R. Simcha Bunim of Peshischa

"I've been running away from greatness all my life," the man insisted, "yet greatness is not running after me!"

"Is that such a terrible curse?" Rabbi Bunem pondered. "It means that the snake is never hungry. Dust is everywhere; his table is always full, no matter where he goes..."

He didn’t win anything in the first drawing, nor was his luck any better in the second or third. With each failure his frustration grew, and his faith in the Rebbe’s blessing weakened . . .

Teshuvah, “repentance,” is as old as time itself. From the time of the creation of the world, when G‑d created the possibility of sin, G‑d also gave us the ability to repent, or, better translated, "to return" to our original state of being—G‑dly creation...

Artist's Statement: Reb Bunim used to tell this story to his followers the first time they visited him: There was once an impoverished man by the name of Reb Isaac ben Yakil of Krakow. He lived in poverty for many years, not knowing where his next crust o...