#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)
