A restaurant owner in Yerushalayim saw that a neighborhood man each day parked himself outside the restaurant with his own meal. Curious, he asked him why he chose to eat his own food right in front of the restaurant. “I enjoy the fine aroma from your kitchen,” the diner replied. Eventually, the owner got annoyed
A priest once asked רבי יהונתן איבשיץ why Jews make קידוש and have a festive meal on the evening before a Holiday, but on פורים they have the סעודה in the afternoon of the Holiday itself. רבי יהונתן answered: "You have the same situation in your religion. You celebrate your holidays during the daytime, but
What did נח’s wife say to him when they got off the תיבה? “That’s the last time I’m going on a cruise with you.”
A רב who had a מוסר in his קהילה strongly denounced him in the בית מדרש for the statements that he made to the authorities against his fellow Jews. When someone noted that he's not all bad, that he never misses a תפילה and appears to pray with כוונה, the רב responded that the גמרא
Louis Marshall, a prominent lawyer and leading Jewish figure in the early 20th century, met with a representative of the Polish Government after the First World War. The Pole told him that if his government’s demands in peace talks aren’t met, the Polish nation will be enraged and slaughter the Jews. Marshall responded: “And if
A peddler was disturbing a group of men during their meal. “I have the finest belts, socks, and shirts at the best prices,” he said. “Do you have neckties?” one of the men asked. “Yes,” he answered. “They’re made of the finest silk. Only $20.” The diner selected a tie and paid the $20. When
When the מלבי״ם visited a certain city, he was greeted by a large crowd, including a group who introduced themselves as the משכילי of the city. Smiling, the מלבי״ם said: “Concerning you, דוד המלך said: ?היש משכיל דורש את אלוקים”
R’ יהונתן איבשיץ was walking on a street in Metz, when he was approached by an anti-Semitic priest who pointed to a dead dog lying in the gutter and said: “Look, at how crude you Jews are, throwing your נבילות into the public street!” ר׳ יהונתן answered: “You are mistaken. That dog is one of
R’ אליהו-חיים of Lodz once met with a senior government official in an effort to help the Jewish ציבור. Seeing how brilliant the רב was, the official said it was a shame that רבי אליהו-חיים had been born a Jew. "If you had been born a Christian," he said, "you could have risen to the
In 1935, Rabbi Rosenberg was sitting on a bench in Berlin reading the Nazi paper, Der Sturmer. One of his congregants passed by and was stunned to see that this is what the Rabbi was reading. “How could you read such a piece of trash?” he asked. “I’ll explain it to you,” the Rabbi said.
