Stories Archive:#
566 - 615 (5769)


Original translations/adaptations by Yrachmiel Tilles - co-founder of Ascent of Safed, creator of  Ascent's seminars,  editor of Ascent Quarterly, director of Kabbala Online and maintainer of this internet site and its e-mail lists.
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#615 (s5769-50 / 18 Elul 5769)

Free Appetizers Only

He said to the Baal Shem Tov, "Rebbe! I used to be invigorated with spiritual life. Now, I lost it all. My prayers are dry. My deeds have become mechanical. What happened?"

(Connection: Sun. night-Mon., "Chai Elul" is the 275th anniversary of the Baal Shem Tov revealing the Chasidic movement.)


#614 (s5769-49 / 12 Elul 5769)

The Even Better Wallet

He poured out his heart to the Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dovber of Lubavitch, about his troubles with the food market, his landlord and the tutor.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - returning lost objects)


#613 (s5769-48 / 5 Elul 5769)

Risk and Rescue

The colonel had previously said to Rabbi Eliezer Zusia Portugal, the Skulener Rebbe,"Go away! If you come again on behalf of your Jews, I will kill you!"

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#612 (s5769-47/ 28 Menachem-Av 5769)

Trees That Teach

"We can learn from these two leafless trees," said the chasid to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, the Bostoner Rebbe.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - fruit trees and non fruit trees)


#611 (s5769-46/ 21 Menachem-Av 5769)

A Zealous Friend

Rabbi Yonasan Eibeshutz was upset at the horrible fate awaiting his friend.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - several places)


#610 (s5769-45/ 14 Menachem-Av 5769)

Superior Vintage

Rabbi Yochanan of Rachamistrivka was visiting his brother, Rabbi Yitzchak, the Skverer Rebbe; everyone was excited.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - the special fruits, grains and wines of the Land)


#609 (s5769-44/ 7 Menachem-Av 5769)

The Tefilin Difference

I had flown to New York to buy antique Torah scrolls for a private collector.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - the verse about tefilin in the Shma Yisrael paragraph)


#608 (s5769-43/ 29 Tamuz 5769)

Up and Down the Ladder

The Ari was moved deeply by the devotion of his host to the mitzvah of hospitality.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#607 (s5769-42/ 22 Tamuz 5769)

Kaddish with Oprah

"Why not?" the producer asked. "Never before has anyone said 'too busy' to the Oprah show."

(Connection: yahrzeit of my mother -- yt)


#606 (s5769-41/ 15 Tamuz 5769)

A Mirror for the Sultan

The Or HaChaim knew of the danger threatening his brethren and wished to avert it, so he hurried to the palace.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#605 (s5769-40/ 8 Tamuz 5769)

Streaming Tears of Empathy

The Sanz/Klausenberg Rebbe, Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, lost his wife and ten children in the Holocaust.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#604 (s5769-39/ 1 Tamuz 5769)

Church vs. State

He asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe's blessing to marry the girl he loves even though she is a gentile!

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#603 (s5769-38 / 24 Sivan 5769)

Loyalty

The Tzemach Tsedek answered him, "Since it has always been your custom to visit your teacher it is not proper to change now."

(Connection: ?)


#602 (s5769-37 / 17 Sivan 5769)

The Spy Who Came In from the Heat

Yocheved suffered a total of seven bullet wounds during her years as an army spy.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - Shelach: the spies.)


#601 (s5769-36 / 10 Sivan 5769)

Samson's Mother

A couple who, unfortunately, had lost several infants shortly after birth, wanted to secure a blessing for the longevity of the next child from Rabbi David Moshe Friedman of Chortkov.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - haftorah of Naso.)


#600 (s5769-35 / 3 Sivan 5769)

Ungrammatically Correct

The Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, wife of the Tzemech Tzedek of Lubavitch, was forever reciting Psalms, but with many mispronunciations.

(Connection: seasonal - King David, the author of Psalms, passed away on Shavuot.)


#599 (s5769-34 / 26 Iyar 5769)

Only One Extra Letter

That night, Rabbi Yaakov-Dovid of Radomsk did not even get an hour's sleep. After just a few minutes, he woke with his heart pounding from a dream.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - Bamidbar)


#598 (s5769-33 / 19 Iyar 5769)

Punishment or Blessing?

The Rebbe of Husyatin saw that the Rebbe of Trisk was not pleased.

(Connections: Weekly Torah Reading - the "curses" and birthday/yahrzeit date)


#597 (s5769-32 / 11 Iyar 5769)

Sighting Sages

The Komarno Rebbe, Rebbe Yitzchak Isaac Safrin, merited to behold the faces of the Talmudic sages when mentioning their names during devoted study.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


 

#596 (s5769-31 / 3 Iyar 5769)

A Life for a Life

Yoni, an IDF soldier shot by an Arab terrorist, was bleeding steadily, his life heading toward a silent end.

(Connection: seasonal)


#595 (s5769-30 / 27 Nissan 5769)

On the Same Page

He could read the hand-writing of the Tzemach Tzedek in the margins of his copy of the Kabbalah tome, Etz Chaim, the recordings of the teachings of the holy Ari of Tsfat by Rabbi Chayim Vital.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#594 (s5769-29 / 22 Nissan 5769)

"Get Up Cossack!"

The Shpoler Zeide told Avraham the Angel (son of the Magid of Mezritch) that he had learned the art of dancing from Elijah the Prophet and the secret of dancing before the the Shabbat Queen from the Baal Shem Tov.

(Connection: haftorah)


#593 (s5769-28 / 13 Nissan 5769)

The Angels of a Childless Mother

On Passover eve his followers were upset; the Baal Shem Tov was not in his usual buoyant spirits.

(Connection: seasonal)


#592 (s5769-27 / 6 Nissan 5769)

A Triple Cure

Yoni's father looked at the Rebbe in wide-eyed disbelief. He knew that religious Jews are superstitious and ignorant, but this was really too much!

(Connection: birthday date)


#591 (s5769-26 / 28 Adar 5769)

Three Cures for Headache

After the Tzemach Tzedek passed away , the headache cure was no longer effective.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#590 (s5769-25 / 21 Adar 5769)

Welcoming Shabbat Early

The other residents of the inn told us that it would be worth our while to stop at Radin to see the Chofetz Chaim.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - verses about honoring Shabbat)


#589 (s5769-24 / 15 Adar 5769)

Expensive Second-Hand Clothes

Several times the ascetic "Litvak" was recognized entering the home of Rabbi Elazar Mendel of Lelov.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#588 (s5769-23 / 7 Adar 5769)

Mordechai Then and Now

A number of Chassidic leaders, including Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Rabbi Aryeh Leib of Shpola, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi and Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibuz once convened to discuss a grave threat hanging over the Jews of Russia.

(Connection: seasonal - relates to Purim)


#587 (s5769-22 / 30 Shevat 5769)

Separating Gold, Silver and Copper

Two disciples of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Chabad were known to be outstanding in Torah study and exemplary in the mitzvah of tzedaka.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - third verse)


#586 (s5769-21 / 23 Shevat 5769)

The Outstanding Debt

Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkass asked to be shown around the estate and its holdings, and when they came to the stable, inquired about one of the horses.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - first verse, according to Zohar!)


#585 (s5769-20 / 16 Shevat 5769)

The Day of Joy -- Reserved

Rabbi Nosson Dovid of Shidlowitz was once staying at a health resort when he ran out of funds.

(Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - the Fourth Commandment)


#584 (s5769-19 / 9 Shevat 5769)

Tea Time

When he was twelve years old it was very difficult for him to sit and learn Torah. Inevitably, he and two other boys in the Yeshiva with similar natures were summoned to the supervisor of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Shneersohn.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#583 (s5769-18 / 2 Shevat 5769)

Lefty Power

"Here's all the money, Rabbi; people were happy to have a share in your tefilin outreach efforts."

(Connection:Weekly Torah Reading - two of the four mentions of tefilin in the Torah are in parshat Bo.)


#582 (s5769-17 / 24 Tevet 5769)

Dividing One's Money Into Thirds

One young man who came to study with Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Chabad faced stern opposition from his wife's family. Meddling relatives were pressuring the young wife's father to arrange a divorce for his daughter.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#581 (s5769-16 / 17 Tevet 5769)

A Mid-Winter Shabbat Sacrifice

"I snatched up the bottle of vodka that was on the table and ran out of the room."

(Connection: seasonal)


# 580 (s5769-15 / 10 Tevet 5769)

The Torah Scroll From Auschwitz

The Maryland rabbi who went looking for a Torah scroll with a metal detector in a graveyard.

(Connection: In memory of the Holocaust, for the Fast Day of Asara B'Tevet)


#579 (s5769-14 / 3 Tevet 5769)

The Power of Positive Thinking

No one ever disturbed the Ziditchover Rebbe during the late night hours, which he devoted to Torah study and prayer.

(Connection: weekly Torah reading--45:27)


#578 (s5769-13 / 26 Kislev 5769)

The Heirloom Menorah

Much to her extreme surprise, the Sassover Rebbe said, "I don't want any money from you; I want your very beautiful and precious menora."

(Connection: Chanukah)


#577 (s5769-12 / 19 Kislev 5769)

Annual Rescue

Each year on Yud-Tes Kislev, the Magid of Mezritch is able to uplift souls from Gehinom

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#576 (s5769-11 / 12 Kislev 5769)

Surgery Melodies

The Modzitzer Rebbe agreed to the amputation of his leg, but with the proviso that no form of anesthesia be used!

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#575 (s5769-10 / 5 Kislev 5769)

The Ticket Trade

The chasid of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev immediately bought a lottery ticket.

(Connection: weekly Torah reading--quoted verse)


#574 (s5769-09 / 27 Cheshvan 5769)

After Twenty-eight Years

Well over a thousand people came by to wish Mazel Tov.

(Connection: weekly Torah reading--Decades of childlessness)


#573 (s5769-08 / 20 Cheshvan 5769)

From Tsfat to Hebron and Back

The wife of Rabbi Shmuel of Kaminka was a pious woman who would recite the entire Book of Psalms every day with great fervor.

(Connection: weekly Torah reading--Cave of Machpela in Hebron)


#572 (s5769-07 / 13 Cheshvan 5769)

A Much Deeper Interpretation

As soon as Rabbi Moshe Feinstein walked in to the sick man's room, the patient sent everyone else out.

(Connection: weekly Torah reading--Lot's daughters)


#571 (s5769-06 / 6 Cheshvan 5769)

A Source of Blessing

"Please bless the children as their father, the Sefas Emmes, has requested," the Rebbe's relative said to the bewildered simple Jew.

(Connection: weekly Torah reading--circumcision/power to bless)


#570 (s5769-05 / 29 Tishrei 5769)

Jews and Animals

The Rebbe Rayatz relates that although Yitzchak Shaul was quite a mischievous little boy, his father hit him only one time.

(Connection: weekly Torah reading--Noah and the animals)


#569 (s5769-04 / 23 Tishrei 5769)

Quick Fix

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, "The Defending Advocate of Israel," is fondly remembered for his love and compassion for all Jews.

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


#568 (s5769-03 / 13 Tishrei 5769)

Over the Shoulder

Whenever they played "King, Soldiers and Peasants," young Yaakov Yitzchak of Pesischa refused to let them appoint him as king.

(Connection: Sukkot)


#567 (s5769-02 / 8 Tishrei 5769)

A Yom Kippur Story Repeats

Old men who remembered accompanying their parents to shul as children, young families who wanted a taste of their heritage after more than a half-century of Soviet persecution, and youth in their teens who barely knew they were Jewish, flocked to the main synagogue in Kiev.

(Connection: Yom Kippur)


#566 (s5769-01 / 3 Tishrei 5769)

Saturday Night Melody

"Go wash now and eat something for Melaveh Malka," the Lubavitcher Rebbe instructed him in front of the large crowd."

(Connection: yahrzeit date)


Archived Stories (click on the desired year):
Stories Archive:
#101-153 (5760)
Stories Archive:
#154-204 (5761)
Stories Archive:
#205-#254 (5762)
Stories Archive:
#255-309 (5763)
Stories Archive:
#310-357 (5764)
Stories Archive:
#358-#411 (5765)
Stories Archive:
#412-461 (5766)
Stories Archive:
#462-511 (5767)
Stories Archive:
#512-566 (5768)
Stories Archive:
#567-615 (5769)
Stories Archive:
#616-666 (5770)
Stories Archive:
#667-721 (5771)
Stories Archive:
#722-771 (5772)
Stories Archive:
#772-822 (5773)
Stories Archive:
#823-877 (5774)
Stories Archive:
#878-928 (5775)
Stories Archive:
#929-983 (5776)
Stories Archive:
#984-1031 (5777)
Stories Archive:
#1032-1082 (5778)
Stories Archive:
#1083-1137(5779)
Stories Archive:
#1138 - 1188 (5780)
Stories Archive:
#1189 - 1239 (5781)
Stories Archive:
#1240-1293 (5782)
Stories Archive:
#1294-1344 (5783)
Stories Archive:
#1345-present (5784)
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