Baruch and Leah had a difficult marriage. One night, they were woken from their sleep by noise coming from downstairs. Baruch went down to see what it was and saw a burglar taking their valuable silverware from the china closet and putting it in a bag. Furious, he instinctively lunged at the burglar, who quickly
A well known דרשן came to Brisk. But his actions did not conform with his דרשות. Rav חיים of Brisk would not let him speak. "But why?" the דרשן protested. "My דרשות are כשר למהדרין. They are all based on the מקרא, משנה and תלמוד and precious pearls of wisdom." רב חיים
When the alarm clock goes off in the morning to wake us for davening and learning, it’s הקול קול יעקב. When hands hit the snooze button, it's והידיים ידי עשיו.
Shimon Peres remarked concerning the issue of מי הוא יהודי that it used to be a person whose parents were Jewish. Now, it’s someone whose children remain Jewish.
In the middle ages, the Pope, using a tactic dating back to Talmudic times, challenged the Jews to a religious debate. If the Jew won they would be permitted to stay; if the Pope won, they would have to convert or leave Italy. The Jews were terrified and had great difficulty in persuading anyone to
Early in the twentieth century, long prior to the First World War, משה אהרן ויזן recognized the nature of the Germans. “אפילו כשהם מדברים על קאנט, כוונתם טאנק.”
It was said about a רב that whenever בעלי דין came before him to rule on a monetary dispute, he would shut his eyes and doze off. However, when the litigants would get angry and call one another גנב, the רב would immediately open his eyes and listen attentively. His nephew once asked him why
At the 60th birthday party of a member of his קהילה, the רב was asked what ברכה he had for him. The רב said: שלא יהיה בטל בשישים.
A רב observed that there are Jews whose whole Judaism revolves around eating holiday foods: Latkes on חנוכה; Hamantashin on פורים; Cheese on שבועות and so on. He said they are the ones referred to when תהילים says תורתך בתוך מעי.
A רב asked a young man: “If I understand you correctly, you’re an atheist and don’t believe in anything?” The young man responded: “I only believe in what I understand.” The רב replied: “Now I understand why you don’t believe in anything.”
