A few centuries back, in a European city that was rife with anti-Semitism, a decree was enacted forbidding the Jews from constructing sukkahs for Sukkos. Of course, this law was cloaked in false safety concerns and building codes and blamed on the danger that the small, feeble huts boded to

Hershel the horse dealer was a clown; there was simply no other way to describe him. The man didn’t have a serious bone in his body. His stall at the market was always crowded with people; not just by those interested in purchasing a horse, but with throngs of shoppers

The skies were calm on the day of that fateful flight, giving no hint as to what was to come. Yaakov leaned back in his seat as the plane glided gracefully through the air. It was his first time flying, and he felt adventurous and excited. The friction of rolling

The year 1395 was a relatively quiet one for the Jewish community in the historic city of Prague. For two torturous years, they had suffered through devastating pogroms. Entire families were wiped out, murdered for their faith, leaving the survivors broken and bleeding. Now, in the calm that followed those

Rav Meir Halevi was a tremendous gaon and tzaddik, extremely knowledgeable in the entire Torah. For seven years at a time, he would focus his learning solely on halachic areas, followed by an additional seven years of learning kabbalah. He would repeat this cycle over and over; seven years halachah,

Amongst the great tzaddikim throughout the generations whom klal Yisroel had merited to have in their midst was the holy Arizal. He was a student of the great Shita Mekubetzes for six years, where he rapidly advanced in his learning. His talmidim testified about him that he knew the entire

There was a man, whom we’ll call Yosef, who earned his livelihood through serving as a malshin, an informant. Indeed, this was a very profitable occupation. As an insider living within the Jewish community, it wasn’t difficult for him to chance upon other Jews breaking the law or committing minor

The two tzaddikim, Rav Elimelech and Rav Zisha, were brothers, and each had his own path of greatness. Rav Elimelech was a famous rebbe, who dressed in silk bekeshes and presided over tishen attended by thousands of admirers. His greatness was well-known, his sefer Noam Elimelech widely studied, and legends

In the era that our story takes place, the Jews were suffering from a double enemy. The Catholics, sworn enemies of the Jewish people, had banded up with the Muslims, also vicious anti-Semites, with the sole agenda to cause the Jews as much anguish as possible. The joint and powerful

Other than his utter poverty, Dovid had everything going for him. He had a beautiful marriage, wonderful children, good health, and a sharp mind. Blessed with pristine middos, genuine fear of Heaven, and a quick grasp of Gemarah, he was a talmid chacham of the highest caliber. However, the shadow