In a small Jewish cemetery on the outskirts of a Polish village lies a nondescript tombstone with the following inscription: פה נטמן משה המכונה מנשה – here lies Moshe, known as Menashe. Who was the man buried here? And why does his tombstone bear such a cryptic inscription? Was he
The Bais Yosef The Bais Yosef is famed for having authored the Shulchan Aruch, the Kesef Mishna, and a commentary on the Tur, among other works. He was a tremendous baal mekubal. When he was a young man, recently married, the Bais Yosef needed to find a source of income
The Debate In the shtetls of yore, little boys who were lucky enough to receive a formal Torah education were taught by the town melamed, one-room schoolhouse style. In once specific shtetl, where vast farmlands separated one home from the other, a non-Jewish ten-year-old, Victor, was hired to travel around
Rich with Bitachon Meir was a pauper, in every sense of the word. The only thing he owned was a horse and wagon. The horse was painfully thin, just some skin, bones, and a sad looking tail. The wagon was old and rickety, not much more than some slabs of
King for a Year The following story was told over by R’ Nachman Haradniki. There was once a man who was as kind and generous as he was wealthy. People would flock him for money and assistance, and he would respond graciously to each request. His friends, his acquaintances, and
Rav Saadya Gaon was a the gadol hador of his generation. At one point in his lifetime, similar to many other tremendous Torah leaders throughout the generations, he undertook to go into exile. Generally, Rav Saadya was careful to dress in respectable attire, as befitting for a rov who represents
In the days of the Arizal, there lived a man named R’ Yaakov Abulafia. Despite his greatness, R’ Yaakov was extremely humble and considered himself a simple Jew. Being a poor man, with no means to provide for his family, he decided to travel to Egypt to solicit donations door
The rebbe Reb Meilich was from the greatest tzaddikim of his generation. He was an expert in halachah, in aggadah, and in gemarah. In addition, he had a heart wide enough to encompass any broken Jew who poured out his troubles, and he would go out of his way to
The holy tanna, Rav Yanai, was once on his way somewhere, when he encountered a man who was dressed in beautiful clothing. Impressed by the man, Rav Yanai invited him to come home with him for a meal. The man accepted the invitation and the two walked to Rav Yanai’s
Rav Pinchos Michoel Grossleit was a great rov in Antipulia in Eastern Europe, in the nineteenth century. One blustery day, shortly before Rosh Chodesh Adar, he received a letter from Rav Mordechai Veitzel-Rosenblatt, who was then serving as rov in the distant town of Butten. He is more famously known
(732) 913-5616
(718) 557-7711
(02) 313-6038 (EY)
Sponsored by:
Eli & Malky Friedman
Chatz & Leahle Schwab
