#668
(s5771-02 / 7 Tishrei 5771)
Late for Kol Nidrei
Nopbody
could understand why Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev was delaying to begin
the Yom Kippur Evening prayers.
Connection: Seasonal
- Yom Kippur)
#667
(s5771-01 / Erev Rosh Hashana 5771)
Two Parables for Prosperity
The
Modzitcher Rebbe rebuffed a chassid seeking advice on his parnassah,
saying, "I don't occupy myself with the frivolities of this world."
Immediately after this, another chassid entered the Rebbe's room and spoke to
the Rebbe for a full two hours - about his parnassah.
Connection:
Seasonal - Rosh Hashana)
#666
(s5770-51 / 21 Elul 5770)
Jacob & Ivan; Israel & Peter
Many
visitors had come to spend the Days of Judgment in the nearness of the saintly
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev.
Connection: Seasonal
- Saturday night starts the Selichot prayers before Rosh Hashana (for Ashkenazic
Jews; the Sephardim have been saying for three weeks already, since 2 Elul)
#665 (s5770-50 / 14 Elul 5770)
The
Pesky Beggar
"If you feel you have no needs,"
the Baal Shem Tov said, "perhaps you will listen to a story I have.
But you must listen attentively."
Connection: Seasonal
- Shabbat 18 Elul is the 312th anniversary of the birth of the Baal Shem Tov,
and the 286th annioversary of his revelation of the Chasidic movement.
#664 (s5770-49 / 7 Elul 5770)
From
Lubavitch To Warsaw
Once, a very distraught woman
made an arduous one-week journey to Lubavitch because someone told her that the
Rebbe Reshab could help her.
Connection: Weekly
Reading - documents of divorce
#663
(s5770-48 / 30 Menachem-Av 5770)
Himalayan Rescue
On
a daring rescue mission in the Himalayas, Dror-Moshe Shaul succeeded in
utilizing skills he gained as an Israel Army paramedic.
Connection:
Weekly Reading - To prevent 21:1(inspired by D. Kahn, England)
#662
(s5770-47 / 23 Menachem-Av 5770)
The Enticing Platter
Reb
Shmuel Munkes pranced about, pouring l'chaim
and serving food, with the bowl of roasted lung snug and elusive under his arm,
deftly side-stepping all attempts to free it from his grasp.
Connection:
Weekly reading - eating kosher
#661
(s5770-46 / 16 Menachem-Av 5770)
The Broken Letter
It
is known that Rabbi Moshe of Peshevarsk wrote every word of tefilin in
holiness and purity, so every existing pair is considered extremely valuable.
Connection:
Weekly reading (this week and last) -- tefilin
#660
(s5770-45 / 10 Menachem-Av 5770)
From Fire to Ice
Despite
her husband's attitude, whenever business took him away for an extended period,
she would go to visit Rebbe Meir of Primishlan.
Connections
(2): Shabbat reading (Mincha) -- verse 7:14; Seasonal - Shabbat Nachamu
#659 (s5770-44 / 2 Menachem-Av
5770)
Will Power to Live
Rabbi
Benzion Halberstam of Bobov was regularly provided
by his followers with Havana cigars to smoke.
Connections
(2): Weekly reading -- verse 4:15; Seasonal - 69th yahrzeit
#658
(s5770-43 / 24 Tammuz 5770)
Power of Prayer
When
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu first became a dayan (an official rabbinical court
judge) in Be'er Sheva, in 1957 at age 28, his was the only rabbinical court between
Eilat and Be'er Sheva.
Connection: the end of the thirty-day
mourning period for Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu on 25 Tammuz (Wednesday, July 7).
#657 (s5770-42 / 17 Tammuz 5770)
Handle
with Care
On his deathbed, the Ohr HaChaim
whispered to his wife: "Do not fear, I will not allow you to starve."
Connection:
Seasonal: 267th yahrzeit
#656
(s5770-41 / 10 Tammuz 5770)
Transcending Conflict
The
Rebbe Rayatz replied to Rabbi Menachem Porush, "For
'Porush' there are many peirushim [interpretaions]; which one are you?"
Connection:
Seasonal: 83rd anniversary of miraculous liberation.
#655
(s5770-40 / 3 Tammuz 5770)
Takes Two to Deal
The
Lubavitcher Rebbe answered, "How do you know that
you are closer to G-d than they? Maybe they are closer than you! Who can know
what is inside the soul of a Jew?"
Connection: 16th Yartzeit
#654 (s5770-39 / 26 Sivan 5770)
Tar
Boy
The following day the Baal Shem Tov came
to the same spot in the forest, and they proceeded to the young man's home. A
tantalizing aroma greeted them.
Connection: Weekly Reading
-- See the commentaries about the opposite influences of the wives of Korach
and On ben Pelet. (Also, we missed having a Besht story for Shavuot, as
is traditional.)
#653
(s5770-38 / 19 Sivan 5770)
Fringe Rewards
The
soldier was quite surprised when the Rabbi called upon him for the most important
aliyah to the Torah.
Connection: Weekly Reading --
the end (tsitsit)
#652
(s5770-37 / 12 Sivan 5770)
A Matter of Taste
Rabbi
Shlomo of Karlin was expected at the home of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi.
But the visit gave rise to a dispute between the Rebbe's wife and their
daughter, Freyda.
Connections (2): Weekly Reading --
the manna contained all tastes; Seasonal - 197th yahrzeit
#651
(s5770-36 / 4 Sivan 5770)
With Only a Single Page
"Let
me know when it will be," Rabbi Moshe Feinstein instructed. "I
wish to take part in this joyous occasion!"
Connection:
Seasonal - Shavuot, learning Torah
#650
(s5770-35 / 27 Iyar 5770)
Aliyah Funds
"Your
idea does not appeal to me at all," Rabbi Meir of Primishlan said
emphatically.
Connection: 160th Yartzeit
#649
(s5770-34 / 20 Iyar 5770)
A Blessing Through the Volcano
Within
the chaos, one young Jew merits a smile of grace from the Creator of the World,
and a miraculous series of events begins to unfold.
Connection:
Current Events
#648 (s5770-33
/ 13 Iyar 5770)
The Suddenly Inaccessible Shortcut
Only
when they heard the faint sound of the Shabbat siren in the village of Meron,
heralding the arrival of Queen Shabbat, did they realize that they had to return
to their hostel immediately.
Connection: Seasonal - Lag b'Omer
/ Meron
#647 (s5770-32
/ 6 Iyar 5770)
Medical Corps
"Don't
be concerned," the Koznitzer Magid assured them;"it was surely
not an evil spirit or sorcerer."
Connections (2): Seasonal
- Iyar: Month of Healing, and Weekly Reading -- Acharei Mot
#646
(s5770-31 / 29 Nissan 5770)
A New Cousin for Seder
"I
must not let a minor matter such as his severe stench repel me from the great
mitzvah of hospitality," Rabbi Lezer of Reishe thought to himslef.
"But what about my wife?"
Connections (2): Seasonal
- Passover, and Weekly Reading -- skin disease
#645
(s5770-30 / 23 Nissan 5770)
Perils of Pita and Pesach
Salah
Taamari was one of the prisoners in the Israeli detention camp, Ansar;
he was a senior PLO terrorist, much admired by his henchmen.
Connections
(2): Seasonal - Passover, and Weekly Reading -- eating kosher
#644
(s5770-29 / 14 Nissan 5770)
Pesach in a Siberian Labor Camp
The
prison officer said to R. Eliezer Naness: "You are doing yourself
a grave disservice by having the matzot. There is talk already that you
are demoralizing the other prisoners. You know that there are plenty of ways of
eliminating undesirable elements here. ...Your bones will never be found."
Connection: Seasonal -- Passover Festival
#643
(s5770-28 / 8 Nissan 5770)
Earning the Prize
The
young man determinedly maneuvering forward explained: "I want to get a dollar
as soon as possible [from the Lubavitcher Rebbe] so I can go on line again
and get another one."
Connection: Seasonal -- 11 Nissan:
Lubavitcher Rebbe's birthday
#642
(s5770-27 / 1 Nissan 5770)
In Place of a Temple Offering
"Leave
out my 'Rebbe' and your 'Rebbe' and come with me," excalimed Rabbi Moshe-Leib
of Sassov.
Connection: Weekly Reading -- the offerings
#641 (s5770-26 / 23 Adar 5770)
Something
In The Air
I decided to drive to a nearby city,
one with, unlike Tsfat, eating establishments that would be open despite it being
the Sabbath.
Connection: Weekly Reading -- Shabbat (34:21)
#640 (s5770-25 / 16 Adar 5770)
The
Purim Code
Rabbi Michoel-Dov Wessmandl asked
me, "Did I ever tell you how many letters there are in the Book of Esther?"
Connections (2): Seasonal -- the festival of Purim;
Weekly Reading (30:23)
#639
(s5770-24 / 9 Adar 5770)
Purim Treats from Heaven
Everyone
was waiting for their beloved Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev to lead
the Purim prayers, but he was not there.
Connection: Seasonal
-- the festival of Purim
#638
(s5770-23 / 2 Adar 5770)
Saturday Afternoon Soccer
The
Polish-born father said to his Israel-born son, "The Rebbe "Beis
Yisrael" of Ger is here, let us go to him to receive shalom."
Connection: 33rd Yahrzeit
#637
(s5770-22 / 25 Shevat 5770)
Preparing for a Message from Beyond
Rabbi
Yaakov Landau, subsequently the chief rabbi of Benei
Brak for half a century(!), was a chasid of the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rebbe
ReShab
Connection: 24th Yahrzeit
#636
(s5770-21 / 18 Shevat 5770) GO TO expanded version #1157
We Don't Ask Twice
Whenever
they had a question, they would ask Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson,
wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Connection: 22nd Yahrzeit
#635 (s5770-20 / 12 Shevat 5770)
A
Stunning Fruit Basket
The stranger set down a gigantic
basket bulging with choice fruits in front of Rabbi Yosef Meir of Spink.
Connection:
Seasonal -- the festival of Tu B'Shvat
#634
(s5770-19 / 4 Shevat 5770)
Sharpsighted
The
elderly cleaning lady who worked for Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira - "Baba
Sali" even knew his holy grandfather, Rebbe Yaakov.
Connection:
26th Yahrzeit
#633
(s5770-18 / 26 Tevet 5770)
Change of Heart
"Are
you giving this money wholeheartedly?" asked Rabbi Yaakov-Yisrael of Cherkass.
"If not, I can't accept it."
Connection: Weekly
Reading (tenuous)
#632
(s5770-17 / 19 Tevet 5770)
From Moses to Moses
The
medical writings of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, known as the RaMBaM or Maimonides,
influenced medical practice throughout the world for centuries.
Connection:
806th Yahrzeit
#631
(s5770-16 / 12 Tevet 5770)
With a Few Drops of Vodka
Some
Jews confronted Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin. "We pray the morning prayer
at first opportunity, daybreak. But the chasidim pray after the statutory time."
Connection:
?
#630 (s5770-15
/ 5 Tevet 5770)
The Rebbe that Banged on the Table
On
Thursday, the townspeople asked Rabbi Yechezkel of Shinova whether he planned
to stay with them over Shabbat, but he avoided answering.
Connection:
110th Yartzeit
#629
(s5770-14 / 28 Kislev 5770)
The Ninth Flame
"I
will never forget the last Chanuka in the barracks. In those last weeks before
the liberation, the Nazis were particularly unpredictable and cruel."
Connection:
Seasonal - The festival of Chanukah
#628
(s5770-13 / 21 Kislev 5770)
Honoring a Broken Bottle
The
guest in Bagdad was awed by the plush richness around him; the thick Persian rugs,
gold inlayed dishes and beautifully decorated walls.
Connections
- 2: The festival of Chanukah that begins this Shabbat, and a direct quote
from the Weekly Reading, Vayeshev.
#627
(s5770-12 / 14 Kislev 5770)
Echoes of Abraham
"After
terrorists murdered our spiritual guides, Rabbi Gabi and Rivky Holtzberg, one
year ago, I left my position as Director of the ICU Medical Center at British
Kennedy in Mumbai, India."
Connection: Weekly Reading
(last week) - Rivka takes her father's idols
#626
(s5770-11 / 7 Kislev 5770)
The Rabbi with the Torn Coat
Rabbi
Naftali of Rophshitz asked the young man to lead him
to his father's tailor's shop.
Connection: Weekly Reading
- the engagement process
#625
(s5770-10 / 30 Mar-Cheshvan 5770)
The Last Straws
The Chassidim looked at the Baal Shem Tov, but he seemed unmoved by the
children's cries.
Connection: Weekly Reading - Gen. 26:12
#624 (s5770-09
/ 23 Mar-Cheshvan 5770)
Hebron Purim
When
Spain expelled all of its Jews during the Inquisition, a group of exiles went
to settle in Hebron.
Connection: Weekly Reading - Jewish
ownership of Machpela Cave in Hebron
#623
(s5770-08 / 16 Mar-Cheshvan 5770)
The Non-bleeding Challah
Rabbi
Yitzchak of Kalisch kept an open house for travelers. Once, a gentile man entered
and asked for piece of bread.
Connection: Weekly Reading -
Jewish hospitality
#622
(s5770-07 / 9 Mar-Cheshvan 5770)
An Old-Time Delicacy
"Many
years ago in Vienna, I ordered a bottle of mead from a nearby Jewish inn. It was
the most delicious mead I ever tasted."
Connection: Weekly
Reading - 2weeks!) - Circumcision this week, and the unending bottle in the Haftorah
of Vayera next week.
#621
(s5770-06 / 2 Mar-Cheshvan 5770)
Praying for Freddy
The
Driver asked the Professor if he could get him a ticket to enter the "Ohel"
around the burial place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Connection:
Weekly Reading (2) - caring for animals and immersion in water for purification
#620 (s5770-05
/ 25 Tishrei 5770)
Honeymoon Meal Ingredients
The
wife of the Baal HaTanya was willing to prepare the entire Friday
night meal, but there was no fish available, and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev
had a custom to always eat fish at a festive meal.
Connection:
the 200th yahrzeit of the great Berditchever, "defender of the Jewish
people"
#619
(s5770-04 / 18 Tishrei 5770)
A Simchat Torah Dance for Zaleski
Our
local New Jersey Reform rabbi organized a trip to Brooklyn for the holiday of
Simchat Torah with the Bobover Rebbe.
Connection: Seasonal
- The festival of Simchat Torah
#618 (s5770-03 / 11 Tishrei
5770)
The Etrog Business
He sought
a very special etrog for his Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham of Chechnow, but the
only one he could find had been designated for the "Toras Emes" of
Lublin.
Connection: Seasonal - The festival of Sukkot
#617(s5770-02 /
4 Tishrei 5770)
An Inspired Substitution
Rabbi
Yechezkel Landau, "the Noda BiYehudah," was on friendly
terms with the Baal Shem Tov, but did not believe in him as a holy
man.
Connection: Weekly Reading -- Haftorah verse (Word
Count: 419 + 167)
#616 (s5770-01
/ Eruv Rosh Hashana 5770)
Blessed Eating
The
Tzemach Tzedek once invited a non religious doctor to spend Shabbat
with him.
Connection: Holiday and birth date (Word
Count: 343 + 95)
#654 (s5770-39 / 26
Sivan 5770)
With Only a Single Page
Watching
his newly-observant son poring over his Talmud, the father was very impressed.
(Rabbi Moshe Feinstein)
Connection: Seasonal - Pirkei
Avot