Chassidic Stories

"If you realize that the entire day you spend in the store is just so you can learn for one hour, you will never lose touch with the Torah.”

“Look outside. You see this wagon loaded with straw rolling down the road? Walking behind it is a Jew . . ."

Incensed by the jab, the son-in-law renewed his rant, which had now become personal.

With no destination to guide him, he slowly traversed sprawling forests and small towns, hoping to finally encounter what his rebbe had in mind.

“And what are you going to claim on Judgement Day, eh, Zusha? Your soul will know no peace when that time comes!”

“The boy isn’t at all what he seems. Don’t be fooled by superficiality."

Wordlessly, the Rebbe curled his arm around Shloyme’s elbow, and together they strode through the crowded sanctuary.

“You’re invited to dine with me but I have one simple request: for each meal, please prepare a small dvar Torah to share at the table.”

When a couple couldn't procreate, they went to their Maggid, who gave them a unique mission.

Living as a downtrodden shell of her former self, Leah's blank eyes reflected the agony that gripped her heart.

“I have three very strong horses, fast as deer,” he whispered. “If you’re willing to pay, I’ll take the innkeeper and his family to a city far from here. Tonight.”

It did not take long until they had dragged me before the town rabbi, demanding that I divorce my “wife.”

“So make it yellow,” replied Kusheh. And that is exactly what he did.

The husband laughed bitterly. “See?” he said, “You spent all that time and money to visit your rebbe, and he gave you the most useless advice. How are leeches going to bring us the funds we so desperately need?”

In the Soviet Union, even getting a piece of matzah for the Seder was fraught with danger

“Please invite the wagon driver to come see me,” said the Rebbe upon hearing that the man was in town.

Despite his efforts to maintain a low profile, word of Reb Eizel’s arrival traveled quickly . . .

"Now you know why I felt compelled to attend the funeral of such an extraordinary person.”

They crisscrossed Russia, trudging from doctor to doctor, but even the greatest specialists threw their hands up in despair.

In time, rumors began to circulate that she had been acting improperly with another man.

Like every eligible male in Czarist Russia, Peretz Chein eventually received a letter stating that he was required to show up at a conscription office.

Although the villager was a simple Jew, he hoped that his children would one day surpass his meager knowledge of Torah.

As the Siberian winter deepened, Chanukah came, and a group of young Jewish prisoners convened for a short meeting.

Besides his day job, he had another duty, one that he carried out secretly and with great devotion . . .

The landlady on the floor wailing hysterically. Her only son, she sobbed, had agreed to convert to Christianity, and was being held in a locked room in a monastery.

Though people in the synagogue pitied him, he felt no shame.

"When you are approached by a villager who offers to sell you something, buy it at once."

“But the magnate is a simple man, not a Torah scholar!” interjected the rabbi. “How can I allow this match to happen?”

The suddenness of the rebbe’s appearance in his city caught the chassid, along with his wide-open mansion, off guard. Left with no choice, he reluctantly surrendered his house so that it could serve as the rebbe’s accommodation.

It was winter, and as they set out on their journey, snow began to fall, and strong winds pushed them from the snow-covered road.

"Tell them that you are ready to offer a dowry of 2,000 silver rubles, as long as the groom is a Torah scholar and from a respectable family.”

One Simchat Torah, a group of boisterous villagers burst through the entrance in high spirits . . .

How did the shoemaker lay his hands on the precious artifact? No one knew.

The messenger approached a traveler and asked him whether he was carrying an etrog . . .

To the czar’s horror, the soldier tugged his curved sword out from its sheath and presented it to the innkeeper . . .

Overcome by grief, the poor man barely managed to process the news before he passed out . . .

A simple, uncouth individual, dressed in the attire of ignorant and coarse men, came to his home.

The students spread out, scouring all paths leading to the field for a gentleman who might lend them a pipe.

The innkeeper lived modestly, but he offered his guests his best rooms and did everything he could to make their stay comfortable.

“The community is too poor, and cannot shoulder the financial burden of this endeavor. And as for the local gevir, it is a waste of time even to approach him . . .”

As night fell, they tried to find their way out of the soggy forest but, blinded by sheets of rain, they could not find the right path

The young man slowly accumulated a small fortune of twelve gold coins and one copper coin.

When Berel heard that there would be a celebration in honor of a new Torah, he naively assumed that he would be welcomed to the joyful event.

The businessman was at his wits’ end. For years, he had eked out a living through the small concession that the Polish government had granted him. And now, his license was suddenly revoked, and he had no idea where his next few zlotys would come from.

“As you know, I am an expert tailor,” said the man, whose eyes still glistened with tears. “I make high-quality clothing for princes, nobles and other fine folks.

He is intent on the names printed in the thick ream of pages that sits in front of him. He reads the names, and from time to time uses a large black fountain pen to mark a name with an X.

How were the poor wretches supposed to raise money from the confinement of their prison cells?

“Meilech,” called the Maggid from his room. “Do you hear what they are saying right now in heaven?"