabbi Shammai answered him,”We have only two. One torah given to us in writing. The other Torah, handed down by word of mouth.”

The Roman replied, “I believe in the written law and what is recorded in it. However, I do not believe in anything that has been handed down orally. Now accept me as a convert on condition that you teach me the written law.”

Rabbi Shammai became angry and drove the Roman soldier away from his school.

The Roman went from the School of Rabbi Shammai to the School of Rabbi Hillel and asked him the same question as he had asked Rabbi Shammai. Rabbi Hillel accepted him as a convert and began to teach him. The first day he taught him alef, beis, gimmel, dalet. And the Roman repeated after the rabbi exactly as he had told him. The next day Rabbi Hillel taught him again and turned the names around and said, dalet, gimmel, beis, alef.

Then the Roman said to Hillel, “Holy Rabbi, yesterday you taught me differently.” Then Hillel answered him, “Just as you rely upon my word, so you must rely on the Law, which is also handed down by word of mouth, and everything that is contained within it.”

Based on B. Shab 31a

Everyday people are challenged because their lifestyle and beliefs. So many times it is heard, “there are too many laws and rules. Its too hard to be religious.”

Sadly, many follow the ways of our teachers and rabbis (May the be a blessing) out of a sense of duty. Their actions become mechanical and by rote. Their service becomes stale and devoid of emotion.

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The laws, rituals, and traditions of the Jewish people makes our lives whole, filled with beauty, mystery and wonder. The written and oral Torah has taken us beyond a mere religion to a lifestyle filled with warmth, magnificence, mystery and peace.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

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

Please share this story with family and friends and 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

When the maskil was unable to answer, the rabbi said, “See, with all your enlightenment, you don’t even know simple Jewish arithmetic.”

haYom sh’loshah v’arbaim yom sh’heim shisha shavuous v’yom echad l’omer (Today is the forty-third day, making six weeks and one day of the Omer.)

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.

The holy rabbi listened closely and studied the list of sins carefully. Then he remarked, “It appears that you have done a complete job. Truly a complete job.”

The young man was pleased that the rabbi appeared to have approved of his penance. “Then I am forgiven?” he asked.

“Not quite,” the holy rabbi said. “You began by committing sins to ruin your neshamah (soul). Having done that, you then directed your attention toward ruining your body as well. That is a complete job.”

An old Jewish teaching tells us that “great is repentance: it brings healing to the world.” (Yoma 86a) Let us all hope that we can bring about a healing in the world.

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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“Kol z’man she’ha-ner dolek, efshar l’takain”

“As long as the candle is still lit, it is possible to fix…”

The Rebbe in his long black coat, walked alone. He passed his students by hurrying out of shul through a side door before they realized it. He was lost in deep thought, and did not wish to be distracted.

Suddenly, a small flicker of light caught his attention. As if in a trance, he walked slowly toward the glow. He found himself before the shop of Yossele the tailor. The Rebbe entered slowly, not quite sure why he was driven to pursue the tiny ray of light that had penetrated his introspection.

Push the needle and pull it tight…

The Rebbe stood silently for a moment, watching Yossele’s eyes squinting in concentration by the light of the candle stub.

Push the needle and pull it tight…

“Yossele,” the Rebbe spoke softly. “Yossele, why don’t you stop now? It is dark, and the night is cold.”

Yossele looked up at the Rebbe. His eyes seemed to glow with a gentle intensity that outshown the glow of the candle.

“But Rebbe,” he almost whispered, his hands never ceasing to push the needle through and pull it tight, “There is much to fix…”

The Rebbe’s eyes swept over the room, taking in the piles of clothing waiting to be mended.

“Rebbe,” the tailor repeated almost reproachfully, “As long as the candle is burning, one can sill fix . . .”

Push the needle and pull it tight…

The Rebbe’s eyes widened, He felt an all-encompassing lightness overtake him. He was free of his burden.

“Ribono shel Olam! Now I understand! As long as the candle is still burning, one can fix . . . and mend . . . his soul . . .

one . . .stitch . . .at a time…”

Push the needle and pull it tight…

Kol z’man she’haner dolek, efshar l’takain.

As lomg as the lights of the Chanukah menorh flicker and burn, a person can can fix, mend and repair their soul, Each person who sees the flames of the Chanukah menorah can rededicate and rediscover the beauty and wonder of faith.

May the lights of the Chanukah menorah burn bright and may the hope for peace warm the souls of everyone.

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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If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

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An age old tradition is telling stories in the glow of the Chanukah menorah. The stories tell of greatness, nobility, and wisdom while at the same time raising the hopes for a better tomorrow.

The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.

The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.

Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

THE FLAWED STONE

In a long forgotten kingdom, many, many years ago, there lived a very wise king who was loved by all in his kingdom. But, alas, the king had one fault, he was at times selfish.

One night the king was distracted for but the briefest of moments and the stone fell from his hand to the ground. When the king picked up the stone, it was no longer beautiful and perfect. As he lifted the stone, he saw a crack that ran from one end to the other. The stone was flawed.

The king would not hear of it, for the king was wise.

The King had a pedestal built in his throne room, and upon the stand he set the stone with a sign above it that said:

LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL WITHIN AND WITHOUT MY KINGDOM THAT JUST AS THIS STONE IS FLAWED, SO IS THE KING. LET NO ONE BE SELFISH.

The stone sat upon the stand in the throne room for seven years. In the seventh year there came a rabbi, an old and ancient rabbi, who looked upon the stone and said: “I can fix the stone. I can make it more beautiful than it was before it was flawed.”

When the third day came everyone who was anybody gathered in the throne room. Every eye watched as the black cloth was slowly removed from the stone and there were oo’s and ah’s for the stone was indeed more beautiful than it was before it was flawed.

For you see from the crack the old and ancient rabbi had etched leaves and out of the top of the stone the rabbi had carved a perfect thirteen petalled rose.

But this is not the end of the tale. For you see that that stone sits in the Crown of Glory. When one looks at a gem stone, one does not look at each facet as an individual, but at the whole stone. If one facet is flawed then the whole stone is flawed.

Each person of faith is a facet in the stone and that sits in the Crown of Glory, and the day is fast approaching when every person of faith shall join hands. On that day they will be so strong that no force shall be able to separate them.

Let us all pray for that speedy day to arrive.

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)

New – Listen to the stories every Wednesday evening on the Story Tour Podcast on

Google Play or ITunes

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

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.

There are many paths people walk. Along the way there are many wonders and adventures. Many will discover treasures that they did not know they had….

He traveled to the faraway village and stood near the bridge, and watched as people walked across the bridge. Towards evening the traffic on the bridge had slowed to nothing. So the poor man decided to go and get the treasure.

As he stepped onto the bridge he saw an officer coming from the opposite side. The poor man decided that no matter what he would tell the truth. The officer passed by and asked,

“I see that you are a stranger here, What is your business?”

The man decided that it would be best to tell the whole story and ask for help, hoping that [the officer] would share the treasure with him. He told the officer the entire story.

The officer replied,

The poor man noted, “Now I know that I had the treasure all along. But in order to find it, I had to travel to the faraway village.”

The same is true in serving the Holy One, Blessed be He. Each person has the treasure, but in order to find it, he must travel to a teacher or guide.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)