Undercover Part I From a very young age, it was evident to all that Nosson was special. He was a gifted child, blessed with a quick grasp and extraordinary retention abilities, enabling him to progress in his studies at a more rapid pace than his peers. Scholastically, he was on the same level as those …
Author Archives: rendkate
The Attitude of Gratitude
Hillel was a Sephardic Jew who lived in Tunisia, home to a tremendous Jewish community at that time. One day, he was walking in the street when he saw a short, thin Arab child crying bitterly. The boy appeared no older than twelve years old, with dark hair and sorrowful eyes, and despite the fact …
Defending the Kavod Hatorah
The Apter Rav, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Hershel, was one of the greatest tzaddikim who lived in his generation. He was a gadol with a warm and generous heart, and he sincerely felt along with other Jews who were experiencing pain or challenges. He always had a kind word to say about another, and was famed …
The Mekubal and the King
Rav Shmuel Abuchatzeira was a student of the holy Rav Chaim Vital and was a tremendous tzaddik and mekubal in his own right. He was a kadosh v’tahor who saved countless people from death through kabbalistic means. Even regular mekubalim were not aware of the methods he used to perform his wonders. Rav Shmuel Abuchatzeira …
Renewing His Ties
For many years, Rav Kalman Krohn gave a weekly vaad to the bachurim in the Adelphia yeshiva. Rav Dovid Trenk would often give Rav Kalman a ride to the yeshiva. The following story occurred on one such trip from Lakewood to Adelphia. During our trips together to Adelphia, Rabbi Trenk and I utilized the time …
Outwitting the Angel of Death
Many years ago, there lived a great tzaddik and talmid chacham whom we’ll call R’ Yeshaya. R’ Yeshaya was one of the foremost gedolim of his generation, a truly righteous leader who carried the burdens of klal Yisrael on his shoulders. In addition to the communal issues that required his attention, he also found himself …
Burned and Returned
Avraham was a simple and unassuming Jew who kept the mitzvos faithfully. He did not have much money to his name, and with nine children to support, finances were always tight, but he kept the smile on his face and persevered. He had a beautiful family and a wonderful wife, and those were far more …
Passing the Torch
The Torah is made up of two components, the hidden and the revealed. Toras haNiglah, the revealed Torah, includes Gemara and Agadah, while Toras haNistar, the hidden Torah contains Kabbalah, which is concealed from the common man. Only the greatest of tzaddikim delved into the hidden Torah and the secrets it contains. During the times …
The Dibuk of Nickelsburg
Rav Dovid Oppenheim was a great tzaddik and talmid chacham who lived a few centuries ago. Rav Dovid was the undisputed gadol hador of his generation. He was extremely well versed in Gemara and Poskim, and when he ruled on a halachic scenario, none of the other sages would dare overrule him. His greatness was …
The Gates are Never Closed
The holy Baal Shem Tov possessed the ability to see into a person’s soul. Just by looking at someone’s face, he knew all the sins that the person had committed. The Baal Shem Tov also possessed a powerful love for his fellow Jews, a genuine feeling of deep caring that caused him to ache when …