In the holy city of Sfas (Safed) there lived a holy rabbi who was said to know all of the revealed and hidden Torah, all the holy writings, and the Zohar by heart. A wealthy and educated merchant in Sfas owned a large orchard, several fields, and two ancient forests. Now this wealthy merchant had a beautiful he had great difficulty in finding a worthy groom for her. No one was a fine enough scholar. Then it happened that he heard of the holy rabbi, and he was determined that such a learned man would be his son-in-law. With the help of a shadchan (a person who arranges marriages) the betrothal was made.
So it was that the holy rabbi met both his bride and his father-in-law for the first time on the day he was married. Under the chupah (wedding canopy) the holy rabbi took the hand of his bride and said, “And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy.” (Hosea 2:19) The love between the holy rabbi and his bride was a deep one, which had been ordained in heaven.
Every day after the morning prayers, the holy rabbi rode a horse into one of the forests, and he was not seen again until the sun was about to set and it was time for the afternoon prayers. What he did in that forest was a mystery. The wealthy merchant saw that the holy rabbi treated his daughter well and that she always appeared to be happy, so he never questioned his ways of his son-in-law.
Now the wealthy merchant hired two Jewish men to serve as the foresters of the two ancient forests he owned. Each had a cabin in one of the forests, and there they watched for those who sought to poach, illegally hunt or cut down the trees. They would walk through the forests as they patrolled for trespassers. One day, one of the foresters saw a horse tied to a tree and when he went closer, he saw the merchant’s son-in-law lowering himself into the dark, putrid insect-infested waters. What kind of mikveh (ritual bath) was this?
The holy rabbi spent a long time in those waters, and when he came out of the water, he dressed, untied the horse, and rode out of the forest. Then the forester came out of hiding and saw, to his amazement, that those waters had turned completely pure. He bent down and drank from them, and the waters were clear and sweet. And he realized that he had witnessed a miracle of one of the hidden saints.
So it was that the forester secretly observed the holy rabbi as he made his way through the forest, and he saw many other kinds of miracles take place. Whatever barren tree he sat beneath soon had blossoms appear on it, and whatever path he walked on had flowers spring up overnight. All of nature welcomed his presence as if he were an angel. He quietly went on his way hidden from the eyes of people, healing whatever was sick or dying with a power that seemed to spring from his very being. The holy rabbi searched for the scattered sparks in that holy forest, so that he could gather them so he could repair the world.
Now that forester was childless, and when he told his wife about the miracles he had witnessed in the forest, and then told her husband that the holy rabbi was a tzaddik nistar (righteous hidden holy man). She begged him to go to the hidden tzaddik and ask for his blessing so they could have a child of their own. One day, when he could not hold himself back any longer, the forester approached the holy rabbi and said, “I know that you are a tzaddik nistar, who hides his ways from the world. There is only one thing I would ask of you, and if you help me, I promise never to reveal your secret. All I ask is that you pray for my wife and me to have a son.” The tzaddik saw that his secret had been discovered, and he blessed the forester, “Ribonno shel Olam, Master of the Universe look down on the sadness of your children, and remember them, and grant them a child.” He then promised the man that within a year he and his wife would be blessed with a baby boy. At the end of the year the forester’s wife gave birth to a healthy son.
The forester was overjoyed at the birth of his son and kept his word and never revealed the secret of the holy rabbi. Then one day his friend forester, who watched over the other ancient forest, came to visit him. This forester’s life had been tragic, for each of his sons had died before reaching the eighth day. He said: “I see that G-d has blessed you and you have had a son. May there be many more blessings. Tell me, was there anything you did to make this possible? Perhaps you can help me so that I can be blessed as well.”
Now the forester had no intention of breaking his promise, but at the same time he wanted to help his friend, the other forester. He thought for some time and answered: “I will help you on one condition—that you not ask any questions but do whatever I tell you to do.” The other forester quickly agreed to these terms, and the first one explained: “What we have to do is to switch places, so that you will patrol my forest, and I will patrol yours. Then everything will be all right.”
So it was that the foresters switched places, and after a while the second forester observed the ways of the holy rabbi, who brought miracles to pass wherever he went. When he saw these miracles, the forester understood why the other had advised him to switch places. One day he slowly approached the tzaddik of the forest and told him of the disaster that had haunted the birth of every one of his sons, and he asked for his blessing, that his future sons would live.
The tzaddik was silent for a long time, and at last he said: “Do you remember that when you were young you went with some friends to swim in the river and to wash in its waters? There was a large tree near the shore of that river, and at the bottom of the trunk, near the roots, there was engraved the image of a hand. And you had the urge to laugh and play around. So you took a ring and placed it on the finger of the hand and said Haray at mekudeshes….Behold you are consecrated to me, the wedding vows.”
The forester grew pale when he heard this, for he himself had forgotten about that foolish thing. He lowered his eyes and admitted that it was true, and the holy rabbi explained: “At that moment an evil spirit that lived in that place was wed to you. And since you married someone else, this evil spirit comes and kills your sons because you betrayed her and didn’t fulfill the wedding vow”
The forester was staggered by these words, and he said: “I remember that day as if it were yesterday. Afterward I was ashamed of what I had done, and I put it out of my mind until now. Please, tell me, what must I do in order to free myself of that evil spirit?”
The holy rabbi told the forester that he had to say a special teffilah (prayer):
“Av haRachaman…Father of Mercy, I have done so much damage in this world through my many indiscretions, sins and wrong-doing from my earliest days until today. I have so abused my mouth, my eyes and ears – at times because of my carelessness, at times intentionally, sometimes through outside pressures and sometimes quite deliberately. Kind, loving and forgiving Master of Compassion: pardon and forgive me for everything. Repair all the damage until not a trace is left. You know that I need your help to make amends for all the wrong I have done.”
The holy rabbi continued, “I will write the get, the bill of divorce, for you, and you must take it to the same place, and put the get into the hand engraved there, and you must say: ‘The holy rabbi commands you to divorce me.’ “
The forester went there, found the place where the hand was engraved, and he did as the holy rabbi told him to do, and at last he was freed of that spirit. And the sons who were born to him after that all thrived.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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I agree that stories unlock the soul of the listener and allows us to travel the spiritual path. The gift to tell a story in such a way as to communicate holiness is rare. I’ve heard many storytellers who entertain, but only a few can truly tell stories that can move a person. The power of the stories and the storyteller are awesome and powerful.
The stories [folktales and fairy tales] that people tell contain many deep secrets and exalted concepts. Over time, the stories have become flawed, and have numerous deficiencies because they are no longer understood. The stories are also being lost, because people do not tell them or tell them in the wrong order: Important elements are left out, idioms forgotten, spiritual aspects are neglected, and there are many other confusions of this nature. Nonetheless, it is unquestionably true that the stories people tell contain awesome secrets, hidden wisdom and have the power to uplift the mind, body and soul.
I find the computer and internet lacking in certain aspects. For one you really have to search for “facts” where stories invite me to relax and explore meanings and values that help me to grow and more importantly find peaceful moments in the tense environment so often found in today’s society
The stories are beautiful and a source of encouragement. No technology can define “beauty” or “encouragement” because it is subjective. In other words, what I see as beautiful may be different than someone else. That does not change anything for me, but offers an opportunity to share my views and beliefs with others. Today there are too many people claiming to be open and accepting, but in reality are intolerant to the max. I enjoy the stories and have a special understanding that is very personal. No one has the right to tell me my views are not valid.
To “understand some of the most difficult ideas and lessons” as you say is just a matter of looking it up on the computer. Besides stories are fantasy which clouds the importance of the truth. Facts are truth!
Truth be told, by an engineer and not a storyteller, facts do make us better people. Morality, faith and beliefs are subjective, based on an individual, and no one has the right to tell another what is right and wrong (morality) or what to believe in.
Stories in my experience general touch upon and help understand some of the most difficult ideas and lessons. The beauty of stories as well is that as they are passed from one person to another they change very slightly, this makes me feel that as the stories survive through time they too are going through their own adventures.
It is sad to see that some of the people who have posted in this discussion must not have been read stories as a child. It is not facts that give us faith, nor is it facts that make us better people. Morality, Faith, and how we believe does how ever, And I have noticed that that is an ongoing theme of the blog’s stories.
Thank you for sharing these stories with us.
Stories are for children, The fantasy within the stories are entertaining, but we live in a time when facts are just a button away. With cell phones, computers and tablets facts and information are available almost right away. Stories distract people from important information.
Sadly, many people believe stories are for children and that adults have outgrown stories. The children understand the stories better because they are still open minded. Adults have become set in their thought patterns and are resistant to many of the inner lessons within the stories. They miss the mysticism, spirit and beauty of the stories.
There are many who enjoy stories and storytelling but in the back of their minds think, “after all, they’re only stories.” How many times have you heard someone say, “They’re just Torah/Bible stories”? If one does not believe in the stories, they can not share the wonder and beauty within the tale, nor can they convey the messages the story has to offer or teach.
When both tellers and listeners know they are engaged in a sacred activity, stories and storytelling will be held more dear. The teller will tell with the tongue of faith, the listeners will hear with the ears of faith, and the circle of holiness will be closed.
I had hoped that the Story Tour Blog would generate comments and even discussion, but alas no one really shares any thoughts or comments. “likes” are nice, but are the stories really touching the heart and soul of the listener/reader?
I don’t know, but I think stories are very important in helping us define who we are and what we believe. A good story told by a good storyteller is much more than entertainment, its and adventure.
Nice story. Stories are good entertainment at best a simple diversion at worst. With kindles and computers everything is at one’s fingertips, literally. The role of the storyteller is obsolete and out of pace with the times. People really need facts not fantasy.
Great story! It made me think about my Judaism. I recently posted on Facebook:
Had a fun Shabbos with lots of good food and songs. The dvar Torah was interesting, but I missed good stories. My host explained that stories are for children, not adults because its not Torah.
I feel that he does not understand how important stories are to understanding Torah.