“Rabbi, holy rabbi, have mercy on me! Please, give me some money so I can have something to eat for myself and my children on Shabbos!” With these words, the woman who had burst into the rabbi’s house broke out into tears. “I don’t have a penny to buy food for my orphan children!”

“Why didn’t you come yesterday,” said the holy rabbi, “when I was giving tzedakah (charity) to all the poor people for Shabbos? Today, I don’t have even a copper coin to give you!”

”I’ve never taken money from anybody,” the woman said, “but today I had to come to you. I have a stand in the marketplace, not far from here, where I sell apples. With the money I make, I’m barely able to support myself and my children. Yesterday morning, with the little money I had, I bought a basket of apples from a peasant. I was hoping to earn enough money to buy something to eat for Shabbos. But rabbi, no one bought my apples. They say they’re no good!”

“No good!” cried the rabbi.” Chas v’chalila (Heaven forbid) someone would say that Hashem’s apples are no good? What do they mean?”

“Rabbi,” she pleaded, “I call out: ‘Apples, apples, delicious apples that have a taste like the Garden of Eden.’ But they say the apples are bad!”

The rabbi asked the poor woman where her stand was in the marketplace and told her to go back there, promising her that she would have money for what she needed for Shabbos.

A few minutes later, the buyers in the market saw that the holy rabbi was at the widow’s apple stand calling out loudly, “kum’t arein geshmak sheynim epls far Shabbos koidesh! Epls far farkoyf! kumen aun koyfn!” (Come around Delicious, beautiful apples for the holy Shabbos! Apples for sale! Come and buy!)”

When people heard that the holy rabbi of the town was selling apples, a crowd quickly gathered at the widow’s stand. Everyone wanted to buy apples from the rabbi. In only a few minutes, all the apples were sold.

“Do you see?” said the rabbi to the woman, as he gave her the profits, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11) the rabbi continued, “May you be blessed with gold and silver from the apples you sell and may your children grow strong like apple trees and always act with kindness and sweetness.”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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

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

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