August 1, 2011
by Digital Maggid
כידוע, האט דער בעש”ט שטארק מקפיד אויף די מגידים וואָס פלעגען אין זייערע דרשות האלטען אין אויסרעכענען די חטאים פון די אדיען און מוסר’ן זיי מיט די הארבסטע רייד.
It is well known that the Besh”t was exceedingly strict with the maggidim (preachers) who focused their drashes (sermons) on holding the Jews accountable for their mistakes and correcting them with harsh language.
איינמאל האט ער געטראָפן אזא מגיד, האט אים דער בעש”ט געפרעגט: — זאגט מיר כ’בעט אייך, ווי קאָן דאָס א איד ביי זיך פּועל’ן אוועקצושטעלען זיך אין א שוהל אויפ דער בימה אונ בפני כל עם ועדה רעדען לשון הרע אויף אידען? ווייסט איר, אז ווען א איד לויפט א גאנצע טאָג ארום זוכען פרנסה פאר ווייב און קינדער און אז ס’קומט פארנאכט טוט ער זיך א כאָפּ „אוי וועה מיר! כ’וועל פארשפעטיגען מנחג!“ און שטעלט זיך תיכף דאווענען מנחה, צי ער ווייסט וואס ער דאווענט, צי ער ווייסט נישט, ווייסט איר, אז אלע שׁרפים ואופנים ציטערען דעמאָלט אין הימל?
Once, he met up with just such a maggid, and the Besh”t questioned him: — Tell me, I beg you, how could a Jew possibly decide to get up in a shul, on the bimah, in front of the whole people, the entire congregation, and deliver such Lashon Hara (evil speech)? You know, don’t you, that when a Jew runs around all day looking for work to support his wife and family, and then toward evening he suddenly realizes, “Oy, woe is me! I’ll be late for mincha! (mid-day prayer service)” and he immediately sets off to go pray, whether he knows what he’s praying or whether he doesn’t, don’t you know that all of the Seraphim and the Ophanim (celestial beings) tremble in heaven?
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July 22, 2011
by Digital Maggid
In Numbers 32:16, the people of Gad and Reuven say to Moshe: גִּדְרֹת צֹאן נִבְנֶה לְמִקְנֵנוּ פֹּה, וְעָרִים, לְטַפֵּנוּ — gidrot tson nivneh l’mikneinu poh, v’arim l’tapeinu, we will build sheepfolds for our cattle here, and cities for our little ones. But in Numbers 32:24, Moshe reverses the order saying, בְּנוּ-לָכֶם עָרִים לְטַפְּכֶם, וּגְדֵרֹת לְצֹנַאֲכֶם — banu lachem arim l’tapechem, ug’derot l’tsonakhem, build cities for your little ones and sheepfolds for your cattle. Moshe then adds on another phrase in line 24: וְהַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיכֶם, תַּעֲשׂוּ — v’hayotsei mipikhem, ta’asu, and do that which has proceeded from your mouths. The Berditchever addresses this in the following teaching:
Why did Moshe reply to them in the reverse: “build cities for your little ones and sheepfolds for your cattle,” and what is the relationship here with “…which has proceeded from your mouths”?
The Chazal (sages of blessed memory) say that, once, people were fed on account of the innocent animals, cattle and sheep. As the Yerushalmi relayed in the story of Alexander of Macedonia:
Alexander of Macedonia once went into a country and attended the trial of two men. One of the men had purchased a ruin (old house) from the other and the buyer of the ruin found therein a great treasure. The buyer argued that he had purchased only the ruin and not what was inside it. Therefore, the treasure belonged to the seller. The seller argued that he had sold the ruin together with all that was found inside it and therefore, the treasure belonged to the buyer.
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Posted in Matos, Mayses (Stories), Moshe | Moses, R' Yitzchok of Berditchev, Right Speech |
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July 15, 2011
by Digital Maggid
When R’ Yisroel Rizhiner came to Lemberg for the first time, he was put up by the then-famous Grand Rabbi Yaakov Orenshtein, the author of “Yeshuos Yaakov” (Salvation of Yaakov). Rabbi Orenshtein expected the Rizhiner talk Torah with him and give over a chidush (insight) or a pilpul (argument/debate). But it turned out he just kept on under the pretext of talking about Lemberg’s community affairs, and only upon his departure did he pose a question:
“Tell me, Lemberger Rav, from what material do the Lembergers make the roofs for their particular buildings?”
“From what material?” the Grand Rabbi repeated the peculiar question in great astonishment, “As I understand, from tin plates.”
“Well, that doesn’t really fit,” the Rizhiner replied causally. ”Tile and brick would be smoother and better protection”
After the Rizhiner left Lemberg, Rav Orenshtein continued to be taunted by his question and yet more by his answer. So he told it to R’ Meir’l Premishlaner, who said:
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July 11, 2011
by Digital Maggid
די שול־גבאים זיינען איינמאָל בעקומען דו ר’ פינחס’ל קאָריצער און געקלאָגן זיך פאר דער חוצפה פונ’ם שטאָט־חזן, וואָס האלט כסדר אין איין בעטען הוספות און איצט וויל ער זײַן שכירות זאָל זײַן גלייך מיט’ן רב’ס שכירות.
— און מיר איז דאָס גאָר ניט אזא פּלא — האָט ר’ פינחס’ל אָפּגעענטפערט, ער איז ניט דער ערשטער וואָס „עושה מעשה זמרי (מלשון זמר — זינגען) ומבשק שכר כפּינחס“ …
The gabbai’im (assistants) of the shul once went to R’ Pinchas’l Koritzer to complain about the chutzpah of the city’s cantor, who was continually asking for raises and now wanted his salary to equal that of the rabbi.
— This doesn’t surprise me in the least — retorted R’ Pinchas’l — he is not the first “to commit the acts of Zimri (in the language of a singer — singing) and ask for Pinchas’ reward.”
This story employs a multi-level pun.
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July 8, 2011
by Digital Maggid
הן עם לבדד ישכן
hen-am l’vadad yishkon
it is a people that shall dwell alone
(Numbers 23:9)
דער בעש”ט זייענדיג אין פאָנסטאנטינאָפּאָל האָט פרייטאָג ארויסגעהענדיג פון מקוה באמערקט דאָס אָנקומען פון צוויי אראבער, האָט ער געזאָגט צו זיינע באגלייטער — לאָמיר זיי אויסמיידען כדי זיי זאָלען מיך ניט אָנרירען ביים דורכגיין. באלד האָט דער דערהערט וו איין אראבער זאָגט צום צווייטען: „לאָמיר אועקגיין פון די מצורעימ’דיגע אידען, זזי קענע אונז נאָך מטמא זיין!“
אויף דעם האָט בעש”ט באמערקט: „הן עם לבדד ישכן“ דאָס וואָס די אידען קענען פארבלייבען אַן „עם לבדד“ און זיך ניט אויסמישען מיט די פערקער איז נאָר צוליב דעם „ובגויים לא יתחשב“ ווייל זיי האָבען ניט קיינ השיבור ביי די גויים, זיי דערווייטערען זיך פונ אונז, מיר זיינען ביי זיי פאררעכענט פאר מצורעים און בזויים.
While living in Constantinople, the Besh"T was leaving the mikvah one Friday when he noticed the approaching of two Arabs. He said to his companions, let's avoid them, lest we should touch in passing. Soon he overheard one Arab saying to the second, "Let's get away from these leprous Jews, they can still defile us!"
On this the Besh”T noted: “Hen-am l’vadad yishkon” (it is a people that shall dwell alone), that the Jews can remain “am l’vadad” (a people alone) and not mix in with the nations is only because of this: “u’va-goyim lo yit’chashav” (and not be counted among the nations). Because we have no significance among the gentiles, though they extended from us, we are reckoned as leprous and contemptible.
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July 7, 2011
by Digital Maggid
תָּמֹת נַפְשִׁי מוֹת יְשָׁרִים
tamot nafshi mot y’sarim
Let me die the death of the righteous
(Numbers 23:10)
א איד א משכיל, פארברענגענדיג אמאָל אינ שמועס מיט ר’ יהוסע’לע בעלזער האָט וואיליונגעריש א זאָג געגעבען:
— איך האָף אז שטאָרבען וועל איך א איד.
— לעוען ווי א גוי ונ שטאָרבען ווי א זיד האט געהָפט א גרויסער גוי פאר דיר — האָט אים ר’ יהושעלע אָפּגעענטפערט — בלעם האט געבעטען, „תמת נפשי מות ישרים“ אָבער אז מען לעבט ווי א איד, דארף מענ גאָר ניט גענטען צו שטאָרבען ווי א איד.
Once a Jew, a “free thinker” (ie, non-religious), was shmoozing with R’ Yehoshele Belzer at a party and said mischievously:
“I sure hope I die as a Jew.”
“To live as a goy and die as a Jew? A better goy than you requested that,” retorted R’ Yehoshele, “Balaam requested, ‘Let me die the death of the righteous,’ but if one lives as a Jew one needn’t ask to die as one.”
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July 6, 2011
by Digital Maggid
Then the king became adamant that he should have a son so that the kingdom would not go to foreigners. And he again decreed that the Jews should pray that he should have a son. So they looked for the first tzadik, but they could not find him because he had already died. So they looked further and eventually found another Rent-A-Sage. And they told him to give him a son. But he said he didn’t know anything about it. They informed the king and the king said to this tzadik also: you know, obviously, that I have the Jews in the palm of my hand, and so on…. The sage said to him: But know you this, that you must do whatsoever I tell you. The king agreed, and the sage said to him: I require that you bring various jewels, for every gemstone has within it a different remedy (s’gula) and among the kings there is available a book wherein is written concerning the various jewels. And the king said: I will bring them out, to half my kingdom’s jewels. And the sage took them and he knocked them together. He took a cup of wine and put the stones in the wine. He gave half the wine to the king to drink, and the other half , the queen. And he said to them that they would have a son through the jewels, due to the remedies (s’gulot) within all the jewels, and he went home.
The queen had a son and this was a great joy to the king. Only the son did not really come from the jewels. At the age of four he was a very great person, he knew all wisdom and language and the purpose of things. And all the kings in all the lands came to see him. But when the daughter of the queen saw that she was not so important as this, she became jealous and only this was a comfort — that the sage had said that the son would be from the jewels only, but it was good that he was not from jewels.
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July 5, 2011
by Digital Maggid
This story is from Sipurei Ma’asiyot (Mayses), which is a collection of stories attributed to Rebbe Nachman of Bratslov (aka Breslov, aka Bresslover or Bratslover). I’m honestly not sure whether the stories in this book are available in English translation or not. The book I have is Hebrew and Yiddish. Between the two I offer you this:
The King’s Son Was of Rubies (Hebrew title)
Once there was a king. The king had no children, so he went to the doctors, so that his kingdom should not fall into foreign hands, but they could not help him. So he decreed unto the Jews that they should pray for him, that he should have children. And the Jews set about looking for a hired tsadik (ie. Rent-A-Sage), so that he might pray that he (the king) should prevail, and that the king should have children. They looked for and found a Rent-A-Sage, and they told him that he should pray for the king that he should have children. He answered them that he did not know anything. They informed the king of this (that he was a Rent-A-Sage, only he said he knew nothing). The king sent an okaz (?) after him and they brought him back to the king. The king began to shmooze him up good: you know, obviously, that I have the Jews in the palm of my hand. I can do whatever I please with them. So then I beg of you, pray well for me that I should have children. So the Rent-A-Sage promised the king that he would have have a child that very year and went home. And the queen had a daughter and the daughter of the queen was a very great person and at the tender age of four, she knew all wisdom and language and the purpose of things. And all the kings in all the lands came to see her and so it was a great joy to the king.
(to be continued)
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June 16, 2011
by Digital Maggid
Rabbi Kirshenbaum offers this story as a commentary on:
‘וראיתם אותו וזכרתם את-כל-מצות ה
ur’item oto uz’char’tem et-kol mitsvot hashem
… and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them…
Numbers 15:39
א מֶחַבֶֿר אמאָל געברענגט זײַנס א ספר א מַתָּנָה דעם “חידושי הרי”ם.“ ווי ער האָט נאָר אריינגעקוקט אין ספר האָט ער דאָס תֵּיכֶּף פארמאכט און צוריק אָפּגעגעבען דעם מֶחַבֶר.
- An author once brought a book of his as a gift to the Chidushei Harim. As soon as he had glanced through the book, he immediately returned it to the author.
The “Chidushei Harim” was both the title of a body of scholarly work and an honorific of its author, R’ Yitchak Meir Alter (1799-1866). Chasidic rabbis were often referred to by the title of their most prominent works.
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Digital Maggid
