When
I heard that this issue of the Where What
When would focus on children, I immediately thought of Ahavas Yisrael, our
incredible local charity run by Rabbi Boruch Brull and his very dynamic staff.
Ahavas Yisrael helps children greatly – along with their families – as well as
our aged and, really, any community member struggling financially. Next, I
thought of two beautiful stories that I love to tell and that include children.
Here they are:
*
* *
The Horses Know Where
to Go
told by Eli W. Schlossberg
There was once a man up in years who went to his Rebbe, the
Baal Shem Tov. “Rebbe,” he said, “before I leave this world, I would like to
meet Eliyahu Hanavi.”
The Rebbe said, “Absolutely no
problem. This coming Friday, gather a wagon full of food, hook up the
horses…and go.”
Perplexed, the man asked, “Go
where?”
To which the Rebbe replied, “The
horses know where to go.”
So, he did exactly what the Rebbe
instructed him. He left early Friday morning, and the horses took him a few
towns over. Ten minutes before Shabbos, the horses stopped in front of a small
house. He got off the wagon and knocked at the door, and a very troubled woman
answered.
“Oh my,” she said. “You are
probably looking for a place for Shabbos. Unfortunately, sir, we have no food,
so you cannot possibly stay here.”
He said, “Lady, I have a wagon
full of food.” So, he shared all the food and stayed for Shabbos.
Sunday, he returned to the Rebbe
and said, “Rebbe, you promised I would meet Eliyahu Hanavi. I did not meet him.”
The Rebbe said, “Next Friday, do
the same. Load up the wagon, hitch the horses and go.”
Once again perplexed, he asked, “Go
where?” to which the Rebbe said, “I told you, the horses know where to go!”
That Friday the exact same thing
occurred. The horses stopped at the same house, and once again the man knocked
at the front door. The exact conversation with the same women occurred, “We
would love to have you stay for Shabbos, but we have no food.” To which, he replied
that he had a wagon full of food. He shared and stayed for Shabbos.
Sunday, he returned to his Rebbe,
saying, “Rebbe, you promised me I would meet Eliyahu, but once again I did not…
and I think maybe I need a new Rebbe.”
The Rebbe looked him in the eye
and said, “Next Friday, do exactly the same as you did the past two weeks.”
The bewildered man decided to give
it one more chance. Once again, he loaded his wagon and hitched the horses. And
once again, they stopped right in front of the same home. As he approached the
door and before he knocked, he heard children crying and screaming, “Mama, Mama,
we have no challah, no wine, and no food for Shabbos. Mama, Mama, what shall we
do?”
The mother lovingly said, “Children,
please trust in Hashem. The last two Shabbosim we had the exact situation, and
right before Shabbos, Hashem brought us Eliyahu Hanavi, and baruch Hashem, all was fine!
* * *
The moral of the story, of course,
is that everyone can – and should – be an Eliyahu Hanavi. All it takes is maasim tovim – helping others! Just load
up your “wagon” and gallop toward chesed!
Be charitable, and always daven for those around you. Love our Torah and mitzvos
– both bein adam laMakom, our relationship with Hashem, and bein adam lechaveiro, our relationship
with our neighbors. Each person, in his or her own way, can become a person who
makes this a better world for their community, for klal Yisrael, and for all of humanity. Remember, “The horses know
where to go”!
*
* *
A Fine Must Be Paid
told by Eli W. Schlossberg
One bitterly cold night in January
1935, Mayor LaGuardia of New York City turned up at night court. The court
served the poorest ward of the city. The mayor dismissed the judge for the
evening and took over the bench himself.
Within a few
minutes, a tattered old woman, charged with stealing a loaf of bread, was
brought before him.
“Did you steal the
bread? Why did you steal the bread?” the mayor asked.
The woman told
Mayor LaGuardia she did steal the bread, and the reason was that her daughter’s
husband had deserted her. Her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were
starving.
But the shopkeeper
from whom the bread was stolen refused to drop the charges. “It’s a really bad
neighborhood, your Honor,” the man told the mayor. “She’s got to be punished to
teach other people around here a lesson.”
Mayor Fiorello
LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, “I’ve got to punish you. The
law makes no exceptions. Ten dollars or 10 days in jail.”
The old woman said,
“Your Honor, if I had the $10, I would not have stolen the bread. So, I accept
the punishment and agree to go to jail. I only worry how my daughter and
grandchildren will get along without my help.”
Even as he
pronounced the sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He
extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous hat. He proclaimed, “Here is the
$10 fine, which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in
this courtroom 50 cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread
so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them
to the defendant.”
The following day,
New York City newspapers reported the incident. A bewildered woman who had
stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren received $47.50. The
grocery store owner himself contributed 50 cents of that amount. Furthermore,
some 70 petty criminals, people with traffic violations, as well as New York
City policemen participated. Each of those who had just had the privilege of
contributing 50 cents gave the mayor a standing ovation.
The mayor’s point
was that it is our responsibility as a community to make sure no one is hungry;
we have to make sure the needy have food. If they come to steal because we did
not provide, we must take responsibility.
That is why Ahavas
Yisrael exists! We make sure no one in our community goes hungry!
Eli W. Schlossberg is the author of My Shtetl Baltimore (www.BaltimoreShtetl.com). He has worked
for Ahavas Yisrael as a volunteer for 46 years. He is publishing a new book
soon: Take a Walk through my Shtetl.
