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Weekly Chasidic Story #966 (s5776-38 / 23 Iyar 5776). From the desk of Yerachmiel Tilles editor@ascentofsafed.com The Blessing of Thirteen "There is no more room in the house, and we can't really afford any more
children." Connection: Weekly Reading of Bamidbar - census. The Blessing of Thirteen The following true story occurred a few years ago in Antwerp. Chaim and his wife sat down at their table after a long hard day. "Thank G-d, we have been blessed so much, and I'm not complaining," the wife announced, looking nervously at her husband. "It's just that we now have twelve children, bli ayin hara, and there is no more room in the house, and we can't really afford any more children. Although we're coping, isn't twelve enough?" The husband lovingly sympathized with his wife and then began to speak about the importance of relying on the Creator. He then reassured her that He never gives anything to anyone that is impossible for them to handle. "Since you are healthy and our only concern is a financial one," he suggested, "I think that we should leave everything in His hands, for if He blesses us with another child He will surely provide us the means to support that child, as He does with all of our children. Remember we're not just having children for our sakes, we are building G-d's army," Chaim said to his wife. The woman accepted her husband's words and within a short period of time, she was delighted to find out that she was pregnant again. On the day that the baby was born, in the same hospital, an exceptionally wealthy gentile died leaving no heirs or family. Years earlier, he had declared in his will that all of his money should be given to the largest family in Antwerp since he had never married and had no family to whom to give the money. Now, there were several families in Antwerp with twelve children, but no family with thirteen children. Well, at least there was no family until the day that the gentile died, when there was one Jewish family who had officially become the largest family in the city, having just been blessed with their thirteenth child! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connection: Weekly Reading of Bamidbar - census.
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Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.