# 370 (s5765-13/ 25 Kislev 5765) The Broken Bottle The guest was awed by the plush richness of the Baghdad merchant's home; only one thing perplexed him.
The Broken BottleAvraham Pinchas lived 100 years ago in Baghdad.
The wealthy Jewish merchant usually had a table full of guests, but
this Shabbat he only had one, a poor man he had invited home from
the synagogue. The guest was awed by the plush richness around him:
the thick Persian rugs, gold inlayed dishes and beautifully decorated
walls. Only one thing perplexed him: in the middle of the table stood
an old, empty, broken bottle that looked as if it had once contained
olive oil. "My father was a respected businessman, but he was always busy and left me in my grandfather's care. Every morning my grandfather would wake me, make sure I washed my hands, said the morning blessings and didn't forget my lunch. Then just before I left for school, he would give me a kiss on my forehead, raise his hands and say, 'Va'ani ana ani ba' ['And I, where will I go?' (Gen. 37:30)]. Later, I learned that this is what Reuven cried out when he discovered that Joseph was no longer in the pit and it was impossible to save him. But I had no idea why my grandfather always said that. "Then, when I was 14 years old, tragedy struck: my grandfather
passed away. I began to accompany my father to work. My father tried
to make sure that I prayed and studied Torah but he was always very
busy. I was so fascinated by his business that I didn't pay much attention
to my studies. "Well, I took to it like a fish to water. It wasn't long before I was quite successful. But I began to feel out of place as an observant Jew. I felt that keeping Shabbat and eating kosher prevented me from expanding my business. Slowly but surely I became less observant, and I discovered that the more commandments I dropped, the more successful I became. "Several years passed. One day I was walking in the street when I noticed a Jewish boy, maybe 13 years old, sitting on the sidewalk crying. I asked him what was wrong. 'Oh thank you, sir,' he said 'but this is something only Jews would understand.' "His words stabbed me in the heart. 'I am also Jewish...' I
stammered. "The boy looked up at me and wiped his eyes with his shirtsleeve. 'Well, this morning my mother told us that tonight is Chanuka. We prayed for a miracle, that we might find some money with which to buy oil. We were so happy when my sister found a coin behind a drawer! I ran right to the store and bought a small bottle of oil. I was walking home, holding the bottle and dreaming about Chanuka. I was even imagining that Moshiach might come now, and my mother will start to smile again. " 'Unfortunately, I wasn't looking where I was going, and I tripped. I watched in horror as the bottle flew from my hands and landed on a stone. It broke, and all the oil spilled out. Va'ani ana ani ba!' "With these words, the boy began to wail. At that, I suddenly
realized what my grandfather had meant. He must have known that this
would happen. That broken bottle is me! And the spilled oil is my
Jewish soul - I've lost my Jewish soul! "When the boy was gone, I carefully picked up the bottle and
carried it home, still in shock. I sent the servants away and when
I was alone, I just stood there, looking at it and weeping. "Its light made me feel alive again. I even decided that the next morning I would begin putting on tefilin again. The following night I lit two candles and decided that from now on I would eat only kosher. The third night, I decided to begin learning Torah. The night after that I made the decision to keep Shabbat. By the end of Chanuka I had become a new man. A renewed man. The Chanuka lights had saved me. "So that is the reason I keep that broken bottle: to remind
me how the miracle of the oil saved my life." [Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition of his friend
and colleague Rabbi Tuvia Bolton in his weekly email for the yeshiva
which he heads, Ohr Tmimim: yeshiva@ohrtmimim.org ; http://www.ohrtmimim.org/torah].
Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit. | |
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